The Botanical Magazine, Vol. 07

[239]
Amaryllis Atamasco. Atamasco Lily

Class and Order

Hexandria Monogynia

Generic Character

Cor. hexapetaloidea, irregularis. Filamenta fauci tubi inserta, declinata, inæqualia proportione vel directione. Linn. Fil.

Specific Character and Synonyms

AMARYLLIS Atamasco spatha bifida acuta, flore pedicellato, corolla campanulata subæquali erecta basi breve tubulosa, staminibus declinatis æqualibus. Linn. Fil. Ait. Kew. p. 416.

AMARYLLIS Atamasco spatha uniflora, corolla æquali, pistillo declinato. Linn. Spec. Pl. ed 3. p. 420.

LILIO-NARCISSUS Indicus pumilus monanthus albus foliis angustissimis Atamasco dictus. Moris. Hist. 11. p. 366. t. 24.

LILIO-NARCISSUS virginiensis. Catesb. Carol. 3. p. 12. t. 12.

LILIO-NARCISSUS liliflorus carolinianus flore albo singulari cum rubedine diluto. Pluk. Alm. 220. t. 43. f. 3.

N^o239.

The Amaryllis Atamasco is a native of Virginia and Carolina, in which countries it grows very plentifully in the fields and woods, where it makes a beautiful appearance when it is in flower, which is in the spring. The flowers of this sort are produced singly, and at their first appearance have a fine Carnation colour on their outside, but this fades away to a pale or almost white before the flowers decay. This plant is so hardy as to thrive in the open air in England, provided the roots are planted² in a warm situation and on a dry soil; it may be propagated by offsets from the roots, which they put out pretty plentifully, especially if they are not transplanted oftner than once in three years. Miller's Dict.

It is usual with the Nurserymen about London to keep this plant in the greenhouse, where it flowers about the end of April.

Mr. Charles Hatton cultivated here in 1680, Ait. Kew. on the authority of Morison.

[240]
Pelargonium Tricolor. Three-Coloured Crane's-Bill

Class and Order

Monadelphia Heptandria

Generic Character

Cal. 5-partitus: lacinia suprema desinente in tubulum capillarem, nectariferum, secus pedunculum decurrentem. Cor. 5-petala, irregularis. Filamenta 10, inæqualia: quorum 3 (raro 5) castrata, Fructus 5-coccus, rostratus: rostra spiralia, introrsum barbata. L'Herit. Geran.

Specific Character and Synonyms

PELARGONIUM tricolor petalis duobus superioribus punctis prominulis lucidis ad basin scabris.

N^o240.

The Pelargonium tricolor, a species perfectly new, in point of beauty is thought to eclipse all that have hitherto been introduced to this country; its blossoms are certainly the most shewy, in a collection of plants they are the first to attract the eye, the two uppermost petals are of a beautiful red, having their bases nearly black, the three lowermost are white, hence its name of tricolor: this peculiarity of colour joined to their form, has induced some to fancy a similarity betwixt its flowers and those of the Heartsease: to the blossoms of the Lathyrus articulatus in point of colour, they bear also a distant resemblance.

In our eagerness to lay before the public this striking novelty, we may possibly omit some circumstances relative to its history and treatment, which future experience may develope, they will not, however, we trust be very material; the plants which we have had an opportunity of seeing have scarcely exceeded a foot in height, growing up with a shrubby stem, and expanding widely into numerous flowering branches, unusually disposed to produce flowers in a constant succession, so that during most of the summer the plant is loaded with a profusion of bloom; these flowers for the most part go off without being followed by any seed, and when any seed is produced, of which we have seen a few instances, there is generally one perfect and four abortive, frequently all of them fail; the blossoms vary in the number of their stamina, four are most usually apparent, three superior, and that very constantly, one inferior and often two, we have never observed seven, the proper number of fertile stamina in a Pelargonium: the whole plant is covered with short white hairs which give to the foliage a somewhat silvery hue.

Instances have occurred in which one or more of the white petals have had a stripe of red in them, and we have observed that the dark colour at the base of the uppermost petals is, in a certain degree, soluble in water, for on the plants being watered the white petals have here and there become stained by the colouring matter proceeding from it, and which, in a diluted state, is of a purplish tint: as the flowers decay, this apparently black part, distinguished by the roughness of its surface, arising from prominent lucid points, and which essentially distinguish the species, is sometimes perforated with numerous small holes.

Mr. Masson, who is employed to collect plants at the Cape, for the Royal Garden at Kew, and in which employment he so honourably acquits himself, as the Hortus Kewensis bears ample testimony, sent hither seeds of this Pelargonium, which flowered in that matchless collection in the year 1792; a few plants of it have also been raised from Cape seeds, by Mr. Williams, Nurseryman, at Hammersmith, some of which flowered this spring with Mr. Colvill, Nurseryman, Kings-Road.

It must be several years before the lovers of plants can be generally gratified with the possession of this plant, most of its branches running out speedily into flowering stalks, form few proper for cuttings, which are struck with difficulty, and perfect seeds are sparingly produced.

It appears to be equally hardy as most others of the same tribe, and to require a similar treatment.

[241]
Fagonia Cretica. Cretian Fagonia

Class and Order

Decandria Monogynia

Generic Character

Cal. 5-phyllus. Petala 5, cordata. Caps. 5-locularis, 10-valvisi, loculis 1-spermis.

Specific Character and Synonyms

FAGONIA cretica spinosa, foliolis lanceolatis planis lævibus. Linn. Sp. Pl. ed 3. p. 553. Mant. p. 380. Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 401. Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 62.

TRIFOLIUM spinosum Creticum. Clus. Hist. 2. p. 242. f. Bauh. Pin. p. 330.

FAGONIA cretica spinosa. Tourn. Inst. p. 265.

N^o241.

Clusius is the first author who has described and figured this plant, he is very minute in his description of it, noticing the exact number of its stamina; it is the more surprising, therefore, that he should have so little idea of generic character, as to rank it with the trefoils merely from the form of its leaves: Tournefort, born to illustrate the genera of plants, named it Fagonia in honour of his friend and patron, Mons. Fagon, privy counsellor and consulting physician to Lewis XIV

This species is a native of the island of Candia, and was cultivated here by Mr. Miller, in 1739; it is an annual, and as it does not perfect its seeds with us in the open air, unless in very favourable seasons, it is usually treated as a green-house plant, its seeds should be sown in the autumn, as it thereby flowers earlier, and ripe seeds are with more certainty obtained.

It blossoms from June to August.

The plant from which our drawing was made, flowered this season in the very rich collection of Messrs. Lee and Kennedy, Hammersmith.

Its branches are usually procumbent, about a foot in length, and require, if the plant be kept in a pot, to be tied up to a stick.

[242]
Veronica Decussata. Cross-Leav'd Speedwell

Class and Order

Diandria Monogynia

Generic Character

Cor. limbo 4-partito: lacinia infima angustiore. Caps. 2-locularis apice emarginata.

Specific Character and Synonyms

VERONICA decussata spicis terminalibus paniculatis, foliis oblongis integerrimis lævigatis coriaceis, caule fruticoso. Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 20.

VERONICA decussata floribus racemosis axillaribus, foliis ovalibus decussatis integerrimis. Moench. Weissenstein. p. 137. Linn. Syst. Nat. tom. 2. ed. 13. Gmel. p. 30.

N^o242.

 

The plant here represented, is a native of Falkland's Island, and was introduced to this country by Dr. Fothergill, about the year 1776; if permitted to grow, it will become a bushy shrub of a considerable size: it has been chiefly admired for the unusual and regular growth of its leaves, which are ever-green, and grow thickly on the branches, cross-wise, affording an excellent example of the folia decussata; but it is entitled to our admiration on another account, its blossoms have a most delicious fragrance (similar to that of the Olea fragrans) not mentioned by authors, and we believe scarcely known, having never heard it spoken of by those who have cultivated the plant; its flowers, which are white, are produced on the tops of the branches, which, however, they do not strictly terminate, but usually grow out just below the summits, on short racemi; the corolla is sometimes divided into five segments, and there is a greater equality in the segments than is usually found in the flowers of the Veronica, the seed-vessel differs also in its form, being longer, more oval, and scarcely emarginate; these several deviations from the structure of the Veronica genus, joined to the fragrance of the blossoms of this plant, induce us to think, that it has more affinity with the Olea above mentioned.

Cultivators complain, that it does not blow freely; without any peculiarity of treatment, it flowers with us every year, about the middle of June; it is one of the more hardy greenhouse plants, which is usually and readily increased by cuttings.