CANNA Indica flore rubro. Red flowred Indian Reede. _Park. Parad.
p. 376._
The _Canna indica_, a native of both the Indies, is a plant greatly
admired for the beauty of its foliage and flowers, and on that account
generally cultivated; it has been called by some _Indian Shot_, from the
roundness and hardness of its seeds.
We find it to have existed in our gardens in the time of Gerard, 1596.
Parkinson was acquainted with that variety of it which has yellow
spotted flowers: Prof. Martyn, in his edition of _Miller's Dict._ has
quoted the chief of what these authors say of it, which as a matter of
curiosity we shall here transcribe: "Gerard informs us, that in his time
it was in the garden at Padua, that he had planted it in his garden
divers times, but it never came to flowering; and that it must be set or
sown in a pot, with fine earth, or in a bed made of horse-dung, in such
manner as Cucumbers and Musk-Melons are: Parkinson says, in some kindly
years this beautiful plant has borne its brave flowers, but never any
ripe seed, and that it will not abide the extremities of our winters,
unless it meet with a stove, or hot-house, such as are used in Germany;
for neither house nor cellar will preserve it: Clusius saw it flowering
by house-sides in Spain and Portugal, and says, that the inhabitants
there use the seeds for making their rosaries."
Mr. Aiton enumerates four varieties of it, viz. _rubra_, _lutea_,
_coccinea_, and _patens_.
"Being a native of the warmest parts of America, it requires to be
placed in a moderate stove in winter, where they always flower in that
season, at which time they make a fine appearance, and in the summer
place them abroad in a sheltered situation with other tender exotic
plants, where they generally flower again, and produce ripe seeds
annually." _Mill. Dict._
"These plants will continue many years with proper management, but as
young plants always flower better than the old root, so it is scarce
worth while to continue them after they have borne good seeds, which
should be sown on a hot-bed in the spring." _Mill. Dict._
[455]
[Illustration: Nº. 455]
Aloe Retusa. Cushion Aloe.
_Class and Order._
Hexandria Monogynia.
_Generic Character._
_Cor._ erecta, ore patulo fundo nectarifero. _Filam._ receptaculo
inserta.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
ALOE _retusa_ acaulis foliis quinquefariis deltoideis. _Thunb.
Aloe, n. 15. Ait. Kew. 471._
ALOE _retusa_ floribus sessilibus triquetris bilabiatis labio
inferiore revoluto. _Linn. Sp. Pl. 459._
ALOE _africana_ brevissimo crassissimoque folio, flore viridi.
_Comm. hort. 2. p. 11. t. 6._ _Till. pis. 6. t. 5._
Though the flowers of this Aloe have little to recommend them, there is
much to admire in the form and structure of its leaves; and this
pleasing circumstance attends it, it is perfectly distinct from all the
other species: when first introduced, it was no doubt an object of great
admiration; Fairchild, the celebrated Gardener of Hoxton, who preceded
Miller, had it engraved, with several other succulents, on a plate which
is prefixed to Dr. Blair's _Botanic Essays_, and which he described to
the Doctor, betwixt whom and Mr. Fairchild there appears to have
subsisted a great degree of intimacy: the Essays were printed in 1720.
This species is a native of the Cape, and flowers in June, but not
regularly so, increases very fast by offsets: Mr. Aiton makes it as he
does all the Aloes indiscriminately, Dry Stove Plants, but it may be
kept in a good green-house, taking care to place it in the driest and
most airy part, and to guard it at all times from much wet, but more
especially in the winter season.
[456]
[Illustration: Nº. 456]
Diosma Serratifolia. Serrated or Saw-Leaved Diosma.
_Class and Order._
Pentandria Monogynia.
_Generic Character._
_Cor._ 5-petala. _Nectaria_ 5 supra germen. _Caps. 3. s. 5._
coalitæ. _Sem._ calyptrata.
_Specific Character._
DIOSMA _serratifolia_ follis lanceolatis glanduloso-serrulatis,
pedunculis axillaribus oppositis subunifloris.
It was in the green-house of Mr. Whitley, Nurseryman at Old Brampton,
that we first saw this plant in flower, on the 25th of March 1799;
previous to this period it had flowered in the Royal Garden at Kew, and
specimens of it had been deposited in the Herbarium of Sir Joseph Banks,
under the name of _Diosma serratifolia_.
It forms a neat pretty shrub, which is rendered more desirable by its
early flowering; its blossoms are pure white, set off by Antheræ of a
lively purple colour; the whole plant has a strong scent very like that
of Pennyroyal, but more powerful.
This shrub is one of the many which have been raised within these few
years from Botany-Bay seeds, is a greenhouse plant, of easy culture,
blows freely, and is readily increased by cuttings.
Descr. Twigs somewhat angular, reddish purple; Leaves opposite, narrow,
on very short footstalks, spreading, slightly truncated at the
extremity, finely toothed, a transparent gland in the angle of each
tooth, beset on both sides with numerous glands, which project and give
to the upper surface a manifest roughness; Flowers from the alæ of the
leaves, opposite, on peduncles about one-third of an inch long, usually
supporting one, sometimes two flowers; Calyx composed of five leaves
which are tinged with red and permanent; Corolla five petals, white,
ovato-lanceolate; Stamina filaments five, white, hairy, at first
upright, afterwards bending back betwixt the petals; Antheræ before they
open purple; Pollen yellow; Nectaries of two kinds, five white,
springing up between each filament, and which may perhaps be considered
as so many imperfect stamina, they are broader, much smoother, and about
one-third of the length of the filaments, terminating in a transparent
gland instead of an anthera; five green, forming a kind of calyx to the
germen, from the top of which they spring, they consist of five
roundish, fleshy, spreading, green leaves, edged with hairs; besides
these, there is a glandular ring at the base of the germen; Style white,
tapering, very hairy; Stigma simple; Flowers usually dropping off
without ripening the seeds.
[457]
[Illustration: Nº. 457]
Aloe Plicatilis. Fan Aloe.
_Class and Order._
Hexandria Monogynia.
_Generic Character._
_Cor._ erecta, ore patulo, fundo nectarifero. _Filam._ receptaculo
inserta.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
ALOE _plicatilis_ subacaulis, foliis linguæformibus lævibus
distichis, floribus racemosis pendulis cylindricis. _Ait. Kew. v.
1. p. 470._