flowers

This plant here represented is generally known to the Nurserymen about London as the Turnera ulmifolia, or Elm leavd Turnera, its foliage however does not answer to the name, nor to the figures of the plant as given by Martyn in his Cent. Pl. and Linn?us in his Hortus Cliffortianus, which figures indeed are so similar that they look like copies of each other, these represent the true elm leaf, on the same plate of Martyns Cent. there is given a very excellent figure of what he considers as another species of Turnera, vide Synon. and which Miller, who cultivated it about the year 1773, also describes as a distinct species, under the name of angustifolia, asserting, from the experience of thirty years, that plants raised from its seeds have constantly differed from those of the ulmifolia, this is our plant, which on his authority we have given as a species, though Linn?us regards it as a variety.Plumier gave to this genus the name of Turnera, in honour of Dr. William Turner, a celebrated English Botanist and Physician, who published an Herbal, black letter, folio, in 1568.The present species is a native of the West Indies, and is commonly cultivated in our stoves, where it rises with a semi shrubby stalk, to the height of several feet, seldom continuing more than two or three years, young plants generally come up in plenty from seeds spontaneously scattered, so that a succession is easily obtained.It flowers from June to August.Its foliage has a disagreeable smell when bruised, its flowers are shewy, but of short duration, and are remarkable for growing out of the footstalk of the leaf.

Prof. Jacquin, in the second volume of the Flora austriaca, gives an excellent figure and accurate description of our plant, a native of the Alps of Germany and Switzerland, and points out the characters in which it differs from the alpinum, for which it has sometimes been mistaken.It is a hardy perennial, rarely exceeding a foot in height, produces its spikes of pendulous flowers, which are of a most beautiful purple colour, in July and August, hitherto these have not been succeeded by seed vessels with us, though we have cultivated the plant for several years.Its size renders it a suitable plant for rock work, on which it will grow readily, increasing by its roots, which are of the creeping kind.Haller mentions a variety of it with white flowers.

Clayton, in the Fl. Virg. published by Gronovius, describes this plant as a native of Virginia, and says of it, maddidis gaudet locis, it delights in wet places Linn?us makes it a native of Canada also.It is a hardy, perennial, herbaceous plant, growing with us to the height of about two feet, and producing its flowers, which are of a pale violet colour, in July and August, these are frequently succeeded by capsules containing perfect seeds, by which the plant may be propagated, as also by parting its roots in Autumn, Miller recommends the seeds to be sown as soon as ripe.The plant succeeds best in a moist and somewhat shady situation, with a loamy soil.A perusal of the synonyms will shew to what a variety of genera this plant has been referred by different authors, Linn?us first gave to it the name of Mimulus, of which term we find in his Philosophia Botanica the following concise explanation

We are induced to consider the rose here represented, as one of the most desirable plants in point of ornament ever introduced to this country, its flowers, large in proportion to the plant, are semi double, and with great richness of colour unite a most delightful fragrance, they blossom during the whole of the year, more sparingly indeed in the winter months, the shrub itself is more hardy than most greenhouse plants, and will grow in so small a compass of earth, that it may be reared almost in a coffee cup, is kept with the least possible trouble, and propagated without difficulty by cuttings or suckers.

For this invaluable acquisition, our country is indebted to the late Gilbert Slater, Esq. of Knots Green, near Laytonstone, whose untimely death every person must deplore, who is a friend to improvements in ornamental gardening in procuring the rarer plants from abroad, more particularly from the East Indies, Mr. Slater was indefatigable, nor was he less anxious to have them in the greatest perfection this country will admit, to gain this point there was no contrivance that ingenuity could suggest, no labour, no expence withheld, such exertions must soon have insured him the first collection of the plants of India it is now about three years since he obtained this rose from China, as he readily imparted his most valuable acquisitions to those who were most likely to increase them, this plant soon became conspicuous in the collections of the principal Nurserymen near town, and in the course of a few years will, no doubt, decorate the window of every amateur.The largest plants we have seen have not exceeded three feet, it may no doubt be trained to a much greater height, a variety of it much more robust, having usually several flowers on a footstalk, of a pale red colour, and semi double also, has more lately been introduced, and as far as we can learn from the same source.

The flowers of most of the species of Jasmine are odoriferous, trivial names therefore expressive of this quality are ineligible, as wanting character, the present name is peculiarly objectionable, inasmuch as several other species are greatly superior to this in point of fragrance, a lesson for Botanists to abstain from trivial names of the superlative degree, such as odoratissimum, fitidissimum, maximum, minimum, c.The present species, according to Mr. Aiton, is a native of Madeira, and was cultivated by Mr. Miller, in 1730, it is now a plant common in most greenhouses it will form a shrub of considerable size, which requires no support, its leaves are glossy, inclining to yellow, growing for the most part three together, sometimes pinnated, its blossoms, which are yellow, make their appearance from May to November in point of hardiness it is superior to many greenhouse plants, and may be propagated without difficulty by cuttings.

Dr. Brown, in his Natural History of Jamaica, gives to this genus the name of Portlandia, in honour of the Duchess Dowager of Portland, who employed many of the leisure hours of a long and happy life, in the pursuits of natural history, in which she was eminently skilled.

In the Autumn of 1792, Samuel Tolfrey Esq. most kindly invited me to inspect a vast number of the natural productions of Botany Bay, in his possession, collected with great assiduity, and brought over in high preservation by Captain Tench, among other curiosities, he shewed me specimens of the earths of that country, imported in very small bags. I suggested to Mr. Tolfrey, that those earths might possibly contain the seeds of some curious and unknown plants, he readily acquiesced in the idea, and permitted me to make trial of them accordingly, in the Spring of 1793, I exposed them in shallow pans, on a gentle tan heat, keeping them duly watered, in the course of the Summer they yielded me fourteen plants, most of which were altogether new, and among others the species of Goodenia here figured, this we have since found to be a hardy greenhouse plant, flowering from July to October, and very readily increased by cuttings.

The oldest plant in our possession is about a foot and a half high, much branched, the stalks are round and smooth to the naked eye, green below, above purplish, the leaves are smooth, a deep bright green colour, alternate, standing on footstalks, which gradually widen into the leaves, somewhat ovate, and deeply toothed, the flowers grow in the al? of the leaves, forming a thin spike, they are sessile, of a pale violet colour, and have a peculiar smell which is rather unpleasant, at the side of each flower are two long narrow Bracte?, the Calyx, which is placed on the germen, is composed of five short ovate leaves, which appear edged with hairs if magnified, the Corolla is monopetalous, the lower part, which at first is tubular, splits longitudinally above, and forms a kind of half tube, the edges of which are brown, the inside yellow, the outside greenish, the mouth beset with short hairs, each of which is terminated by a small villous head, the limb is deeply divided into five linear segments, spreading out like a hand, and terminated by short points, the Filaments are five in number, of a whitish colour, somewhat broadest above, rather flat, inserted into the receptacle, Anther? oval, flattened, yellow, bilocular, a little bent, the length of the pistillum, but this is to be understood of such flowers as are not yet fully expanded, in those that are, they are much shorter, and appear withered, the Style, in flowers about to open, the length of the filaments, upright, in those that are opened much longer, and bent somewhat downward, Stigma at first upright, in the form of a cup, having the edge curiously fringed with white hairs, afterwards it closes together, loses its hollow, and assumes a flat appearance, and nods somewhat, the back part of it is bearded, Germen beneath the calyx, oblong, usually abortive with us.The name of Goodenia has been given to this genus by Dr. Smith, in honour of the Rev. Samuel Goodenough, LL. D. of Ealing, my much honoured friend, whose name will be ever dear to Botanists for his laborious investigation of the British Carices.

This Passion Flower is described in the Hort. Kew. as a new one, under the name of ciliata, introduced by Mrs. Norman, from the West Indies, in 1783 we saw it during the latter part of the last Summer, with great profusion of flowers, in several collections, more particularly in that of Mr. Vere, Kensington Gore, from whence our figure and description were taken.

Its stalks are round, perfectly smooth, and run to a very great height, leaves dark green, glossy, perfectly smooth, except on the edges, where they are beset with strong glandular hairs, divided into three large and two small lobes, the middle lobe running out to a considerable length, the footstalks of the leaves are beset with a few hairs thinly scattered, at the base of each leaf is a tendril, and two finely divided stipul?, edged also with glandular hairs. The Involucrum is composed of three leaves, dividing into capillary segments, each of which terminates in a viscid globule, fetid when bruised, betwixt the involucrum and the blossom is a short peduncle, the pillar which supports the germen is of a bright purple colour, with spots of a darker hue, the germen is smooth and green, Styles green, Stigmata of a dark green, Filaments six in number, Anther? pale yellow green, the former dotted with purple, of Radii, there may be said to be four rows, variegated with white and purple, petals ten, externally greenish, internally red, deeper or paler according to circumstances.The leaves of this plant vary greatly in form, according to the health and luxuriance of the plant, on comparing it with the fitida, we strongly suspect it to be a variety merely of that species time will shew.It is increased by cuttings, or seeds.