ALTHOUGH many have bestowed extraordinary Care and Industry upon the searching out, and Description of Plants; and for the reducing of them to their several Tribes: yet I will take leave, here to propose a short Method whereby Learners, seeing a Plant they know not, may be informed to what Sort it belongs, and so be directed where to find it described and discoursed of. For, except they have a Master to conduct them, which few have; they must needs, by seeking at random, lose a great deal of time, which by a regular Enquiry might be saved. Besides, that what is learned by their own Observation, will abide much longer on their mind, than what they are only Poynted to, by another.
2. §. Now the most Philosophick way of distinguishing or sorting of Plants, were by the Characteristick Properties in all Parts, both Compounded, Constituents, and Contents. But of the Compounded, the Seeds, and some other Parts, are oftentimes very minute: and the Roots always lie hid. As also the Constituent Parts, every where, without cuting and the use of Glasses. Nor can the Contents be accurately observed otherwise. So that for the Use here intended, those Properties are the fitest to be insisted upon, which are the most Conspicuous, and in those Parts, where the Learner may the most readily and without any difficulty take notice of them; as in the Flower and Leaf. The Flower hath Varieties enough of it self. But in regard it is often wanting, when the Green Leaf is not; it is therefore convenient, that he be assisted by both, and that the Varieties of both be distinctly reduced unto Tables. Which may be done, after the following, or some other like manner.
3. §. And First for the Leaves. The most obvious Varieties of which, are in their Position, Size or Shape.
4. §. Leaves are fastned with, or without a Stalk. Without, only close to the Branch, as in Southistle; or surrounding it, as in Thorow-Wax.
5. §. Both these ways, they stand either singly, that is, but one at the same height; or more together.
6. §. More together, in Even or Odd Numbers. In Even Numbers, commonly Two and Two, as in Sage, Polium; Sometimes Four, as in Cross-wort, Madder, Herb True-Love, Pomum Majæ; or more, as, I think, in Woodrofe, &c. In Odd Numbers, Three, as in all Trefoyls, Strawberries; Five, in Pentaphil, Castanea Equina; Seven, in Tormentil.
7. §. The Sizes of Leaves are innumerable. It is therefore necessary to reduce them to a Standard. And so, they may be reckoned, Three; Small, Mean and Great: with respect to the Length of the Leaf, the Breadth, or both. From one Inch and under, all Leaves may be accounted Small; from one Inch and over, to five Inches, Mean; from five and over, Great.
8. §. The Shapes of Leaves are also numberless. But the most obvious distinctions which they admit of, are such as these;
9. §. Leaves are Membraneous, as the greater part; Squameous, as Abies, or Filamentous. Which are solid, as in Fenil, Meum, Buphthalmum, Chamemile, Groundpine; or hollow, as in Onion.
10. §. Membraneous, have all their main Fibres produced either from the Stalk, as in Holyoak; or from the middle Stem of the Leaf, as in most. From the midle Stem, reciprocally, as in Scabious, or oppositely, that is, one over against another, as in Rose: and both ways, at Acute Angles, as in most; or Right, as in Dandelion.
11. §. Again, they are different with respect to the Top, the Bottom, and the Sides. The Top is Thorny, as in Furz; or Unarmed. Unarmed, either Produced, that is, Poynted, or at least, Roundish, as in Lamium, Ironwort; or else Reduced, as in Woodsorrel. And so the Bottom, is either Reduced towards the Top, as in Ground-Ivy; or Produced upon the Stalk, as in Poplar, Bay, &c.
12. §. The Sides or Edges of the Leaf, are either of one and the same Measure, as commonly; or of divers, as in Doronicum. Both ways they are Even, as in Syringa, Mous-ear; or Uneven. The Uneven, are Prickly, as Holly, Eryngium, Thistle; or Unarmed. Unarmed, are Insected, or Resected. Insected deeply, that is, Lobed, as Golden Liverwort, Clematis Peregrina; or with shallow Insections, as in most. And so, Indented, or Scallopped: the former, when the Angle is made with Straight Lines, as in Dandelion; the latter, with Crooked, as in Thalictrum. Resected, that is, both Lobed, and Insected, or when upon the greater Insections, there are other lesser ones, as in Wild-Clary, Lovage, Masterwort.
13. §. THE most Conspicuous Varieties of Flowers, are in their Position, Size, Shape, and Colour.
14. §. Most are fastned with Stalks; but many without. Sometimes, they are placed round about the Branch, that is, Coronated, as in Pulegium; and sometimes, all on one side; either in Ranks only, as in Bawm; or in Rank and File, as in Foxglove. In Saxifraga Aurea, they grow on the Leaf.
15. §. Again, they either stand Singly, as in Corn Marigold; or Clustur’d. And so, either all upon one Branch, or on several little Ramificated Sprigs. On one Branch, prolonged like a Tail, as in Blattaria; or Contracted. And so, either without Stalks, that is, Capitated, as in Scabious; or with Stalks, that is, Umbellated, as Fenil, &c. On several Sprigs, as in Tanacetum, Yarrow.
16. §. The Sizes of Flowers, as of the Leaves, may be reduced to Three. From ½ an Inch and under, in Diameter or Length, may be accounted Small. From ½ an Inch and over to an Inch and ½, may go for Mean. And from an Inch and v and over, Great.
17. In respect of the Shape, Flowers are Open or Belly’d. Open have both Leaves and Attire, as most; or else are all Attire, as of Burdock, Beta Cretica.
18. §. The Open, consist of a Certain Number of Leaves, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Thirteen, or One and Twenty. Uncertain, commonly called Double. Those of a Certain Number, either Uniform, that is, all of a certain Size and Shape, as usually; or Biform, or Triform, as in Iris, Blattaria. And these again, Even Edged or Notched; with Three Poynts, as in Marigold; or Five, in Cichory.
19. §. The Belly’d, are either so in whole; or in Part, that is, with the Top divided into Leaves, and the Bottom, Hollow: The former, are also Even Edged, as in Convolvulus; or Notched, as in Trachelium. The latter have their Leaves distinguished as before. Their Bottom or Base, either fastned to the Seed-Case, as in Snap-dragon; or standing below it. And so, either Straight, as I think in Toad-flax; or Crooked, as in Violet, Lark-heel.
20. §. In all these, the Attire is either Seminiform, or Florid. And both, Clustur’d, or Divided; as in Mallow, St. Johns wort; Starwort, Hawkweed.
21. §. The Colours of the Flower, are White, as in Water-Crowfoot; Red, as Lychnis; Blew, as Borage; Purple, as Stock-July Flower; Black, as in some Anemones; Yellow, in Wall-Flower; Tawny, in Colus Jovis; Green, in Laureola. Which are either Single, or Mixed: Two together, as in Butyr-Bur, White and Red; in White Hellibore, White and Green; in Monks Rubarb, Red and Green; &c. Or Three together, as in Pancy, Yellow, Blew, and Black, i.e. atro-purpureus.
22. §. How far these, and some other like Distinctions, being reduced to Tables, would serve for the finding out of any Sort of Plant, may be conceived, if we consider, how great a Variety, a few Bells, in the ringing of Changes, will produce. And the search will be easy, and successfull, if in every foregoing Table, reference be made to those that follow; and in the Tables conteining the last Divisions, the Names of the Plants therein poynted out, be expressed.