planted in' final! clamps, of fix or eight roots in each, 
where the flowers being of different colours, fet off 
each other to advantage. 
I hole who are curious in thefe flowers, take parti- 
cular care in having their feeds, for they never permit 
any Angle flowers to Hand among their double, but 
pull them up as loon as they fhew their flowers, and 
alio draw out all thole which are not of lively good 
colours ; wberp this is obferved, the flowers may be 
kept in great perfection ; but where perfons have 
trufty friends, who live at fome diftance, with whom 
they can exchange feeds once in two or three years, 
it is much better fo to do, than to continue fowing 
feeds in the fame place many years in fucceffion, and 
this holds true in moil forts of feeds : but the great 
difficulty is to meet with an honeft perfon of equal 
(kill, who will be as careful in the choice of his plants 
for feed, as if he was to fow them himfelf. 
D I A P E N S I A. See Sanicula. 
D I C T AMNU S.. Lin. Gen. Plant. 468. Fraxinella. 
lourn. I nil. R. H. 430. tab. 243. White Dittany, 
or Fraxinella ; in French, Framnelle . This plant was 
titled Fraxinella, from Fraxinus the Afh-tree, the 
leaves of this having fome refemblance in their form, 
to thofe of die Afh-tree, fo it was called Little Afh. 
But as this plant has been long mentioned under the 
title of Dictamnus albus, i. e. White Dittany in the 
difpenfaries, fo Dr. Linnaeus has adapted that title to 
this genus. 
The Characters are, 
Fhe empalement of the flower is compofed of five j mall 
oblong leaves , ending in points. The flower hath five 
oblong petals which are unequal , two of them turning up- 
ward , two are oblique on the Jides , and one turns down- 
ward. It hath ten rifling flamina , which are as long as 
the petals , which are fituMed between the two fide petals ; 
they are not equal in length , and are terminated by obtufe 
four-cornered fmnmits funding ere 51. In the center is fi- 
t nated a five-cornered germen , fupporting a flhort incurved 
. fyle. , crowned by an acute ftigma ; the germen afterward 
becomes a capfule with five cells , each having a compreflfed 
margin , which fpreads open at their exterior parts , but 
join together at their inner , opening with two valves , and 
inchfing fever al roundiflh , hard, Jhining feeds. 
This .genus of plants is ranged in the firfb feduion of 
Linnaeus’s tenth clafs, intitled Decandria Monogynia, 
the flower having ten flamina and one ftyle. 
We have but one diftinft Species of this genus, 
viz. 
Dictamnus {Albus). Hort. Cliff. i6r. Fraxinella. Cluf. 
Hift. 99. and the Didtamnus albus, vulgo Fraxinella. 
C. B. P. 222. White Dittany , commonly called Fraxinella. 
There are three varieties of this plant, one with a 
pale red flower .ftriped with purple, another with a 
white flower, and one with fhorter fpikes of flowers ; 
but as I have obferved them to vary when propagated 
by feeds, fo I efteem them only feminal varieties. 
This is a very ornamental plant for gardens, and as 
it requires very little culture, fo deferves a place in 
all good gardens. It hath a perennial root, which 
Trikes deep into the ground, and the head annually 
increafes in fize; thefe fend up many ftalks, which 
rife from two to three feet high, garniflied with winged 
leaves placed alternate, compofed of three or four 
pair of oblong lobes, terminated by an odd one : 
they are fmooth and ftiff, fitting clofe to the midrib, 
which hath a longitudinal furrow on the upper fide •, 
the lobes (or fmall leaves) placed on each fide the 
midrib, are oblique, but thofe 'which terminate the 
leaf have their lides equal. The flowers are produced 
in a long pyramidal loofe fpike or thyrfe on the top 
of the ftalk, which is nine or ten inches long; the 
flowers of one fort is white, and of the other they are 
of a pale red, marked with red or purple ftripes. 
The whole plant when gently rubbed, emits an odour 
like that of Lemon peel, but when bruifed has fome- 
tiiing of a balfamic feent. It flowers the latter end 
of May, and in June, and the feeds ripen in Scp- 
. tember. 
Thefe plants are propagated by feeds, which, if foyra 
in the autumn foon after they are ripe, the pktnts 
will appear the following April ; but when they are 
kept out of the ground till the fpring, the feeds fel- 
dorn fucceed ; or if they do grow, it is the following 
fpring before the plants appear, fo that a whole year 
is lofl. When the plants come up, they muft be 
conftantly kept clean from weeds ; and in the autumn 
when their leayes decay, the roots fliould be carefully 
taken up, and planted in beds at fix inches diftance 
every way ; thele beds may be four feet broad, and 
the paths between them two, that there may be room 
enough to pafs between the beds to weed them. In 
thefe beds the plants may ftand two years, during 
which time they muft be conftantly kept clean from 
weeds; and if they thrive well, they will be ftrong 
enough to flower ; fo in the autumn they fhould be 
carefully taken up, and planted in the middle of the 
borders of the flower-garden, where they will con- 
tinue thirty or forty years, producing more items of 
flowers in proportion to the fize of the' roots. All 
the culture thefe require, is to be kept clean from 
weeds, and the ground about them dug every winter. 
The roots of this plant are ufed in, medicine, and 
efteemed cordial and cephalic, refilling putrefaction 
and poifon, and are ufeful in malignant and peftilen- 
tial diftempers, as alfo in epiiepfles. 
DICTAMNUS CRETICUS. See Origanum. 
DIERVILLA. Tourn. Act. R, Par. 1706. Loni- 
cera. Lin. Gen. Plant. 210. 
The title of this genus was given it by Dr. Tournefort, 
after Mr. Dierville, a furgeon, who brought this plant 
from Acadia. 
The Characters are, 
The empalement of the flower is cut into five parts , ahnoft 
to the bottom ; the flower is of one leaf , having a tube at 
the bottom , but is cut into five parts at the top , and has 
the appearance of a lip flower ; it hath five ftamina, 
which are terminated by oblong fummits , which are equal 
with the petal. At the bottom of the flower is fituated 
an oval germen fixed to the empalement, fupporting a flender 
fiyle equal with the ftamina, crowned by an obtufe ftigma ; 
the germen afterward becomes a pyramidal berry , divided 
into four cells , which contain fmall round feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fourth feCtion 
of Tournefort’s third clafs, which includes the plants 
with a tubulous anomalous flower of one leaf. It is 
ranged by Dr. Linnaeus under his genus of Lonicera, 
in the firlt feCtion of his fifth clafs, intitled Pentanclria 
Monogynia, the flower having five ftamina and one 
ftyle. 
We know but one Species of this genus at prefent, 
viz. 
Diervilla ( Lonicera ) Acadienfls fruticofa, flore luteo. 
Act. R. Par. 1 706. Shrubby Diervilla of Acadia with a 
yellow flower. This is the Lonicera racemis termi- 
nalibus foliis ferratis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 275. Lonicera 
with bunches of flowers terminating the branches , and 
flawed leaves. 
This plant grows naturally in the northern parts of 
America, from whence it was brought to Europe, and 
is now propagated in the gardens for fale. It hath 
woody roots which fpread far in the ground, and put 
out (hoots at a diftance from the principal ftalk, 
whereby it multiplies greatly : the ftalks are ligneous, 
and feldom rife more than a foot and a half high ; 
thefe are garniflied with oblong heart-ffiaped leaves, 
ending in acute points ; they are very (lightly fawed 
on their edges, and are placed oppofite, fitting clofe 
to the ftalks : the upper part of the ftalks are gar- 
niffied with flowers, which ufually come out from the 
fide of the ftalk at the fitting on of the leaves, and 
alfo at the top of the ftalks ; there are two or three 
flowers fuftained upon each foot-ftalk : they are of a 
pale yellowy and being fmall, make no great ap- 
pearance. Thefe come out in May, and if the feafon 
proves moift and cold, they frequently flower again 
in Auguft. 
It is eafily propagated by flickers, which it fends out 
in plenty, and loves a moift foil and fhady fituation, 
where the cold will never injure it. 
DIGITALIS. 
1 
