t 
DAP 
The Characters- are, 
<fhe flower hath no empalement ; it is cylindrical , 0/" 
petal, which is cut into four parts at the top , // 
fpreads open •, A Jhort ftamina infer ted in the 
tube ,. which are alternately lower , terminated by erett 
bilocular fummits. Lhe oval germen isfituated at the bot- 
tom of the tube, and is crowned by a headed depreffed flig- 
ma ; germen afterward becomes a roundifh berry with 
one cell , incloflng one roundifh flefhy^ feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedtion of 
Linnaeus’s eighth clafs, intitled O&andria Monogy- 
nia, from the flower having eight ftamina and one 
germen. 
The Species are, 
1. Daphne ( Laureola ) racemis axillaribus, foliis lan- 
ceolatis glabris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 357. Daphne with 
bunches of flowers proceeding frGm the fides of the branches , 
and fmooth fpear-fhaped leaves. Thymetea lauri folio 
fempervirens, feu laureola mas. Tourn. Inft. 595 " 
Commonly called Spurge Laurel. 
2. Daphne ( Mezereon ) floribus feftilibus terms caulinis, 
foliis lanceolatis deciduis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 357. 
Daphne with three flowers together fitting clofe to theftalk , 
and fpear-fhaped leaves, which fall off in autumn. Thy- 
metea laud folio deciduo, five laureola fcemina. 
Tourn. Inft. 595. Commonly called Mezereon. 
3. Daphne (ft hy melee a) floribus feflilibus axillaribus, fo- 
liis lanceolatis, caulibus fimpliciftimis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
356. Daphne with flowers fitting clofe to the fides of the 
branches, fpear-fhaped leaves, and fingle ftalks. Thy- 
mehea foliis polygate glabris. C. B. P. 463. 
4. Daphne (far ton-mire) floribus feftilibus aggregatis 
axillaribus, foliis ovatis utrinque pubefeentibus ner- 
vofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 356. Daphne with flowers in 
cluflers fitting clofe to the fides of the branches , and oval 
nervous leaves covered with flilky hairs on both fides. 
Thymetea foliis candicantibus ferici inftar mollibus. 
C. B, P. 463. Commonly called Larton-raire. 
■5. Daphne ( Alpina ) floribus feftilibus aggregatis late- 
ralibus, foliis lanceolatis obtufiufculis fubtus tomen- 
tofts. Lin. Sp. Plant. 356. Daphne with cluflers of 
flowers growing clofe to the fides of the branches , and 
fpear-fhaped blunt leaves woolly on their under fide. Cha- 
metea Alpina, folio inferne incano. C. B. P. 462. 
6. Daphne ( Cneorum ) floribus congeftis terminalibus 
feflilibus, foliis lanceolatis nudis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 357. 
Daphne with cluflers of flowers fitting clofe on the tops 
of the branches, and naked fpear-fhaped leaves. Cneorum. 
Matth. Hift. 46. 
7. Daphne ( Gnidium ) panicula terminali, foliis lineari- 
lanceolatis acuminatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 357. Daphne 
with a panicle of flowers terminating the branches , and 
narrow, fpear-fhaped, pointed leaves. Thymetea fo- 
liis lini. C. B. P. 463. 
8. Daphne ( Squarrcfa ) floribus terminalibus peduncu- 
latis, foliis fparfis linearibus patentibus mucronatis. 
Lin. Sp. Plant. 358. Daphne with flowers terminating 
the branches , having foot-ftalks , and narrow , fpreading , 
acute-pointed leaves , placed flatteringly on the branches. 
Thymetea capitata lanuginofa, foliis creberrimis mi- 
nimis aculeatis. Burm. Afr. 134. tab. 49. fol 1. 
p. Daphne ( Americana) foliis linearibus acutis, floribus 
racemofis axillaribus. Daphne with very narrow acute 
leaves , and flowers growing in bunches from the fides of 
the branches. Thymetea frutefeens rorifmarini folio, 
flore albo. Plum. Cat. 
The firft fort grows common in the woods in many 
parts of England, and is commonly known by the 
title of Spurge Laurel •, of late years there are poor 
people, who get the young plants out of the woods, 
and carry them about the town to fell in the winter 
and fpring. This is a low evergreen fhrub, v/hich 
riles with feveral ftalks from the root to the height 
of two or three feet, dividing upward into feveral 
branches, gamiftied with thick fpear-fnaped leaves, 
which come out irregularly on every fide, fitting 
pretty clofe to the branches, they are fmooth and of 
a lucid green ; between thefe, toward the upper 
part of the ftalks, come out the flowers in fmall cluf- 
ters j they are of a yellowhh green, and appear foon 
DAP 
after Chriftmas, if the feafon is not very fevere ; thefe 
are fucceeded by oval berries, which are green till 
June, when they ripen and turn black, foon after 
which they fall off. The whole plant is of a hot 
cauftic tafte, burning and inflaming the mouth and 
throat. The leaves continue green all the year, fo 
thefe plants are ornamental in winter ; and as they 
will thrive under tall trees, they are very proper to 
fill up the fpaces in plantations. 
The fecond fo'rt grows naturally in Germany, and 
there hath been a difeovery made of its growing in 
fome woods near Andover in Llamplhire, from 
whence a great number of plants have been taken of 
late years. This has been long cultivated in the 
nurfery-gardens as a flowering fhrub, and is a very 
ornamental plant in gardens, very early in the fpring, 
before others make their appearance. There are 
two diftindt forts of this, one with a white flower 
which is fucceeded by yellow berries, the other with 
Peach-coloured flowers and red fruit. Thefe are by 
fome fuppofed to be accidental varieties arifing from 
the fame feeds, but I have feveral times railed thefe 
plants from feeds, and always found the plants come 
up the fame, as thofe from which the feeds were 
taken, fo they do not vary, therefore may be called 
different fpecies. There is a variety of the Peach- 
coloured Mezereon, with flowers of a much deeper 
colour than the common, but thefe I have always 
found to vary in their colours when raifed from feeds. 
This fhrub grows to the height of five or fix feet, 
with a ftrong woody ftalk, putting out many woody 
branches on every fide, fo as to form a regular head ; 
the flowers come out very early in the fpring, before 
the leaves appear, growing in clufters all round the 
Ihoots of the former year ; there are commonly three 
flowers produced from each knot or joint, ftanding 
on the fame lhort foot-ftalk •, thefe have fhort fwelling 
tubes, which are divided into four parts at the top, 
which fpread open ; they have a very fragrant odour, 
fo that where there are plenty of the fhrubs growing 
together, they perfume the air to a confiderable dif- 
tance round them : after the flowers are paft, the 
leaves come out, which are fmooth, fpear-fhaped, 
and placed without order ; they are about two inches 
long, and three quarters broad in the middle, gra- 
dually leffening to both ends ; the flowers are fuc- 
ceeded by oval berries, which ripen in June ; thofe 
of the Peach-coloured flowers are red, and thofe of 
the white yellow. The flowers appear in February 
and March, and fometimes in mild winters they ap- 
pear in January. This plant was formerly ufed in 
medicine, but as every part of it has a hot cauftic 
tafte, fo few preferibe the ufe of it at prefent. 
This is propagated by feeds, which fhould be fown 
on a border expofed to the eaft, foon after the berries 
are ripe •, for if they are not fown till the fpring fol- 
lowing they often mifearry, and always remain a year 
in the ground before the plants appear; whereas 
thofe which are fown in Auguft, will grow the fol- 
lowing fpring, fo that a year is faved, and thefe never 
fail. When the plants come up, they will require 
no other care but to keep them clean from weeds, 
and if the plants are not too clofe together, they may 
continue in the feed -bed, to have the growth of two 
fummers, efpecially if they do not make great pro- 
grefs the firft year ; then at Michaelmas, when the 
leaves are fhedding, they fhould be carefully taken 
up fo as not to break or tear their roots, and planted 
into a nurfery at about fixteen inches row from row, 
and eight or nine inches afunder in the rows ; in this 
nurfery they may remain two years, by which time 
they will be fit to remove to the places where they 
are defigned to remain for good: the beft feafon to 
tranfplant thefe trees is in autumn, for as thefe plants 
begin to vegetate very early in the fpring, fo it is 
not proper to tranfplant them at that feafon. Thefe 
plants grow beft in a light fandy earth which is dry, 
for in cold wet land they become mofty, and make 
little progrefs ; fo that upon fuch foils they never grow 
to any fize, *md produce few flowers. 
Although 
