The greater blue Flower-de-luce with narrow leaves. _Park. Parad. p.
184._
[Illustration: 58]
Some plants afford so little diversity of character, that an expressive
name can scarcely be assigned them; such is the present plant, or
LINNAEUS would not have given it the inexpressive name of
_spuria_, nor we have adopted it.
This species is distinguished by the narrowness of its leaves, which
emit a disagreeable smell when bruised, by the colour of its flowers,
which are of a fine rich purple inclining to blue, and by its hexangular
germen.
It is a native of Germany, where, as Professor JACQUIN informs
us, it grows in wet meadows; is a hardy perennial, thrives in our
gardens in almost any soil or situation, flowers in June, and is
propagated by parting its roots in Autumn.
[59]
~Mesembryanthemum bicolorum. Two-Coloured Fig-Marigold.~
_Class and Order._
~Icosandria Pentagynia.~
_Generic Character._
_Cal._ 5-fidus. _Petala_ numerosa, linearia. _Caps._ carnosa, infera,
polysperma.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
MESEMBRYANTHEMUM _bicolorum_ foliis subulatis punctatis laevibus
distinctis, caule frutescente, corollis bicoloribus. _Linn. Syst.
Vegetab. p. 470._
MESEMBRYANTHEMUM tenuifolium fruticescens, flore croceo. _Dill. Elth.
267. t. 202. f. 258._
[Illustration: 59]
Contrary to the _Mesembryanthemum dolabriforme_, lately figured in this
work, this species expands its flowers in the day-time, and that only
when the sun shines powerfully on them; on such occasions, the blossoms
on the top of the branches being very numerous, exhibit a most splendid
appearance.
It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, flowers in July, and is most
readily propagated by cuttings.
Like most of the Cape plants, it requires the shelter of a green-house
during the winter.
[60]
~Lathyrus odoratus. Sweet Pea, or Vetchling.~
_Class and Order._
~Diadelphia Decandria.~
_Generic Character._
_Stylus_ planus, supra villosus, superne latior. _Cal._ laciniae
superiores 2-breviores.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
LATHYRUS _odoratus_ pedunculis bifloris, cirrhis diphyllis, foliolis
ovato-oblongis, leguminibus hirsutis, _Linn. Syst. Vegetab. p. 663._
LATHYRUS distoplatyphyllos hirsutus mollis, magno et peramaeno flore
odoro. _Comm. hort. 2. p. 219. t. 80._
[Illustration: 60]
There is scarcely a plant more generally cultivated than the _Sweet
Pea_, and no wonder, since with the most delicate blossoms it unites an
agreeable fragrance.
Several varieties of this plant are enumerated by authors, but general
cultivation extends to two only, the one with blossoms perfectly white,
the other white and rose-coloured, commonly called the _Painted Lady
Pea_.
The Sweet Pea is described as a native of Sicily, the Painted Lady
Variety as an inhabitant of Ceylon; they have both been introduced since
the time of PARKINSON and EVELYN.
It is an annual, and not a very tender one; seedling plants sown in
Autumn frequently surviving our winters.
As it is desirable to have this plant in flower for as great a length of
time as possible, to have them early, we must sow them in the Autumn,
either in pots or in the open border; if sown in pots, they can the more
readily be secured from any severe weather, by placing them in a hot-bed
frame, a common practice with gardeners who raise them for the London
markets, in which they are in great request: others again should be sown
early in the spring, and the sowings repeated every month; they grow
readily in almost any soil or situation, and by this means may be had to
flower most of the year through.
If sown in pots, care must be taken to water them frequently.
[61]
~Iris ochroleuca. Tall Iris.~
_Class and Order._
~Triandria Monogynia.~
_Generic Character._
_Corolla_ 6-petala, inaequalis, petalis alternis geniculato-patentibus.
_Stigmata_ petaliformia, cucullato-bilabiata. _Thunb. Diss. de Iride._
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
IRIS _ochroleuca_ imberbis foliis ensiformibus, scapo subtereti
germinibus hexagonis. _Lin. Syst. Vegetab. p. 90._
[Illustration: 61]
Of the several species of Iris cultivated in our gardens, this excels in
point of height; we have taken our English name therefore from this
character, and not from the term _ochroleuca_, which, if translated,
would be too expressive of the colour of the blossoms of the _Iris
Pseudacorus_, with which the _ochroleuca_ has some affinity in point of
size as well as colour.
Notwithstanding Mr. MILLER's description of his _orientalis_
accords very badly with that of LINNAEUS's _ochroleuca_, they
have been generally considered in this country as one and the same
plant, distinguished by the name of POCOCKE's Iris, Dr.
POCOCKE being the person who, according to MILLER, in
his time first introduced it from _Carniola_ (by inadvertence spelt
_Carolina_, in the 6th 4to edition of the Dictionary). There are
grounds, however, for suspecting some error in the habitat of this
plant, for had it grown spontaneously in Carniola, it is not probable
that SCOPOLI would have omitted it in his _Flora Carniolica_.
Leaving its place of growth to be more accurately ascertained hereafter,
we shall observe, that it appears perfectly naturalized to this country,
growing luxuriantly in a moist rich soil, and increasing, like most of
the genus, very fast by its roots. It flowers later than most of the
others.
[62]
~Centaurea glastifolia. Woad-Leaved Centaurea.~
_Class and Order._
~SyngenesiA Polygamia Superflua.~
_Generic Character._
_Receptaculum_ setosum. _Pappus_ simplex. _Corollae_ radii
infundibuliformes, longiores, irregulares.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
CENTAUREA _glastifolia_ calycibus scariosis, foliis indivisis
integerrimis decurrentibus. _Lin. Syst. Veg. p. 787._ _Gmelin Sib. 2.
p. 83._
CENTAURIUM majus orientale erectum, glasti folio, flore luteo. _Comm.
rar. 39. t. 39._
[Illustration: 62]
Assumes the name of _glastifolia_ from the similitude which the leaves
bear to those of the _Isatis tinctoria_, or _Woad_, _Glastum_ of the old
Botanists.
In this plant we have an excellent example of the _Folium decurrens_ and
_Calyx scariosus_ of LINNAEUS, the leaves also exhibit a curious
phenomenon, having veins prominent on both their sides; the scales of
the calyx are moreover distinguished by a beautiful silvery appearance,
which it is difficult to represent in colours.
It is a native of the East, as well as of Siberia; flowers with us in
July, in the open border, and is readily propagated by parting its roots
in autumn, which are of the creeping kind: requires no particular
treatment.
MILLER, in the last 4to edition of his Dictionary, enumerates a
_Cent. glastifolia_; but his description in detail, by no means accords
with the plant.
[63]
~Fragaria monophylla. One-Leaved Strawberry, or Strawberry of
Versailles.~
_Class and Order._
~Icosandria Polygynia.~
_Generic Character._
_Calyx_ 10-fidus. _Petala_ 5. _Receptaculum_ feminum ovatum, baccatum,
deciduum.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
FRAGARIA _monophylla_ foliis simplicibus. _Lin. Syst. Veg. p. 476._
_Le Fraisier de Versailles. Duchesne Hist. nat. des Frais, p. 124._
[Illustration: 63]
The first mention made of this Strawberry, we find in
DUCHESNE'S _Histoire naturelle des Fraisiers_, where we have
its complete history, and from which we learn, that it was originally
raised by him at Versailles, in the Year 1761, from seeds of the Wood
Strawberry.
From France this plant has been conveyed to most parts of Europe; how it
has happened we know not, but it is certainly very little known in this
country: in the 14th edit of the _Syst. Veg._ of LINNAEUS, it appears as
a species under the name of _monophylla_, originally imposed on it by
DUCHESNE; LINNAEUS, however, has his doubts as to its being a species
distinct from the _vesca_, and, in our humble opinion, not without
reason; for it can certainly be regarded as a very singular variety
only; its origin indeed is a proof of this; in addition to which we may
observe, that plants raised from the runners will sometimes, though very
rarely indeed, have three leaves instead of one: and it is observed by
the very intelligent author of the _Hist. nat._ abovementioned, that
seedling plants sometimes produced leaves with three divisions, like
those of the Wood Strawberry. Besides the remarkable difference in the
number of the leaves in this plant, the leaves themselves are observed
to be much smaller in the winter season, and their ribs less branched;
the runners also are slenderer and more productive, and the fruit in
general more oblong or pyramidal. As an object of curiosity, this plant
is deserving a place in every garden of any extent; nor is its
singularity its only recommendation, its fruit being equal to that of
the finest Wood Strawberry, with which it agrees in the time of its
flowering, fruiting, and mode of treatment.
[64]
~Hemerocallis fulva. Tawny Day-Lily.~
_Class and Order._
~Hexandria Monogynia.~
_Generic Character._
_Corolla_ campanulata: tubo cylindrico. _Stamina_ declinata.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
HEMEROCALLIS _fulva_ foliis lineari-subulatis carinatis, corollis
fulvis. _Lin. Syst. Vegetab. p. 339._