Part 52

Ixia foliis linearibus, fistulosis; floribus secundis, noctu fragrantes; bulbus campanulatus, margine acuto-fibroso.

Ixia with linear, hollow leaves; flowers pointing one way, and fragrant by night; bulb bell-shaped, the margin edged with sharp fibres.

REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.

1. The outer spath of the Empalement. 2. The inner spath of the Empalement. 3. A Flower cut open. 4. The Pointal, and Chives. 5. The Pointal.

This Ixia is of a very delicate nature, the root being subject to rot soon after the flower decays, if not then removed from its pot, and dried; the flowers expand about four o’clock in the afternoon, and are so extremely fragrant that they are smelt at a considerable distance. For this plant, our gardens are indebted to the Dowager Lady De Clifford, who received the bulbs from the Cape of Good Hope in the year 1794. The drawing was made from a plant, which flowered last year at Messrs. Lee and Kennedy’s, Hammersmith, who had some of them in a present from her ladyship. Like other Ixias, it should be planted in light peat, and watered but seldom; its propagation is but slow, as seldom more than one new bulb is produced, upon the decay of the old one.

PLATE LX.

GERANIUM PUNCTATUM.

Dotted-flowered Geranium.

CLASS XVI. ORDER IV. Suppl. System. Veget. 1781.

MONODELPHIA DECANDRIA. Threads united. Ten Chives.

ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.

MONOGYNA. Stigmata 5. Fructus rostratus, 5-coccus.

ONE POINTAL. Five summits. Fruit furnished with long awns, five dry berries.

See GERANIUM GRANDIFLORUM, Plate XII.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Geranium foliis radicalibus; floribus umbellatis, diandris; petalis duobus superioribus punctatis; stigmata quatuor.

Geranium with leaves growing from the root; flowers grow in umbels, two fertile chives; the two upper petals being dotted; summits four.

REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.

1. The Empalement cut open, with the Chives and Pointal left on, (natural size). 2. The Threads cut open, to shew their number, and the situation of the two fertile ones, (magnified). 3. The Pointal, (magnified).

Perhaps amongst plants, there is no genus exhibits such varied and numerous species as Geranium; no one, in which the species are so allied in natural character, or so unfavourable to the sexual system, if some deviation from general rules was not allowed: the founder thought such licence necessary, and we implicitly follow him. Thus far we have thought proper to extenuate in the present instance; for should we follow Mons. L’Heritier, (as most of the modern correctors of Linnæus have done,) a new genus must inevitably be formed for this plant. Upon a close examination of the flowers, from a dozen different plants, invariably, only seven threads were found; two only with tips, and those placed immediately behind the shaft, whose summits were but four. This Geranium is rather tender, and requires a dry-stove heat to make it flower, which it will readily do with such assistance, in April; about the beginning of which month, this year, a drawing was made from a plant in the collection of Messrs. Lee and Kennedy. The roots or bulbs of this plant were first received in England by Thomas Johnes, Esq. in the year 1794, in whose magnificent conservatory at Havod they flowered the next year.

PLATE LXI.

ASTER DENTATUS.

Toothed-leaved Starwort.

CLASS XIX. ORDER II.

SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA. Tips united. Superfluous Pointals.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

CALYX. Communis squamoso-imbricatus; squamis interioribus apice prominulis.

COROLLA. Composita radiata; corollulæ hermaphroditæ numerosæ in disco; femineæ ligulatæ, decem plures in radio.