OCR Text |
Show The Hi)lory of P. L A N T S. 599 c v N o M o R x u M. .®alteft JFunguS'. The Cynomorium has properly neither root nor leaves: it grows to the roots of feve~ al different fhrubs and plants, in the manner of the broom-rape. It affixes itfelf to thefe by a roundilh thick bafe, and leaves a hollow on the root, when taken off. It grows to feven or eight inches high, and is often three quarters of an inch in diameter, ufually bent two or three times, very rarely quite firait : it's lower part is thick, covered with fhort, oval, pointed fquammre; it's upper part, for two thirds of the whole plant, has thefe fquammre lefs numerous, and often emarginated, and is loaded with flowers which are minute, and foon fall off. The whole plant is a fine fcarlet colour. It is frequent about the fea-coafis of the ifland of Malta, growing to the roots of dif· ferent plants as well as fhrubs. Boccone calls it, Fungus typhoides, cqccineus, Meliten· fis; others fimply, Fungus Melitenfis. It is a very powerful all:ringent. Clafs the Twenty Firfl. Order the Second. M 0 N .lE C I A T R I A N D R I A. P /ants which have fiparate male and female flowers on the fame plant, a1zd have in each of the male flowers three Jlamina. Z E A I N the male flower, the calyx is a biflorous glume, and has no ariare or awns : the corolla is alfo a glume without awns. In the female flower, the calyx is a glume, formed of two valv.es; the corolla is alfo a glume, formed of two valves : the fryle is .fimple, filiform, and pendulous : the feeds are fingle, and are immerfed in a long re-ceptacle. . The male flowers are arranged in lax and loofe fpikes, and fi:and on the upper parts of the plants: tae female flowers fi:and in thick~ compaCt fpikes, covered with leaves below the others. This genus comprehends the Mays of Tournefort, the Indian wheat of authors1 There is but one known fpecies of it, though authors, from it's varieties, have made feveral imaginary ones. Z E A. ,. )nbian <to~n. I The root is fibrous; the plant grows to eight or ten feet .high :· the fialk is an inch, or more, in diameter, ereCt, robull:, and [qccul!:!nt: the leaves are very numerous, two feet, or more, in length, of a bright graify green, narrow, and pointed at the extre· mities : on the upper part of the flalk fiand long, loofe fpikes, or light ears, of a whitiih colour, containing the male flowers; and in different parts, lower down, fiand the fpikes of female flowers, which are fucceeded by the feeds ; thefe are large and preffed clofely together, for~ing a very long and thiak ea~ or f~ike : the moft na~ural colour of the feeds is yellow1fi1, but they vary extreamly m th1s, and are fomeumes violet-coloured, fometimes bright red, fometimes black, fometimes quite white : the fpikes of male flowers are alfo fometimes yellow, fometimes red, fometimes blue, and fometimes variegated with two, or more, of thefe colour~ : the plant is evidently the fame under all thefe variations, which are no more than the change of colour in our garden-beans, fame of which will be purple, others white, on the fame plant; yet have all thefe been made difiinet fpecies by authors, under the names of Mays granis violaceis, Mays fpica ccerulea, &c. C 0 I X. T HE male flowers are formed into a lax fpike; the female ones are few in number and are fituated at the bafe of the male fpike. In the male' flowers, the calyx is a glume, containing two flowers, and has no awns: the corolla alfo is a glume, without any ariftre or awn.s. In the f~male, the calyx is alfo a glume, containing two flowers; aQ.d the cor.olla 1s a glume w1~hout any arifire: the ftyle is divided into two parts ; and the feed IS q>vered by the mdurated calyx. This g~nus compr.ehends the Lachryma Job of Toumefort and other~. . · C:otx |