Amongst the plants, of this natural order, from the Cape of Good Hope, we find such an intermixture of character, in the different parts of fructification; that, if some latitude is not taken in referring them to some of the old genera, almost every fresh subject, we discover, would require a new one. This plant, although we have placed it to Hyacinthus, with those that have gone before us, has juster claims to Drimia, Polyanthes or Scilla; for it is wanting in the essential characters of Hyacinthus, being unfurnished with the honied pores, and having the chives inserted into the tube of the blossom, three of which are, alternately, double the length of the others. To Drimia, a new genus of Professor Jacquin, and a mutilation of Hyacinthus, it is most allied; but, we have not thought fit to alter its known station, as, without doubt, the multiplication of genera, or altering the place of known plants, adds but to the difficulties of a most intricate, though pleasing study. It is a hardy green-house bulb; delights in a mixture of peat earth and sandy loam; increases by offsets, and flowers in October or November. Our figure was made from a plant in the Nursery of Mr. Williams of Turnham Green, who first imported it in 1800. It is said, by Koenig, to grow in pasture lands near the Cape town, and was first noticed there by him.[Pg 115]
CASUARINA STRICTA.
Upright Casuarina.
CLASS XXI. ORDER I.
MONOECIA MONANDRIA. Chives and Pointal separate. One Chive.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
* Masculi flores.
Calyx. Amentum filiforme, imbricatum, squamis minutis, unifloris.
Corolla. Squamulæ bipartitæ, ovatæ, minutæ.
Stamina. Filamentum unicum, capillare, squama amenti longius. Anthera didyma.
* Feminei flores in eadem arbore.
Calyx. Amentum ovato-cylindricum; squamis ovatis, acutis, carinatis, ciliatis.
Corolla nulla.
Pistillum. Germen minutum. Stylus filiformis, longus, exsertus, bifidus. Stigmata duo.
Pericarpium. Strobilus squamis bivalvibus, perpendiculariter dehiscentibus.
Semina solitaria, conica, margine membranacea.
* Male flowers.
Empalement. Catkin thread-shape, tiled with small one-flowered scales.
Blossom. Scales two-parted, ovate, minute.
Chives. Thread one, hair-like, longer than the scale of the catkin. Tip double.
* Female flowers on the same plant.
Empalement. Catkin ovate-cylindric, with egg-shaped, acute, keeled, tiled scales.
Blossom none.
Pointal. Seed-bud minute. Shaft thread-shaped, long, without, two-cleft. Summits two.
Seed vessel. Cone with two-valved scales, splitting perpendicularly.
Seeds solitary, conical, with a skinny edge.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Casuarina dioica ramulellis erectis; strobilorum squamis inermibus; vaginis masculis multi-fidis, glabris.
Casuarina with chives and pointals distinct, and upright branchlets; scales of the cones naked, male sheaths many-parted, smooth.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
The Casuarina stricta is a native of New South Wales, and was introduced, by Messrs. Kennedy and Lee, in the year 1775. It is a hardy green-house plant, grows to the height of ten or twelve feet before it flowers, which is in November. It is perfectly dioicous; the male and female blossoms, never coming on the same plant, and either have little to recommend them for beauty; their singularity is what should sooner attract our notice. The two figures, on the plate, which are the male and female, were taken from two plants, in flower, at the same time, in the collection of the Dowager Lady de Clifford, Paddington. All the species, hitherto discovered, since the first, upon which the genus was formed, the C. equisetifolia has, like this, the male and female parts of fructification on different plants; that only, being monoicous, or with the male and female parts on the same plant.[Pg 117]
SOPHORA CAPENSIS.
Vetch-leaved Sophora.
CLASS X. ORDER I.
DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Ten Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Perianthium monophyllum, breve, campanulatum, basi superne gibbum; ore quinque-dentato, obliquo, obtuso.
Corolla papillionacea, pentapetala.
Vexillum oblongum, sensim latius, rectum, lateribus reflexis.
Alæ duæ, oblongæ, basi appendiculatæ, longitudine vexilli.
Carina dipetala; petalis alis conformibus, marginibus inferioribus approximatis, navicularibus.
Stamina. Filamenta decem, distincta, parallela, subulata, longitudine corollæ, intra carina recondita. Antheræ minimæ, assurgentes.
Pistillum. Germen oblongum, teres. Stylus magnitudine et situ staminum. Stigma obtusum.
Pericarpium. Legumen longissimum, tenue, uniloculare, ad semina nodosum.
Semina plurima, subrotunda.
Empalement. Cup one-leaf, short, bell-shaped, hunched at the base on the upper side; mouth five-toothed, oblique, obtuse.
Blossom butterfly-shaped, five petalled.
Standard oblong, gradually wider, straight, reflexed at the sides.
Wings two, oblong, appendicled at the base, the length of the standard.
Keel two petalled with the petals conformable to the wings, the lower margins approaching and boat-shaped.
Chives. Ten threads, distinct, parallel, and shaped, the length of, the blossom, within the keel. Tips very small, turned upwards.
Pointal. Seed-bud oblong, cylindrical. Shaft the size and situation of the chives. Summit blunt.
Seed-vessel. Pod very long, slender, one-celled, knobbed at the seeds.
Seeds many, roundish.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Sophora foliis pinnatis; foliolis lanceolatis, mucronatis, subtus tomentosis; caule fruticoso.
Sophora with winged leaves; leaflets lance-shaped, pointed, downy beneath; stem shrubby.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
This is a plant of considerable size at the Cape of Good Hope, so much so, as to be looked upon there rather as a tree, than shrub. It was first sent to England, in the year 1773, by Mr. F. Masson; is a hardy green-house plant; thrives in a mixture of loam and peat, and flowers in August, or September. There is no method, yet discovered, to propagate it in this country; but, as seeds are so common of this plant, near Cape town, there is scarce a parcel arrives, from thence, which does not contain some of them.
Among the new modern vagaries in botany, this genus has been thought, by the French botanists, (those admirable perplexers of natural order,) to be better divided in two, as some of the species happen to have the joints of the pods a little more swelled than others. How so trifling a variation, and that in a part of the plant which is known to vary, in almost every genus, through most of the species, where they are numerous; should have been deemed of sufficient moment to alter the names of so many established plants, and those determined by such authority as Linnæus, we are at a loss to determine; and are equally astonished that Willdenow should have followed them. The new genus is termed Podalyria, and to which, this plant is attached in the new system.[Pg 119]
SCHOTIA SPECIOSA.
Lentiscus leaved Schotia.
CLASS X. ORDER I.
DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Ten Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Perianthium monophyllum, coloratum; tubus turbinatus, subcompressus, carnosus; persistens; limbus semiquinquefidus; laciniis ovatis, concavis, obtusis, erectis, æqualibus.
Corolla. Petala quinque, tubo calycis imposita, oblonga, concava, obtusa, erecta, æqualia, lateribus mutuò incumbentia, sessilia, laciniis calycinis duplo longiora.
Stamina. Filamenta decem, subulata, erecta, petalis paulo longiora, tubo calycis in orbem inserta. Antheræ oblongæ, incumbentes.
Pistillum. Germen oblongum, compressum, pedicellatum. Stylus filiformis, longitudine staminum. Stigma simplex, obtusum.
Pericarpium. Legumen pedicellatum.
Semina bina, ossea, subovata, magna.
Empalement. Cup one leaf, coloured; tube top-shaped, rather flattened, fleshy; permanent; border half five-cleft; segments egg-shaped, concave, blunt, upright, equal.
Blossom. Five petals, placed on the tube of the cup, oblong, concave, blunt, upright, equal, lying over each other at the sides, sitting, twice as long as the segments of the cup.
Chives. Ten threads, awl-shaped, upright, a little longer than the petals, inserted in a ring into the tube of the cup. Tips oblong, laying on the threads.
Pointal. Seed-bud oblong; flattened, with a foot-stalk. Shaft thread-shaped, the length of the chives. Summit simple, blunt.
Seed-vessel. A pod with a foot-stalk.
Seeds two, bony, a little egg-shaped, large.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Schotia foliis pinnatis; foliolis ovatis, mucronatis; floribus cymosis, profundé carneis.
Schotia with winged leaves; leaflets egg-shaped, terminating in a point; flowers in tufts and of a deep flesh colour.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
Our present subject stood formerly attached to the genus Guaiacum, under the title of G. affrum, and has been long cultivated in Britain and Holland, perhaps more than a century. Professor Jacquin, in his Collectanea ad Bot. &c. Vol. I. p. 93, thought fit to constitute it a new genus, naming it after his companion R. van der Schot. About the same time, the year 1786, a monograph on this plant was published at Manheim, by Fred. Casim. Medikus, under the name of Theodora Speciosa; but Jacquin’s title has universally obtained. To preserve this plant in good health, it should be kept in the coolest part of the hot-house, or in a dry stove, the warmth of a common green-house being insufficient to preserve its foliage through the winter months. It is a native of all that extent of the African coast from Senegal river, to the Cape of Good Hope, where it grows to the height of twenty feet and upwards. The seeds, which are frequently imported, keep many years in a vegetative state, and is, almost, the only method by which it can be propagated; for little success can be hoped, either from layers, or cuttings. It flowers from October till December, delighting in a light sandy loam. Perhaps, no plant which has been as long in cultivation with us, has so seldom been seen to flower; for, although the plants in the Kew gardens and elsewhere, are of a considerable size, yet have we few instances of its flowering, no mention being made of its time of inflorescence in the catalogue of that collection.
From a plant, still in flower, this present December 1803, which was literally covered with blossoms above two feet from its top, our drawing was taken; it is in the valuable and extensive collection of Isaac Swainson, Esq. Twickenham; which for scientific arrangement and richness in hardy shrubs and herbaceous plants, in particular, yields to no private or public collection we know of; and which, the extreme urbanity of the liberal proprietor, is at all times open, to every botanist or collector.[Pg 121]
PROTEA DECUMBENS.
Slender-stemed Protea.
CLASS IV. ORDER I.
TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Four Chives. One Pointal.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
Corolla 4-fida seu 4-petala. Antheræ lineares, insertæ petalis infra apicem.
Calyx proprius nullus. Semina solitaria.
Blossom 4-cleft or 4-petalled. Tips linear, inserted into the petals below the point.
Cup, proper, none. Seeds solitary.
See Protea formosa, Pl. XVII. Vol. I.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Protea foliis bi-pinnatis, filiformibus; capitulis terminalibus, sessilibus; floribus incarnatis, bracteolatis; caule tenue, decumbente.
Protea with doubly winged leaves, thread-shaped; small heads of flowers sitting close on the ends of the branches; flowers flesh-coloured with small floral leaves; stem slender and bending downwards.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
From the great number of new species of the divided leaved Proteas, we are led to conjecture, that they are as numerous as those with entire leaves. The P. decumbens, from the different specimens we have seen, appears to branch into many varieties; some with hairy leaves and stems, some with very close thick set leaves, and some, with both stems and leaves, quite smooth. They are all, nevertheless, very slender stemed; and, there is little doubt but, in their natural state, they rest on the ground; although in the fashion we train them here, they have the appearance of being erect. This species is found at a considerable distance from the Cape Town, on the summits of dry sandy hills; wherefore, it must be kept in the most airy part of the green-house, and watered but seldom. The stem does not grow more than eighteen inches long, and frequently flowers, as was the case in the present instance, when not more than twelve. It is propagated, readily, from cuttings made in the month of May, if treated in the method already directed for the increase of these plants. The earth in which it should be planted is, a light sandy bright loam. Our drawing was taken in the month of July, 1802, from a plant in the Hibbertian Collection, to which it was introduced by Mr. Niven, in the year 1800.[Pg 123]
LACHENALIA PUSTULATA.
Rough-leaved Lachenalia.
CLASS VI. ORDER I.
HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Six Chives. One Pointal.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
Corolla sexpetala, infera; petalis tribus infera; petalis tribus interioribus longioribus. Stamina erecta. Capsula sub-ovata, trialata. Semina globosa.
Blossom 6-petals, beneath; the three inner petals the longest. Chives erect. Capsule nearly egg-shaped, three-winged. Seeds globular.
See Lachenalia pendula, Pl. XLI. Vol. I.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Lachenalia foliis geminis, lanceolato-linearibus, dense facie pustulatis; scapo reclinato; floribus sub-campanulatis, albo-virentibus.
Lachenalia with leaves in pairs, linearly-lance-shaped, thickly covered with pustules on the face; stem bent downwards; flowers rather bell-shaped, of a whitish green.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
The drawing, from which our figure of this species of Lachenalia was taken, was made from a plant communicated by Isaac Swainson, Esq. from his Botanic Gardens, Twickenham, Middlesex; where it is still in flower, this present month of January, 1804; and where we believe it is only to be met with at present in this kingdom. It is one of the largest growing plants of the genus, the leaves when in a soil it approves attaining the length of eighteen inches, or more. It is as hardy as any of the tribe, very fragrant, easily preserved, increasing freely by the root, and flowering with certainty when the bulb has become of a sufficient size. It grows best in a mixture of light loam and peat, about two-thirds loam, and one of peat.[Pg 125]
PULTENÆA RUBIÆFOLIA.
Madder-leaved Pultenæa.
CLASS X. ORDER I.
DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Ten Chives. One Pointal.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx quinque-dentatus, utrinque appendiculatus. Corolla papillionacea, alis vexillo brevioribus. Legumen uniloculare, dispermum.
Cup five-toothed, with an appendage on each side. Blossom butterfly-shaped, with the wings shorter than the standard. Pod of one cell with two seeds.
See Pultenæa daphnoides, Pl. XCVIII. Vol. II.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Pultenæa foliis ternis, verticillatis, lanceolatis, serratis, rigidis; floribus capitatis, cæruleo-purpureis.
Pultenæa with leaves growing by threes in whorls, lance-shaped, sawed and harsh; flowers grow in heads, and of a bluish purple.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
Here we find another hiatus to fill up, or pass over; either a new genus is to be formed for this plant, or we must not boggle at trifles, and skip over one of the essential characters of Dr. Smith’s Pultenæas, the appendicles or props at the side of the cup, which are wanting in this plant, though agreeing in every other. We have, however, until the Doctor shall think fit to regulate these new, numerous and intricate genera and species from New Holland, made no scruple to add this plant, as another species, to the genus Pultenæa. It is a low growing bushy shrub, seldom attaining more than a foot in height; is very apt to be destroyed by damp in winter, and is not to be propagated but by seeds, which, however, it perfects in this country. The blossoms begin to appear in May, and continue in succession through the summer months of June, July, and August. It should be kept warm and dry in winter, growing with most luxuriance in light sandy peat earth, and flowering the second year from the seed. This plant was first raised in 1792, by Messrs. Lee and Kennedy, at their nursery, Hammersmith, where our drawing was taken.[Pg 127]
HELONIAS BULLATA.
Spear-leaved Helonias.
CLASS VI. ORDER III.
HEXANDRIA TRIGYNIA. Six Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx nullus.
Corolla. Petala sex, oblonga, æqualia, decidua.
Stamina. Filamenta sex, subulata, corolla paulo longiora. Antheræ incumbentes.
Pistillum. Germen subrotundum, trigonum. Styli tres, breves, reflexi. Stigmata obtusa.
Pericarpium. Capsula subrotunda, trilocularis.
Semina numerosa, angulata, minima.
Empalement, none.
Blossom. Six petals, oblong, equal, deciduous.
Chives. Six threads, awl-shaped, a little longer than the blossom. Tips lying on the threads.
Pointal. Seed-bud roundish, three-sided. Shafts three, short and reflexed. Summits obtuse.
Seed-vessel. Capsule roundish, three-celled.
Seeds numerous, angulated, very small.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Helonias foliis lanceolatis, nervosis; bracteis cordato-lanceolatis.
Helonias with lance-shaped, nerved leaves; floral leaves between lance and heart-shaped.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
All the species of this genus, yet discovered, are natives of North America, and are considered as hardy herbaceous plants; the winters of this country not being too severe for them; although they are found as far south as Carolina, yet they are more plentiful in Pennsylvania, about Philadelphia. They flourish most in a shady, moist situation; and increase, freely, by parting the roots in the month of March. The flowers are produced in May, the flower-stem increasing in length, till the flowers are entirely decayed. The Helonias bullata has been an inhabitant of our gardens ever since the year 1758, when it was introduced by Mr. Ph. Miller, and cultivated by him at Chelsea. See Mill. ic. 181. t. 272.
Our drawing was made at the Nursery, Hammersmith, in June 1801.[Pg 129]
ASPALATHUS CRASSIFOLIUS.
Thick-leaved Aspalathus.
CLASS XVII. ORDER IV.
DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA. Threads in two sets. Ten Chives.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Perianthium monophyllum, semiquinquefidum; laciniis acuminatis, æqualibus, superiore longiore.
Corolla papillionacea.
Vexillum compressum, adscendens, obovatum, externe sæpius hirsutum, obtusum cum acumine.
Alæ lunulatæ, obtusæ, patulæ, vexillo breviores.
Carina bifida, alis conformis.
Stamina. Filamenta decem, connata in vaginam, superne dehiscentem longitudinaliter, adscendentia. Antheræ oblongæ.
Pistillum. Germen ovatum. Stylus simplex, adscendens. Stigma acutum.
Pericarpium. Legumen ovatum, muticum.
Semina sæpius duo, reniformia.
Obs. Singulare huic sunt folia ex eadem gemma plura in planta frutescente.
Empalement. Cup one leaf, half-five-cleft; segments tapered, equal, the upper one longer.
Blossom butterfly-shape.
Standard compressed, ascending, inversely egg-shaped, often hairy on the outside, obtuse with a point.
Wings half-moon-shaped, obtuse, spreading, shorter than the standard.
Keel two-cleft, like the wing.
Chives. Ten threads, united into a sheath, gaping longitudinally at top, ascending. Tips oblong.
Pointal. Seed-bud egg-shaped. Shaft simple, ascending. Summit pointed.
Seed vessel. Pod egg-shaped, beardless.
Seeds frequently two, kidney-shaped.
Obs. This genus is singular in having several leaves from the same bud, on a shrubby plant.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Aspalathus foliis fasciculatis, carnosis, teretibus, glabris, apicibus setaceis; floribus capitatis, terminalibus; calycibus bracteatis.
Aspalathus with leaves bundled, fleshy, cylindrical, smooth and bristled at the point; flowers grow in heads at the end of the branches; cups with floral leaves.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
From the number of specimens in the herbarium of G. Hibbert, Esq. which we should refer to this genus; it stands fair to rival, in number of species, every other, natives of the Cape of Good Hope; with the exception of Erica, Geranium, and Protea. This species has many varieties, and we are in doubt whether this is not one from the A. carnosa, or A. pinguis of Thunberg; for although, the cup, in the one, may differ, in having the segments described as pointed; and in the other, the leaves may be rather three-sided; yet, may our plant be no more than a slight variation from either of them: but this we cannot decide without living plants of each, for dried specimens would not determine the fact.
This plant was introduced to the Hibbertian Collection, in 1800, by Mr. Niven, from the Cape. It is a tender green-house plant, grows to the height of eighteen inches, very bushy, and covers itself with flowers about July; in which month, 1803, our drawing was taken. It has hitherto put the ability of Mr. Allen, which is not often the case, to a stand for a method to propagate it; but we have hopes, as most of the species do, that it will ripen its seeds in this country.[Pg 131]
GERANIUM REVOLUTUM.
Reflex floral-leaved Geranium.
CLASS XVI. ORDER IV.
MONADELPHIA DECANDRIA. Threads united. Ten Chives.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
Monogyna. Stigmata quinque. Fructus rostratus; pentacoccus.
One Pointal. Five Summits. Fruit furnished with long awns; five dry berries.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Geranium foliis cordatis, obtusis, nervosis, sæpe auriculatis; pedunculis multifloris; involucris polyphyllis, foliolis revolutis; floribus pentandris; radice tuberosa.
Geranium with heart-shaped leaves, obtuse, nerved and often eared; flower-stems many-flowered; fence many-leaved, leaflets rolled back; flowers with five fertile chives; root tuberous.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
This very fine Geranium is, as yet, only in the Clapham Collection; it has no properties, which regard its culture or propagation, differing from the rest of its congeners; was sent from the Cape, by Mr. Niven, in 1800. Flowers in July. The leaves of this species have most affinity, in appearance, to those of G. melananthum, particularly in being like them frequently eared, and even sometimes winged. We have named it, specifically, from the singular revolute character of the involucrum, at the base of each bunch of flowers.[Pg 133]
LEEA PINNATA.
Winged-leaved Leea.
CLASS V. ORDER I.
PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Five Chives. One Pointal.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Perianthium monophyllum, campanulatum, coriaceum, quinquedentatum, persistens.
Corolla monopetala; tubus longitudine calycis; limbus quinquefidus, æqualis; laciniis saccatis.
Nectarium basi interioris corollæ adnatum, corolla dimidio brevius, erectum, urceolatum, quinquefidum; lobis emarginatis.
Stamina. Filamenta quinque, inserta basi exteriori nectarii. Antheræ ovatæ, versatiles.
Pistillum. Germen subglobosum. Stylus simplex, nectario brevior. Stigma obtusum.
Pericarpium. Bacca orbiculata, depressa, quinquelocularis.
Semina quinque, solitaria.
Empalement. Cup one leaf, bell-shaped, leathery, five-toothed, remaining.
Blossom one petal; tube the length of the cup; border five-cleft, equal; segments bagged.
Honey-cup fixed to the base of the inside of the blossom, by the half shorter than the blossom, erect, pitcher-shaped, five-cleft; lobes notched at the end.
Chives. Five threads inserted into the outside of the base of the honey-cup. Tips egg-shaped, versatile.
Pointal. Seed-bud almost globular. Shaft simple, shorter than the honey-cup. Summit blunt.
Seed-vessel. Berry orbicular, flattened, five-celled.
Seeds five, solitary.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Leea foliis impari-pinnatis, oppositis; caule tereti, glabro; racemis angulatis, angulis undulatis.
Leea with winged leaves terminated by an odd one and opposite; stem round and smooth; branches angled; angles waved.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
Leea and Aquilicia have, of late, been considered as not possessing sufficient essentially differing characters to constitute two genera, and Aquilicia has been lost in Leea. Our present subject is a species of the former Aquilicias, is mentioned by Gaertner, who says, it approaches A. sambucina, now Leea sambucina; to which indeed it has much resemblance, but differs in having opposite, not alternate branches, being scentless, having the leaves rather rough and the stem smooth. It is a native of the East Indies, requiring the tan-bed to make it flower; is half shrubby, and is increased by cuttings. Flowers in August. Our figure is from a specimen communicated to us by Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq. who raised it from seeds received from Dr. Roxburg, in 1801, under the name of Leea crispa: which is a native of Africa, and has been long in most of our collections of hot house plants, but is in the highest state of cultivation, under the care of Mr. Hoy, in that of his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, Sion House, near Brentford.[Pg 135]
ARUM ORIXENSIS.
Orixian Cuckow-pint.
CLASS XX. ORDER XI.
GYNANDRIA POLYANDRIA. Chives on the Pointal. Many Chives.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx. Spatha monophylla, maxima, oblonga, basi convoluta, apice connivens, ventre compressa, interne colorata.
Spadix clavatus, simplicissimus, spatha paulo brevior, coloratus, inferne germinibus obvallatus, marcescens supra germina.
Corolla nulla.
Stamina. Filamenta nulla, nisi nectaria basi crassa, desinentia in cirros filiformes, duorum ordinum e medio spadice egredientes. Antheræ plurimæ, sessiles, tetragonæ, cirrhorum duplici ordine interjectæ, spadici adnatæ.
Pistilla. Germina plurima, basin spadicis vestientia, infra stamina collocata, obovata. Styli nulli. Stigmata villis barbata.
Pericarpia. Baccæ totidem, globosæ, uniloculares.
Semina plura, subrotunda.
Empalement. Sheath one leaf, very large, oblong, convolute at the base, converging at the top, the belly compressed, coloured within.
Sheathed-Fruit-stalk club shaped quite simple, a little shorter than the sheath, coloured, set round with seed-buds on the lower part, withering above the seed-buds.
Blossom none.
Chives. Threads none except the honey-cups, which are thick at the base and terminated in thread-shaped tendrils, issuing in two rows from the middle of the sheathed fruit-stalk. Tips many, sitting, four sided, fixed to the fruit-stalk, and disposed between the two rows of tendrils.
Pointals. Seed-buds many, cloathing the base of the fruit-stalk, set below the chives, inversely egg-shaped. Shafts none. Summits bearded with soft hairs.
Seed-vessels. As many berries, globular, and one-celled.
Seeds. Many, roundish.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Arum, acule; foliis ternatis, venosis, discoloribus; spatha declinata; flore atro-purpureo.
Cuckow-pint, stemless; leaves threefold, full of veins, two-coloured; sheath bent downward; flower of a deep purple.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
This pretty plant is a native of the East Indies, in that country from which it derives its specific title. It has much affinity with many others of the Genus, which at first sight appear rather as varieties, than meriting to be treated as species; but, in this instance, we submit our judgment to that of Dr. Roxburg, by whom it has been introduced to us under the name it here bears, in the year 1802. Our figure was taken, in the month of October 1803, from a plant in the collection of J. Vere, Esq. Kensington Gore. The flower is scentless.[Pg 137]
ARCTOTIS PARADOXA.
Chamomile-leaved Arctotis.
CLASS XIX. ORDER IV.
SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA NECESSARIA. Tips united. Necessary Pointals.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx communis subrotundus, imbricatus; squamis inferioribus laxioribus, subulatis; mediis ovatis; intimis oblongis; apice scarioso, rotundato, concavo.
Corolla composita radiata; corollulæ hermaphroditæ plurimæ in disco. Femininæ ligulatæ, fere viginti, disci diametro longiores.
Propria hermaphroditis infundibuliformis; limbo quinquefido, apicibus reflexis, æqualibus.
Femineis ligulata, lanceolata, tenuissime tridentata, tubo brevissimo.
Stamina hermaphroditis; filamenta quinque, capillaria, brevissima. Anthera cylindracea, quinquedentata, longitudine corollulæ.
Pistillum Hermaphroditis; germen vix manifestum. Stylus cylindraceus, corolla paulo longior. Stigma simplex.
Femineis germen ovato-tetragonum, villosum, coronatum calyculo proprio. Stylus filiformis. Stigmata duo, ovata-oblonga, crassiuscula, erecta.
Pericarpium nullum. Calyx immutatus. Semina Hermaphroditis nulla.
Femineis solitaria, subrotunda, villosa. Pappus perianthium proprium pentaphyllum; foliolis ovatis, patentibus, coronatus perianthii proprii foliolis ovatis in orbem positis.
Receptaculum pilosum seu paleaceum, planiusculum.
Empalement common roundish, tiled; lower scales more loose, awl shaped; middle ones egg-shaped; innermost oblong; harsh, rounded, concave at the point.
Blossom compound raied; hermaphrodite florets numerous in the center. Of the Females tongue-shaped, nearly twenty, longer than the diameter of the center.
Proper of the hermaphrodites funnel-shaped; border five-cleft, ends reflexed, equal.
Of the Females tongue-shaped, lance-shaped, slightly three-toothed; tube very short.
Chives of the Hermaphrodites; five threads hair-like, very short. Tip cylindric five-toothed, the length of the floret.
Pointal of the Hermaphrodites; seed-bud scarce visible. Shaft cylindric, a little longer than the blossom. Summit simple.
Of the Females seed-bud egg-shaped four-cornered, hairy, crowned by its proper cup. Shaft thread-shaped. Summits two, oblong-egg-shaped, thickish, upright.
Seed-vessel none. Empalement unchanged. Seeds in the Hermaphrodites none.
In the Females solitary roundish, hairy. Feather, proper cup five leaved; leaflets, egg-shaped, spreading, crowned by the proper cup with the leaflets placed in a round.
Receptacle hairy or chaffy, flattish.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Arctotis flosculis radiantibus sterilibus; paleis disco longioribus coloratis; foliis bipinnatis, linearibus.
Arctotis with the florets of the circumference sterile; chaffs coloured and longer than the florets of the center; leaves doubly winged; linear.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.