William Curtis

“ This is one of those plants which derives its beauty from the multiplication of its petals; in its single state no one would think it deserving of culture as an ornamental plant: when double, few plants come in for a greater share of admiration.
It is a native of the Alps of Europe, and flowers in May and June.
Was very generally cultivated in our gardens in the times of Gerard and Parkinson.
Like most alpine plants, it requires a pure air, and succeeds best in a situation moderately moist and shady; is a hardy perennial, and may be increased by parting its roots in autumn. ”

“ Its chief merit as an ornamental plant consists in its early flowering; its blossoms which are shewy contribute to enliven the green-house in March and April; on their first expanding, they are white, in some plants (for they are subject to great variation) inclined to yellow, in a few days they become purple; to this change of colour observable also in the Cheiranthus maritimus already figured, it owes its name of mutabilis.
In sheltered gardens at the foot of a wall, we have known this species survive a mild winter; it seems indeed to be almost as hardy as the common stock ”

“ Being a native of a warm climate, it comes to the greatest perfection here when placed in a stove in which the heat is moderate; but it will succeed very well if treated as a tender green-house plant: it does not appear to be quite so hardy as the Fuchsia, nor to flower like that plant at all seasons, but usually produces its blossoms in the latter summer months, those are succeeded by seed-vessels producing perfect seeds, by which, as well as by cuttings, the plant is propagated. ”

“ The Ranunculus acris is the first that we offer of these; a plant, in its wild and single state, common in all our rich meadows, and in its improved, or to speak more botanically, in its monstrous state (all double flowers being monsters, for the most part formed from the preternatural multiplication of their petals) it has long been cultivated in gardens abroad, as well as here. ”

“ Miller informs us, that it is a native of Africa and America, extols it as one of the most beautiful of the genus, observes, that it is a very distinct species from the purpurea, of which it has been considered by some as a variety; that it will grow to the height of eight or ten feet, that in favourable seasons the seeds will ripen in the open air, and that it requires the same treatment as other annuals usually raised on a hot-bed. Mr. Aiton considers it as a stove plant, as indeed most of our tender annuals properly are. ”

“ The Coronilla valentina comes very near to the glauca already figured in this work, but may be distinguished by a little attention; the valentina has smaller leaves, which are more numerous, and more truly glaucous; the stipulæ, which in the glauca are small, narrow, and pointed, in the valentina are large, and almost round, and in the young plant are strikingly conspicuous; as the plant comes into flower, they drop off; the valentina is not so much disposed to flower the year through as the glauca, but produces its blossoms chiefly in May, June, and July ”

“ About the year 1786, we received from Philadelphia, seeds of a plant collected at a considerable distance from that city, announced to us as new and rare, and which produced the present species of Dracocephalum: Mr. Watson, Nurseryman at Islington, obtained the same plant from Carolina, about the same period.
It is a hardy perennial, multiplying considerably by its roots, which creep somewhat; it must be planted in a moist soil, and shady situation, for such it affects, and in such only will it thrive. ”

“ In every numerous tribe of plants, many of the species approach so near to each other, that there is much difficulty in distinguishing them; this objection cannot be urged against the present plant, which obviously differs from all the others of the same genus in the particular shape of its leaves and the colour of its blossoms, the latter are usually of a rich and very dark purple edged with white, from whence we apprehend it takes its name of bicolor ”

“ In the greenhouse, where this plant has hitherto been kept, its blossoms come forth as early as January and February, and continue for several months; they will long display their beauty, if the stem be cut off and put in a phial of water.
It is propagated by offsets from its bulbs, and has the appearance of being a plant of kindly growth and easy management. ”

“ The Crown Imperial, though a native of a much warmer climate than ours, is a hardy bulb, and not very nice in regard to soil, succeeds best in such as is stiffish, enriched with manure, and placed in a sheltered situation. ”

“ The usual way of propagating this species, which is of ready and quick growth, is by cuttings, which should be put into the ground as soon as the plant has done flowering; these if properly treated will become handsome plants to place in the green-house at the approach of Winter, and to decorate it the ensuing Spring; in like manner may the green-house be annually recruited with many similar plants to great advantage. ”

“ Linnæus in his Mantissa has somewhat largely described this plant under the name of Lippia ovata, evidently from a dried specimen, which may account for the flowers being described of a dark violet colour; he recommends it to such as might have an opportunity of seeing the living plant, to observe if it was not referable to some other genus; accordingly Mons. L'Heritier, who, when lately in England, saw it in the royal garden at Kew, joined it to the genus Selago, retaining the trivial name of ovata, bractæata would perhaps have been a better name ”

“ Aiton since describes it as a native of the Cape also; of course, we find it more tender than most of its kindred, and hence it is usually regarded as a greenhouse plant; yet, as it is not destroyed by a small degree of frost, it will frequently, like the myrtle survive a mild winter in the open border, especially if trained to a wall: it is rarely of more than two or three years duration.
It is readily raised from seeds sown in the open ground, plants from which flower the August following, and, in favourable seasons, ripen their seeds ”

“ It bears a considerable affinity to the Dracocephalum virginianum, to which, though a much rarer plant, it is inferior in point of beauty; it spreads more on the ground, its flowering stems are not altogether so upright, nor so tall, the leaves are broader, and the flowers in the spikes less numerous. ”

“ Aiton, in 1772, by Mons. Richard, and deserves to be much more generally cultivated.
Some regard it as a biennial, but as seeds of it sown in the spring flower the ensuing summer, and as the plant dies when it has ripened its seeds, there appears more propriety in considering it as an annual.
It is to be sown in the same manner as other hardy annuals; will flower earlier if the seeds have been raised in autumn.
The upper part of the stalk, as well as the leaves of the calyx, are beset with viscous hairs, in which respect it does not perfectly accord with Linnæus's description. Vid. Sp. Pl. ed. ”

“ In all seasons, with us, its foliage, as well as that of most other Crowfoots, is liable to be disfigured, and sometimes nearly destroyed, by a very small maggot which feeds betwixt, the coats of the leaf, and which ultimately produces a small fly, called by us Musca Ranunculi. ”

“ Clusius and Jacquin, by both of whom this species of Aster is figured and described, inform us, that it grows spontaneously on the Austrian Alps: of the many hardy herbaceous species cultivated in our garden, this is by far the most humble in is growth; in its wild state acquiring the height of about four inches, and when cultivated, rarely exceeding eight or nine: its blossoms for its size are large and shewy, making their appearance much earlier than any of the others, viz. ”

“ The two former ones of these have the greatest affinity, inasmuch as they both produce for the most part only one flower, of a white colour, having a very short nectary, edged with orange; to both of these Linnæus's specific description is equally applicable, as well as the trivial name of poeticus, given them indiscriminately by several of the old Botanists, some regarding the first, some the second as the plant mentioned by Theocritus [2] , Virgil [3] , and Ovid [4] ”

“ Should cold winds prevail at the time of their flowering, which they are very apt to do, the plants should be covered with a hand-glass; or, if in a pot, it may be removed into the green-house, which they will not disgrace. ”

“ Dombey, whose flowers, if they do not equal those of the Fuchsia already figured in elegance of form and growth, surpass them somewhat in brilliancy of colour, whence it becomes a most desirable plant for the purpose of ornament.
Professor Jacquin, who first gave a figure and description of this plant, informs us in his Collectanea, that he received seeds of it from Professor Ortega of Madrid, under the name of Celsia linearis, which name he has adopted; and we, from respect to such authority, have continued ”

“ Of the genus Cypripedium, Great-Britain produces only one, America several species; of these the album here figured, (whose name is derived from the whiteness of its petals, and with which the nectary must not be confounded) is by far the most magnificent; indeed there are few flowers which to such singularity of structure add such elegance and beauty: it grows spontaneously in various parts of North-America, and chiefly in the woods; was introduced to the royal garden at Kew, by Mr. ”

“ Though a native of Persia, it bears our severest winters without injury, has a pleasing appearance when in bud, flowers in May, and is readily propagated by suckers; but finer plants, in the opinion of Miller, are raised from seeds. ”

“ A greater proof of the difficulty of increasing these plants need not be adduced than their present scarcity, though vast numbers have been imported, how few can boast of possessing them, or of preserving them for any length of time ”

“ DIANTHUS barbatus floribus aggregatis fasciculatis: squamis calycinis ovato-subulatis tubum æquantibus, foliis lanceolatis. Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 17. Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 88.
CARYOPHYLLUS hortensis barbatus latifolius. Bauh. Pin. 208.
ARMERIUS latifolius simplex. Single Sweete Williams. Park. Parad. p. 321.
No207.
Linnæus, in his Spec. Pl. appears not to have known of what country the Sweet William was a native, and even in the Hortus Kewensis, this circumstance is left undecided; yet Dodonæus, in his Pemptades [7] , mentions its being found wild in Germany, and Prof. ”

“ Is propagated by offsets, which are produced in tolerable abundance.
[195] Cheiranthus Mutabilis. Changeable Wall-Flower.
Class and Order.
Tetradynamia Siliquosa.
Generic Character.
Germen utrinque denticulo glandulato. Cal. clausus foliolis duobus basi gibbis. Sem. plana.
Specific Character.
CHEIRANTHUS mutabilis foliis lanceolatis acuminatis argute serratis, caule frutescente, siliquis pedunculatis. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 2. p. 395.
No195.
The present species of Cheiranthus, unknown both to Miller and Linnæus, was first described in the Hortus Kewensis of Mr. ”