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Show 12 The Hijlory of P L A N T S. S U B M A R I N E S. r ' Clafs the Fir.ft. Genus the Seventh. l I 0 R MUS. 0 R M :p S is a genus of. Subm~r~nes, co~pofed of a <;on.fiderably har.d matter~ formed into !hort and broad JO!Qts, wh1ch, ~re faftened m feveral fenes ?ne to another, without any pedicles, and in fuch manne~, :that tl;ley ref~m.ble a ftnng o.f beads in a necklace. The manner of thefe feveral JOmts growmg, as It were, out of one another has fome fort of refemblance to th~t of the leaves of the Opuntia, w~ence many have ~alled the plants of this genus Opuntioides. There are only two fpec1es of it known. ) . 1 . Ormus figment is br,ev fbus latis. The broad and jhort jointed Ormus. :J This elegant and fingular plant grows to rocks, fione~, 0 ells, or ot!l~r fubfi~n .. ces at the bottom of the fea, by a fmall flat bafe; from this nf~s a fingle JOint, wh~ch is ufually about a quarter of an inch long, and m;ar as Illuch 1n breadth a~, the top, but narr<;>wer at the bottom. It is flat in its whole length, but confide ral?1ly th1ck ; fro.m this fingle joint there arife two or three others of the fame form, but broader a little; thefe immediately furni!h each feveral othe:s~ and thefe la~ fend out others. Each of which, as the fidl , produces feveral more JOmts, all ~eemmg to grow out of one another: they are faftened to each other, without an'y p~~tcle. Four, five, fix, or more of thefe, grow in each feries, fo that, from the fingl~ JOlOt at the bottom, the plant grows to about two inches in height, and as much or more in'breadth. .!.he fucceeding joints are !horter and broader than the two or thr~e firfi ; th.e~ are JOmed to the head of the lafi by a broad bafe, and from this extend mto a femicucular form ; they are in general fomewhat broader than they are long, a~d are undulat~d at the extremity where they are circular. They are confiderably ~hick an~ of a ~ntty fubftance. The whole plant is naturally of a white colour, but It IS fomettmes tmged to a reddifh, fometimes to a greeni!h or yellowiili hue. It grows to {b~lls ~nd fiones at the bottom of the fea and is common about the ihores of Amenca m feveral places. Boerhaave calls it Opuntioides marina parva forma trichomaris; and Sir Hans Sloane, Corallina opuntioides ramulis denfioribus & foliis magi~ finuatis, & corrugatis. 2. Ormus fegmentis rotundioribus. · The rounder fegmented Ormus. This grows to four or ' five inches in height; it's fegments or joints grow one out of another, in the fame manner as th0fe of the former, but they are larger, and of a more rounded figure. They are of the· fame col0ur and confiftence, but they .are lefs thick in proportion to their fize. The whole plant is f requently of a greemlh colour. It is found about the !bores of the Caribbee Hlands, and in the Eafi: Indies. Imperatus has defcribed it under the name of Sertularia; and J. Bauhine under that of Opuntia marina. S U B M A R f N E S. Glafs the Fir.ft. Genus the Eighth. C 0 R ALLUM. C ORALLUM is a genus of Submarines, compofed of a hard, ftony matter, formed into ramifications, and refembling the trunk and branches of a tree ; folid throughout, and not porous, fpungy, or fiellated on the furface. Often covered with a bark of a fofter matter, which eafily falls off; fometimes naked. 1. Cor allium Tbe Hi.ftory tf P L A N T S. 1. Corallum ru6rum. Red Coral. This defervedly fl:ands at the head of the Coral clafs, as more beautiful aud more ufeful than t~em all_. , It grows ~rom a broad bafe, extending itfelf over any thing folid, and conformmg to 1t s !hape; this often fpreads to two, three inches, or more, in diameter; often it is not half an inch; it is commonly of about the thicknefs of a {billing, and of the fame colour. and confiftence with the refi: of the plant. From this rifes ufually a fingle fiem, fon~e~11~es tw? or three grow from the different parts of the f.:1.me bafe, and often thefe JOlll m the1r growth up, and, at an inch or two diftance from the bafe form only o?e co~m?n fiem. Th~ ~hic~nefs near the bafe is f~om that of aman's finge; to near ~n mch m dtameter, and Its hetght from five or fix mches to a foot or more. ~he mam trunk. fends off from every part confiderably large branches, which again divide them~elves mto others,_ and form, upon the whole, a very beautiful appearance: they fometimes grow out Irregularly, and on all fides ; fometimes only oppofite, or n arly fo, to one. another, and then the whole !hrub has a flat form. The fiem and the main branches are full oflittle knots and depreilions. We meet with Coral in its ra1_11ified fia.t~ fmooth. on the furface, and of a fine red ; but we are not to fuppofe th ts to be Its fl~te m the fea. It's furface is deeply firi ated naturally, and it is wholly covered wtt? a crufi of a fungous fubfiance, full of an acrid milky juice, and nnt. of the .fine flond red of th~ C?ral, but of a yellowifh, greeniih, or orange colour. Thts c:ufl: IS covered. all over with little granules, and in the center of every one of thefe there IS a hole, whtch feems contrived for receiving the nutritious matter from the water. Befide thefe wanules, ~here ~re alfo other papillre in the crufl:, which are open ~t t~e .top; ~he. op~mng. fometunes IS fi~ple, fometimes divided into fix parts ; thefe are dtvtded withm mto ltttle cells. The mternal furface of the crufl: is fl:riated deeply, as well as the extern al one of the fiony part; and the:fe flrire are fo adapted one to another, a that they form fo .ma.ny tubules, running from top to bottom of the plant, and alon6 every br~nch of It, In great numbers. There are cells in the fiony internal matt~r! as w~ll ~s m the external crua, and thefe, as well as the others, are filled with a .'":'h1t1~1 acnd liquor, and ~h~ tops of the branches have tubercles of the cortical matter, d!v J ~ed mto feveral cells wtthm, and full of the fame milky and acrid juice. This fpe• ~Ies JS found on ~he coa ~s of the .. Mediterranean, and in feveral other places, where it IS dra.gged up With particular engmes in great abundance. It is defcribed by all the b~ t amca l wn.ters under the.name of Coralliu~ ru?rum; and. fome of them tell us they have f~ cn oCtopetalous ~adtated .flowers,. fian.dmg m cups, anfing from the tubercles of the bade ~ed Coral Is ufed 111 medicme as a mild alhingent, and as an alkali and abforbent, With good fuccels. The other fpecies would probably anfwer the fame purpofes, but they are not ufed, 2. Corallum album. White Coral. . This much r~femble s the red Coral in its manner of growing, except that it is more b ranched. It anfes f~om a broad bafe, conforming itfelf to the ihape of the fubfl:ance it grows upon, extendmg ~o two or three inches in diameter, and of the thicknefs of a. coarfe pap~r. From thts bale there ariles a thick and irregularly- figured fiem, fomet~ mes round1G1, oft~n flatt.e~ and protuberant in various places. This fometim es contames fin.gle, fomet1mes dtvtdes, at half an in h, or lefs, height, into two or th ree tru~ks : If the.re are more thai~ on~ of thefe trunk~ , the phmt is the fina ller, but the mo1 ~ ~uG1y .; If o~ly ?ne, w~tch IS the moft beautiful fi ate, it riles to fix, eight, or ten Inches high, divancated mto a multitude of branches, and each of thefe fending o ~ other ~mallcr and fhorter ones : the branches are round, an d ofte n meet and in~~~ ubte ~ 1th one an other. The furface is perfectly fmooth, not firiated, as that of 1 ~e? ~ora l; and the whole plant of a beautiful white colou r. When taken into the lan It IS found to be vaa.ly lighter than red Coral, and when broken is found of a n;:~c~ l ~fs compact and fohd texture .. It is f?und ab~ut the !11ores of the Mediterranean, g WlJlg to rocks, fion es, or any thtng foltd, and IS often brought up in fi ne ieces ~ ay te:;s us he ~aw fever~l fi ne ihrubs of it offered to fale at Genoa. The botanical ~riter~ ave a called It Corallmm album; but mofi of them have alfo defcribed other things E uncier |
