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Show The Hiflory of P L A N T S. very ramofe and diffufe, the bra~ches ~preadin~ all about .. The trunk is often ~o thi~~, that two men can fcarce fathom 1t. Its bark IS of a grey1!h brown, very th1ck; Its wood firm flnd reddi01. It's branches extend every way, in ~ tolerably regular order~ and diffufe themfelves a gr<!at way. The leaves are long and pmnated; compofed of eight, ten, or twelve rows of pinnre, with no odd leaf at the. end, tho' moft of the figures ~f the tree give one. The pmnre are three quarters of an mch long, and a quarter of an mch, or more, broqd ; they are of a pale green, obtufely point~d, largeft at the bafe, and, as it were, aurited; of an acid tafte, and of a pale, but bnght green, colour, fmooth on the qpper fide, and a little hairy underneath. The flowers gro~ from th~ al~ of the leaves . they fiand in clufiers, and are of a pale rofe colour, vanegated with lmes of a deepe; red, or blood colour. The fruit is like a bean-pod in ibape and fize, and has three or four protuberances in it : it's outer bark is rigid, th.ick, an~ brown; .it's inner one green and tender. The fpace between thefe contams a thick, black1!h, pulpy matter, of an acid tafie, which is the matter we ufe in medicine, and is inter-mixed with a quantity of woody fibres. The Tamarind-tree is a native qf Egypt, Arabia, and of both the Eaft and Weft Indies. The pulp contained between the two ikins of the pod is an agreeable acid ; it is good to quench thirft in fevers, and is a gentle cathartic; it is an ingredient in the lenitive eleCluary, and other compofitions. M .E L 0 rf H. R I A. POLYC NE- 'Tbe Hi)lory of P L A N T S. P 0 L Y C N E M U M. THE calyx of the Polycnemum is a permanent; acute, fubulated perianthium; compofed of three leaves: the corolla is compofed of five petals very like th cup, but iliorter. The fiamina are three capillary filaments; iliorter th;n the flower~ the antherre are obtufe. T~e germen of the piftil is roundilh ; the fiyle is bifid, and of the lengt~ of the fi:amma,. an~ the fiigmata are obtufe. The feed which follows every flower t.s fingle; It remams m the cup, and has fcarce any coverin'g, at moft only a very thm membrane. ~ This genus comprehends the camphorata of Tournefort and Dillenius. There is but one known fpecies of it. p 0 L Y C N E M U M. The ro?t is larg~ ~nd tu~erous: the fta~s are numerous, hard, woody, and a foot and half htgh; whmili, hatry, confiderably thick, and ramofe. They are jointed at fmall di~a~ces, and the knots are thick and.protuberant. The leaves fl:and very thick at ~hefe JOmts; they are iliort, ~arrow, ha1ry, and rigid: a third of an inch is about their ufualleng~h. The flower IS fmall and greeniili, the apices red ; the feed oblong and black. It is a native of F~ance. C. Bauhine calls it, Camphorata hirfuta. J. Bauhine, Campho:a~~ Monfpehenfium. Lobel, Camphorata Monfpelienfium, and Chamre-peuce PJmu. Clafs the Third. Order tbe Firjl. Divijion the Second. Triandria Monogynia, which have jpathaceous flowers, and trilocular capfules. CROCUS. T HE calyx o.f the Crocus is a monophyllous fpatha. The corolla is a funple tube, confiftmg of one petal. It's ext.remity is divided into fix ereCt, equal fegments, of an oblong, oval iliape: the fl:amma are three fubulated filaments iliorter than t~e flower ; th~ ant.herre are of a fagittated figure. The germen of th~ piftil is round~{h; the fl:yle IS filiform, and of the length of the ftamina. The fl:igmata are three 111 number ; they are convoluted and ferrated. The fruit is a roundiili, but trilobous, capfule, formed of three valves, and cont~ining three cells in each, of which there are feveral round feeds. J. Crocus jloribus fruEiui impojitis tubo longijjimrJ. The long-tubed Crocus, with the flowers placed on the fruit. ~affron. . .The .root of the faffron plant is roundilh, and. of the fize of a nutmeg, or larger; 1t IS .white, and double or compofed of two bulbs, one laid upon the other: the under one 1s always the larger; both are covered with fome dry :ikins, and there are a num .. b.er o\ fibres at the bafe. The leaves arife five·, .fix, or eight from the root; they are etght mc?es long, as narrow as. grafs leaves, and of a very deep-green colour. The fi~lk. whtch fupports the flower IS fhort and fingle, one flower only grows on it's head: thts 1s v~ry large; the lowe.r part of i_t is. white! the upper part of a bluifh purple, ~ut m the colour there 1s almofl: mfimte vanety. The apices are yellow and the fbgmata ar~ of a reddilh-yellow colour, crifta-ted and fleiliy; thefe make 'what we call faffron m the ~ops. The leaves have a very fin gular charaCler, in that a membranaceous hollowed fme runs all along them. The faffron plant is a native of fume parts of Portugal, and is found wild in [orne other places. \¥ith us it is kept in gardens, and cultivated in fields to a great advantage |