An Account of Two Plants Lately Brought from the Cape of Good-Hope, Communicated by Dr. Sloane, R.S.S.

to be found only on May day Eve, and good for God knows what: They look like the Germinations of some of your Salts, but in the Fire shewed no signs thereof by crackling; they are Electrical and Angular, and being pounded, the Powder is white. I have several Stones and Minerals by me, which if I knew were acceptable to you, should be sent forwards; but I would gladly first be assured you are not displeased with these Trifles from Dublin, Oct. 13. 1688. Tours, &c. IV. An Account of two Plants lately brought from the Cape of Good-hope, communicated by Dr. Sloane, R.S.S. Alderman Charles Chamberlain having favoured the Royal Society to present them (among other natural Rarities) with two Branches of Trees and their Fruits, brought from the Cape of Good-hope by Mr. Goddard, which being very curious, and are not yet anywhere perfectly described, it was thought fit to publish their Figures and Descriptions; and that the rather, because the first of them has been brought hither for its Beauty in Pots, as well as raised in England from the Seed brought from the Cape of Good-hope, where it is called the Silver Pine. Conifera salicis facie, folio & fructu, tomento sericeo, candicante, obductis, semine pennato. The Silver Pine-Tree. The Twig of this Tree (see the Fig. Lit. A) had a great many Leaves set round it very close to one another, so as to hide the Twig itself there where they grow, each of the largest of them being about Four Inches long, and \( \frac{3}{4} \) of an Inch broad in the middle where broadest, from whence they decrease towards both Extremes ending in a Point, being like those of the Osier Willow, only broader, and all cover'd over with the thickest, finest, and longest white filken Hair or Down that ever any Plant I remember to have seen has. The Cones (see the Fig. lit. B) are of the biggest of those of the Cedars of Lebanon, and of the same shape the Cuticula or Small Skin of each Scale, being cover'd over with a white short Down or Wool, shining also like Silk. Between the Scales is lodged the Seed, (see the Fig. lit. C) which is almost as large as the Pine-Nut, near the same shape, of a dark brown Colour, and having a rising eminent Line or Belly running through the middle of it from end to end. This Seed lies in a thin reddish brown Membrane, which has on its top Four Feathers like those belonging to the Seeds of Clematis, which being between the Scales, and rising above them, adds a very great Beauty to the Cone, and may likewise serve for Wings by means of the Wind to loosen or carry the Seeds to distant places, thereby propagating its self. The Seed with its Membrane and Wings is well expressed in the Fig. lit. D. This grows at the Cape of Good-hope, where I am assured by Mr. James Pettiver, that it is planted by the Dutch in their Famous Garden, being thought one of its greatest Ornaments. The first Author I have observed that seems to mention this is Captain Nicholas Downton, who speaking of things he observed by the Cape of Good-hope apud Purchas, lib. 3. cap. 12. § 1. p. 276. says, 'In divers places scatteringly we saw some Trees of small Stature, somewhat broad topped, bearing a Fruit in bigness and proportion like a Pine-Apple, but the Husk not so hard and spungie, the Seed whereof were devoured by the Birds, the Husks remaining on the Trees, the Leaves whereof were in form of our Housleek in England, but not so thick. Mr. Breynius likewise in his first Century of Exotick Plants, pag. 22. mentions a larger sort of Frutex Æthiopicus Conifer foliis cneori, salici æmulus, which perhaps may be this. Dr. Plucknet in the Third Part of his Phytographia, Tab. 200. has figured this under the name of Leucadendros Africana Arbor tota Argentea, sericea foliis integris, Atlas Tree D. Herman, which was the top of one of these Young Trees which came to Mr. Doody. 2. Conifera Alypi folio, seminibus pennatis pluribus in medio coni conglomeratis, & non inter squammas aliorum conorum more nascentibus! The Branch of this Tree (see the Fig. lit. E) had a brown coloured smooth Bark with a whitish hard Wood, and small pith. The Leaves (expressed to their natural Bignets lit. F) were round it without any Order, very thick set, having no Foot-stalks, being about 2 inches and ½ long, and about ½ of an inch broad near the farther end where broadest, smooth, hard, and of a brownish or dirty green colour; on the top of the Branch comes the Fruit, (see the Fig. lit. G) which is surrounded by three or four Twigs (see the Fig. lit. H, I, K) overtopping it, and with their Leaves almost hiding it. It is about Five Inches long, and is made up of many Scales hard and red enclosing one another, the lowermost and and outwardmost being very short, the inwardmost four inches long, each of them ending in a point, some scales having on their outsides a gummy juice. In the middle of these scales were the first rudiments of many seeds, the same not being fully ripe, each of which (see the Fig. lit. L) is set about with a great quantity of ¼ inch long, yellow fine silken down, (see the Fig. lit. M) having a two inches long stylus or string, (see the Fig. lit. N) and yellowish membranes enclosing the stylus and tomentum, being feathered at top with feathers for the same purposes, and like the former. I cannot find this mentioned by any author, unless it be that of Breynius in his Appendix to his first century, p. 22. Frutex Africanus, fruticis terribilis Narbonensium folio capitulis oblongis squammosis, gathered by Wilhelmus Ten Rhine, and sent to him from the Cape of Good-hope. V. The Extracts of Four Letters from Mr. John Banister to Dr. Lister, communicated by him to the Publisher. SIR, To do right to the memory of my friend Mr. Banister, who indeed was a very learned and sagacious naturalist; had lived 14 years at least in Virginia, and therefore, having employed much of his time that way, was most likely to have given us a very good natural history of that place. I understand after his death the government of that place took special care of his papers to seal them up, and transmit them to my Lord Bishop of London here, in whose