Hortus americanus: containing an account of the trees, shrubs, and other vegetable productions, of South-America and the West-India Islands, and particularly of the island of Jamaica; interspersed with many curious and useful observations, respecting their uses in medicine, diet, and mechanics / By the late Henry Barham ; to which are added, a Linnaean index, &c. &c. &c.
- Henry Barham
- Date:
- 1794
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Hortus americanus: containing an account of the trees, shrubs, and other vegetable productions, of South-America and the West-India Islands, and particularly of the island of Jamaica; interspersed with many curious and useful observations, respecting their uses in medicine, diet, and mechanics / By the late Henry Barham ; to which are added, a Linnaean index, &c. &c. &c. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![HORTtJS AMERICANUS. 1 'falling it tea, and the Japanefe tfi'a. This flirub, faitli Bontius, is of the height and bignefs of‘our Europeaii 'ourrant-bufiles; the llalks and branches, from the foot to the top, are adorneT with tender pointed leaves and ilowers, which are very numerous, whole leaves, al- though of the fame form, yet are fo cliirerent iii big-^ iiefs that, upon one and the fame flirub, are accounted five different forts of tea; viz. the firff and loweib leaves, neareft the bottom ot the ffirub, are the broadeff ; to thele lucceed a iecond fort, much {niallef, and fo on to the top; and the fmallell leaf is accounted the beff; The difference of leaves is no ihoi efhan what is common, to many plants, and is the fame with our American teak The flowers are in bignefs, colour, and fhape, like bur egiaiifine dr iweet brfer. But not in frnell. The flower falling off, there remains a‘fruit like a navel. Containing a round biack feed (herein it differs vaffly from the American tea). The root is hbrous, diT pel led in very Imall fibres into the ground, to draw its tiouriOiment. The leaves, when green, are fomewhat aromatic, belides a little hoUilh and bitterifli (herein ic differs nriLich froifi ours]. Some have teRified, and it feems moft pioBable to be true, that this plant at firll grew wild in China, and lay long negledled, but by its culture, high virtues, -manner of preparing, and daily ufe, is bat modern as it now appears; and fo were tobacco, fugar-icanes, and indigo, which in former times were w^iid, and not nnnded till the qualities of them w'ete difeavervd by the native Indians to people of ocher nations, and then they veere loon improved by cultivation, with pleafant and profitable tranrpoTtb-' a lion through all the known world; and who knovrs what perfeftion cur wild tea might be brought to, it the fame pains and labour were taken wuh it as in die Ka.fWffdrc.f ?’ But I iliKiil now proceed to ether ac- ' ' counts](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29319870_0205.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
