Part 60

OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Eight Chives. One Pointal.

ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.

CALYX infundibuliformis, quadrifidus. Petala quatuor, calyci inserta. Semen unicum, subbaccatum.

EMPALEMENT funnel-shaped, and four-cleft, Petals four, inserted into the empalement. One seed, something like a berry.

See GNIDIA PINIFOLIA, Plate LII.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Gnidia, foliis linearibus, acutis, lævibus; floribus terminalibus, sessilibus, luteis.

Gnidia, with linear, pointed, smooth leaves; flowers terminating the branches, sitting close upon them, and yellow.

REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.

1. A Flower, (natural size). 2. The same cut open, and magnified. 3. The Pointal, (natural size). 4. The same magnified.

The flowers of this species of Gnidia, like most plants of this natural order, are fragrant, which increases much towards night. It is one of those delicate Cape plants requiring a dry stove, or an airy warm situation in the greenhouse; where it continues to flower through the months of April and May, and frequently will blossom a second time in September and October. It is easily propagated by cuttings; delighting most in peat earth, and seldom grows more than a foot high. Our drawing was made, (by his kind permission) at the beautiful and unique conservatory of R. James, Esq. Grosvenor-place, from a plant in his valuable and select collection, in May this year.

Unfortunately the G. Simplex having been introduced to our gardens before the G. Pinifolia, (see our figure, Pl. LII.) it was found in most collections under that title; but we have no hesitation in placing this plant under the specific name given it by Linnæus, in his Mantissa Plantarum of 1767, page 67; where, to the usual specific character, he has superadded an accurate description of it.

PLATE LXXI.

CLEMATIS VIORNA.

Blue thick-petal’d Virgin’s Bower.

CLASS XIII. ORDER VII.

POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA. Many Chives. Many Pointals.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

PERIANTHIUM. Calyx nullus.

COROLLA. Petala quatuor, oblonga, laxa.

STAMINA. Filamenta plurima, subulata, corolla breviora. Antheræ lateri filamentorum adnatæ.

PISTILLUM. Germina plurima, subrotunda, compressa, desinentia in stylos subulatos, staminibus longiores. Stigmata simplicia.

PERICARPIUM nullum. Receptaculum capitatum, parvum.

SEMINA plurima, subrotunda, compressa, stylo (figura varia) instructa.

EMPALEMENT. Cup none.

BLOSSOM. Petals four, oblong, flexible.

CHIVES. Threads many, awl-shaped, shorter than the blossom. Tips fixed to the sides of the threads.

POINTAL. Seed-buds many, nearly round, flattened, ending in awl-shaped shafts, longer than the chives. Summits simple.