840 H I B I 
long and the fame breadth; thefe are indented at their 
extremities; bii't the lower fegments are not much more 
than an inch long, and have footftalks four inches long. 
The flowers are produced from the wings of the flalks 
toward the top, handing on fhort peduncles ; they are 
compofed of five large fulphur-ccloured petals, which, 
when open, fpread five inches wide ; they have a dark" 
purple bottom ; and are fucceeded by large, pyramidal,- 
five-cornered, eredt, Teed-veffels, which are filled with 
pretty large feeds, having little fmelhor tafte. In Ja¬ 
pan they ufe the mucilage of the root for giving confid¬ 
ence to paper, as Thunberg informs," us. Native of 
China and Japan. 
30. Hibifcus albelmofcus, or target-leaved hibifcus; 
or mulk-mallow: leaves fubpeltate, cordate, feven- 
angled, ferrate; Item hifpid. This fort grows natural¬ 
ly in the Eaft Indies ; the Society I lies; and alfo in the 
Weft Indies, where it is commonly known by the title 
of mufti ; the French cultivate thefe plants jn their Ame¬ 
rican iflands, the feeds of which are annually fent to 
France in great quantities, fo that they certainly have 
fome way of rendering it ufeful, as it feems to be a con- 
iiderable branch of trade. It riles with an herbaceous 
ftalk about'three or four feet high, fending out two or ' 
three fide-branches, garni (bed with large leaves cut into 
fix or feven angles, which are acute ; they ftand on long 
footftalks, and are placed alternately. The flalks and 
leaves are very hairy. Th.e flowers come out from the 
wings of the ftalk upon pretty long peduncles, which 
ftand erefl; they are large, of a fulphur colour, with 
dark purple bottoms, and are fucceeded by pyramidal 
five-coined capfules, filled with large feeds of a very 
niufky odour. A few of thefe feeds are fufficient to 
perfume a whole room. They niay undoubtedly be 
tiled in Renting powders and 1 pomatums, inftead of the 
animal iriulk, which is a fcarce and dear commodity ; 
and are accordingly put to that ufe abundantly at Paris. 
In Arabia and Egypt they grind thefe feeds, and mix 
the^powder with their coffee, to render it more agreeable 
to the head and ftomach.’, The officinal names are abcl~. 
mofckus, from the Arabic ab-el-mofch, which lignifies 
grain or feed of niulk ; and bamia mofchata. Thefe feeds 
feem to have a claim, as a medicine, to the cordial and. 
nervine virtues experienced from mod other lubftances 
of that clafs. This fpecies was cultivated ainong'us by 
John Tradefcant, jun. in 1636. 
31. Hibifcus efculentus, or eatable hibifcus : leaves 
five-parted, pedate; ipner calyxes buriting at the fide." 
This riles with afoft herbaceous ftalk from three to five 
feet high, dividing at top into many branches. The 
flowers are axillary, of a pale fulphur colour with dark 
purple bottoms, final], and of very fhort duration, open¬ 
ing in the morning with the rifing fun, but fading long 
before noon in warm weather. The capfules are of dif¬ 
ferent forms in different varieties; in fome not thicker 
than a man’s finger, and five or fix inches long ; in others 
very thick, and not more than two or three inches long; 
in fome ered, in others rather inclined. The Item, ac¬ 
cording to Loureiro, is l'o mew hat Ihrubby, fix feet high, 
round,'unequal, nearly upright. I11 the Sylt. Veg. the 
outer calyx is find to be twelve-parted, and to fall with 
the corolla, except the bafe which continues. The in¬ 
ner is five-toothed. The remarkable,circumftancemf its 
burlling on the fide is mentioned by both authors.. 
This lore is common in the Weft Indies, where; the in¬ 
habitants cultivate it for the capfules, which they ga¬ 
ther green to put into their foups and pepper-pots. 
They are generally boiled leparately, and qdded juft be¬ 
fore thefe meffes are taken off the fire ; but the feeds 
may be boiled in broth, like barley or any other ingre- ; 
dient, for they are not fo mucilaginous. The pods, 
boiled and buttered, riiake a rich difh ; but they are 
ufed only in private families in this form. They are 
full of a nutritive mucilage. It is known in Jamaica by 
tne name of the okro plant . In China and Cochin-china 
S C U S. 
it is cultivated in gardens, for the beauty tand colour of 
the flower, though it is void of feent. With us it has 
been known fince the year 1692, when rt grew in the 
royal garden at Hampton-court. Here it is annual, and 
flowers in June and July. 
32. Hibifcus clypeatus, or fhielded hibifcus : leaves' 
cordate, angular ; capfules turbinate, truncate, hifpid. 
This is a flirub the height of a man and upwards. Stem 
upright, branched, round, pubefeent. It grows, but 
rarely, in the ifland of Jamaica, in coppices near the' 
coaft, Its common name there is Congo maho ; the ne¬ 
groes affirming that it came originalfy from Africa. 
Sir Hans Sloane fays it grows on the Red Hills very 
plentifully. 
33. Hibifcus vitifolius, or vine-leaved hibifeuS : leaves 
five-angled, lharp, ferrate ; llem unarmed, flowers droop¬ 
ing, This is an annual ; ftern upright, round, a foot 
and a half in height, nearly the thicknefs of a finger ; 
green, fomewhat-tomentofe, rough with a few minute 
dagger-points. Native-of the Eaft Indies. 
34. Hibifcus Zeilanicus, or Ceylon hibifcus: leaves 
cordate-haftate; peduncles alternate, onelowered, joint¬ 
ed. Native of the illand of Ceylon. 
35. Hibifcus Virginiciis, or Virginian hibifcus: lower 
leaves cordate, acuminate, ferrate ; upper haftate. This 
is very nearly related to tire next fpecies, and perhaps 
only a variety. Native of Virginia, in fait rnarfhes. 
36. Hibifcus pentacarpus, or five-feeded" hibifcus: 
lower leaves cordate, angular; upper fiibhaftate ; flow¬ 
er? nodding a little, piftil drooping. Root perennial. 
Stem three feet high, narrow. It grows near Venice, in' 
marffiy places ; and was found.by Lerche near Aftracan. 
37. Hibifcus haftatus,or fpear-lhaped hibifcus : hoary* 
leaves oblong, Ample; three-lobed at the bafe, quite 
entire; raceme terminating. The whole of this is hoary 
with a' white pubefcence. Native of the Society Iiles. 
38. Hibifcus fraternus, or brotherly hibifcus: leaves 
three-lobed, outer calyxes with round rays, mucronate 
and concave at the tip. Stem herbaceous, fmooth and 
even, as is the whole plant. Native of Surinam. 
39. Hibifcus iEthiopicus, or dwarf wedge-leaved hi- 
bifc’us: leaves fubcuneate, flighfly three-toothed ; ’ .the- 
upper ones oppofite ; flowers terminating. Native of 
the Cape of Good Hope, where it was obierved by Koe¬ 
nig.' It was introduced into the royal garden at Kew 
in 1774, by Maflon ; and flowers here in Auguft. 
40. Hibifcus trionum, or bladder hibifcus : leaves 
three-parted, gaihed ; calyxes inflated. This is an an¬ 
nual plant, growing naturally in fome parts,of Italy and 
Auftria. It has been long known in the Englilh gar¬ 
dens by the title of Venice mallow. Gerarde (who culti¬ 
vated it in 1596) and Parkinfon call it alfo mallow or 
fewer of an hour , and good night at nooti , or good night at 
nine ; for Gerarde affims that it opens about eight of the 
clock, and ffiuts up again at nine. On the 16th of Au¬ 
guft 1796, the day being dry and fine, the themometer at 
66°, the barometer nearly at 30 0 , Tunlhine and clouds 
alternately, with a cool gentle breeze at north-eaft; the 
plants in a fouthern expofure, but open, in the border 
of a (hrubbery, the flowers began to open foOn after 
eight o’clock in the morning, and were not finally clofed 
till after four. Being obierved every day to the 6th of 
September they continued opening ufually at nine or 
foon after, if the weather was fair. The 3n(t of Auguft 
being wet, they did not open all day. The 5th of Sep¬ 
tember being very cloudy, they did not open till half 
after ten, and were never quite expanded all day ; they 
doled from four to half after five, according to the wea- 
theV ; and, the afternoon of September 5th, being very 
fine, they did not clofe till half after fix. The flowers 
certainly are of fhort duration, and in hot weather con¬ 
tinue but few hours open; however there is a fucceffion 
of them daily for a confiderable time, in June, July, and 
Auguft. 
41. Hibifcus elatus, or lofty hibifcus: leaves cordate, 
1 roundifh. 
