flowers

Grows spontaneously in various parts of France and Germany, Mr. Philip Hurlock lately shewed me some dried specimens of this plant, which he gathered in the corn fields, on the Luneburgh Heide, in Upper Lusatia, where it grew plentifully, and afforded a pleasing appearance to the curious traveller

One of the most ornamental hardy shrubs we possess, at once pleasing to the eye, and grateful to the smell, for, as Miller observes, the whole plant in warm weather exudes a sweet glutinous substance, which has a very strong balsamic scent, so as to perfume the circumambient air to a great distance.Its blossoms, which appear in June and July in great profusion, exhibit a remarkable instance of quickly fading beauty, opening and expanding to the morning sun, and before night strewing the ground with their elegant remains as each succeeding day produces new blossoms, this deciduous disposition of the petals, common to the genus, is the less to be regretted.Is a native of Spain and Portugal, prefers a dry soil and warm sheltered situation, and in very severe seasons requires some kind of covering.Cultivated 1656, by Mr. John Tradescant, jun. Ait. Hort. Kew.Is readily increased from cuttings, but Miller remarks, that the best plants are raised from seeds.Varies with waved leaves, and in having petals without a spot at the base.Is not the plant from whence the Ladanum of the shops is produced, though affording in warmer countries than ours a similar gum, hence its name of ladanifera is not strictly proper.

Is an annual plant which grows naturally in Asia and America, but has been long cultivated for ornament in the English gardens, and is generally known by the title of Convolvulus major. Of this there are three or four lasting varieties, the most common hath a purple flower, but there is one with a white, another with a red, and one with a whitish blue flower, which hath white seeds. All these varieties I have cultivated many years, without observing them to change. If the seeds of these sorts are sown in the spring, upon a warm border where the plants are designed to remain, they will require no other culture but to keep them clear from weeds, and place some tall stakes down by them, for their stalks to twine about, otherwise they will spread on the ground and make a bad appearance. These plants, if they are properly supported, will rise ten or twelve feet high in warm Summers they flower in June, July, and August, and will continue till the frost kills them. Their seeds ripen in Autumn. Millers Gard. Dict. ed. 4to. 1771.

Grows spontaneously in Sicily and Crete, is an annual of humble growth, and hence a suitable plant for the borders of the flower garden, or the decoration of Rock work, as its blossoms are shewy, and not of very short duration.It flowers in June and July, and if once permitted to scatter its seeds, will come up yearly without any trouble.

A native of France, Spain, and Italy, and distinguishable when in flower by the blue colour of its blossoms, which are sometimes, however, milk white, but its seed pods afford a more certain mark of distinction, being unusually short, broad, and winged on the back.This species grows to the height of about two feet, and is usually sown in the spring with other annuals, though not so beautiful, it forms a contrast to the sweet and Tangier Pea, and may be introduced where there is plenty of room, or a desire of possessing and knowing most of the plants of a genus.It flowers in June and July.Cultivated 1739, by Mr. Philip Miller. Ait. Hort. Kew.

For this rare plant I am indebted to the very laudable exertions of a late Gardener of mine, James Smith, who, in the spring of the year 1788, examining attentively the bog earth which had been brought over with some plants of the Dionaea Muscipula, found several small tooth like knobby roots, which being placed in pots of the same earth, and plunged into a tan pit having a gentle heat, produced plants the ensuing summer, two of which flowered, and from the strongest of those our figure was taken.From this circumstance we learn, that this species is a native of South Carolina, and properly a bog plant, growing spontaneously with the Dionaea Muscipula.Both Mr. Dryander and Dr. J. E. Smith assure me, that it is the true Limodorum tuberosum of Linnaeus, the one usually called by that name is a native of the West Indies, and treated as a stove plant.From the little experience we have had of the management of this species, it appears to us to be scarcely hardy enough for the open border, yet not tender enough to require a stove. We have succeeded best by treating it in the manner above mentioned, we may observe, that the tan pit spoken of was built in the open garden, not in a stove, and was for the purpose of raising plants or seeds by a gentle heat, as well as for striking cuttings and securing plants from cold in the winter.Our figure will make a description of the plant unnecessary, its flowering stem with us has arisen to the height of a foot and a half, the number of flowers has not exceeded five. In its most luxuriant state it will probably be found much larger, and to produce more flowers.

This species of Bell flower, which takes its name from its place of growth, is a native of the Carpatian Alps, and was introduced into the Royal Garden at Kew, by Professor Jacquin, of Vienna, in the year 1774.It flowers in June and July.As yet it is scarce in our gardens, but deserves to be more generally known and cultivated, its flowers, in proportion to the plant, are large and shewy like many other Alpine plants, it is well suited to decorate certain parts of rock work, or such borders of the flower garden, as are not adapted for large plants.It is a hardy perennial, and propagated by parting its roots in autumn.Our figure, from a deficiency in the colouring art, gives a very inadequate idea of its beauty.

Grows spontaneously out of the crevices of the rocks in the South of France, flowers in our gardens in July and August, is a very hardy perennial, and in sheltered situations retains its leaves all the year.The singular manner in which the leaves are attached to the flowering stem, deserves to be noticed.As many of the succulent plants are tender, and require a Green house in the winter, cultivators of plants are apt indiscriminately to extend the same kind of care to the whole tribe, hence it is not uncommon to find this and many other similar hardy plants, nursed up in the Green house or stove, when they would thrive much better on a wall or piece of rock work, for the decoration of which this plant in particular is admirably adapted.Like most of the Sedum tribe it may readily be propagated by cuttings, or parting its roots in autumn.Dodonaeus figure admirably represents its habit.According to the Hort. Kew. it was cultivated in this country by Gerard, in 1596.

In order that we may give our readers an opportunity of seeing a coloured representation of one of the most scarce and magnificent plants introduced into this country, we have this number deviated from our usual plan, with respect to the plates, and though in so doing we shall have the pleasure of gratifying the warm wishes of many of our readers, we are not without our apprehensions least others may not feel perfectly well satisfied, should it prove so, we wish such to rest assured that this is a deviation in which we shall very rarely indulge and never but when something uncommonly beautiful or interesting presents itself to avoid the imputation of interested motives, we wish our readers to be apprized that the expences attendant on the present number, in consequence of such deviation, have been considerably augmented, not lowered.It is well known to many Botanists, and others, who have experienced Sir Joseph Bankss well known liberality, that previous to the publication of the Hortus Kewensis he made a new genus of this plant, which had before been considered as a species of Heliconia, and named it Strelitzia in honour of our most gracious Queen Charlotte, coloured engravings of which, executed under his direction, he presented to his particular friends, impressions of the same plate have been given in the aforesaid work, in which we are informed that this plant was introduced to the royal garden at Kew, by Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. in the year 1773, where it lately flowered

From a perennial stringy root shoot forth a considerable number of leaves, standing upright on long footstalks, front a sheath of some one of which, near its base, springs the flowering stem, arising somewhat higher than the leaves, and terminating in an almost horizontal long pointed spatha, containing about six or eight flowers, which becoming vertical as they spring forth, form a kind of crest, which the glowing orange of the Corolla, and fine azure of the Nectary, renders truly superb. The outline in the third plate of this number, is intended to give our readers an idea of its general habit and mode of growth.

Particular Description of the same.

ROOT perennial, stringy, somewhat like that of the tawny Day lily (Hemerocallis fulva), strings the thickness of the little finger, blunt at the extremity, extending horizontally, if not confined, to the distance of many feet.

LEAVES numerous, standing upright on their footstalks, about a foot in length, and four inches in breadth, ovato oblong, coriaceous, somewhat fleshy, rigid, smooth, concave, entire on the edges, except on one side towards the base, where they are more or less curled, on the upper side of a deep green colour, on the under side covered with a fine glaucous meal, midrib hollow above and yellowish, veins unbranched, prominent on the inside, and impressed on the outside of the leaf, young leaves rolled up.

LEAF STALKS about thrice the length of the leaves, upright, somewhat flattened, at bottom furnished with a sheath, and received into each other, all radical.

SCAPUS or flowering stem unbranched, somewhat taller than the leaves, proceeding from the sheath of one of them, upright, round, not perfectly straight, nearly of an equal thickness throughout, of a glaucous hue, covered with four or five sheaths which closely embrace it. Two or more flowering stems spring from the same root, according to the age of the plant.

SPATHA terminal, about six inches in length, of a glaucous hue, with a fine bright purple at its base, running out to a long point, opening above from the base to within about an inch of the apex, where the edges roll over to one side, forming an angle of about forty five degrees, and containing about six flowers.

FLOWERS of a bright orange colour, becoming upright, when perfectly detached from the spatha, which each flower is a considerable time in accomplishing. In the plant at Chelsea, the two back petals, or, more properly segments of the first flower, sprang forth with the nectary, and while the former became immediately vertical, the latter formed nearly the same angle as the spatha, four days afterwards the remaining segment of the first flower, with the two segments and nectary of the second came forth, and in the same manner at similar intervals all the flowers, which were six in number, continued to make their appearance.

COROLLA deeply divided into three segments, which are ovato lanceolate, slightly keeled, and somewhat concave, at the base white, fleshy, and covered with a glutinous substance flowing in great quantities from the nectary.

NECTARY of a fine azure blue and most singular form, composed of two petals, the upper petal very short and broad, with a whitish mucro or point, the sides of which lap over the base of the other petal, inferior petal about two inches and a half in length, the lower half somewhat triangular, grooved on the two lowermost sides, and keeled at bottom, the keel running straight to its extremity, the upper half gradually dilating towards the base, runs out into two lobes more or less obtuse, which give it an arrow shaped form, bifid at the apex, hollow, and containing the antherae, the edges of the duplicature crisped and forming a kind of frill from the top to the bottom.

STAMINA five Filaments arising from the base of the nectary, short and distinct, Antherae long and linear, attached to and cohering by their tips to the apex of the nectary.STYLE filiform, white, length of the nectary.STIGMA three quarters of an inch long, attached to, and hitched on as it were to the tip of the nectary, roundish, white, awl shaped, very viscid, becoming as the flower decays of a deep purple brown colour, and usually splitting into three pieces, continuing attached to the nectary till the nectary decays. Mr. Fairbairn, to whose abilities and industry the Companies Garden at Chelsea is indebted for its present flourishing state, being desirous of obtaining ripe seeds, I had no opportunity of examining the germen. Such were the appearances which presented themselves to us in the plant which flowered at the Chelsea Garden, that they are liable to considerable variation is apparent from the figure of Mr. Millar, which appears to have been drawn from a very luxuriant specimen, as two spathae grow from one flowering stem, the stigma is also remarkably convoluted, many other appearances are likewise represented, which our plant did not exhibit in the figure given in the Hortus Kewensis, the stigma appears to have separated from the nectary on the first opening of the flower, and to be split into three parts, neither of which circumstances took place in our plant till they were both in a decaying state.