General Natural History Vol. 2 - A History of Plants

xQH15H551748 v.2 240

422 The Hijlory of p L A N T S. corolla; the antherre are fmall : the germ~n is of ~n ov~to-o?lopg tigure ; . the £lyle is 1 d f h 1 th of the fiamina: the fbgma IS th;ck apd emarg1nated: t.he fifi1m.p ~, an ~ 1 t fe enl gnceolate obtufe figure compofed of two navicqlar v~lves, and rutt IS a cap1u e o a a ' ' ffi d · containing one cell: the feeds are oblong and com pre e . . .,... . , "" o MELIA .. T HE calyx is a very fmall perianthiuro, s:ompofed of a fmgle leaf, divided into fi .G ments erect and obtute : the corolla confifis. of five long, patent petals, of a linea:~-l~~ceolat~ figure : the neClarium is cylindric, formed of a fi?gle leaf, of the len th of the corolla, and divided lightly into ten _fegments: the fiamma a)"~ .ten very lho~t filaments, inferted into the top of the nectauum; the anther::e do 11ot rife ~~oive · h ·s con'tc. the fiyle is cylindric and of the length of the neClanum; Jt : t e germen 1 , • . • ' • b d h r. • the fiigma is obtufe and emargmated : the frmt IS a [oft, glo of~ rupe ; t e 1ee~ IS a nut, of a roundiih figure, marked with five furrows, and contams five cells, With a fingle oblong kernel in each. This genus comprehends the Azederach of Tournefort and others. 1. Melia Joliis pitmatis. The pinnated-leaved Melia. 1t~t 11Dtan~· t'ttt. The root is brachiated; the trunk two feet thick; the bark rough -an.d fcab~buS' ; 1 the tree grows to thirty or forty feet high, and is very ramofe and {preadmg : the leaves are pinnated and very large, a foot and half in length, and compofed of a gre~t ma~y pairs of pinn::e, with an odd leaf at the end. The flowers fiand on lo~g pedtcles, .m con.fiderable clufiers; they are fmall, of a very fweet fmell, and of a blmih or purphfh colour. The fruit is large, and, when ripe, of a fine yellow colou:. . It is a native of Syria; we have it in many &ardens. C. Banhme 'C~lls It, A.zede­rach arbor folio fraxini, flare cceruleo. There 1s only one known fpectes o~ thts ge­nus befide this, which is the ramofe-leaved, ever-green, pale-flowered Melta, or In-dian Azederach. Ft lJ 1r ~. T HE calyx is a ihort, permanent perianthium, divided into four parts: the co· rolla confifis of four oval, hollow, patent petals, with very narrow ungues: the fiamina are eight fubulated, patent filaments, of the length of the corolla: the anthe­rre are erect and lhort; the germen is gibbous, and marked with a cruciform figure, and with eight points at the bafe : the fiyle is ereCt and fubulated ; ~he fiigma is fim­ple : the fruit is a gibbous capfule, compofed of four lobes, and, m fome meafure, divided from the top into four parts; it contains four cells, and opens four ways at the top: the feeds are numerous, fcabrous, of a kidney-like fhape, and angular. The~e are the charaCters of the lateral flowers: the top flower, in fome fpecies, has an addt-tion of a fourth part in all the fructifications. . This genus comprehends the Ruta of authors in general, and the Pfeudoruta of M14 cheli: in the Pfeudoruta the petals are plane and entire, and the number of all the parts of fructification quinary. 1. Ruta foliis decompojitis,fegmentis latiufculis. The Ruta, with decompound leaves, with broad figments. The root is divaricated, woody, yellow, and fib rated : the il:alks are woody, round, covered with a whitilh bark, and grow to two or three feet high; the young fboots are green; the leaves are formed of . a multitude of roundiih fegments, placed on ramofe pedicles: the flowers fiand in clufiers at the tops of the fialks, and are beautiful .and yellow. It is a native of France, Italy, and Africa; it is every-where in our gardens. C. Bauhine calls it, Ruta hortenfis Jatifolia. 2• Ruta Tbe Hijlory of P L A N T S. 2. Ruta foliis decompojitis angtlj}ioribus, petalis villofis. The decompound, narrow-leaved Ruta, with hairy petals. The root is yellow, woody, long, and divaricated; the trunk an inch in diameter. the leaves very large, but narrow and oblong, and the fegments they are compofed of are al[o narr?w : the fl?wers are large, hairy, and of a beautiful bright yellow. It 1s a native of Afnca, and of fome parts of Europe. Morifon calls it Ruta cha-lepen. fis angufiifolia florum petalis villis fcatentibus. ' _The other fpecies are, I.. The great, fiinking, wild Rue. 2. The dwarf Rue, wtth large and few fegments m the leaves. 3· The broad- leaved, hairy-flowered Rue. 4· The white-flowered, prickly Rue. 5· The flax-leaved Rue. 6. The ternate, narrow-leaved, large-flowered Rue, called, Pfeudoruta, by Micheli. F Ft ~ G 0 N I A. T HE calyx is a very fmall, deciduous perianthium, compofed of five lanceolate, ere~, patulous leaves : the corolla confifls of five patent petals, of a c01·dated .form; their t!mgues long, ilender, and inferted into the calyx; the ftamina are ten, erect,~ fubulated filaments, lon~e r than the calyx: the antherce are roundi{h; the ger­men IS pentangular; the ftyle IS fubulated ; the fiigma is fimple : the fruit is a capfule of a rotunda-acuminated figure; the valves that compofe it are ten, which form five lobes, and as many compre!fed cells ; the feeds are fingle and roundiil1. Fragonia folio/is lanceolatis planis lcevious. The plane, fmooth, lanceolated Fragonia. ~rtcfttp ctrettc 'lttefott. The root is fmall, oblong, and divaricated ; the fialk is fl:riated, procumbent, and very ramofe : the le~ves. fia~d three on each pedicle, and two of thefe pedicles grow together at every dtvancatwn of the fialk : each leaf is oblong, fmooth, fmall, and terminates in a fpine ; and at the ba(es of the pedicles fiand other more rigid fpin~s bending downwards : the flowers fiand fingly on lhort pedicles, arifing from the di­varications of the branches ; they are very large, and of a beautiful purple. It is a native of Italy and France. C. Bauhine calls it, Trifolium fpinofum Cre­ticum, a name moft others have borrowed. 1r Ft I B lJ L U S. T HE calyx is a perianthium, divided into five parts, and a little ihorter than the corolla: the corolla con.fifis of five oblong, obtufe, patent petals : the fiamina are ten very fmall, fubulated filaments; the antherre are fimple; the germen is ob­lon. g,. and of the l~ngth of the fiamina ; ther.e ~s no ftyle : the fiigma is capitated : the fi·un 1s of a round1lh figure, and aculeated; It IS colnpofed of five capfules, gibbous on one fide, and armed with three or four points on the other, angulated and conver­gent : the feeds are numerous, turbinated, and oblong. Tribulus folio/is Jexparium fobcequalibus. The Tribulus, with fix pairs of near(y equal pinnce. 1Lann <!al::: ttops. The root is very long, ilender, white, fimple, and fibrated; the ftalks are nume ... rous, round, ftriated, hairy, geniculated and procumbent, ufuaUy of a reddilh co­lour, fix or eight inches long, and ramofe: the leaves il:and alternately, except at the top of the ftalks, where they are ufually oppofite; they are cornpofed of about fix pairs of oblong pinnre, arranged on a middle rib, and are fornewhat hairy: the flowers ftand fingly on long pedicles, arifing from the alre of the leaves; they are large and yellow. It is a native of France and Italy. Dodonreus calls it, Tribulus terrefiris; C. Bau .. hine, Tribulus terrefiris ciceris folio, fruClu aculeate. JVSSIJEA.