spinous branches, somewhat thickly beset with smooth roundish leaves; the blossoms grow alternately on the branches, and when the plant begins to flower, one opens generally every other morning, but so delicate are its parts, that on a hot summer's day it fades before noon: the petals are white; the filaments, which are extremely numerous, are white below, and of a rich purple above; in these the beauty of the flower chiefly consists, as in the pistillum or pointal does its great singularity; at first view, one would be led to conclude, that the part so conspicuous in the centre of the flower was the style terminated by the stigma in the usual way; but if we trace this part of the flower to a more advanced state, we shall perceive, that what we took for the style, was merely an elongation of the flower-stalk, and what we took for the stigma, was in reality the germen placed on it, crowned with a minute stigma, without any intervening style; this germen swells, turns downward, and ultimately becomes the seed-vessel, rarely ripening in this country.

Miller observes, that these plants are with difficulty preserved in England, for they delight to grow in crevices of rocks, and the joints of old walls and ruins, and always thrive best in an horizontal position; so that when they are planted either in pots or the full ground, they rarely thrive, though they may be kept alive for many years.

It flowers in May and June, and is usually raised from seeds.

Mr. Aiton regards it as a greenhouse plant, and informs us that it was cultivated by Gerard in 1596.

[292]

Passerina Grandiflora. Great-Flowered Passerina.

Class and Order.

Octandria Monogynia.

Generic Character.

Cal. 0. Cor. 4-fida. Stamina tubo imposita. Sem. 1. corticatum.

Specific Character and Synonyms.

PASSERINA grandiflora glaberrima, foliis oblongis acutis concavis extrinsecus rugosis, floribus terminalibus sessilibus solitariis. Linn. Suppl. Pl. p. 226.

The Passerina here figured, distinguished from all the other known species by the largeness of its flowers, is described in the Suppl. Pl. of the younger Linnæus, but not enumerated in the Hortus Kewensis of Mr. Aiton: it is indeed a plant recently introduced to this country from the Cape; we saw it last Summer in great perfection, at Messrs. Lee and Kennedy's, Hammersmith; it forms a small neat shrub, somewhat like the Phylica ericoides, is a hardy greenhouse plant, flowering in May and June, and increased without difficulty from cuttings.

[293]

Catananche Cærulea. Blue Catananche.

Class and Order.

Syngenesia Polygamia Æqualis.

Generic Character.

Recept. paleaceum. Cal. imbricatus. Pappus aristatus, caliculo 5 seto.

Specific Character and Synonyms.

CATANANCHE cærulea squamis calicis inferioribus ovatis. Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 722. Ait. Kew. v. 3. p. 134.

CHONDRILLA cærulea cyani capitulo. Bauh. Pin. 130.

The Catananche cærulea is a native of the South of France, where it grows in hilly situations that are stony: it is a perennial herbaceous plant, moderately hardy, and has long been cultivated in our gardens, Mr. Aiton says, by Parkinson in 1640: Miller, who treats of it in his Dictionary, describes it as a pretty ornament to a garden, and one that is easily kept within bounds; there is certainly much about it to excite our admiration, more especially in the structure of the calyx, and the florets: the flowers, which are of a pale blue colour with a dark eye, make their appearance from July to October.

It is propagated by seeds, which Miller recommends to be sown in the Spring; the seedlings should be transplanted in the Autumn, into the borders where they are to remain; it may also be increased by slips: the plant requires a situation moderately dry, and is most productive of flowers and seeds when it stands long in one spot.

In the 14th edit. of the Systema Vegetab. of Prof. Murray, mention is made of a variety with double flowers, which we believe has not been seen in this country.

[294]

Amaryllis Sarniensis. Guernsey Amaryllis.

Class and Order.

Hexandria Monogynia.

Generic Character.

Cor. hexapetaloidea irregularis. Filamenta fauci tubi inserta declinata inæqualia proportione vel directione. Linn. fil. Ait. Kew. p. 415.

Specific Character and Synonyms.

AMARYLLIS sarniensis, petalis linearibus planis, staminibus pistilloque rectiusculis corolla longioribus, stigmatibus partitis revolutis. Linn. fil. Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 420. Thunb. Jap. p. 131.

LILIUM sarniense. Dougl. Monogr. t. 1, 2.

NARCISSUS japonicus rutilo flore. Corn. Canad. Kæmpf. Amæn. p. 872.

The Guernsey Lily, as it is most commonly called, is originally a native of Japan; where it is described to grow by Kæmpfer and Thunberg, who visited that island, the latter says on the hills about Nagasaki, from thence roots are said to have been introduced to the garden of Johannes Morinus at Paris, in which it flowered, October 1634: its introduction to this country, which was subsequent to that date, as Dr. Douglass relates in his Monographia on this plant, "happened by a very singular melancholy accident, of which Dr. Morison, who no doubt had it from some persons then residing in Guernsey, gives us the following account: A Dutch or English ship, it is uncertain which, coming from Japan, with some of the roots of this flower on board, was cast away on the island of Guernsey; the roots were thrown upon a sandy shore, and so by the force of the winds and waves, were soon buried in sand; there they remained for some years, and afterwards, to the great surprise and admiration of the inhabitants, the flowers appeared in all their pomp and beauty." Some of these soon made their appearance in this country: Mr. Aiton relates, that the plant was cultivated here in 1659, by General