William Curtis

“ Some Botanists, whose abilities we revere, are of opinion that the trivial names of plants, which are or should be a kind of abridgment of the specific character, ought very rarely or never to be changed: we are not for altering them capriciously on every trivial occasion, but in such a case as the present, where the science is manifestly advanced by the alteration, it would surely have been criminal to have preferred a name, barely expressive, to one which immediately identifies the plant. ”

“ Grows spontaneously in Portugal; flowers in the open border about the middle of May, is an old inhabitant of our gardens, but, like the triandrus, is now become scarce, at least in the nurseries about London; in some gardens in Hampshire we have seen it grow abundantly: Miller calls it the Hoop Petticoat Narcissus, the nectary, as he observes, being formed like the ladies hoop petticoats.
It certainly is one of the neatest and most elegant of the genus, is propagated by offsets, and should be planted in a loamy soil, with an Eastern exposure. ”

“ Is a native of Spain, and of course a greenhouse plant with us, but it must not be too tenderly treated, as it loses much of its beauty when drawn up, it should therefore be kept out of doors when the season will admit, as it only requires shelter from severe frost, and that a common hot-bed frame will in general sufficiently afford it.
It flowers during most of the summer months; as it rarely or never ripens its seeds with us, the usual mode of propagating it, is by cuttings, which strike readily enough in the common way. ”

“ The present plant, so far as we have been able to determine from cultivating it several years, in our Garden, Lambeth-Marsh, has not shewn the least disposition to increase in the same way, nor have any seedlings arisen from the seeds which it has spontaneously scattered: we have, indeed, found it a plant rather difficult to propagate, yet it is highly probable that at a greater distance from London, and in a more favourable soil, its roots, though not of the creeping kind, may admit of a greater increase, and its seeds be more prolific. ”

“ Grows spontaneously in dry situations, in the southernmost parts of Europe, where it is shrubby; and in similar situations it is so in some degree with us; but on our flower-borders, where it is usually sown, it grows so luxuriantly, that the stalks becoming juicy and tender, are generally destroyed by our frosts; hence it is an annual from peculiarity of circumstance; as such, it is very generally cultivated; the flowers exhibit a pretty, innocent appearance, and strongly diffuse an agreeable honey-like smell. They continue to blow through most of the summer months. ”

“ For want of due discrimination, as Miller has before observed, Nurserymen are apt to collect and mix with this species the seeds of another, viz. the amara, and which persons not much skilled in plants consider as the white variety; but a slight attention will discover it to be a very different plant, having smaller and longer heads, differing also in the shape of its leaves and seed vessels, too trifling a plant indeed to appear in the flower-garden. ”

“ This species, superior in beauty to many of the genus, is an annual, and consequently raised only from seeds, these must be sown in the spring, on a hot-bed, and when large enough to transplant, placed separately in pots of light loamy earth, then replunged into a moderate hot-bed to bring them forward, and in the month of June removed into a warm border, where, if the season prove favourable, they will flower very well towards August; but, as such seldom ripen their seeds, it will be proper to keep a few plants in the stove or greenhouse for that purpose, otherwise the species may be lost. ”

“ Like the majus it is an annual, though by artificial heat it may be kept in a pot through the winter, as usually is the variety of it with double flowers; but as it will grow readily in the open air, in warm sheltered situations, it should be raised on a hot-bed, like other tender annuals, if we wish to have it flower early in the summer, continue long in blossom, and produce perfect seeds. ”

“ As a Botanist, desirous of seeing plants distinct in their characters, we could almost wish it were impossible to raise these foreign Geraniums from seeds; for, without pretending to any extraordinary discernment, we may venture to prophecy, that in a few years, from the multiplication of seminal varieties, springing from seeds casually, or perhaps purposely impregnated with the pollen of different sorts, such a crop will be produced as will baffle all our attempts to reduce to species, or even regular varieties. ”

“ Purple Candy-Tuft is a native of the South of Europe, and flowers in June and July: it should be sown in the spring, on the borders of the flower-garden in patches; when the plants come up, a few only should be left, as they will thereby become stronger, produce more flowers, and be of longer duration. ”

“ We are desirous of putting it in the power of all who cultivate or amuse themselves with plants, to become scientifically acquainted with them, as far as our labours extend; and we deem it of more consequence, that they should be able to ascertain such as are to be found in every garden, than such as they may never have an opportunity of seeing. ”

“ This plant, not less celebrated for its superior efficacy in destroying worms [A] , than admired for its beauty, is a native of the warmer parts of North America; the older Botanists, and even Linnæus, at one time considered it as a honeysuckle, but he has now made a new genus of it, which he has named in honour of Spigelius, a Botanist of considerable note, author of the Ifagog. ”

“ Grows wild in the corn fields of most of the warmer parts of Europe, varies with white and flesh-coloured blossoms, increases so fast, both by offsets and seeds, as to become troublesome to the cultivator; hence, having been supplanted by the Greater Corn-Flag, the Byzantinus of Miller, whose blossoms are larger, and more shewy, it is not so generally found in gardens as formerly. ”

“ Grows naturally in France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey; bears our climate extremely well; is a common shrub in our nurseries and plantations, which it much enlivens by its yellow blossoms: flowers from June to August, or longer in cool seasons.
Is raised by seeds, which generally come up plentifully under the shrubs.
Miller mentions a variety of it, which, as inferior to the common sort, does not appear to be worth cultivating. ”

“ Though the Epilobium here figured has not been many years introduced into this country, it is a plant which has long been well known, and described.
Linnæus makes it a variety only of the Epilobium angustifolium; Haller, a distinct species, and in our opinion, most justly.
Those who have cultivated the Epilobium angustifolium have cause to know that it increases prodigiously by its creeping roots. ”

“ It is a very proper plant for a wall or piece of rock-work; care must be taken, however, not to sow too much of the seed in one pot, as it spreads wide, but it may easily be reduced at any period of its growth, as it does not creep at the root. ”

“ According to Miller, this species grows naturally in Jamaica, and most of the other Islands in the West-Indies, where it is called wild Sage; the flowers, which are very brilliant, are succeeded by roundish berries, which, when ripe, turn black, having a pulpy covering over a single hard seed.
It is readily propagated by cuttings.
Different plants vary greatly in the colour of their blossoms, and the prickliness of their stalks; the prickles are seldom found on the young shoots. ”

“ Though this plant will not succeed well in the winter, nor be easily propagated unless in a stove, it will flower very well during the summer months, in a good greenhouse or hot-bed frame, and though at present from its novelty it bears a high price, yet as it is readily propagated, both by layers, cuttings, and seeds, it will soon be within the purchase of every lover of plants. ”

“ Its trivial name of tricolor it receives from the three colours observable in the flowers; but it must be noticed, that it is only at the middle period of its flowering, that these three colours are highly distinguishable; as it advances, the brilliant orange of the top flowers dies away; the spots on the leaves also, which when the plant is young, give it the appearance of an orchis, as it advances into bloom become less and less conspicuous.
Like most of the Cape plants, the Lachenalia requires to be sheltered in the winter ”

“ It is propagated by sowing its seeds any time in the spring in a bed of common earth; and when the plants are come up, they must be kept clear from weeds, and the Michaelmas following they should be transplanted either into nursery-rows, or in the places where they are designed to remain; for if they are let grow in the seed-bed too long, they are very subject to have tap roots, which render them unfit for transplanting ”

“ A native of Crete, and other parts of the East.
"Flowers most part of the summer, but seldom ripens seeds in England; will continue for several years, if kept in pots and sheltered in winter, for it will not live in the open air during that season; if placed under a common hot-bed frame, where it may enjoy as much free air as possible in mild weather, it will thrive better than when more tenderly treated. ”

“ It flowers during most of the summer months, succeeds very well with the common treatment of a greenhouse plant in the summer, but does best in a dry stove in the winter.
Is readily increased by parting its roots. ”

“ James; is too tender to live abroad in England, so the plants must be kept in pots, and in the winter placed in a warm airy glass cafe, but in the summer they should be placed abroad in a sheltered situation. It may be easily propagated by cuttings during the summer season, and also by seeds, but the plants which have been two or three times propagated by cuttings, seldom are fruitful." Miller's Gard. Dict.
It continues to flower during the whole of the summer; as it is very apt to die off without any apparent cause, care should be taken to have a succession of plants from seeds, if possible. ”

“ It may be easily propagated by cuttings, which if planted in a shady border and covered with hand-glasses, in any of the summer months, they will take root in a month or six weeks, and may be afterwards planted in pots and treated like the old plants. ”

“ GORTERIA rigens foliis lanceolatis pinnatifidis, caule depresso, scapis unifloris. Lin. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. 783. Sp. Pl. ed. 3. p. 1284.
ARCTOTIS ramis decumbentibus, foliis lineari-lanceolatis rigidis, subtus argenteis. Mill. Dict. et Icon. t. 49.
ARCTOTHECA foliis rigidis leniter dissectis. Vaill. act. 1728. n. 9.
No90
The Gorteria, of which there are several species, and most of them, like the present, natives of the Cape, has been named in honour of David de Gorter, author of the Flora Zutphanica and Ingrica ”

“ Fuchsia Coccinea. Scarlet Fuchsia.
Class and Order.
Octandria Monogynia.
Generic Character.
Calyx 1-phyllus, coloratus, corollifer, maximus. Petala 4, parva, Bacca infera, 4-locularis, polysperma.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
FUCHSIA coccinea foliis oppositis ovatis denticulatis; petalis obovatis, obtusis. Hort. Kew.
THILCO Feuillée it. 3. p. 64. t. 47. ”