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Show The Hiftory of P L A N T S. Of the Icofandria feme have only one flyle in the flower, feme have two, fome three, fome four, fome five, and fame . a confide~abl~ ~u~ber; they are, therefore, to be arranged into fix orders, accordmg to this difbnchon, under the names of Monogynia, Digynia, &c. Clajs the Twelfth. Order the Firfl. I C 0 S A N D R I A M 0 N 0 G Y N I A. Plants rwhich have hollow, monophyllous cups, with the corollce affixed 6y their u?tgues to· the fides of them, and about twenty .ftam~na, ir!ferred either into the corolla; or into the fide of the cup; and whzch have only one fly/e. CACTUS. T HE calyx is a deciduous perianthium, formed of a fi~gle le~f, of a tubulatoconcave form, fianding on the germen, and covered w1th a kmd of fquammofe leaves : the corolla confifts of a great number of broad, obtufe petals, the exterior ones fhort, the interior longer and connivent : the ftamina are numerous, fubulated filaments, inferted into the calyx, and fhorter than the corolla: the anthera~ are oblong and erect: the germen ftands un~er th: tube. of the cup: t?e ftyle is c¥li?dric, and of the . l~ngth of the ftamina: the fi1gma IS cap1tated, or multtfid : the fruit 1s an oblong, umb1hcated berry, containing only one cell, and covered with little leaves, like the calyx : the feeds are numerous, roundilh, and fmall. This genus comprehends the Cereus, Opuntia, Melocaetus, Tuna, and Perelkia of authors. The Cereus is a long, cylindraceo-angulated plant; the Melocactus a rou ndi{h and angulated one ; the Opuntia is ramofe and dichotomous; and the P.ere:fkia is arbo-refcent and foliofe, but the fruit alfo is foliofe. . 1. CaElus quatuordecim-angularis fubrotundus. Tbe roundijh CaElus, with fourteen angles. The root is fibrous. The plant rifes in an oblong, roundia1 form, refembling a melon ; it's height is about twelve mches, it's diameter nine or ten : it's furface is raifed into fourteen longitudinal ridges, high, and befet with tubercles, from which grow feries of vet y lharp prickles; the tubercles are about nine on each ridge; the fpines on each tubercle. are about ten, and their length an inch. On the fummit of the plant there fiands a fi ne long and white downy matter, an inch high, and four inches in diameter in the tuft ; among this ftand longer fpines, and the flowers, which are oblong, and of a fine red colour. It is a native of the warmer parts of America; C. Bauhine calls it~ Melocaetus Indire occidentalis. 2. CaElus fexangularis ·longus reElus. The long, Jexangular, jlrait CaElu~. 'ltbt 3to~cv~ t~tfde. T he root is fibrous. The plant confifis of a fingle ftem, or body, of twenty, thir ty, or more, feet in height, and of about five inches in diameter; of an angular figure, and deep green colour, and armed with clufl:ers of fharp, firm (pines, growing from tubercles, placed along the ribs ; the number of ribs is, in general, fix, but this is not certain; toward the top there are often eight or ten, and, toward the bottom, only five, The flowers grow from the ribs, ufually about the middle o( the plant ; they are, when open,. of the fize .of a larg.e rofe, and confift of not lefs than forty petals ; the outer ones purpl~fh or g~ecmlh, th.e mner ones white; thefe fiand but a very little time. . It 1s a nauve of Sunnam, and many other parts of South America; we have it m our fioves. Herman and Ray call it, Cereus erettus altiffimus Surinamenfis. 3· Cav'lus The Rijlory of P L A N T S. 3· Cactus compreffus articulatus ramofus, articulis ovatooblongis fubinermibus. 1he compreffed, articulated CaElus, with oval joints; and few prickles. 449 3tlJt ~ocbi::: neat tetant. The root is fibrous. The plant is compofed of a number of articulations, and grows to ten or twelve feet high. An oval body, thick, fucculent, green, and eight or ten inches long, and fix in diameter, firft appears above the ground; from this grows another fuch body, and from this others, each of which again produce more of the fame kind, fo as, in the whole, to compofe a ramofe body, compofed of thefe articulations, fixed to another without pedicles; they are thick, fucculent, and full of tubercles, from each of which grow a number of fpines, but in this fpecies they are lefs rigid and prickly than in the former. The flowers grow immediately out of the fur face of thefe articulations; they are very large, and of a beautiful deep red, or of a paler red, ftriated with a deeper. The fruit is large and fucculent ; it's juice of a blood red. It is a native of J amaica, and other parts of the Weil: Indies, but no where is fo plentiful as in Mexico, where the Cochineal animal feeds on it. Dillenius calls it, Tuna mitior flare fanguineo; others, Opuntia coccinellifera. 4· CaElus caule tereti arboreo .fpino.fo, foliis lanceolatoovatis. The arborifcent, round-flalked CaElus, with lanceolatoova/ leaves. 3rbe ~e~ restttn. The root is moderately thick, and divaricated. The plant aff'mnes the form of a common tree. The trunk is thick, round, and befet with fpines, which are very rigid, long, and iliarp. The leaves ftand irregularly; they have a downy matter at their infertion on the ftalks, and are of an oblong, and fomewhat pointed, figure, thick, fucculent, and green. The flowers are white, the fruit yellow and fucculent, and covered with a kind of little leaves. It is a native of J amaica. Dillenius calls it, Perelkia aculeata, flare alba, fruetu flavefcente; Plukenet, Portulaca Americana latifolia ad foliorum ortum lanugine obducta, longioribus aculeis horrida. Thefe four fpecies exprefs the four principal forms and manners of growing of the Cacti. The other fpecies are very numerous. Thofe more ufually kept in our ftoves are; I . The round Cactus, with large tubercles. 2. The long, quadrangular CaCtus, with comprelfed angles. 3· The tall, oCtangular CaCtus, with obtufe angles. 4- The common, oval, articulated CaCtus, or Opuntia. 5· The great, articulated CaCtus. 6. The bluilh-flowered, great-fpined, oval-jointed Cactus. 7· The climbing CaCtus, with five obtufe angles. 8. The little, ten-angled, very-fpinofe CaCtus. 9· The triangular, fcandent, articulated CaCtus. PHILADELPHUS. T HE calyx is a permanent perianthium, formed of a fingle leaf, divided into four acuminated fegments: the corolla confifts of four large, patent, roundilh, emarginated petals: the !lamina are twenty fubulated filaments, of the length of the cup : the antherre are erect and quadrifulcous : the germen flands below the receptacle: the fiyle is divided into four parts: the fiigmata are fimple : the fruit is an oval capfule, pointed at each end, and furrounded in the middle by the cup; it is compofed of four valves, and contains as many cells: the feeds are numerous, oblong, and fmall. This genus comprehends the Syringa of authors. There is only one known fpecies of it. p H I L A D E L P H U S. The root is brachiated and fpreading. It's bark is brown 1 it's wood brittle. The fhrub grows to fix or eight feet l1igh. The young ll10ots are long and green. The 5 Y leaves |
