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Show The Hiflory of P L A N T S. 1. Monilia capitata Jimplex. The Jimple capitated Monilia. This is one of the fmalle!l: of thefe finall plants, but by the help of a microfcope it appears very beautiful. It rifes with a fingle capillary .!l:em, of th.e heigh t of ab~ut a tenth of an inch, at the top of which are firfi: feen a mul.utude of mumte anthera~, m form of a fine powder, with the rudiments of the future fenes of fe.eds very frnall ~mong them: after a very little time thefe antherre difappear, and the fei'Ies of feeds b~gu'.l. to grow up in their places. Thefe .fiand fo clofe, that they fo01: conjoin at t~e.k bafes, and fo ri?, in the whole, the appearance of a globular head, With .the extrerr:I~Ies of fevcral fenes or chains of feeds hanging from it. The whole plant IS of a whitifh colour. It is frequent on old wood in damp cellars, and other the like places; the feeds, when feparated, as they may eafily be, by fhaking the fub!lance on which the plant grows, are fou?d to be o~ an o~a~ figure. .~icheli m~ntions this tmder the narr.e of Afpergillus cap1tatus, ommum mtmmus, femmtbus ?vatls. 2. Monilia divaricata caule cra.fliort. The divaricated Monilia, with a thicker jlalk This is not at it'~ full growth more th~n a quarter' of an hich in h,eight, a~nd it's top fpreads to two thirds of that meafure in diameter. It grbws· .ere~ ~ wjt~ ·a fingle fiem, fomewhat thicker than that of tl)e former; near the· t-Qp this :o)vtd ~~ mt0,flve or fix ramifications, on the fummits of which are fir.fi feen the antheFre, (Jin ferm of a fine grey powder, with the rudiments of ·the' feties of"feed& in litt-le protuberances, down both fides of the fialks : foon after the antherre dlfappear ' tl1ef~ fedes1 or chains of feeds grow larger, an.d, in fine, they cover all the extremities of. the r~tnifi.cations; they are roundilh, very .large in proportion to the ile:e of the plat1t, an41 of a grcyifll colour, as is alfo the whole plant. This fpecies is tommon on dead il:icks, iri our woods, in Ottober and N ovembe1· •. Micheli calls it, Botrytis comata, grifea, caule fimplici cfailiore, feminibus i"otundis. 3· Monilia ramofa extremitatibus globojis. The ramofe Monilia, with round extremities. This is alfo a very little plant, rarely exceeding a quarter of an inch in height, and coming under the common name of Mouldinefs, as well as many others of this clafs. It rifes with a fingle capillary fiem of a greyilh colour, which toward the top divaricates into feveral branches, and thefe again fubdivide into others. At the extremities of thefe fubdivifions fi:and at firfi: antherre, in form of a fine white powder; but afterwards chains of feeds are produced there of the fame grey colour, with the re.fi of the plant, and, which rolling themfelves rouhd, only the extremities of the ramifications give them that globular figure vifible to the naked eye, though the P,articles it is com-pofed of are not di!lingui{hable but by a very good microfcope. 1 This fpecies is frequent with us, on decaying, vegetable fubfiances. The other fpecies of Monilia will eafily be difiinguiChed by their names : they are; L The fmall, fimple, white Monilia. 2. The blue-headed, fimple Monilia. 3. The round-headed, gold-coloured Monilia. 4· The black-headed, ramofe Monilia. 5. The fmall, cefpitofe Monilia, with yellow heads. 6. The fi1ow-white cefpitofe Monilia, 7· The black, cefpitofe Mqnilia, 8. The branched, white cefpitofe Monilia, F UNG I. 'Ibe Hiflory of P L A N T S F V N G 1. Clajs the Fourth. Tbofe which grow under thefurface of tbe eartha Of this Clafs there is but one Ge1zus. T UBER. U BE R is a. genus of Fungus, c?nfifiing o~ a roundi~1,.or irregularly tuber01;l$ body, rifing mto a number of P?m~ed pwm111ences on tt.s furface, and ~opfift-ing of a [oft fungous matter, full of wmdmg cells. . , The tubera produce di!linet male and fema~e flowers, m the fam~ ~emqran~Qus cap-fules. · 1 ' • Thefe capfules are of an oval figure, ap? are ld<3ge,d ip. .the body of t,he plant· ,_on their inner furface there ftand extreamly mmute anther.a:!~ m form of powder.., w,h1ch feem to adhere immediately to the tn€L1ilbrane without ~nr pt;<;li,:;les, . T}Jefe ar,o ot~e male flowers : of the female we only fee the feeds, whtch are placed m an uncertam n umber, from two to fix, in the cavity of the fame capfule. 1. Tuber prominentiis majz{culis elevatis. The Trujfle, with large, high prominences. This is the Trufl1e mofi: frequent at the table, and the befi tafied of all the kinds. lt is of an irregularly tuberous figure, fometimes round, fometimes oval, and fometimes oblong; at times al(o it grows finuous, and much more irregular. It's bark is varioufly raifed into large and high prominences, terminating in a kind of points, and is of a duiky, browniili colour, often looking as if burnt. When cut, the pulpy fubfiance is of a duiky colour, and very full of winding cells; it is of a very agreeable flavour, and of a lefs fpungy firuCture than the pulp of the common muD1room. The capfules in this fpecies are very large, and of an oblong, oval figure; the number of feeds in each is various, but it rarely exceeds three, often there is only one. This grows to a very confiderable fize, where the foil fuits it ; the bignefs of a man's fi fi is not uncommon with it. This fpe cies is a nati.ve of Italy, and does not fucceed [o well with us, as the next, which is natural to our foi l. This is the fpecies defcribed by the botanical writers under the name of Tubera terrre cdulia. The other fpe cies is not much known, as difiinet from this, though it truly is fo. 2 . Tuber prominentiis minoribus deprejjis. The Truffle, with Jmaller, and lower prominences. This fpecies grows to the fize of a moderately large apple fometimes, but the bignefs of a pigeon's egg, or a little more, is it's more ufual !l:andard : it is of an irregularly roundin1 form , and of a dufky chefnut colour on the furface. It's bark is raiied into prominences, but they are lower, as well as :Gnaller, than thofe of the former, and terminate in more obtufe points. The pulp is of a paler colour, and the cellular windings lcfs frequent. This fpecies has a very agreeable flavour, though not fo high as the Italian k ind. It's capfules are alfo much fmaller, and of a roundiih :figure : we have this in feveral parts of England native. I have met with it in Leicellerlhire pretty abundantly, where the hogs were the only creatures that had found out fuch a delicacy, till I informed the neighbourhood of it. The firfi EngliD1 Truffles we had an account of, were thofe difcovered, at Ru01ton in Northarnpton01ire, by Dr Hatton ; but they were of the Italian kind, and had been brought over with the earth about the roots of fame trees, many years before planted there, and had continued to propagate themfelves from that time. 3· 'Tuber |