iSo A R I S T O L O C H I A. 
of France, Spain, Italy, Auftria, Carniola, Germany, Hun¬ 
gary, and Tartary. Haller thinks it hardly a native of 
Switzerland. Mr. Miller will notallow that it grows wild 
in England ; it is however foynd, though rarely remote 
from gardens, in hedges and woods; as in a wood two 
miles from Thorndon in Effex ; near Maidflone, and other 
places in Kent. Mr. Woodward obferved it near Studon 
in Suffolk; and profeffor John Martyn, in the hedges at 
Whittlesford in Cambridgelhire, before the year 1732. 
All the birthworth roots have an aromatic fmell, and a 
warm bitterilh tafle. Boerhaave fays they are the hotted 
of the aromatic plants : he probably fpeaks of the frefh 
roots, for fhqfe which, are ufually met with in the fhops 
have no great pungency. The long and round forts, on 
fird chewing, fcarcely difcover any tade, but in a little 
time prove naufeoufly bitterilh ; the round fomewhat the 
mod fo. The other two indantly fill the mouth with a 
kind of aromatic bitternefs, not very ungrateful. They 
<^re celebrated as warm attenuants and deobdruents, par¬ 
ticularly in fupprellions of the uterine purgations : the 
dofe is from a fcruple to a dram and upwards. They have 
been likewife recommended, particularly the 2id, as al¬ 
teram s in the gout: Boerhaave obferves, that the pituitous 
gout, as he calls it, is often relieved by an infufion of thefe 
roots in fpirit of juniper-berries, fweetened with fugar, 
and taken to the quantity of a fpoonful at a time ; but that 
in other kinds of the gout, and in fubjecls of a tender con- 
ftitution, this medicine occalions a lofs of appetite, a weak- 
nefs of the flomach, and a langtiidnefs, lei's fupportable 
than the gout itfelf: a powder compofed of this and other 
fimilar materials, which was preferibed by the ancients as 
an antiarthritic, and has come again into edeem, has alfo 
produced complaints of the fame kind. Externally thefe 
roots have been ul'ed as difeutients, detergents, and anti- 
feptics. Simon Paulli relates, that the long birthwort roots, 
applied as an epithem or in fomentation, were found re¬ 
markably ferviceable in dubborn ulcers of the legs. 
New Species. 23. Aridolochia fcandens : leaves cordate, 
on very long petioles; dem climbing, flowers terminal, 
on very long peduncles. This fends out climbing dalks, 
■which fupport themfelves by fadening to the neighbouring 
trees,, and thereby rife to a very great height: the leaves 
are very broad, and have feveral longitudinal veins; the 
flowers grow in loofe bunches at the extremities of the 
branches ; each has a long peduncle. It grows naturally 
about Tolu in New Spain, where it was difeovered by 
Mr. Robert Millar, who fent.the feeds to England. 
24. Aridolochia conferta: leaves cordate, petioled ; dem 
climbing ; flowers axillary, crowded. This leldom climbs 
above three or four feet high : the leaves are fhort, in fome 
mealure like thofe of the 19th fort. The flowers come out 
in finall cinders from the axils, and are of a dark purple 
colour. It was difeovered by Mr. Robert Millar, at Cam- 
peachy in New Spain, whence he fent the feeds. Thefe 
two fpecies are not noticed by Linnaeus, or any other au¬ 
thor. The three following fpecies are alfo new ones. 
2 5. Aridolochia braCfeata : leaves cordate obtufe, dem 
■weak, flowers folitary, braCtes cordate petioled. . Found 
by Koenig at Madras. It is ,ufed in medicine by the .Indians. 
’26. Aridolochia obtufata: leaves cordate, rounded at 
the tip, three-nerved, beneath netted and tomentofe ; dem 
twining; peduncles folitary. Native of the Caribbee iflands.- 
27. Aridolochia grandiflora : leaves broad-cordate, dem 
twining fubherbaceous, peduncles folitary, lip of the co¬ 
rolla very large, with a very long tail. This bears very 
larwe flowers, which are feldom under five or fix inches 
round the margin; but the rima,, or opening of the flower, 
continues glewed up, longitudinally, for a confiderable 
time; and terminates in along (lender appendix, at the 
lower extremity. Native of Jamaica, where it is very com¬ 
mon in St. Ann’s. 
Propagation and Culture. All thefe forts, which are na¬ 
tives of hot climates, (as No. 1 to 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 23 to 
27,) are too tender to thrive in the open air in this epun- 
t ry, therefore require a dove to preferve them. They are 
propagated by feeds, which mud be procured from the 
countries where they grow naturally, for they do not pro¬ 
duce any here. As the feeds are a confiderable time in 
their paflage, they fhould be brought over in their pods ; 
for, many of the forts have very thin light feeds, which 
are foon dried in a hot country, when they are out of their 
covers, which will prevent their growing. So foon as the 
feeds arrive, they fliould Be fown in fmall pots filled with 
light earth ; and, if this happens in the autumn or winter, 
the pots fhould be plunged into the tan in the bark-dove, 
between fome of the pots with large plants, which will 
fereen them from the fun; for, as thefe plants delight i* 
(hade, fo, by thus placing the pots, the earth will not dry- 
very fad, which will be of great advantage to the feeds, 
which fhould not be too often watered. Here the pots 
may remain till March, at which time they fliould be re¬ 
moved, and plunged into a hot-bed, under frames, where, 
if the feeds are good, the plants will appear in May : but, 
if the feeds arrive in fpring or fummer, they mud be im¬ 
mediately fown in fmall pots, and plunged into a moderate 
hot-bed, obferving to (hade them conflhntly in the heat of 
the day; but the feeds fown at this feafon feldom grow 
the fame year ; therefore, if the plants do not appear, the 
pots fhould be plunged in the tan-bed of the dove in au¬ 
tumn, and in the fpring following treated as before di¬ 
rected, which will bring up the plants. When thefe are 
drong enough to tranfplant, they fhould be each put into 
a feparate fmall pot, and plunged into the tan-bed in the 
dove, and treated as other tender plants from the fame 
countries. Tree birthwort will live abroad in a warm bor¬ 
der, with a little protection in hard frods. It is generally 
kept in a pot, and fheltered in winter, but will thrive much 
better when planted in the full ground. 13, 15, 16, 18, 
are propagated by parting the roots. They are too tender 
to thrive in the open air in hard winters: they are pre- 
ferved therefore in pots, and put under a common frame, 
where they may have as much free air as poflible in mild 
weather, bur may be fereened from fevere frofl; fome 
plants at lead fhould be fheltered, to preferve the fpecies. 
17, 19, 20, 21, are propagated by feeds, which fhould be 
fown in the autumn, in pots filledwith light earth, and 
placed under a frame, to be fereened from the frod; but 
the glades fhould be taken off at all times when the wea¬ 
ther is mild. If thefe pots are put into a gentle hot-bed 
in March, it will bring up the plants much looner than 
they otherwife would rife. As the feafon advances, the 
plants fhould be inured by degrees to bear the open air : 
when the pots are taken out of the bed, they muff be pla¬ 
ced where they may enjoy the morning fun, but fereened 
from it in the heat of the day. Gentle refrefhings of wa¬ 
ter mud be in dry weather given to the plants during the 
fummer; but in the autumn, when their dalks begin to 
decay, they mud have little wet. In the winter the pots 
mud be flickered as before; and in March, before the 
roots begin to flioot, they fliould be tranfplanted ?nto fepa¬ 
rate fmall pots filled with light earth, and fet under the 
frame, where they fhould remain till fpring ; then they 
may be removed into the open air, and treated in the fame 
manner as in the former fummer, and fheltered alfo the 
following winter. The next fpring they may be turned 
out of the pots, and planted in a warm border, where, du¬ 
ring the fummer, they will require no other care but to 
keep them clean from weeds ; and, in the autumn, when 
their dalks are decayed, if the border is covered with old 
tanners bark to keep out the frod, the roots will be fe- 
cured; but, where this care is not taken, the roots are fre¬ 
quently killed by the frod. With this management the 
roots will thrive much better than thofe which are kept 
in pots, and continue longer ; and, when they are three 
years old, they will flower and produce plenty of feeds, 
whereas thofe in pots feldom perfeCI their feeds in England. 
When the feeds of thefe plants are fown in the fpring, the 
plants will not appear till the fpring following; fo that a 
whole feafon is lofl, and many times they fail, therefore 
they Xflould'always be fown in the autumn. 
ARISTO'MENES, 
