4*6 - B R O M 
raifed confluent dots, within three-celled ; rind thick, fgbe- 
rofe-flefhy, producing thiee membranaceous partitions on 
the infide, which meet at the axis ; flelh pulpy-membra¬ 
naceous, of a pale watery colour, and divided into feveral 
partial cells ; receptacle none, but the feeds neftle in their 
proper cells, diredting their navels towards the axis of the 
berry : they are of-an ovate-globular form, fwelling lenti¬ 
cular, narrower at the navel, having a ftnall brown tuber¬ 
cle at the top, fniooth, (hilling, of a ferruginous chefnut- 
colour. This plant, having a tuft of leaves growing above 
the fruits, has the appearance of the pine-apple; but, on 
a clofer infpeftion, the difference is eafily difcerned, the 
fruits not being coadunate as in that, but produced fepa- 
rately in clulters. It is now very common in Jamaica, 
growing wild in moll of the favannas and on the rocky 
hills. It is commonly ufed thefe, and in the otheriflands 
of the Weft Indies, for fencing pafture lands, its leaves 
being very formidable to cattle, the edges being very 
prickly, and the prickles arched backwards. Thefe, drip¬ 
ped' of their pulp, foaked in water, and beaten with a 
wooden mallet, yield a ftrong thread, which is tvvifted into 
ropes and whips, and by the Spaniards is manufactured 
into hammocks ; it has alfo been worked into good linen 
cloth. A fmall quantity of the juice of the fruit in water, 
makes an admirable cooling draught in fevers; a tea- 
fpoonftil corrected with fugar, deftroys worms in children, 
clcanfes and heals the thrulh, and other ulcerations in the 
mouth and throat; and is extremely diuretic : it alfo makes 
a very fine vinegar. Dampier fays, the penguin fruit is 
of two forts, the yellow and the red. The yellow grows 
on a green ftetn, as big as a man’s arm, above a foot high; 
the leaves are half a foot long, and an inch broad, the 
edges full of (harp prickles. The fruit grows at the head 
of the flalk, in two or three great chillers, lixteen or twen¬ 
ty in a clufter : it is as big as a pullet’s egg, round, and 
yellow ; the rind is thick, and the infide is full of (mall 
black feeds. It is a (harp pleafant fruit. The red fort is 
of the bignefs and colour of a fmall dry onion, and is in 
fliape mucl> like a nine-pin; it grows not on a Hem, as 
the other, but one end on the ground, the other (landing 
upright: fixty or feventy grow clofe together on the fame 
clufter of roots. The leaves are a foot and a half or two 
feet long, prickly like the former. They are botli whole- 
fome, and grow fo plentifully in the bay of Campeachy, 
that there is no paffing for their high prickly leaves. The 
penguin was cultivated in the Elthanvgarden ; and, be¬ 
fore that, in 1690, in the royal garden at Hampton-court. 
3. Bromelia karatas, or karatas or upright-leaved wild 
’ananas: leaves erefit; flowers ftemlefs, felfile, aggregate. 
This fpecies generally grows at the root of fome lhady 
tree, in hilly and woody places in America and the Ca- 
ribbee iflands. Jtisan elegant plant, producing numerous 
radical leaves, which are of a fubtilate-linear fliape, fharp- 
pointed, and edged with fpines. The flowers are feent- 
lefs, feated in the bofom or middle part of the plant, rofe- 
coloured, with the calyx and germ downy. The length 
of the leaves is fix or feven feet. The fruits are oval, two 
or three hundred in number, and grow feflile in a heap or 
central group, furrounded by paleaceous expanded leaves 
or bradleS; they contain a fucculent whitifh or yellowifh 
flefli, under a coriaceous and yellowifti bark. When ripe 
they are far from unpleafant, but when unripe they fet 
the teeth on edge, and excoriate the mouth. The eco¬ 
nomy of this plant in the prefervation of its fruit to ma¬ 
turity is wonderful; being fo protected by the fpines of 
the lurrounding leaves, as to be fecure from all injuries. 
It propagates itfelf by mucus produced amongft the leaves, 
which become procumbent after the fruit is ripened. 
4. Bromelia lingulata, or tongue-leaved bromelia : leaves 
ferrate-fpiny, obtufe; fpikes alternate. This has fliorter 
leaves than the next fpecies, Handing eredt, narrow at the 
bafe, increafing in width gradually to the top, fharply fer¬ 
rate, and of a deep green colour. The flower-ftem arifes 
from the centre of the plant, dividing at top into feveral 
branches; the upped parts of thefe have clofe fpikes of 
E L I A. 
flowers, which come out alternately from the fides, each 
having a narrow entire leaf juft below it, which is longer 
than the fpike. 
5. Bromelia midicanlis, or naked-ftalked bromelia: ra¬ 
dical leaves topth-fpiny; (tem-leaves quite entire. The 
leaves both of this and the foregoing are very like tliofe 
of the aloe, but not fo thick and fucculent; the edges are 
indented, and armed with ftrong black fpines. The flower- 
ftem is near three feet high; tire lower part has entire 
leaves, placed alternately at every joint; at the upper 
part are the flowers, fet in a loofe fpike or thyrfe. Thefe 
are fncceeded by ovate feed-vefiels, having a longitudinal 
partition, in the centre of which, on every fide, are fatten¬ 
ed fmooth cylindrical feeds. Father Plurnier found both 
thefe plants in the French Weft-Indian iflands. Dr. Houf- 
toun obferved them in Jamaica, and feveral parts of the 
Spanifh Weft Indies. The fourth was fent from St. Chrif- 
topher’s, and the fifth from the coaft of Guinea, to Mr. 
Miller, who cultivated them before the year 1733. 
6. Bromelia humilis, or dwarf bromelia: aimoft ftem¬ 
lefs; flowers aggregate, feflile; axillas ftoloniferous. The 
leaves of this fpecies refemble thofe of the other kinds, 
but are the moft ftrong and rigid of any. They arq alfo 
fomewhat fliorter, and more fpreading. The flowers are 
blue, about thirty in number, fituated in the fame manner 
as in the bromelia karatas of Plurnier. The firft alfo is 
fimilar, but fomewhat fmaller. The plant readily propa¬ 
gates itfelf by runners or (hooting proceffes, which proceed 
from the axilla of the lower leaves, and which produce a 
young plant from their extremities. It therefore dithers 
in this refpedl from the bromelia karatas of Plurnier, and 
from the bromelia penguin, in having the flowers feflile. 
In other refpedls it much refembles that fpecies. 
7. Bromelia acanga-: panicle diftufed ; leaves ciliate- 
fpiny, mucronate, recurved. Native of Bralil. 
8. Bromelia bradleata : leaves ferrate-fpiny, bradtes o- 
vate-lanceolate, fcape elongated, raceme compound, race- 
nniles fubdivided, flowers feflile. 
9. Bromelia paniculigera: leaves ferrate-fpiny, bradtes 
lanceolate, raceme compound, racemules fubdivided, 
flowers peduncled. 
Propagation and Culture. The ananas has been long cul¬ 
tivated in the hotted iflands of the Weft Indies, where this 
fruit is in great plenty, and of extraordinary goodnefs; 
but it has not been many years in the European-gardens, 
fo as to produce fruit. The firft perfon who fucceeded in 
cultivating the fruit, was monfieur le Cour, of Leyden, in 
Holland, who, after a great many trials with little or no 
fuccefs, did at length hit upon a proper degree of heat 
and management, fo as to produce fruit equally good 
(though not fo large) as that which is produced in the 
Weft Indies, as has often been affirmed by perfons who 
have lived many years there: and it is to this worthy cul¬ 
tivator of gardening, who did not fpare any pains or ex¬ 
pence to accomplifh it, that all the lovers thereof are obli¬ 
ged, for introducing this king of fruits amongft them; and 
it was from him that our gardeners in England were firft 
fupplied, tho’ we have fince had large quantities brought 
from America. We cannot here avoid taking notice of 
a common error which prevails among many people, which 
is, that the plants brought from America are not fo good 
as thofe which came from M. le Cour, which is a great 
miftake ; for, were the people who fend over thefe plants 
from America careful to fend the bed kinds, there would 
be found many better than tliofe cultivated by M. leCour, 
who had his from thence at firft. 
The ananas or pine-apple is propagated by planting the 
crowns which grow on the fruit, or the fuckers which are 
produced either from the (ides of the plant, or under the 
fruit, both of which are equally good ; although by fome 
perfons the crown is thought preferable to the fuckers, as 
fuppoflng it will produce fruit fooner than them, which 
is certainly a miftake; for by conflant experience it has 
been found that the fuckers, if equally ftrong, will fruit 
as foon, and producers large fruit as the crowns. The 
fuckers 
