OCR Text |
Show The Hijlory of P L A N 1."' S. vided; the oppofite fegment to this is ereeto-patent, and undivided ;. the lateral ones are equal, crenated, erect, and equal td the fecond: the framma are five very long, crooked, filiform filaments, and bend toward the lar~er fegment: the antherre are fimple; the germen is ile~der ~nd oblqng; t~e. fiyle 1s fimple, a?d of the length of the £lamina; the fiigma IS cap1tat~d .: ~he frmt IS an oblong, acurnmate~l legumen, containing one cell: the feeds are numerous and oval. We have the. c~ed1 t of Plumier for thefe charaCters, but they are monfirous ones ; probably there 1s fome error: the fiamina, in the courfe of nature, ought to be te~; there ought to be a cup, &c. It is an American, defcribed by Plumier. G U I L A N D I N A. T HE male flower has a deciduous perianthium, formed of one leaf, and lightly divided into five fegmen,ts: the tube is cylindrib, and marked with ten flrire: the limb hollow; the fegments lin~~r : the corolla confitl.s of ~ve l~nce~l~te, holl~w, feffile, equal petals, inferred ioto the mouth of the falyx, th~1r ext,remltles rcachmg beyond it's verge: the ftamina are _te_n ·" erctt, fubulated fila,ments, alt~rnately lhorter, mferted into the calyx, and longer ~fian lt: the anthera~ are o?tufe and u1c~m~e.nt: the fruit fucceeding the f~male flower IS a legumen of a rhom,bo1dal form, Wlth 1t s upper futOre convex, fmooth, ventricofe," yet. compre!fea, , CO:n~a.ihin~ only Ol~C Cell, divided by tranfverfe valves into many partitions: the (eea~ . are I}umerons, off'cous, of a g1obofe, compre!fed figure, and are lodged fingly betweei1 the' v<tlves. \ . • .l . Guilandina acftleata folio/is ovalib~s cum_ d~umilte. The prickly Guilandina, wt'th oval-pointeelleavi s. ';fhe root is long, fpreading, and full of ~bres. The 01rub grows to fix or eight feet .hiph ; the young (hoots ·are green, the older branches b'rowniib ; t'he wh'ole fhmb is very thick fet with thorns. The leaves are pinna ted; the pin~re rare ftnal1, df a r1Jl1ndi{h, or oval, figure, but pointed, and a great number of pairs of them fiand along the midcUe rib, at the bottom of which a1·e placed two reCidilh fpines, bending downward. The leaves fiartd in pairs on the branches, and, from 'their alre, arife pedicles, nn wbich the flowers fl. and in fi1ikes; they are moderately hirge, and yellow. 'If he fruit, when ripe, is bluifh. It is a native of the Eafl: and Weft Indtes. Plumier calls it, Bonduc vulgare minus polyphyllum. GUAI .ACUM·. lr T HE calyx is a deciduous ·perianthiu'm, ho1iow, conipofed of one leaf, divided into five ovato-oblong fegments: the corolla confifls of five petals, hollow, patent, of an ovato-oblong figure, inferted into the calyx, and the upper ones {mailer than the others : the ftamina are ten ereCt filaments, inferted into the calyx : the antherre are fmall; the ftyle is filiform, firait, and long : the germen is ovato-acuminated; the ftigma is fiender ·and "flmple: the ftuit is roundilh, obliquely-acuminated drupe, furrowed on one fide; the feeds are oval nuts, covered with pulp. I. Guaiac~m fruEiu fobrotundo. The roundf"ruited Guaiacum. ,. i.1)~ (g~eat <t5uatarnnt;tret. The root is brachiated and long; the tree grows to the height of'our a{h. It's t;unk is often two feet in diameter : the branches are long and knotty; the leaves fiand in pairs, and are pinnated; each is compofed of four leaves · two at the top or extremity, of the fialk, two about the middle; 1they are roundifu, an inch and a' half long, and an mch broad, firm in their texture, of a pale green colour and without pedicles. ~he flowers ftand in clufiers at the tops of the branches ; they ar~ large, and of a beautiful blue colour. The fruit is roundi(h hollowed and red It is a native of the American iOand~. Plumie; calls it· Guaiacum flore creruleo, fi·uetu fubrotundo. ' .2. Gzmiacum The Hiflory of P L A N T s. 2. Guaiacum fruE!u tetragono. The ./quare-fruited Guaiacum. 1tbe tetTer <5tuttacu nt:::trc t. · The root is brachiat.ed; the tru~k a foot, or more, in diameter, and the tree moderate! tall. The leav~s are pmnated, but they confifi of more pinn:E than thofe of the former~ four or five pairs are frequent on the ~alk, or rib, and yet this is feldom more than tw~ mches long ; they are fmall, and pomted at the ends. The flowers 11and · 1 a an d are 1 b 'fi 1 f . ,l.l m c u ers, .a~ge, very eaut1 u, o a bnght blue colour, and fimbriated round the ed es The :.ru~t IS yell.ow, and 6f a quaarangular figure, fomewhq.t like that of our enonyr!y.s. T. IS IS a native of St Dom~ngo, and fome other parts of America. Plumier calls it. Guaiacum flore creruleo fimbnato, fruetu tetragono. ' The wood of_ both fpecies is indifferently fent over to us under the name of Guaiacum . and, on woundmg the trees of either kind, the fame acrid refin flows out. ' C Y N 0 METRA. T HE calyx is cqmpofed of a fingle leaf, divided into four parts. two of the fegments are longer tha~ ~he others, and placed oppofite : the fr~it is a fle.£11y lunated legumen, or pod, contammg a fingle feed. ' Thefe charaCters fufficiently difl:inguilh the Cynometra, without a farther defcription. ANA CARDIUM. T HE calyx is a decidu?us perianthium, compofecl of one leaf, divided into five parts, ereCt and acummated : the corolla confifis of a fingle petal: the tube · very .l11ort ; th~ limb is divid~d into five lanceolated, reflex fegments, · longer than th~ cup : the ftamma are two cap1lla~y filaments, of the length of the corolla: the antherre are fmall; th~ germen is r~undi(h : the ftyle is fu?ulated, inflex, ahd of the Ieng h o~ the co~olla . the fiigma IS acute : the receptacle IS very large, fidhy, -and of a turL bmat.ed, oval figure: the feed is a 1arge 'nut, 'of a kidney-like ·fhape, placed at the ex!.. trem1ty of the receptacle. . This. genus co~prehends the Ac~jou ?f 'Tournefort. There is only one· known 'fpe- Cies of It; the fnut called Anacardmm m the 01ops is of another genus. . A N A c A k D I u M. . The root is large and ~rachiated ; the t;ee grows to twenty or thirty feet high, and IS very ramofe and fpreadmg. The leaves frand very hick on the branches . they are of a. kind of oval figure, five inches long, and about three broad ; they ftand' on fhort pedtcles, and are fmooth, tough, and of a bright fhining gre.en colour on both fur£1.ces. The flo:v~rs are fmall, ~nd gr~w in a kind of umbels, at the tops of the branches. The frUit IS a nut of a ktdney-hke fhape, and about three quarters of an inch long . it frands on the extremity of a flelhy receptacle, of the bignefs of a large pear . of a mi~ed yellow and purple colour, and of a fweetiili, but fomewhat auftere talle': the nut at the ~nd ~f t~is has a ~o~ble rind! and, in the intedl:ice between,' contains a yellow, caufiic, otly liquor; wtthm there IS a white, efculent kernel. I~ is a native of the hotter parts of America. C. Bauhine calls it, Anacardii altera fpecies. DICTA M NUS. T HE calyx is a v:ry fmall, deciduous perianthium, compofcd of fi ve leaves, of an oblong, acummated figure : the corolla confifis of five petals, of an ovatolanceolate figure, acuminated, unguiC\:tlated, and unequal; three of them are turned upwards, and two are placed obl~uely at the fides : the ftamina are ten fubul ated filaments, of the length of the corolla, placed between the two lateral petals, declinated, and uneq~ al : the antherre are 9uadrangular and aifurgent : the germen is quadrangular ; the fiyl~ 1.s fimple, lhort, decimated, and crooked : the ftigma is acute and aflurgent : the frUit 1s compofed of five capfules, growing together by their inner fides; they are compreffed, |