The gardener's dictionary ... wherein all the articles contained in the former editions ... in two volumes, are disposed in one alphabet / [Philip Miller].

  • Miller, Philip, 1691-1771
Date:
1759 [i.e. 1756-1759]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The gardener's dictionary ... wherein all the articles contained in the former editions ... in two volumes, are disposed in one alphabet / [Philip Miller]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    clans to be ufed in a Powder which bears the; Title of the Plant but thefe Roots are generally gathered in the Spring, when the Leaves are in full Vigour, fo that the Roots fhrink and loon loofe their pungent Quail y > thofe which are taken up when the Leaves continue good a whole Year, and retain then g cy the fame as when firft taken up. The not obfervin^ this, has brought the Medicine into Difrepute. it flowers in April, and the Seeds ripen xn'fuly. _ The fecond Sort grows naturally in Italy, Spam, and Portugal, from whence I have received the Seeds. 1 he Leaves of this Sort rife a Foot and half high, are very large, tuning out to a Point •, thefe are finely veined with white, interfperfed with black Spots, which, toge¬ ther with the fine fhining green of their Surface, mate a pretty Variety. The Flowers grow near a Foot high, and have very long upright Spathas, which are o a pale green, inclining to white; thefe appear the Ln of April, or Begining of May, and the Seeds, are ripe in Augujl this propagates very fall by Offsets from the Root, and will thrive in any Soil or Situation. 1 he belt Time to tranfplant them is from the Time the Seeds are ripe, to the End of Ottober, by which Time they will be puting out new Fibres. The third, fourth, and fifth Sorts have been generally feparated from this Genus, and were diftinguilhed by the Title of Arif arum, or Friar’s Cowl, from the Re- femblance the Flower has in Shape to the Floods or Cowls worn by the People of that Order. Thefe are very low Plants, their Leaves having very fhort Foot Stalks, and the Flowers grow clofe to the Ground. They flower in April, but feldom produce Seeds in England; however they multiply fa ft by Offsets, and fhould have a fh ad y Situation: The Time for tranfplanting the Roots is the fame as for the former. They are preferved in feme Gardens for the fake of Variety, but have little Beauty to recommend them. The fixth and feventh Sorts grow naturally in Virgi¬ nia and Carolina, from whence I have received their Roots, thefe never rife with Stalks, but their Leaves arife immediately from the Roots, having fhort Foot Stalks; the Flowers come up between their Leaves, which have fhort Foot Stalks; they appear in May, but have little Beauty, fo the Plants are only kept in Bota¬ nic Gardens for the fake of Variety. They will live in the open Air, if they are planted in a fheltered Situation, or if the Surface of the Ground is covered with Tan to keep out Froft in Winter, and will thrive better in the full Ground, than in Pots. They are propagated by Offsets, for they do not produce Seeds in England. The eighth Sort is the common Dragon, which is ufed in Medicine, and has been generally ranged in a feparate Genus from this under the Title of Dracunculus, in which Genus Eournefort has ranged all thofe Species which have compound Leaves, and thofe with Angle Leaves he has placed under Arum ; but Dr. Linnaeus has diftinguilhed thefe Genera by different Characters, all thofe Species whofe Spatha are fhaped like a Cowl or Hood, and have female Flowers intermixed with the Stamina, and the Top of the Piftil naked, he places un¬ der the Genus of Arum; and thofe which have a Boat- fhaped Spatha, covering the Spike of Flowers, and the male and female Flowers growing feparate on the Spike, he places under Dracontium. 1 his Sort is ufed in Medicine, fo is preferved in Gar¬ dens, to fupply the Markets : It grows naturally in moft of the Southern Parts of Europe, from whence it was firft obtained. I his Plant hath a large tuberous flefhy Root, which, in the Spring puts up a ftrait Stalk about three Feet high, which is ipoted like the Belly of a Snake ; at the d op it fpfeads out into Leaves, which are cut into i'everal narrow Segments, almoft to the Bot tom ; thefe are fpread open like a Hand ; at the Top of the Stalk the Flower is produced, which is in Shape like the Common Arum, having a very long Spatha of a dark purple Colour, Handing ereCt, with a laro-e Piftil ot .the iame Colour, fo that when it is in Flower, it makes no unpleafing Appearance; but the Flower hath iw'? Sce?t °f Camon’ that few Perfons can en- u re it j for which Reafon it hath been banifhed moft A R U Gardens; but was it not for this, a few of the Plants mivht merit a Place in Gardens, for the Oddnefsof the Flower. It is very hardy, fo will grow in any Soil or Situation, and propagates faft by Offsets from the Root. The Time to tranfplant it, is in Autumn, when their Leaves decay: It flowers in June and July, and their Stalks decay in September. There is a Variety of this with variegated Leaves and Stalks, which is preferved in the Gardens of fome Perfons who are fond of ftriped leaved Plants; it is equally hardy with the common Sort, and may be propagated in Plenty, but fhould be planted in poor Ground, in order to prevent it from be¬ coming plain, which it is apt to do in rich Land. The ninth Sort grows naturally in moift Places in Virginia and New England, but is very difficult to pre- ferve long in a Garden. I received fome Roots of this from New England a few Years ago, which continued two Years; but the Soil being dry, they decayed in Summer. Thefe fhould have a moift fhady Situation, otherwife they will not thrive : The Leaves of this Sort are divided like thofe of the former, but are fmaller, and rarely grow more than nine Inches high; the Flowers are like thofe of the common Arum, but the Piftil is lon¬ ger than the Spatha. It flowers in June, and the Stalks decay in Autumn. The tenth Sort grows naturally in Ceylon, and fome other Parts of India, fo is very impatient of Cold : It is a Plant of humble Growth; the Leaves come up from the Root, having Foot Stalks about four Inches long; thefe are divided into three Lobes, which terminate in Points; the Flower rifes immediately from the Root, Handing on a very fhort Foot Stalk ; the Spatha is long, ereft, and of a fine Scarlet within, as is alfo the Piftil. This ufually appears in May, and the Leaves decay in Augujt, but new ones foon after rife from the Root. This Plant muft be placed in the Tan Bed of the Bark Stove, otherwife it will not thrive in England. It is propagated by Offsets from the Root, which come out in Plenty when the Plants are in Health. The eleventh, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and fix- teenth Sorts, have mild Roots, which are eaten by the Inhabitants of all the hot Countries, where they grow naturally, and fome of the Sorts are cultivated by the Inhabitants of the Sugar Colonies, as efculent Plants, their Roots being conftantly eaten, as alfo are the Leaves of fome of the Sorts, particularly the fifteenth, which they call Indian Kale: The Leaves of this are boiled, and fupply the Want of other Greens. As there is a conftant Succeffion of thefe all the Year, fo a fmall Spot of Ground, planted with thefe Roots, will be fuf- ficient to fupply a large Family. It is efteemed a whol- fome Green ; and in thofe Countries where many of the common European Vegetables are with Difficulty pro¬ duced, this proves a good Succedanum ; but they feem to make little Diftindlion of the Species ; for I have re¬ ceived the Roots of three Sorts, by the common Title of Edder *, but I fuppofe the fourteenth Sort is the moft: commonly cultivated there for their Roots. The fix- teenth Sort has not been many Years introduced among them, for it came originally from the Spanijh IVeJl-In¬ dies, where it grows in great Plenty. Both thefe have larger Roots than the fifteenth, for which Reafon they are prefered to it. All thele Sorts are preferved in the Gardens of thofe Perfons, who are curious in colledting exotic Plants, for the Variety of their Leaves; for their Flowers have very little Beauty, nor do they often appear in this Country. The Plants are propagated eafily by Offsets from their Roots, which they put out plentifully : Thefe muft be planted in Pots filled with rich Earth, and plunged into a hot Bed, to promote their taking Root; and if they are afterward continued in the Bark Stove, they will make great Progrefs,and their Leaves will be very large. They may be kept in a dry Stove, upon Shelves, alter they are well eftablifhed in the Pots, but they will not be fo ftrong as the other. Thefe Sorts are too tender to thrive in the open Air in England, at any Time of the Year, fo fhould conftantly remain in the Stove, where a Plant or two of each Sort will make a pleafing Variety with their large Leaves, which continue thro’ the Year.