[1] Observ. Quandoquidem Usteriæ nomen huic Generi à clar. Cavanilles, qui primus id descripsit, impositum permanere non potest ut pote antea ab illust. Wildenou alii Generi inditum; propterea illud D. Catharinæ Pancratiæ Maurandy, lectissimæ feminæ, D. Augustini Juan, Reg. Botanic. Horti Carthaginensis Professoris uxori, et Botanicorum laborum sociæ, nuncupandum duxi; oblataque opportunitate usus plantam denuo recognovi, et tum Characterem genericum, tum etiam descriptionem specificam ad incudem revocans reformavi.
[461]
Jasminum Fruticans. Yellow Jasmine.
Class and Order.
Diandria Monogynia.
Generic Character.
Cor. 5-fida. Bacca dicocca. Sem. arillata. Antheræ intra tubum.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
JASMINUM fruticans foliis alternis ternatis simplicibusque ramis angulatis. Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 56.
JASMINUM fruticans foliis alternis ternatis foliolis obovatis cuneiformibusque obtusis ramis angulatis laciniis calycinis subulatis. Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 9.
JASMINUM luteum, vulgo dictum bacciferum. Bauh. Pin. 298.
POLEMONIUM sieu Trifolium fruticans. Shrubby Trefoil. Ger. Herb. p. 1129. f.
The Yellow Jasmine is often planted against walls, pales, &c. as the branches are weak and slender and it will grow to be ten or twelve feet high if thus supported; it may however be planted in shrubbery quarters, to which it is better suited than the White Jasmine. The young shoots are of a fine strong green colour, angular, and a little hairy. The leaves are trifoliate, though sometimes they grow singly. They are placed alternately on the branches, are of a thick consistence, smooth, and of a fine deep green colour. These leaves in well-sheltered places remain until the spring before they fall off, so that this plant may not improperly be planted among the Evergreens, especially as the young shoots are always of a strong green. The flowers are yellow, and do not possess the fragrance of the common Jasmine. They are produced chiefly in June, and the blow is soon over. They are succeeded by berries, which when ripe are black, whence its name of Berry-bearing Jasmine. Although this shrub possesses a certain stiffness, which gives it somewhat the appearance of an artificial flower, yet the fine yellow colour of its blossoms contrasts so well with the rich green of the foliage, that in the flower-pot or bouquet it never fails to have a conspicuous and pleasing effect.
Is a native of the South of Europe and the Levant, was cultivated by Mr. John Gerard, in 1597, and flowers from May to October. Ait. Kew.
Is easily propagated by suckers or layers; as the flowers have no scent, is not so much cultivated as formerly. Miller's Dict.
[462]
Anthemis Pyrethrum. Pellitory of Spain.
Class and Order.
Syngenesia Polygamia Superflua.
Generic Character.
Recept. paleaceum. Pappus nullus. Cal. hemisphæricus, subæqualis. Flosculi radii plures quam 5.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
ANTHEMIS Pyrethrum caulibus simplicibus unifloris decumbentibus foliis pinnato multifidis. Linn. Syst. Veget. ed. 14. Murr. p. 776. Woodville's Medical Botany, p. 286.
CHAMÆMELUM specioso flore, radice longa fervida. Shaw. Afr. 138.
PYRETHRUM flore bellidis. Bauh. Pin. 148.
The Pellitory of Spain is more celebrated as an useful than an ornamental plant, the root which is of a very hot and biting nature being a common application for the cure of the tooth-ach; but, divested of its utility as a medicinal plant, it merits a place in collections on account of the beauty both of its foliage and flowers, the latter are more handsome when in bud than when fully expanded, the underside of the florets being of a fine purple colour, the upper pure white; it is moreover a very rare plant in this country, notwithstanding it was cultivated here so long since as 1570: Parkinson evidently grew it, as he observes that the roots of the cultivated plant, were much larger than those of the wild one; he tells us also, that it was too tender to endure our winters: to the latter cause, as well as to the difficulty of propagating it, for it does not ripen its seeds in this country, we may attribute its present scarcity: Mr. Miller raised this plant in 1732, in a very curious way, from seeds picked out from among raisins.
In its place of growth it is not confined to Spain, but is found in the Levant, Syria, Arabia, and elsewhere; flowers with us from May to July, and may be increased by cuttings of the roots, a mode of propagating by which we sometimes happily succeed with rare and valuable plants when all others fail.
It is a plant not very nice as to the quality of the soil in which it grows, but must have a warm dry situation, will succeed very well in a pot, or it may be planted in the open border; but especial care must be taken to secure it against frost in the winter.
[463]
Epidendrum Ciliare. Fringed Epidendrum.
Class and Order.
Gynandria Diandria.
Generic Character.
Cor. 6-petala. Nectarium turbinatum, obliquum reflexum. Caps. infera 1-locularis, 3-valvis, fenestrata.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
EPIDENDRUM ciliare foliis oblongis aveniis, nectarii labio tripartito ciliato: intermedia lineari, cauli bifolio. Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 818. Jacq. Amer. pict. p. 110. t. 209.
Of this parasitical tribe the number of species described in the third edition of the Sp. Pl. Linn. 1764, amounts to thirty; in Gmelin's thirteenth edition of the Syst. Nat. Linn. 1791, no less than seventy-five are enumerated, which is a vast accession in so short a period; most of these are natives of hot climates, and on that account require a stove heat in this country; from their nature also they require a situation not to be exactly imitated, they are therefore to be regarded as plants very difficult of culture, and we are not to be surprised that three species only are enumerated in the Hort. Kew.—but, since the publication of that work, many others have been added to the royal collection, and this among the rest.
The rare and singular species here represented, a native of the warmer parts of America, and the West-Indies, flowered with Mr. Whitley, Nurseryman, Old-Brompton, in Feb. 1799, and at irregular periods before that time; he informs me that it is not constant as to the time of its blowing, and that though the plant flowers with him, it never assumes a fine healthy green appearance, he propagates it by dividing its limbs or branches, which often put forth small roots; the plant grows in a pot, in a mixture of loam and peat or bog-earth, and is kept constantly plunged in the tan-pit of the stove.
[464]
Sisyrinchium Gramineum. Grass-Leaved Sisyrinchium.
Class and Order.
Gynandria Triandria.
Generic Character.
Spatha 2-phylla. Petala 6-plana. Caps. 3-locularis infera 3-valvis.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
SISYRINCHIUM gramineum caule ancipiti lato, germinibus glabris.
SISYRINCHIUM angustifolium foliis lineari-gladiolatis, pedunculis longioribus. Mill. Dict.
SISYRINCHIUM cæruleum parvum, gladiato caule, virginianum. Pluk. alm. 348. t. 61. f. 1.
BERMUDIANA graminea, flore minore cæruleo. Dill. Elth. 49. t. 41. f. 49.
GLADIOLUS cæruleus hexapetalus caule etiam gladiato. Banist. virg. 1926.
In a former Number of this Work, we gave a figure of the large variety of Sisyrinch. Bermud. of Linn. regarding it as a distinct species, and naming it iridioides, conformably to Dillenius's specific description; we regret now that we did not continue to it the name of Bermudiana (it being the true Bermudas plant) and which cannot with propriety be applied to the present species, a native of Virginia, far more diminutive, with flowers much smaller, of a paler blue colour, a much hardier plant also, and of more ready growth; it is indeed a truly hardy perennial, adapted to the open border, in which it will grow readily, and produce abundance of flowering stems in June and July; the flowers expand to the sun, and are followed by numerous seed-vessels which ripen their seeds, by which the plant may be increased, or by parting its roots in the autumn. Its stalk affords an excellent example of the caulis anceps. We readily embrace the opportunity here afforded us of correcting an error in regard to the hardiness of the Sisyrinch. iridioides, which we were led into partly by Miller's account, and partly from observing the plant to survive a mild winter in the open ground; we have since found that it is a tender plant, and to be ranked with those of the greenhouse; an additional proof of its being a distinct species from the one here figured, which has long[1] been cultivated in our gardens.
[1] By Mr. Jacob Bobart, in 1693. Ait. Kew.
[465]
Indigofera Angustifolia. Narrow-Leaved Indigo.
Class and Order.
Diadelphia Decandria.
Generic Character.
Cal. patens. Cor. carina, utrinque calcari subulato patulo. Legumen lineare.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
INDIGOFERA angustifolia foliis pinnatis linearibus, racemis elongatis, caule fruticoso. Linn. Syst. Veget. ed. 14. Murr. p. 678. Mant. 272. Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 69.
This small, delicate, and rather elegant species of Indigo, to be found in most collections of greenhouse plants near town, rises with an upright, shrubby stem, to the height of several feet; its leaves, of a lively green colour, are furnished with pinnæ, which are numerous and unusually narrow, whence its name; its flowers, produced on long racemi springing from the sides of the stem or branches, are of a singular dull red colour, and rarely followed by seeds with us.
It is a native of the Cape[1], from whence it was introduced by Mr. Masson, in 1774; flowers from June to October, and is usually increased by cuttings.
There is a description of this species in the Mantiss. Pl. Linn. but we know of no figure of it that has yet been published.
[1] Ait. Kew.
[466]
Calycanthus Præcox. Japan All-Spice.
Class and Order.
Icosandria Polygynia.
Generic Character.
Cal. 1-phyllus, urceolatus, squarrosus: foliolis coloratis. Cor. calycina. Styli plurimi, stigmati glanduloso. Sem. plurima, caudata, intra calycem succulentum.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
CALYCANTHUS præcox petalis interioribus minutis. Linn. Sp. Pl. ed. 3. p. 718. Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 220. tab. x.
OBAI s. Robai. Jasminum flore pleno suavi fœtido, fructu turbinato, semine phascoli. Kæmpf. Amæn. exot. p. 878.
The learned and instructive Kæmpfer in his Amæn. Exot. that vast fund of most useful information, gives a figure of this plant, in which it is represented both with flowers and seed-vessels, accompanied with a description and short account of it; from which we learn that it is cultivated in Japan as an ornamental plant, that the flowers are produced in February, before the leaves, that they have the scent of the violet, but become unpleasant on being long smelt to.
Hearing that Lord Coventry was the first who possessed this plant in England, I took the liberty of writing to his Lordship in January 1799, to request some information on this point, as well as some others relative to its culture, &c. On the 13th of the same month, his Lordship had the goodness to send me a beautiful specimen of the plant in bloom, a seedling plant one year old, together with a seed-vessel of the year 1798, and some seeds; in the Earl's letter is the following passage:—"the beauty of the Calycanthus præcox at this moment surpasses all description, it is covered with blossoms from top to bottom, and the fragrance of it may be perceived at the distance of fifty yards from the conservatory."
By his Lordship's direction, I received at the same time from his Gardener, Mr. William Dean, the following information, in answer to my queries:—"My Lord received the plant from China in 1766:—it was planted in a conservatory, is now sixteen feet high, and expands ten feet wide:—bears a succession of flowers from September to March:—the time of its first blowing I cannot precisely ascertain, but believe it to be nearly twenty years back:—it is propagated by layers, cuttings, and seeds, the latter it produces most years at Croome, but I believe at no other place in England:—there are plants of it at Croome six feet high, in a warm situation in the open border, which have stood out several years by being covered with a single mat in severe weather."
Not expecting to receive a plant from Lord Coventry in bloom, our drawing was made from one which flowered with Mr. Whitley, Nurseryman, Old-Brompton, December 22, 1798, and which came originally from Croome, his Lordship having presented most of the Nurserymen about town with plants of it; the blossoms of that from Croome were somewhat larger than those here represented, and the petals were less striped, indeed almost wholly tinged with purple, the leaves also proceeded more from the summit of the stalks and were of a much greener hue, owing no doubt to its being kept in the conservatory, while Mr. Whitley's plant was tacked to the outside of the bottom of the greenhouse.
In the number of its stamina, which is rarely more than five, it does not accord with the character of the class icosandria, nor do the seeds agree with the generic character as described by Linnæus.
[467]
Dracocephalum Virginianum. Virginian Dragon's-Head.
Class and Order.
Didynamia Gymnospermia.
Generic Character.
Cor. faux inflata: labium superius fornicatum.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
DRACOCEPHALUM virginianum foliis lineari-lanceolatis serratis, floribus confertis. Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 13. Gmel. p. 915.
DRACOCEPHALUM virginianum floribus spicatis, foliis lanceolatis serratis. Linn. Syst. Veg. ed. 14. Murr. p. 543.
DRACOCEPHALUM virginianum floribus spicatis confertis, foliis lineari-lanceolatis serratis. Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 317.
This elegant species of Dracocephalum, a native of Virginia, and other parts of North-America, is a hardy herbaceous plant, rising to the height of about two feet, and producing numerous flowers in long spikes, usually arranged on each side of the stalk.
It comes near to the denticulatum already figured, but differs in its superior height, the form of its leaves, the number of its flowers, and many other particulars.
It flowers from July to September, and with me has generally ripened much of its seed, from which it may be easily raised, as also by parting of its roots in spring or autumn; it succeeds best in a moist situation, and its stalks require to be carefully and timely sticked.
Was cultivated as long since as 1683, by Mr. James Sutherland.
[468]
Œnothera Tetraptera. White-Flowered Œnothera.
Class and Order.
Octandria Monogynia.
Generic Character.
Cal. 4-fidus. Petala 4. Caps. cylindrica infera. Sem. nuda.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
ŒNOTHERA tetraptera foliis lanceolatis, basi pinnatifido-dentatis, capsulis pedicellatis obovatis quadrialatis. Linn. Sp. Pl. edit. Wildenou.
ŒNOTHERA foliis alternis subpinnatis crispis, flore mutabili fructû tetraptero. Cavanill. Icon. t. 3. p. 40. tab. 279.
Of this genus we have already figured six different species; this is another newly discovered one, which, like most of its kind, displays its beauties chiefly in the night. It is the only one, as far as we yet know, that has white blossoms; these, when first expanded, are beautifully so, but in the morning they change to a purple colour, fade, and their place is supplied by a fresh succession. In this remarkable change of colour, it bears some affinity to the Œnothera anomala, which may be considered as strengthening our opinion that the latter plant belongs to this genus rather than to that of Gaura. The Œnothera tetraptera is a native of Mexico, its duration as yet not certainly ascertained, but may be treated as a tender annual; and such plants as do not flower the first year, may be preserved under glasses through the winter. It was raised from seeds sent by Mr. Donn, from Cambridge; but was probably first introduced into this country from seeds sent to the Marchioness of Bute, by Prof. Ortega, of Madrid.
INDEX.
|
INDEX.
|
London: Printed by STEPHEN COUCHMAN, Throgmorton-Street.