5 82 C A C 
come out on the upper edges of (he branches generally, 
though fometimes they are produced, on their (ides. The 
thin or cover of the fruit is fet with fmall fpines in cluf- 
ters, and the infide is flefhy, of a purple or red colour. It 
flowers here in July and Auguft ; but, unlefs the feafon 
is very warm, the fruit will not ripen in England. This 
fort is how found growing wild on the (ides of the roads 
about Naples and in other parts of Italy, in Sicily, Spain, 
Portugal, the Valais, the (both of France, Minorca, &c. 
but it is probable that it was brought originally from Ame¬ 
rica, of which all the other forts are natives. Gerarue 
fays, it was brought from Virginia into Italy, Spain, Eng¬ 
land, &c. and that he could never make it bear fruit here, 
though he beflowed great pains and cod in keeping it from 
the injury of our cold climate. He adds, that it grows in 
Barbary ; and that his fervant, William Marfnall, found 
it abundantly in the ifie of Zante. Miller received fome 
branches of it from Mr. Peter Gollinfon, who allured him 
they were fent from Newfoundland, where the plants grow 
naturallv, and which is much farther to the north than 
it was ever before known to grow. How it endures the 
cold of-that country is inconceivable; for, though it will 
live abroad in England in a warm (itnation and dry foil, 
yet in fevere winters it is generally' defj'royed, if not pro¬ 
tected from froit. That of which Mr. Miller has given 
a .plate in Iris figures of plants, came from Nova Scotia, 
where it is faid to be common. He obferves, that it is a 
much larger plant than the common fort, and armed with 
itronger prickles ; that the fruit alfo is much larger, and 
of a deeper purple colour ; the joints rounder and more 
•cbmprelfed ; belides it is hardier, and grows more upright. 
19. Gaft us ficus tndiea, or oblong Indian-fig: prolife¬ 
rous-jointed ; joints ovate-oblong, fpines fetaceous. The 
oblong-branched Indian-fig lias the branches growing more 
upright than thofe of the foregoing, and they are armed 
with long briftly fpines, coming out in clufters on both 
tire comprefled (ides, and fpreading open like the rays of 
a far. The flowers come out from the upper edges of the 
leaves, like the former ; but they are larger, and of a 
brighter yellow colour. The fruit is alfo larger, and of a 
deeper purple colour; the outer (kin is alfo armed with 
longer fpines. This is the mod common fort in Jamaica, 
and upon the fruit of this the wild fort of cochineal infect 
feeds, which is called Silvejlcr. Some of the plants were 
-lent with the live infefts upon them from Jamaica, by 
Dr. Houfloun, who was writing a hiflory of them. Thefe 
infeiSts kept alive upon the plants here three or four months. 
'If the fruit be eaten, it will dye the urine of a bloody co¬ 
lour. This feems to be a nafive not only of South Ame¬ 
rica, but alfo of the Eafl Indies, Cochin China and Ja¬ 
pan, and Madeira; or perhaps rather has been tranfplant- 
ed thither. 
20. Cactus tuna, or great Indian-fig, or upright prickly 
pear: proliferous-jointed; joints ovate-oblong, fpines 
fubulate. This has ftronger brandies than the foregoing 
fort, and they are armed with larger thorns, which are 
avvl-fhaped, whitifh, and in clutters. The flowers are 
large, of a bright yellow colour ; and tlie fruit is draped 
3 ike that of the foregoing.' There is a variety, which grows 
taller; the branches larger, thicker, and of a deeper green, 
.and armed with itrong black fpines, coming out in Cluf- 
ters, which are far afunder. The flowers are fmaller, and 
of a purplilh colour, as are alfo the (lumens; the fruit is 
of the fame form with that of the common fort, and does 
mot ripeh here. Another variety, which Miller calls opun- 
tia maxima, is the largeft of all the forts yet known. The 
joints are more than a foot long, and'eight inches broad; 
they are very thick, of a deep green colour, and armed 
with a few fhort fpines; the older branches of this often 
become almoft taper, and are very ftrong. ft has not flow¬ 
ered, though many of the plants were more than ten feet 
high. This fort makes very drong fences f the prickles 
are fo fharp, that cattle are afraid of coming near them ; 
and it fpreads very much both by the joints and the feed. 
When the ifland of St. Chridopher was to be divided be- 
T U S. 
tween the Englifh and the French, three rows of the tuna 
were planted by common confent between the boundaries. 
Dr. Smith, in his very ingenious paper upon the irritabi¬ 
lity of vegetables, informs us, that the long and (lender 
damens of the flower are very irritable ; and that, if a quill 
or feather be drawn through them, in two or three f.c- 
conds they begin to lie down gently on one dde, and 
in a diort time become recumbent at the bottom oi the 
flower. It is a native of South America and Jamaica, and 
was cultivated in 1732, at Eltliam, by Dr. Sherard. 
21. Cadtuscdchenillifer, or cochineal Indian-fig: proii- 
ferous-jointed; joints ovate-oblong, almoft unarmed. Tins, 
which is fuppofed to be the fort upon which tlrfe,cochi¬ 
neal infect feeds, has oblong, fmootji, upright, branches, 
rlfiijg' to the height of eight or ten feet, having fcarcely 
any'fpines on them, and the few there are fo fuft ao> not 
to be troublefome when handled. The flowers are fmall, 
and of a purple colour ; they do not fpread open, appear 
late in autumn with us, and the fruit drops off in winter 
without coming to perfection. The cochineal infect feeds 
on many fucculent plants, but 1110ft commonly on the 
cactus genus. For this reafon the Indians propagate large 
quantities of the mod harmlefs fpecies to breed the infects 
upon. Dampier’s account is as follows : “ The plant on 
which the cochineal infedt feeds is like the prickly pear, 
about five feet high, and as prickly ; only the leaves are 
not quite fo big, but the fruit is bigger. On the top of 
the fruit there grows a red flower; this, when the fruit 
is ripe, falls down on the top of it, and covers it fo that 
no rain or dew can wet the infide. A day or two after, 
the flower being fcorched up by the heat of the fun, the 
fruit opens wide, and the infide appears full of fmall red 
infetts. The Indians, when they perceive tlie fruit open, 
fpread a large linen cloth, and then with (ticks fhake the 
plant, to diflurb the infefts, fo that they take wing to be 
gone, but keep hovering over the plant, till by the heat 
they fall down dead on the cloth, where the Indians let them 
remain two or three days till they are dry. The cochi¬ 
neal plants are called by the Spaniards toona. They are 
planted in the country about Guatimala, Cheape, and 
Guaxaca, in the kingdom of Mexico.” The difference, 
in point of goodnefs, obfervable in the cochineal, is en¬ 
tirely owing to the plant it feeds upon. The prickly pear, 
fo abundant in Jamaica, is covered with the infedts, but, 
not having their proper food, they are in general diminu¬ 
tive, and have very little red tindture in their bodies. 
Thefe plants bear a fucculent fruit at their extremities, 
filled with a delicate red-coloured juice. This is the na¬ 
tural food of the infedt. The exuviae and animal falts of 
the infect ax'e, from the minutenefs of its parts, infepara- 
ble front the effential principles of the dye, and mult di- 
minilli the brilliancy of the colour; and this has put fome 
perfons upon infpiffating the juice of the fruit itfelf. The 
ripe fruit is faid to check fluxes by its mild reftringency ; 
it is alfo a powerful diuretic, and fometimes imparts a 
tinge to the urine. This alfo was cultivated at Eltliam 
in 1732. 
22. Cadtus Curaflavicus, or Curaffoa or lead Indian- 
fig, or pinpillow : proliferous-jointed ; joints cylindric- 
ventricofe, comprefled. The lead Indian-fig has thicker 
more dwelling joints than the other forts, clofely armed 
with (lender white fpines. The branches fpread out on 
every lide, and where they have no fupport fall to the 
ground, very often feparating at the joints, and as they 
lie upon the ground putting out roots, and forming new 
plants. This fort very rarely produces flowers in Eng¬ 
land. In the Weft Indies it is called pinpillow , from the 
appearance which the branches have to a pincuftiiqn (tuck 
full of pins. It is faid to grow naturally at Curaffoa. Mr. 
Bentick introduced it here in 1690. It flowered at Bad- 
’mington, in the garden of that incomparable patronefs of 
natural learning, the late duchefs of Beaufort, as Bradley 
expreffes it. 
23. Cadtus phyllanthus, or fpleenwort-leaved Indian-fig: 
proliferous, enfiform-corhpreffed, ferrate-repand. Spleen- 
wort- 
