Part 3

OENOTHERA _rosea_. _L'Herit. Stirp. Nov. tom. 2. t. 6._

Of the several different species of this genus growing in our garden at this present writing (eleven in number) two only are of a red or purple colour, the one here figured, and another with a larger flower, which we purpose soon to publish under the name of _purpurea_.

The present species, Mr. AITON informs us, was introduced in 1783 by Mons. THOUIN, from Peru.

It has been considered as a greenhouse plant, and a perennial; we find it to be more hardy than greenhouse plants in general, and scarcely entitled to the distinction of a perennial.

It may be increased by cuttings and seeds, the latter of which are plentifully produced. It rarely exceeds a foot in height; its rose-coloured flowers expand during the whole of the day, and are produced during most of the Summer months.

To guard against accidental severity of weather, sow its seeds in the Spring with tender annuals; when the plants have acquired a proper age and the season is favourable, plant them out singly in the open border.

[348]

CALCEOLARIA FOTHERGILLII. FOTHERGILL'S SLIPPER-WORT.

_Class and Order._

DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Corolla_ ringens inflata. _Capsula_ 2-locularis, 2 valvis. _Calyx_ 4-partitus æqualis.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

CALCEOLARIA _Fothergillii_ foliis spathulatis integerrimis, pedunculis scapiformibus unifloris. _Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 30. tab. 1. Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 13. Gmel. p. 39._

To this species of Calceolaria the trivial name of _Fothergillii_ has been given in honour of Dr. JOHN FOTHERGILL, who introduced it in 1777 with several other rare plants from Falkland-Islands, where it is a native.

In the _Hortus Kewensis_ of Mr. AITON it was first figured, and minutely described.

This plant of great singularity and beauty particularly merits a place in the collections of the curious; its principal flowering season is in May, but it will often blossom much later in the Summer.

It is not to be had in perfection, nor even preserved, without great attention, joined to a peculiar treatment; several times it has been nearly lost from this country. Mr. AITON makes it a biennial greenhouse plant; it, no doubt, is one of those plants which are liable to be killed in very severe weather, and therefore it is necessary to keep a pot of it at least, during the Winter, either in the greenhouse or a well-secured frame; but the plant will be found to succeed best in the open ground, provided it be planted in bog-earth, in a situation that is moist and moderately shady; with us it has proved perfectly perennial.

With care it can be propagated by layers and cuttings, but with most certainty in the former mode; possibly it may be raised from seeds, they ripen here, but are as fine as dust.

[349]

SOLANUM LACINIATUM. CUT-LEAV'D NIGHTSHADE.

_Class and Order._

PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Corolla_ rotata. _Antheræ_ subcoalitæ, apice poro gemino dehiscentes. _Bacca_ 2-locularis.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

SOLANUM _laciniatum_ caule fruticoso inermi glaberrimo, foliis pinnatifidis: laciniis lanceolatis acutis, paniculis axillaribus binis ternisve. _Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 1. p. 247._

Mr. AITON in his _Hort. Kew._ mentions this plant as being a native of New-Zealand, on the authority of Sir JOSEPH BANKS, and that it was introduced in 1772; he regards it as a stove plant; it has been since found to be more hardy than he imagined, and not to require more heat than the greenhouse affords; in the Summer it will stand abroad, and even ripen its fruit in the open air.

It is a plant of some beauty, but is more remarkable for having its antheræ separating widely from each other, and thereby losing the character of a _Solanum_, so far as it depends on that circumstance. The berries when ripe are of the size of a small plum, and of a yellowish green hue; their pulp is sweet, in some small degree resembling that of a fig, whether it be so innocent we do not take on us to assert.

It flowers during most of the Summer, and is easily increased by cuttings or seeds.

[350]

ERICA VENTRICOSA. PORCELAIN HEATH.

_Class and Order._

OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Calyx_ 4-phyllus. _Corolla_ 4-fida. _Filamenta_ receptaculo inserta. _Antheræ_ bifidæ. _Caps._ 4-locularis.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

ERICA _ventricosa_ mutica, foliis quaternis trigonis ciliatis, floribus ventricosis glabris. _Thunb. Prod. Cap. p. 71._

Of the many new Heaths which have been introduced within these few years, none have excited greater admiration than the present one; its blossoms, though they cannot boast the grandeur or richness of colour so strikingly displayed in the _cerinthoides_, and some others, please more on a near inspection, they have indeed a delicacy and beauty which are indescribable; we have given to it the English name of Porcelain Heath, as the flowers have somewhat the appearance of porcelain, or enamel.

This species has been introduced from the Cape, since the publication of the _Hortus Kewensis_; we saw it in blossom many years since, in the Royal Garden at Kew; several varieties of it have been raised from Cape seeds by Mr. LODDIGES, Nurseryman, at Hackney, differing in the hairiness of their leaves, size and colour of their blossoms; but the best variety we have seen is the one here represented.

In point of form the blossoms resemble those of the _ampullacea_, but they are not so large, and have no viscidity; the stigma is enclosed within the mouth of the flower, and the peduncles are usually naked; in some very luxuriant specimens we have observed a scale or two on them.

It is with Heaths, in some respects, as it is with fruit trees: one season they will produce blossoms most abundantly, they seem indeed to overblow themselves, the next few appear; in different years the blossoms of the same heath will vary also considerably in size. The _ventricosa_ is a free blower, and will in general produce flowers in abundance, for two or three months, from June to September.

Those who possess the knack of striking heaths, raise it by cuttings without much difficulty.

[351]

SAXIFRAGA MUTATA. SAFFRON-COLOUR'D SAXIFRAGE.

_Class and Order._

DECANDRIA DIGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Calyx_ 5-partitus. _Corolla_ 5-petala. _Caps._ 2-rostris 1-locularis polysperma.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

SAXIFRAGA _mutata_ foliis radicalibus aggregatis lingulatis cartilagineo-serratis, caule racemoso folioso, calyce villoso et viscido. _Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 411. Jacq. Ic. Pl. rar. Fasc. 9._

LINNÆUS has arranged several distinct species of Saxifrage under the _Saxyfraga Cotyledon_, but very properly separates this; though in the general form of its foliage it is as nearly related to it as most of the others; from four of them it is indeed perfectly distinct, instead of the sawed cartilaginous edge, it has only fine soft hairs, more especially towards the base; towards the extremity there is some appearance of little teeth, but widely differing from those of the others. The whole plant is covered with viscid hairs; the stalk about a foot high, is much branched; but the great peculiarity of this plant consists in its flowers, the petals being long, narrow, and pointed, and of a saffron colour, of a deeper tint when they first open, and gradually changing to a pale yellow; the beauty of the flowers is heightened by a glandular substance in the centre of each, which when the flower expands is of a bright purple colour.

This rare species of Saxifrage is a native of the Alps of Switzerland and Italy; we raised it with difficulty from seeds sent us by Mr. DAVAL, of Orbe, in Switzerland; it was three years before the plants flowered; those now in bloom in my garden, June 15, bid fair to produce seeds in abundance; the plant may also be produced from offsets, in the same way as the _Saxifraga Cotyledon_, vulgarly called _Pyramidal Sedum_, and requires a similar treatment; though an Alpine plant, it must be sheltered from much wet and severe frosts.

Baron HALLER describes it with spots on the petals; those certainly did not exist on our plants.

[352]

OENOTHERA PURPUREA. PURPLE OENOTHERA.

_Class and Order._

OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Cal._ 4-fidus. _Petala_ 4. _Caps._ cylindrica infera. _Sem._ nuda.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

OENOTHERA _purpurea_ foliis ovato-lanceolatis glaucescentibus integerrimis, capsulis sessilibus, stigmate atro-purpureo.

The species of Oenothera here figured is the one we mentioned in treating of the _rosea_, a very ornamental species, introduced to the Royal Garden at Kew, from the western coast of North-America, in 1791.[4] We have given to it the name of _purpurea_, it being the only one in our gardens with purple flowers.

It is distinguished by three principal characters, the glaucous appearance of its foliage, the purple hue of its blossoms, and the dark colour of its stigma.

It flowers during the months of July and August, and ripens its seeds in September; is an annual of ready growth, and worthy of being more generally introduced to the flower-garden; its seeds should be sown in the spring, with other tender annuals, and the seedlings when of a proper age planted out singly in the open border, where they will acquire the height of two feet, and produce abundance of blossoms which, like those of the _rosea_, open during the day as well as in the evening.

[353]

MAHERNIA INCISA. CUT-LEAV'D MAHERNIA.

_Class and Order._

PENTANDRIA PENTAGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Calix_ 5-dentatus. _Petala_ 5. _Nect._ 5 obcordata filamentis supposita. _Capsula_ 5-locularis.

_Specific Character._

MAHERNIA _incisa_ caule hispidulo, foliis lanceolatis incisis, stipulis integerrimis.

In point of size and mode of growth, this beautiful species comes near to the _pinnata_ already figured in this work; but differs essentially in the singular hispidity of its stalks, the form of its leaves, and the colour of its flowers.

The stalks to the naked eye discover a manifest roughness, a magnifying glass shews this roughness to be of a singular kind, that they are beset on every side with little protuberances, from whence issue tufts of pellucid hairs, and here and there a single hair is discoverable with a small red viscid globule at its extremity; a portion of the stalk, when highly magnified, somewhat resembles that of the creeping Cereus. The leaves, which are not so manifestly hairy as the stalk and calyces, are deeply jagged on the edges, and bear some little affinity in their appearance to those of the _Pelargonium tricolor_. The flowers, when in bud, are of the richest crimson imaginable; as they open they incline to a deep orange, and finally become of a yellowish hue.

As this plant produces abundance of blossoms, they may be seen in all their states during most of the Summer and Autumnal months.

The plant from whence our drawing was taken, flowered this Summer with Mr. COLVILL, Nurseryman, King's-Road, it requires the same treatment as the _pinnata_, is probably a native of the same country, and may be propagated by cuttings in the same manner.

[354]

MIMIMULUS AURANTIACUS. ORANGE MONKEY-FLOWER.

_Class and Order._

DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA.

_Generic Character._

_Calyx_ 4-dentatus prismaticus. _Cor._ ringens: labio superiore lateribus replicato. _Caps._ 2-locularis polysperma.

_Specific Character._

MIMULUS _aurantiacus_ caule erecto fruticoso tereti, foliis ovato-lanceolatis obtusiusculis.

The present species of _Mimulus_, equal in point of shew to most of the inhabitants of our greenhouses, to which situation it is adapted, flowered this Summer with Mr. COLVILL, Nurseryman, King's-Road.

Stalk about three feet high, much branched, shrubby, round, the young wood green, with a tinge of purple toward the lower part of each joint, slightly viscid, as it becomes older changing to a light brown colour, and discovering manifest fissures; branches alternately opposite, flower-bearing quite to the base; leaves opposite, sessile, slightly connate, ovato-lanceolate, somewhat blunt at the extremity, this bluntness is particularly apparent when contrasted with a leaf of the _ringens_, toothed or slightly sawed on the edge, smooth, veiny; flowers inodorous, large, nearly twice the size of those of the _ringens_, uniformly pale orange, growing in pairs from the alæ of the leaves, standing on footstalks about half the length of the calyx; calyx five-angled and five-toothed, tube of the flower within the calyx, narrow, cylindrical, pale yellow, bent a little downward, gradually expanding, and dividing into two lips, the upper lip divided into two, the lower lip into three segments, all of them irregular, the two uppermost very much so; at the base of the middle segment of the lower lip are two prominent ridges, of a somewhat deeper colour; stamina four, two long, two short; antheræ deep orange, cruciform, within the flower; stigma white, two-lip'd, lips closed or expanded according to its age; style filiform; germen oblong; at the base of the germen is a gland of considerable size which secretes much honey.

This plant flowers during most of the Summer, and is increased by cuttings. We know not with certainty of what country it is a native.

[355]

OENOTHERA PUMILA. DWARF OENOTHERA.

_Class and Order._

OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Cal._ 4-fidus. _Petala_ 4. _Caps._ cylindrica infera. _Sem._ nuda.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

OENOTHERA _pumila_ foliis lanceolatis obtusis glabris subpetiolatis, caulibus prostratis, capsulis acutangulis. _Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 358. Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 4._

OENOTHERA foliis radicalibus ovatis caulinis lanceolatis obtusis, capsulis ovatis obtusis. _Mill. Ic. t. 188._

LYSIMACHIA siliquosa glabra minor mariana angustioribus foliis. _Pluk. Mant. 123._

From all the species of Oenothera with yellow flowers hitherto introduced to this country, the present one is distinguished by the inferiority of its size; in its most luxuriant state it rarely exceeds a foot in height, and as it commonly grows it is far more humble: from a perennial root it sends out many flowering stems, which are productive of blossoms in regular succession from April to July: these are open in the morning as well as in the evening, which renders the plant more ornamental and desirable: for the border of a small garden, or for rock-work, it is extremely suitable, if not so shewy as some others; it is very hardy, of ready growth, not apt to encroach, flowers during most of the summer months, and is readily propagated by seeds, cuttings, or dividing of the roots in autumn.

Is a native of North-America, and was cultivated here by Mr. MILLER in 1757. _Ait. Kew._

The stalks cannot be considered as prostrate, though LINNÆUS describes them as such; _adscendentibus_ would be a more appropriate term.

[356]

ERICA MASSONI. MASSON'S HEATH.

_Class and Order._

OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Cal._ 4-phyllus. _Cor._ 4-fida. _Filamenta_ receptaculo inserta. _Antheræ_ bifidæ. _Caps._ 4-locularis.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

ERICA _Massoni_ antheris muticis inclusis, corollis cylindricis grossis, floribus capitatis, foliis octofariis imbricatis pubescentibus. _Linn. Suppl. p. 221. Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 23._

ERICA _Massoni_ foliis quaternis oblongis serratis villosis, floribus cylindricis viscosis. _Thunb. Prod. Cap. p. 71._

This very magnificent African Heath is first described in the _Suppl. Pl._ of the younger LINNÆUS, and named in honour of Mr. MASSON, whose exertions at the Cape, where he resided many years as collector of the natural productions of that fertile spot, have so eminently contributed to render the royal collection at Kew, in this tribe of plants especially, rich in the extreme.

This Heath grows to a considerable height, and becomes much branched, the branches are long and upright, covered closely with numerous hoary leaves, nearly cylindrical, most of these terminate in a large umbel of flowers, which continue a long while in bloom, and are so extremely viscous that scarcely a winged insect can settle on them and escape with its life; the formidable wasp sometimes becomes its victim, as we once had an opportunity of seeing.

When the _Hort. Kew._ was first published, this species had not flowered with Mr. AITON, it has since done so in many collections near town, and no where in greater perfection than at Messrs. LEE and KENNEDY's, Hammersmith, on some one or other of whose plants blossoms may be seen during most of the summer.

It is raised from cuttings with extreme difficulty, is not so easily kept as some others, and is more susceptible of injury from moisture.

[357]

BRIZA MAXIMA. GREAT QUAKING GRASS.

_Class and Order._

TRIANDRIA DIGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Cal._ 2-valvis, multiflorus. _Spicula_ disticha: valvulis cordatis, obtusis: interiore minuta.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

BRIZA _maxima_ spiculis cordatis, flosculis septendecim. _Linn. Syst. Veget. ed. 14. Murr. p. 115. Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 103._

GRAMEN tremulum maximum. _Bauh. Pin. 2._

PHALARIS pratensis altera. _Pearle Grasse. Ger. emac. p. 87. f. 3._

The Grasses are in general more regarded for utility than ornament, yet in the latter point of view many of them have engaged the attention of the curious, and long held a place in the flower-garden, to which they have a twofold claim, as they not only decorate the garden when fresh, but the mantle-shelf when dry; to these purposes the present species of Briza has long been applied: JOHNSON tells us, in his time, 1633, "it was sowen yearlely in many of the London gardens."

This species, a native of Spain and Italy, blossoms in June and July, and ripens its seeds in August.

Where it has once seeded it comes up spontaneously, without the trouble of sowing it; autumnal seedlings make the strongest plants, they are liable however to be cut off in very severe seasons; should that happen, sow more seed in the spring with your other annuals.

[358]

ERICA BACCANS. ARBUTUS-FLOWERED HEATH.

_Class and Order._

OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Cal._ 4-phyllus. _Cor._ 4-fida. _Filamenta_ receptaculo inserta. _Antheræ_ apice bifidæ pertusæ. _Caps._ 4-locularis. 4-valvis polysperma.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

ERICA _baccans_ antheris cristatis inclusis, corollis globoso-campanulatis calyce colorato inclusis, foliis imbricatis. _Linn. Mant. p. 233._

ERICA _baccans_ antheris cristatis, corollis globoso-campanulatis tectis, stylo incluso, foliis ternis imbricatis. _Linn. Syst. Veget. ed. 14. Murr. p. 366. Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 18._

ERICA _baccans_ cristata foliis quaternis linearibus serrulatis, floribus umbellatis calyce ovato æquante. _Thunb. Prod. p. 74._

ERICA Africana glabra fruticosa arbuti flore. _Seb. Mus. 1. p. 32. t. 21. f. 3._

SEBA, a Dutch writer, appears first to have noticed this Heath; he figures it in his Museum, and distinguishes it by the name of Arbutus-flowered, which Mr. AITON has retained.

This very elegant and ornamental species grows to a considerable height, and in favourable situations produces abundance of flowers early in the summer, which are remarkable, though not peculiarly so, for being enveloped with a calyx of same colour.

It is a native of the Cape, and was introduced by Mr. MASSON in 1774[5].

Is raised from seeds, which it ripens with us more freely than most of the African Heaths, a fortunate circumstance, as it is scarcely possible to strike its cuttings.

Seedling plants rarely flower till they are three years old.

[359]

CONVOLVULUS ALTHÆOIDES. SILKY-LEAVED CONVOLVULUS.

_Class and Order._

PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

_Generic Character._

_Cor._ campanulata plicata. _Stigmata_ 2. _Caps._ 2-locularis: loculis dispermis.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

CONVOLVULUS _althæoides_ foliis cordatis sinuatis sericeis: lobis repandis; pedunculis bifloris. _Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 202. Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 211. var. [Greek: b]._

CONVOLVULUS argenteus Althææ folio._ Bauh. Pin. p. 295._

CONVOLVULUS Althææ folio. _Clus. Hist. p. xlix. fig._

PAPAVER cornutum luteum minus. _Ger. Herb. p. 294. f. 4._

CONVOLVULUS argenteus elegantissimus foliis tenuiter incisis. _Tournef. Inst. 85._

The name of _Althæoides_ and the description of LINNÆUS accord much better with the figure of this plant, as given by CLUSIUS, than with the plant itself as cultivated in our gardens: whether the foliage of our plant becomes smaller and more finely divided by cultivation; whether it be a distinct species, as MILLER affirms, or a permanent variety, as Mr. AITON makes it, we have not been able satisfactorily to ascertain; the former gives no description of the radical leaves of his _elegantissimus_, and we have not found in any of our gardens a variety different from the one here figured. This species of Convolvulus, though cultivated here by J. TRADESCANT in 1656, is far from being common, which is the more surprising, as the plant is easy of culture and productive of flowers at once large and beautiful, and peculiarly interesting from the extreme variableness of its silky foliage, expanding into the most elegant forms imaginable.

Mr. STEVENS, of Camerton-House, near Bath, informs me that it grows abundantly on the mountains near Victri, southeast of Naples, and in the Isle of Capri, mixed with _Convolvulus Cneorum_, _Lithospermum fruticosum_, &c. and in the adjacent islands and continent, forming a beautiful ornament to the shrubs it entwines: CLUSIUS observed it in Spain and Portugal.

It flowers with us in June and July, and is increased without difficulty by parting its roots, which are of the creeping kind, in spring or autumn. It is usually kept in the greenhouse, but will succeed very well in the open border, guarding it against the unusual severity of weather.

[360]

HIBISCUS SPECIOSUS. SUPERB HIBISCUS.

_Class and Order._

MONADELPHIA POLYANDRIA.

_Generic Character._

_Cal._ 2-plex: exterior polyphyllus aut multifidus. _Caps._ 5-valvis, 5-locularis: loculis polyspermis ramis 1-spermis.

_Specific Character and Synonyms._

HIBISCUS _Speciosus_ foliis glabris palmatis: laciniis lanceolatis serratis, caule pedunculis calicibusque lævibus. _Ait. Hort. Kew. 2. p. 456. Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. Gmel. p. 1063._

Those who "admire Nature's clocks more than her watches," will view, we presume, with some pleasure our representation of this very superb species of Hibiscus, a native of Carolina, and cultivated here by Dr. JOHN FOTHERGILL, in 1778.

This species is altogether herbaceous, and from a perennial root yearly throws up a stem to the height of many feet, clothed with foliage of a beautiful form and smoothness, and supporting at its summit several flowers, distinguished for their grandeur and richness of colour; these usually blossom in August, and if the plant be kept in the stove, as it most commonly is, are followed by ripe seeds, by which it is most commonly propagated.

In the _Hort. Kew._ it is marked as a greenhouse plant; it may no doubt be preserved in the greenhouse; there is even no impediment to its growing in the open border, if placed in a warm and sheltered situation; and the only motive for keeping it in the stove is its being found to flower there more advantageously, and to ripen its seeds with more certainty.

INDEX.