BOTANICA. 
37 
Annual plants are only renewed from seeds, and several 
other plants, both trees and shrubs, have no winter buds: It 
is also observed in hot countries, that few plants have buds, 
or at least they are without that scaly covering, which seems / 
essential to a bud, and constitutes the hybernacle; instead 
whereof are protruded small feather-like branches from the 
wings of the leaves; (defence and protection from cold not 
being necessary); whereas in cold countries most plants have 
buds, which are wrapped up ail the winter in readiness to 
greet the approaching spring. 
I may, lastly, take notice of what is called the SLEEP of 
plants, which, according to Linnaeus, happens various ways, 
as by converging, including, surrounding, fortifying, condu- 
plicating, involving, diverging, depending, inverting, imbri¬ 
cating. This disposition in plants is very remarkable in 
chickweed, pimpernel, dandelion, goafs-heard, &c. which 
expand their flowers only at certain times of the day, and 
shut them up at certain times, or at the approach of night 
or a storm; which shews the great care a plant takes to pro¬ 
tect and invigorate her feeble offspring, which may be called 
the storge of plants, as well as animals.—From hence is con¬ 
stituted what Linnaeus calls the horologe or watch of Flora, 
shewing the hours of the day from what he calls the rising 
and setting of flowers; from hence may also often be prog¬ 
nosticated a change of weather.* And in many plants, not 
only the flowers, but the young shoots are defended from 
external injuries, by the nearest leaves converging and en¬ 
closing the tender rudiments. The averrhoa carambola is 
very remarkable for this quality of sleeping. —See the note to 
the genus. 
* The calendula pluvialis (violet and white-coloured African marygold) opens 
between 6 and 7 A, M. and shuts up at 4 P. M. if the weather is dry; but if it 
doth not open its flowers at 7> you are sure to have rain that day; sometimes the 
hasty surprise of a thunder storm will vary the above prognostic.—If the sonchus 
sibiricus (Siberian sow-thistle) shuts up its flowers in the night, the following day 
is generally dry, but if the flowers remain open all night, the next day is generally 
rainy.—.The same observations may be made of several of the English plants. 
