DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Ten Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Perianthium monophyllum, campanulatum, utrinque appendiculatum; ore quinquedentato, acuto.
Corolla papilionacea, pentapetala.
Vexillum sub-cordatum, erectum.
Alæ oblongæ, vexillo breviores.
Carina dipetala, petalis alis conformibus.
Stamina. Filamenta decem, distincta, assurgentia, longitudine carinæ. Antheræ simplices, minimæ.
Pistillum. Germen ovato-oblongum. Stylus subulatus, magnitudine et situ staminum. Stigma acutum, recurvatum.
Pericarpium. Legumen subrotundum, apice mucronatum, uniloculare, bivalve.
Semina duo, sub-rotunda.
Empalement. Cup of one leaf, bell-shaped, having an appendage on each side; the mouth five-toothed, sharp.
Blossom. Butterfly-shaped, five petals.
Standard nearly heart-shaped, upright.
Wings oblong, shorter than the standard.
Keel two petals, which are like those of the wings.
Chives. Ten threads, distinct, turned up at the ends, the length of the keel. Tips simple, very small.
Pointal. Seed-bud oblong-egg-shaped. Shaft awl-shaped, the size and situation of the chives. Summit sharp-pointed and recurved.
Seed-vessel. Shell nearly round, with a sharp point on the end, of one cell and two valves.
Seeds two, roundish.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Pultenæa foliis alternis, obovatis, glabris, mucronatis; floribus terminalibus, capitatis.
Pultenæa with alternate leaves, inversely egg-shaped, smooth, with a sharp point at the ends; flowers terminate the branches growing in heads.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The Cup, with its two appendages, magnified.
2. The Standard of the Blossom.
3. One of the Wings of the Blossom.
4. The two Petals of the Keel.
5. The Chives and Pointal, natural size.
6. The same, magnified.
7. The Pointal.
8. The same, magnified.
9. A half-ripe Seed-vessel, with the Cup remaining attached, magnified.
From the number of species of this genus of plants, already in Britain, we may conclude, that it is one of the most extended in New South Wales; twelve distinct ones have already flowered, drawings of most of them we have, which will be brought forward in due course. Dr. Smith, in the third No. of New Holland Botany, has named this tribe of plants after Dr. R. Pulteney, F. R. and F. L. S. of Blandford, Dorsetshire; well known for his Sketches of the Progress of Botany in England. But there is little doubt, that although no such kind attention as this of Dr. Smith had been shewn, to perpetuate the name of Dr. Pulteney, he had, by his excellent life of Linnæus, insured his own to live for ever. The Pultenæas, in systematic order, rank after, but very close to Sophora; but are little allied in general habit, as are few plants from that country to those of any other. This species was first raised in 1792, in many gardens about the metropolis the same year; but did not flower till 1796. It is a hardy greenhouse plant, generally flowering about the month of May; but the blossom is of short duration. Sandy peat is the soil it most approves; and its increase is produced, either from seeds, which sometimes ripen with us, or from cuttings placed in gentle heat about the month of May. The drawing was made from a plant in the Hibbertian collection at Clapham, this year.[Pg 397]
TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Three Chives. One Pointal.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
Corolla, sexpartita, ringens.
Stamina adscendentia.
Blossom, six divisions, gaping.
Chives ascending.
See Plate XI. Vol. I. Glad. roseus.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Gladiolus foliis lineari-lanceolatis, nervosis, glabris; floribus spicatis, secundis, albidis, maximis; laciniis tribus inferioribus maculatis; stigmatibus sub-bilobis.
Gladiolus with linearly lance-shaped, strongly nerved, smooth leaves; flowers grow in spikes all from one side of the stem, white, and very large; the three lower segments of the limb are spotted; summits nearly two-lobed.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The Sheaths of the Empalement.
2. A Flower cut open, with the Chives attached.
3. The Seed-bud, Shaft, and Summits.
Of all the different species of so handsome a genus, no one is more desirable than this; as the root or plant is preserved with little care, and it rarely misses flowering; at the same time that the blossoms are of long duration, and not subject to injury from the weather; changing to a fine blush colour, when approaching to decay. From the Kew Catalogue we learn, that the G. Blandus was first introduced, from the Cape of Good Hope, by Mr. F. Masson in 1774. It thrives in most sorts of earth, but sandy peat seems the most proper for this, as well as most Cape bulbs. Our figure was taken from a plant in the collection of G. Hibbert, Esq. Clapham, this year, the end of May.[Pg 401]
TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Four Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx nullus.
Corolla. Petala quatuor, linearia, obliqua, apice latiore, subrotundo, concavo, staminifero; post fœcundationem revoluta.
Stamina. Filamenta quatuor, brevissima, in singulo petala singula, vel nulla. Antheræ oblongæ, intra cavitatem petali sitæ, majusculæ.
Pistillum. Germen lineare, adscendens, inflexum. Stylus nullus. Stigma subrotundum, antice planum, postice concavum, magnum.
Pericarpium. Folliculus teres, unilocularis.
Semina quatuor seu quinque, ovata, compressa, margine altero membrana alata.
Empalement none.
Blossom. Four petals, linear, oblique; broad ended, roundish, concave, and supporting the chive; after the bursting of the tips they are rolled back.
Chives. Four threads, very short, one in each petal, or none. Tips oblong, placed in the hollow end of the petal, larger.
Pointal. Seed-bud linear, ascending, and bent. Shaft none. Summit nearly round, the forepart flat, the hinder concave, large.
Seed-vessel. A cylindrical pod of one cell.
Seeds four or five, egg-shaped, flattened, having a skinny wing at one edge.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Embothrium foliis sub-ternatis, integerrimis, acutis, margine revolutis, subtus sericeis; spica recurva; fructu tuberculato, glabro.
Embothrium with leaves growing mostly three together, entire, pointed, rolled back at the edge, and silky beneath; spike bent downward; fruit tuberculated, not downy.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. A Blossom complete.
2. A Petal of the Blossom, magnified.
3. The Seed-bud and Summit, magnified.
4. A ripe Seed-vessel.
5. A Seed.
Whem the figure of this plant, or a variety of it, was published by Dr. Smith, in the third No. of his New Holland Botany, it had not then flowered in England; and from the leaves only, of the dried specimens, it was scarce possible to trace, amongst such a variety of new faces, this species of Embothrium. It nevertheless was in many collections, and in some, all the varieties, although it had not then flowered in any. About the end of the year 1791 the seeds of this plant, with many others, were received by Messrs. Lee and Kennedy, of Hammersmith, transmitted to them from New South Wales, by Col. Paterson. As a hardy greenhouse plant, it will always be coveted, as it is seldom without flowers through the whole year. Our plant appears to differ sufficiently, from the three varieties given by the Doctor, to form a fourth; as the leaves on this are by no means constantly three together, but are often scattered. We have notwithstanding nearly copied his specific character. It should be planted in light sandy peat, and may be increased by cuttings, or by seeds, which occasionally ripen, whilst the plant is still in flower.[Pg 405]
HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Six Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Gluma bivalvis.
Corolla monopetala, supera; limbus sexpartitus, laciniis ovato oblongis, patentibus; persistens.
Stamina. Filamenta sex, brevissima, capillaria. Antheræ oblongæ, petalis breviores.
Pistillum. Germen inferum, turbinatum. Stylus filiformis, longitudine staminum. Stigma obtusiusculum.
Pericarpium. Capsula oblongiuscula, basi angustior, coronata corolla persistente, trilocularis, trivalvis.
Semina plurima, subrotunda.
Empalement. Husk of two valves.
Blossom one petal, superior; border of six divisions, segments oblong-egg-shaped, and spreading; permanent.
Chives. Six very short hair-like threads. Tips oblong, shorter than the petals.
Pointal. Seed-bud beneath, turban-shape. Shaft thread-shaped, the length of the chives. Summit bluntish.
Seed-vessel. Capsule rather oblong, smaller at the base, crowned by the permanent blossom, three cells, three valves.
Seeds many, roundish.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Hypoxis scapo unifloro; foliis sub-linearibus, laxis, striatis; petalis basi maculatis.
Hypoxis with but one blossom on the flower-stem; leaves nearly linear, flexible, and scored; the petals spotted at the base.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The Chives and Pointal, cleared from the Blossom.
2. A Chive.
3. The Pointal.
Though we have little doubt in referring this plant to the title under which we have figured it, and by which it has been long known to most botanists, at least by name; yet have we great ones, whether it ought in any wise to be considered as such. Thunberg, perhaps the only botanist, who has seen it in flower, thought so, and placed it to a genus he had named Fabricia. Certainly no one character of the genus Hypoxis, can be traced in the flower. The husk is of one valve, the petals not even close at the base, the threads flat, the summits three, and halbert-shaped, the shaft pillar-shape and short, &c. But, as upon our old plea, we do not choose to change generic names when long established, this plant, for us, must still remain an Hypoxis; tho’ it could not now be placed, at any rate, to Fabricia, as that title is given to a family of plants, natives of New Holland. The star-flowered Hypoxis is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, is rather a tender bulb, and does not often flower. It was according to the Kew Catalogue first introduced to the Royal Gardens by Mr. F. Masson, in the year 1788; but as the time of flowering is not mentioned, we suppose it did not flower there. The root should, like other Cape bulbs, be removed from the pot after flowering, and replanted in October. It propagates itself pretty freely by offsets, if planted in light sandy peat, mixed with a little loam. The drawing was made in June, this present year, at the Hammersmith nursery.[Pg 409]
DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Ten Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Perianthium duplex, approximatum, persistens.
P. exterius triphyllum; foliolis ovato-lanceolatis, acuminatis; exteriore majore.
P. interius quinquepartitum, erectum, exteriore paulo longius; foliolis lanceolatis, acuminatis.
Corolla monopetala, hypocrateriformis; tubus cylindricus, intus hirsutus; limbus patens, quinquepartitus, lobis ovato-oblongis.
Stamina. Filamenta decem, filiformia, longitudine tubi. Antheræ oblongæ, acutæ.
Pistillum. Germen globosum, villosum. Stylus filiformis, longitudine staminum. Stigma obtusum, subquinquefidum.
Pericarpium. Capsula sub-globosa, depressa, pentagona, quinquelocularis, quinquevalvis.
Semina plurima, subrotunda.
Receptaculum magnum quinquepartitum.
Empalement. Cup double, close together, and remaining.
Outer cup three-leaved; leaflets between lance and egg-shape, pointed; the outer one the largest.
Inner cup of five divisions, upright, a little longer than the outer; leaflets lance-shaped and pointed.
Blossom one petal, salver-shaped; tube cylindrical, hairy within; the border spreading with five divisions, the segments of an oblong egg-shape.
Chives. Ten thread-shaped threads the length of the tube. Tips oblong, and tapered.
Pointal. Seed-bud globular and hairy. Shaft thread-shaped, the length of the chives. Summit blunt, and slightly five-cleft.
Seed-vessel. Capsule nearly globular, flattened, five-sided, five cells, and five valves.
Seeds many, roundish.
Receptacle large, of five divisions.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Epigæa caulibus procumbentibus; foliis cordato-ovatis, integerrimis, reticulatis; corollis hypocrateriformibus.
Epigæa with stems that lay on the earth; leaves between heart and egg-shape, quite entire, and netted; blossoms salver-shaped.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The two Cups of the Empalement.
2. The inner Cup, disengaged from the outer.
3. A Blossom cut open, to shew its hairy interior.
4. The Chives and Pointal, as they stand in the Blossom.
5. The Pointal, (magnified).
The Creeping Epigæa is the only species of the genus yet in Britain; it was first introduced by P. Collinson, Esq. in 1736, from N. America; where it is found in most parts, from Virginia, as far north as Canada. The flowers of this plant are extremely fragrant, and are produced from March till May. Hitherto, very few situations have been found congenial to its cultivation, or growth; indeed, so subject is it to perish from the moisture, or changeableness of atmosphere in our winter months, to which it is not subject in its native clime, being during that season covered with a deep snow; that unless an occasional supply had not been procured from America, the plant must, long ere this, have been lost to us. The soil which appears best adapted for its preservation, is a light sandy loam: if planted in the open air, it should have a sheltered situation, on a dry border; but the most likely mode to preserve it, is by keeping it as a greenhouse plant. It is with difficulty increased by cuttings, but may be divided at the root, with success, in March. Our figure was made at the nursery of Mess. Lee and Kennedy, Hammersmith, this year, in the month of April.[Pg 413]
TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Four Chives. One Pointal.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
Corolla 4-fida, seu 4-petala. Antheræ lineares, insertæ petalis infra apicem. Calyx proprius, nullus. Sem. folitaria.
Blossom 4-cleft, or of 4 petals. Tips linear, inserted into the petals below the points. Cup proper, none. Seeds solitary.
See Protea formosa, Vol. I. Plate XVII.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Protea foliis longis, lineari-lanceolatis; squamæ calycinæ interiores apice incurvatæ, barbatæ, nigræ.
Protea with long leaves, between linear and lance-shaped; the inner scales of the empalement are turned inward at the end, bearded, and black.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. A Blossom complete, as it stands in the Empalement.
2. The four Petals of the Flower thrown open, to shew the situation and character of the tips.
3. The Seed-bud, Shaft, and Summit.
It is to the curious and beautiful structure of the empalement, (the flowers being nearly concealed within it,) that this species of Protea owes its specific title, and for which it is so much admired. There are different varieties of it, which are considered by Thunberg, in his Diss. de Prot. of 1781, as distinct species; but which are certainly only varieties of one stock: we have drawings of two of these, the one flesh-coloured, the other white; and hope to be able to demonstrate as just, our postulatum, when the synonims are given, as proposed, at the close of this volume. This plant was first introduced to the Royal Gardens at Kew, from the Cape of Good Hope, in 1786, by Mr. F. Masson: it flowers at a very early age, and when the stem is not more than two feet high, mostly from the centre or leading branch of the plant. It is propagated by cuttings, which should be put in about the end of May, three or four, at most, in a pot, filled with good stiff loam, which should be pressed hard to the lower end of the cuttings, and the pot placed under a hand-glass in the shade. When the plants are to be removed into separate pots, it will be necessary to add a small portion of peat earth to the loam, and place them in an airy and dry part of the greenhouse. These directions are necessary to be observed, in the culture of nearly every species of this extended genus. Our figure was taken in the month of July 1799, from a plant in the Hibbertian collection, Clapham-common.[Pg 417]
OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Eight Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Perianthium monophyllum, persistens; tubo longo, tenui; limbo quadripartito, inæquali; lacinia summa retrofracta, minima; laciniis reliquis tribus erectis; intermedia majore.
Corolla nulla.
Stamina. Filamenta octo capillaria, erecta, longitudine ferme floris. Antheræ simplices.
Pistillum. Germen ovatum. Stylus filiformis, germinis lateri insertus. Stigma capitatum, hispidum.
Pericarpium nullum. Fructus in fundo calycis.
Semen unicum, ovatum.
Empalement. Cup one leaf, remaining; tube long, slender; border of four divisions, unequal; the upper segment appearing broke back, and small; the three other segments are upright; the middle one the largest.
Blossom none.
Chives. Eight hair-like threads, upright, almost the length of the flower. Tips simple.
Pointal. Seed-bud egg-shaped. Shaft thread-shaped, fixed into the side of the seed-bud. Summit a hairy knob.
Seed-vessel none. The fruit is in the bottom of the cup.
Seed one, egg-shaped.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Lachnæa capitulis solitariis, lanatis; foliis quadrifariam imbricatis.
Lachnæa with little bunches of flowers growing solitary and woolly; leaves are tiled on the stem, forming four regular angles.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The terminating Leaves of the branches, which inclose the small heads of flowers.
2. A Flower, magnified.
3. A Flower cut open, natural size, to shew the insertion of the Chives.
4. The Seed-bud and Pointal, magnified.
The figure of this curious new plant was taken from a specimen most obligingly communicated by the Hon. Wm. Hen. Irby, from his valuable and extensive collection at the Parsonage, Farnham Royal, near Windsor, Bucks. The genus Lachnæa has hitherto, with us, remained in obscurity; as the L. Conglomerata has not as yet flowered, and the L. Eriocephala was not in our collections till within these five years; about which time it was introduced by Mess. Lee and Kennedy, Hammersmith, from the Cape of Good Hope. It differs but little in habit from Passerina Grandiflora, and until it flowered this year, was considered as a variety of that plant. May be propagated with ease by cuttings, and continues to flower from March till August. A mixture of peat and loam is the soil it most approves; but it is very susceptible of damps.[Pg 421]
OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Eight Chives. One Pointal.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx superus. Corolla monopetala. Filamenta receptaculo inserta. Bacca quadri-locularis, polysperma.
Cup superior. Blossom of one petal. Threads fixed to the receptacle. A berry with four cells, and many seeds.
Sec Vol. I. Pl. XXX. Vaccinium Arctostaphyllus.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Vaccinium foliis ovatis, serratis, rigidis crassiusculis; floribus sub-umbellatis, terminalibus; calycibus adpressis; corollis campanulatis; stamina decem.
Whortle-berry with oval leaves sawed at the edges, stiff, and thickish; flowers grow nearly in umbels, at the end of the branches; cups pressed to the blossom; blossoms bell-shaped; ten chives.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. Cup and Seed-bud, natural size.
2. A Blossom cut open.
3. The Chives and Seed-bud, the leaflets of the cup cut off, magnified.
4. The Pointal, magnified.
This species of Whortle-berry was introduced from Carolina, about the year 1794, by Mr. J. Fraser, nurseryman. It is another of those with ten chives, five cells in the berry, and five segments in the borders of the cup and blossom. It is an evergreen, and will live through a mild winter, on a warm border; but cannot resist the cold of a severe one, though a small degree of protection is sufficient for its preservation. As a greenhouse plant, it is very decorative, flowering about June; in which month this year our drawing was made, at the Hammersmith nursery, from a plant in that collection. The pabulum best calculated to preserve it in a flourishing state, is a mixture composed of sandy peat two parts, and light loam one part. To propagate it, the younger branches should be laid down about the end of May, and they will be rooted by the ensuing spring.[Pg 425]
TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Four Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Perianthium minimum, quadridentatum, erectum, persistens.
Corolla monopetala, infundibuliformis; tubus cylindraceus, longus; limbus quadripartitus, patens, laciniis subrotundis.
Stamina. Filamenta quatuor, in collo corollæ, minima. Antheræ simplices.
Pistillum. Germen superum, subrotundum, compressum. Stylus simplex, staminibus brevior. Stigma bifidum, acutum.
Pericarpium. Capsula subrotunda, didyma, supra transverse dehiscens, bilocularis, bivalvis; valvulis dissepimento oppositis.
Semina pauca, parva, ovata, dissepimento adhærentia.
Empalement. Cup very small, with four teeth, upright, and remaining.
Blossom one petal, funnel-shaped; tube cylindrical, long; border of four divisions, spreading, segments roundish.
Chives. Four threads, fixed to the neck of the blossom, very small. Tips simple.
Pointal. Seed-bud above, roundish, and flattened. Shaft simple, shorter than the chives. Summit split in two and sharp.
Seed-vessel. Capsule roundish, double, splitting transversely from the upper part, two cells, two valves; the valves opposite to the partition.
Seeds a few, small, oval, adhering to the partition.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Houstonia foliis ovatis, glabris, subternis; caulis debilis, suffruticosus; floribus terminalibus, coccineis.
Houstonia with oval, smooth leaves, growing mostly by threes; stem weak, rather shrubby; flowers terminate the branches, and are scarlet.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The Empalement and Pointal, the Blossom taken off.
2. The Blossom cut open, to shew its interior structure.
3. The Seed-bud and Pointal, the leaflets of the cup being removed, magnified.
The Houstonia coccinea has been placed, by some late botanical authors, under the genus Hedyotis; but such authorities can have no weight with us, when opposed to an established name, a nearly general conformity in the essential generic characters; and though last, not the least in our estimation, the corroborating testimony of Sir J. Banks, Bart. P.R.S. &c. by whom it was sent to the Royal Gardens, Kew, in 1793. It is a native of Mexico, South America; and like the Hemimerises,[A] Fuchsias, Chelones, &c. of that country, is very subject to damp; but being partly herbaceous, the root is most frequently preserved, although the upper part has perished. Though it requires the protection of a greenhouse in winter, it may be made an ornamental plant for the flower borders in autumn, by putting single cuttings, in small pots filled with rich earth, into the heat of a hotbed, early in March, they will be fit to transplant into the open ground the latter end of June, and will flower about August, continuing to blossom till destroyed by the frost; or if taken up and put into large pots, will flower till Christmas. Our figure was taken from a beautiful plant, in the collection of R. H. James, Esq. Grosvenor-place, in 1799.
[A] These are the two species of an old genus, introduced into the Bot. Mag. of Curtis, under the titles of Celsia liniaris and C. urticifolia.[Pg 429]
HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Six Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Spatha communis, subrotunda, marcescens, multiflora.
Corolla. Petala sex, oblonga.
Stamina. Filamenta sex, subulata, longitudine sæpe corollæ. Antheræ oblongæ, erectæ.
Pistillum. Germen superum, breve, subtrigonum, angulis linea insculptis. Stylus simplex. Stigma acutum.
Pericarpium. Capsula brevissima, lata, triloba, trilocularis, trivalvis.
Semina pauca, subrotunda.
Empalement. Spath common, roundish, withering, inclosing many flowers.
Blossom. Petals six, oblong.
Chives. Six threads, awl-shaped, often the length of the blossom. Tips oblong, upright.
Pointal. Seed-bud above, short, nearly three-sided, the angles marked by a line. Shaft simple. Summit pointed.
Seed-vessel. Capsule very short, broad, of three lobes, three cells, and three valves.
Seeds a few, roundish.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Allium scapo nudo, tereti, longissimo; foliis canaliculatis, linearibus; umbella multiflora; corollis albidis; staminibus subulatis, ad basin cum petalis desinentibus in tubum.
Garlic with a naked flower-stem, cylindrical, and very long; leaves channelled, and linear; umbel many flowered; blossoms white; chives awl-shaped, terminating with the petals at the base in a tube.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The Blossom cut open.
2. One Petal of the Blossom and its Chive, magnified.
3. The Pointal and Seed-bud.
4. A Capsule with ripe Seeds.
From a plant in the collection of J. Vere, Esq. Kensington Gore, our drawing was made, this year, early in the month of May; and from an accurate scrutiny, are inclined to think it might be considered as a new genus; for certainly it does not well affine to the one here assigned it, in several instances; but as our professed principles are, as rarely as possible, to increase the number of genera, we have retained it under Allium. The flowers of this plant are fragrant in the extreme, at night; so much so, that one is sufficient to scent a large room; the flavour something like the Heliotrope. Being a native of Barbadoes, from whence it was sent by Mr. J. Ellcock in 1791, to Messrs. Lee and Kennedy, Hammersmith, it requires the heat of a hothouse, where, without the assistance of the bark bed, it will flower, and increase from the bulb abundantly.[Pg 433]
CLASS XVI. ORDER IV. Of Suppl. system. Veget. 1781.
MONODELPHIA DECANDRIA. Threads united. Ten Chives.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
Monogyna. Stigmata quinque.
Fructus rostratus, penta-coccus.
One Pointal. Five Summits.
Fruit furnished with long awns, five dry berries.
See Geranium Grandiflorum. Pl. XII. Vol. I.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Geranium foliis reniformibus, crenato-dentatis, tomentosis; floribus heptandris, subquaternis, purpureis; caule fruticoso, sub-carnoso.
Geranium with kidney-shaped leaves, between scolloped and toothed at the edges, and downy; flowers with seven fertile tips, grow mostly by fours, and are purple; stem shrubby, and almost fleshy.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The Empalement cut open, to shew its hollow structure.
2. The Chives and Pointal, natural size.
3. The Threads cut open, to shew their number, as well as the general number of fertile tips, magnified.
4. The Pointal and Seed-buds, magnified.
From the Hort. Cantab. published this year, by the accurate Mr. J. Donn, we learn that this fine species of Geranium was introduced to the Royal Gardens, Kew, about nine years since; yet, till within these two years, it has not been seen in any other collection. Our drawing was made in July 1799, from a plant in the Clapham collection. This Geranium must be treated rather as a dry-stove than as a common greenhouse plant, for it affines much to G. Fulgidum, and a few others, which are inhabitants of the sandy deserts of the more interior parts of Africa, and which require more heat than is proper for those from Table Mountain, or the vicinity of the Cape. It is propagated by cuttings made about the month of March, and placed under a small glass, either in a hotbed, or in the bark bed of the hothouse: it may be increased by the root likewise, and from seed which is sometimes perfected. A compost of cow dung, at least two years old, one part, sea sand one part, and light loam two parts, is the most proper for many of the tenderer sorts of this genus.[Pg 437]
SYNGENESIA, POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA. Tips united. Superfluous Pointals.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Communis hæmisphæricus, imbricatus; squamis arcte incumbentibus; interioribus per gradus majoribus, margine scariosis; intimis terminatis squama scariosa.
Corolla. Composita radiata. Corullulæ hermaphroditæ tubulosæ, numerosæ, in disco; femineæ duodenis plures, in radio.
Propria hermaphroditis infundibuliformis, quinquefida, patula, longitudine calycis.
Femineis ligulata, oblonga, tridentata.
Stamina. Hermaphroditis filamenta quinque, capillaria, brevissima. Anthera cylindracea, tubulosa, corolla fere brevior.
Pistillum. Hermaphroditis, germen ovatum. Stylus filiformis, staminibus longior. Stigmata duo, revoluta.
Femineis germen ovatum. Stylus filiformis, cum hermaphroditis æqualis. Stigmata duo, obtusa, revoluta.
Pericarpium nullum. Calyx immutatus.
Semina. Hermaphroditis solitaria, oblonga. Pappus nullus.
Femineis simillima hermaphroditis.
Receptaculum nudum, punctatum, convexum.
Empalement. Common, hemispherical, tiled; scales lying close upon each other; the inner ones becoming gradually larger, skinny at the edge; the innermost terminating in a skinny substance.
Blossom. Compound radiate. Florets with chives and pointals, of the centre, tubular and numerous; those with only pointals, of the ray, twelve or more.
Individuals with chives and pointals, funnel-shaped, five-cleft, open, the length of the cup.
Individuals with only pointals, ligulate, oblong, with three teeth.
Chives. Those with chives and pointals have five, hair-like, very short threads. Tips cylindrical and tubular, scarcely shorter than the blossom.
Pointal. Seed-bud, where there are chives and pointals egg-shaped. Shaft thread-shaped, longer than the chives. Summits two, rolled back.
Seed-bud where there are only pointals egg-shaped. Shaft thread-shaped the length of those where there are chives and pointals Summits two, blunt and rolled back.
Seed-vessel none. Cup unchanged.
Seeds of those with chives and pointals solitary, oblong. Feather none.
Those where there are only pointals like the others.
Receptacle naked, dotted, and convex.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Chrysanthemum erithmi foliis; squamis exterioribus calycis carinatis; floribus solitariis, tricoloratis.
Corn-Marygold with samphire-like leaves; the outer scales of the cup keel-shaped; the flowers grow solitary and are three-coloured.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. An outer Scale of the Empalement.
2. An inner Scale of the Empalement.
3. A female Floret of the Circumference, with its Pointal.
4. An hermaphrodite Floret of the Center.
5. The above, magnified.
6. The Chives of an hermaphrodite Floret, magnified.
7. The Pointal of an hermaphrodite Floret, magnified.
8. The Receptacle, natural size.
Mr. James Donn, Curator of the Botanic Gardens, Cambridge, through whose medium we possess this new species of Crysanthemum, informs us, in his catalogue for 1800, that it is a native of the coast of Barbary, and from whence it was first received in 1797. The C. Tricolor is but of annual growth, should be raised on gentle heat about March, and may be either kept in pots, or planted in the open borders, where it will flower from July till October; but much of the brilliancy of the flowers will be lost, if treated in the last manner, as the least wet, or even the dew, will affect their colours. The seeds are perfected in less than a week, after the decay of the flower, and are produced in abundance. Our figure was taken from a plant in the Hammersmith nursery, which had been raised from seed, communicated by Mr. Donn to Messrs. Lee and Kennedy.[Pg 441]