122 
ADO 
mina: filaments very fhort, fubulate; antherae oblong, 
inflex. Piftillum: germs numerous, in a head; Ityles 
none; ftigmas acute, reflex. Receptaculum: oblong, 
fpiked, Seeds: numerous, irregular, angular, gibbous at 
the bafe, reflex at the top, a little prominent, naked.— 
EJfcntiaL CharaEler. Calyx, five-leaved; petals, five or 
more, without a neftary; feeds, naked. 
Defcription. The leaves are multifid in fome fpecies, in 
others biternate. The flowers are terminating, varying 
in the number of petals, from five to twelve or more ; 
thefe are long, narrow, red or yellow, without any nedta- 
ry as in anemone, which genus the flowers of adonis re- 
i'emble. In fruit this genus approaches more to the ranun¬ 
culus; having the feeds on a receptacle more or lefs 
lengthened out, forming a bunch, pretty much as in that 
genus. 
Species, i. Adonis seftivalis, or tall adonis: corollas 
five-petalled, heads of feeds ovate. Linnaeus obferves, 
that this is fo nearly allied to the fecond fpecies, as to be 
doubtful whether it is really diftinCt. Crantz unites them; 
and Mr. Curtis thinks it will moft probably be found that 
they are the fame. The number of petals is no certain 
■character; and the time of flowering is none. Linnaeus 
lays, the corolla in this is red, in that dark purple: but 
the variation, even from fcarlet to pale yellow, is no eflen- 
tial difference; the dark purple at the bafe of the petals 
remaining the fame in all the varieties. According to M. 
Villars, this differs from autumnalis, in having the flower 
fmaller, with the colour a higher red ; the branches more 
open, and the fruit of an oval form. It is a native of the 
fouthern countries of Europe, among corn: flowering in 
May and June. Cultivated in 1768, by Mr. Miller. 
2. Adonis autumnalis, or common adonis; called alfo 
bird’s-eye, pheafant’s-eye, red maithes, or red Morocco. 
Our common adonis is a native of moft of the fouthern 
parts of Europe. Though now common in corn-fields 
with us near London, yet, not being mentioned as indige¬ 
nous by any of our old writers, it is probably of no very 
long ftanding, and was originally conveyed from gardens, 
by the intervention of the dung-heap. It grows in Kent, 
particularly by the fide of the river Medway, between 
Rochefter and Maidftone, where it is found in great plen- 
ly, in tire fields fown with wheat. Among fpring corn, 
there is rarely a plant of it to be found; which thews the 
propriety of fowing the feeds in gardens in autumn; for 
thofe fields of fpring corn, if fuffered to remain undif- 
turbed after the harveft, will abound with this plant the 
following year. Great quantities of the flowers are an¬ 
nually brought to London, and fold by the name of red 
Morocco. Both thefe annual forts flower in the begin¬ 
ning of June, and the feeds ripen in Auguft and Septem¬ 
ber: this muft be underftood of thofe plants which grow 
from feeds fown in autumn, or fuch as have fallen to the 
ground; for, when any plants come up from feeds fown in 
the fpring, they do not flower till July or Auguft, and 
their feeds feldom ripen before OClober. 
3 . Adonis venalis, or perennial or fpring adonis: flower 
twelve-petalled; heads of feeds ovate; feeds equal thick¬ 
er at the tip, ftyled below the tip, hirfute. Is a native of the 
mountains of Oeland, Switzerland, Auftria,Carniola,Silefia, 
Prufiia, Bohemia, the Palatinate, and other parts of Ger¬ 
many ; where the root is often ufed for the true black hel¬ 
lebore. Its large yellow flowers are produced at the end 
©f March or the beginning of April; and the feeds ripen 
in Auguft. It is an old inhabitant of the Englifh gardens; 
and was cultivated by Mr. Millerin 1731. 
4. Adonis Apennina, or Apennine adonis: flowers fif- 
teen-petalled; feeds angular acuminate-mucronatefmooth. 
This fpecies is found wild in the Apennines, and in Sibe¬ 
ria. 
5. Adonis Capenfis, or Cape adonis: flowers ten-petalled; 
heads deprefled; leaves biternate; leaflets ferrate heart- 
fhaped. Found wild near the Cape of Good Hope. 
6. Adonis veficatoria, or blifter adonis: flowers ten- 
petalled; leaves biternate; leaflets ferrate Imooth. This 
ADO 
is alfo a Cape plant, and the Africans ufe it for raifing 
blifters. 
Propagation and Culture. The two firft forts are annual; 
and, if the feeds are fown in autumn, the plants will come 
up the following fpring; but, when they are not fown till 
fpring, they rarely come up the fame year: fo that, when 
the feeds are permitted to fall on the ground, they gene¬ 
rally fucceed better than when fown by art. They will 
thrive beft in a light foil, but by fowing fome in a warift 
fituation, and others in the ftiade, they may be continued 
longer in flower. The feeds ought to be fown where the 
plants are to remain to flower, for they do not bear tranf- 
planting, efpeeially if they are not removed while the 
plants are very young: and when the plants come up, 
they fhould be thinned, leaving three or four in each paten, 
which will make a better appearance than where they grow 
fingle. The third and fourth are perennial, the feeds ri¬ 
pen in Auguft, and fhould be fown foon after, otherwife 
they feldom fucceed. When the plants come up, they 
muft be carefully kept clean from weeds; and, in very 
dry weather, if they are now and then refrefhed with wa¬ 
ter, it will promote their growth. They ftiouid remain 
in the place where they are fown until the fecond year, 
for they make but flow progrefs while young. The beft 
time to tranfplant them is in autumn, when they ought to 
be planted where they are to remain ; for, if often remo¬ 
ved, they will not produce many flowers, nor thofe flowers 
be fo ftrong as on the plants which are unremoved. They 
may be increafed by parting the roots, either in autumn or 
fpring. Being hardy and eafily cultivated, and producing 
their fttowy flowers early in the feafon, they are defirable 
plants for the garden. The Cape fpecies muft be treated 
as other plants from that country. 
ADONISTS,yi a feiftor party among the divines and 
critics, who maintain, that the Hebrew points Ordinarily 
annexed to the confonants of the w ord Jehovah are not 
the natural points belonging to that word, nor exprefs the 
true pronunciation of it; but are the vowel-points, be¬ 
longing to the w'ords Adonai and Elohirn, applied to the 
confonants of the ineffable name Jehovah; to warn the 
readers, that, inftead of the w ord Jehovah, which the Jews 
were forbidden to pronounce, and the true pronunciation of 
which had been long unknown to them, they are always 
to read Adonai. They are oppofed to Jchovifls : of whom 
the principal are Drufius, Capelius, Buxtorf, Alting, and 
Reland, who has publifhed a collection of their waitings 
on this fubjeCt. 
To ADOPT, v. a. \adopto , Lat. ] To take a fon by choice; 
to make him a fon, who was not fo by birth. To place any 
perfon or thing in a nearer relation, than they have by na¬ 
ture, to fomething elfe. 
ADOPTEDLY, adv. After the manner of fomething 
adopted. 
ADOPTER, f. He that gives fome one by choice the 
rights of a fon. 
ADOPTIANI,yi in church-hiftory, a feet of ancient 
heretics, followers of Felix of Urgel, and Elipand of To¬ 
ledo, who, towards the end of the 8th century, advanced 
the notion, that Jefus Chrift, in his human nature, is the 
fon of God, not by nature, but by adoption. 
ADOPl'ION,y. [adoptio, Lat.] The a6t of adopting, 
or taking to one’s felf what is not native. The ftate of 
being adopted.—In every aft of our Chriftian worfhip, we 
are taught to call upon him under the endearing charac¬ 
ter of our Father, to remind us of our adoption, that we 
are made heirs of God, and joint heirs of Chrift. Rogers. 
The cuftom of adoption was very common among tire 
ancient Greeks and Romans: yet it was not praCtifed but 
for certain caufes exprelfed in the laws, and w-ith certain 
formalities ufual in fuch cafes. It was a fort of imitation 
of nature, intended for the comfort of thofe who had no 
children: wherefore he that was to adopt was to have no 
children of his owfl, and to be paft the age of getting any.} 
nor were eunuchs allowed to adopt, as being under an ac¬ 
tual impotency of begetting children; neither >vas it law- 
