DIO CIO 
Thefe plants may be propagated by laying their j 
branches into the ground, which in about three months 
will put out roots, and may then be taken from the 
old plants, and planted into leparate pots, which fhould 
be plunged into the tan-bed in the ftove ; during the 
winter thefe plants fhould have but little water given 
them ; but in fummer, when they are growing vigo- 
rously, they fhould be watered three or four times a 
week, and in warm weather the glaffes fhould be 
opened to admit a large fhare of free air. Thefe 
plants rarely flower in England, but when the feeds 
are fent from America, they fhould be immediately 
Town in pots, and plunged into a hot-bed, where, if 
the feeds are fown early in the fpring, the plants will 
come up the fame feafon •, but when they are fown 
late, the feeds often remain in the ground till the 
following fpring before they vegetate •, therefore when 
the plants do not come up the firft feafon, the pots 
fhould be fcreened from the froft the following 
winter, and put into a new hot-bed in the fpring, 
which will bring up the plants, if the feeds were good. 
The fourth fort is much cultivated by the inhabitants 
of the iflands in America, and is of great ufe to them 
for feeding of their negroes v and the white people 
make puddings of their roots, when ground to a fort 
of flour. This plant is fuppofed to have been brought 
from the Eaft to the Weft Indies, for it has not been 
difcovered to grow wild in any part of America ; but 
in the ifland of Ceylon, and on the coaftof Malabar, 
it grows in the woods, and there are in thofe places a 
great variety of forts. 
This fort, which is chiefly cultivated in the Weft In- 
dies, has a root as big as a man’s leg, of an irregular 
form, and of a dirty brown colour on the outflde, 
but when cut, are white and meally within. The 
ftalks of this plant are triangular and winged ^ the 
leaves are heart-fhaped, having two ears, fomewhat 
like thofe of Arum. Thefe ftalks climb to the height 
of ten or twelve feet, when they grow near trees or 
fhrubs, to which they fallen themfelves, otherwife 
they trail upon the ground. 
This plant is propagated by cutting of the root into 
pieces, obferving to preferve an eye or bud to each, 
as is pra&ifed in planting of Potatoes ; each of thefe 
being planted will grow, and produce three or four 
large roots. In America they are commonly fix or 
eight months in the ground before the roots are taken 
up for ufe. The roots are roafted or boiled, and 
eaten by the inhabitants, and fometimes are made 
Into bread. 
In fome curious gardens this plant is preferved for 
the fake of variety, but it is fo tender as not to live in 
England, unlefs it is placed in a warm ftove. As thefe 
roots are frequently brought from America, who- 
ever hath an inclination to preferve the plant, may 
cut them in the manner before defcribed, and plant 
each piece in a pot filled with frelh earth, and plunged 
into a hot-bed of tanners bark, and give them little 
water until they fhoot, left they fhould rot. With 
this management I have had the fhoots ten feet high, 
but the roots have not grown to any great fize with 
me. This plant will not thrive in the open air in the 
warmeft time of the year, fo mull conftantly be kept 
in the bark-ftove. 
DIOS M A. Lin. Gen. Plant. 241. Spiraea. Com. 
Rar. Plant. 2. African Spiraea, vulgo. 
The Characters are, 
The flower hath a ■permanent empulement , which is di- 
vided into four acute fegments^ which are plain at their 
bafe it hath five obtufe petals , which fpread open and are 
as long as the empalement ; it hath five ftamina terminated 
by oval erehi fummits , and a five-pointed hollow ne Barium 
fitting on the germen , from which arifes a Jingle Jlyle , 
crowned by an obfolete ftigma. The germen afterward 
becomes a fruit compofed of five compreffed capfides , 
which open lengthways , each inclofing one fmooth oblong 
genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Monogynia, 
the flowers having five ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Diosma ( Oppofitifolius ) folds fubulatis acutis oppcri 
fltis. Ho,rt. Cliff. 7 1 . Diofma with acute awl-Jhaped 
leaves placed oppofite. Spiraea Africana, folds crueia- 
tim pofitis. Com. Rar. Plant. 1. tab. 1. African Spi - 
raa with leaves placed in form of a crofs, 
2 . Diosma ( Hirfuta ) folds linearibus hirfutis. Hort, : 
Cliff. 7 1 . Diofma with narrow hairy leaves. Spiraea 
Africana odorata, folds pilofis. Com. Rar. Plant. 3. 
tab. 3. Sweet African Spiraa with hairy leaves. 
3. Diosma {Rubra) folds linearibus acutis glabris, ca- 
rinatis fubtus bifarium pumftatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 198. 
Diofma with fmooth , narrow , acute leaves , which are 
fpotted on their under fide. Spiraea Africana odorato, 
floribus fuaverubentibus. Com. Rar. Plant. 2. Sweet 
African Spiraea with foft red flowers. 
4. Diosma ( Erricoides ) folds lineari-lanceolatis fubtus 
convexis, bifariam imbricatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 198. 
Diofma with narrow fpear-fhaped leaves , which are con- 
vex on their under fide , and imbricated two ways. Spi- 
raea Africana eric^ bacciferae folds. Rad Hift. 91. 
African Spiraea vnth leaves like the Berry-bearing Heath . 
5. Diosma ( Lanceolata ) folds lanceolatis glabris. Lin. 
Sp. 287. Diofma with fmooth fpear-fhaped leaves. Spi- 
raea Africana, Saturejae folds brevioribus. Rail 
Dendr. 91. 
The firft fort rifes to the height of three feet ; the 
branches are very long and flender, and are produced 
from the Item very irregularly •, the leaves are placed 
croffways, and are pointed •, thefe are every evening 
clofed up to the branches. The flowers are produced 
along the branches from between the leaves ; and in 
the evening, when thefe flowers are expanded, and 
the leaves are clofely embracing the ftalks, the whole 
plant appears as if covered with fpikes of white flow- 
ers ; and as thefe plants continue a long time in flower, 
they make a fine appearance when the plants are in- 
termixed with other exotics in the open air. 
The fecond fort has been long known under the title 
of Spinea Africana odorata, foliis pilofis, or Sweet - 
fcented African Spiraa , with hairy leaves. This fort 
makes a very handfome fhrub, growing to the height 
of five or fix feet ; the ftalks are woody, fending 
out many flender branches •, the leaves come out al- 
ternately on every fide, which are narrow-pointed and 
hairy. The flowers are produced in final! clufters at 
the end of the fhoots, which are white ; thefe are fuc- 
ceeded by ftarry feed-veffels, having five corners, 
like thofe of the ftarry Anife ; each of thefe corners is 
a cell, having one fmooth, fhining, oblong, black 
feed ; thefe feed-veffels abound with a refin, which af- 
fords a grateful lcent, as doth alfo the whole plant. 
The third fort is of humbler growth than either of 
the former, feldom rifing above three feet high, and 
fpreads out into many branches ; the leaves of this 
fort are fmooth, and refemble thofe of the Heath, and 
this plant from thence had the name of Erica fEthio- 
pica, &c. given it by Dr. Plukenet : the flowers of 
this kind are produced in clufters at the end of the 
branches, like thofe of the fecond fort, but are fmalier, 
and the bunches are not fo large. 
All thefe plants are propagated by cuttings, which 
may be planted during any of the fummer months, in 
pots filled with light frelh earth, and plunged into a 
very moderate hot-bed, where they fhould be fhaded 
in the day time from the fun, and frequently refrelhed 
with water. In about two months the cuttings will 
have taken root, when they fhould be each tranf- 
planted into a fmall pot, and placed In a fhady fitua- 
tion until the plants have taken frelh root, when they 
may be placed among other exotic plants, in a fhel- 
tered fituation : thele plants may remain abroad un- 
til the beginning of O6lober or later, if the feafon 
continues favourable for they only require to be 
flickered from froft, fo that in' a dry airy green-houfe 
they may be preferved very well in winter, and in 
fummer they may be expofed to the open air with 
other green-houfe plants* 
Thefe plants grow naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope, from whence the feeds were fent to Europe, 
where 
