William Curtis

“ It is but a weakly plant at first, and supports itself for a time by the help of some neighbouring shrub or tree; but it grows gradually more robust, and at length acquires a pretty moderate stem, which divides into a thousand weakly declining branches, well supplied with beautiful rosy blossoms on all sides that give it a most pleasing appearance in the season.
"It is chiefly found in cool, moist, and shady places, and grows generally to the height of ten or fourteen feet; but rises always higher when it remains a climber, in which state it continues sometimes. ”

“ It is an annual, growing to about the height of two feet; the whole plant is viscous, and, if bruised, smells somewhat disagreeably; the flowers do not open at any particular time as those of the Mirabilis do, and each contains only three stamina; when they fall off, which they do soon after expanding, the calyx closes on the germen, enlarges, droops, and becomes deeply plaited; on the ripening of the seed it turns brown, expands, and is suspended like a little umbrella over the seed, which when perfectly ripe drops out on the ground ”

“ The Pellitory of Spain is more celebrated as an useful than an ornamental plant, the root which is of a very hot and biting nature being a common application for the cure of the tooth-ach; but, divested of its utility as a medicinal plant, it merits a place in collections on account of the beauty both of its foliage and flowers, the latter are more handsome when in bud than when fully expanded, the underside of the florets being of a fine purple colour, the upper pure white ”

“ The rare and singular species here represented, a native of the warmer parts of America, and the West-Indies, flowered with Mr. Whitley, Nurseryman, Old-Brompton, in Feb. 1799, and at irregular periods before that time; he informs me that it is not constant as to the time of its blowing, and that though the plant flowers with him, it never assumes a fine healthy green appearance, he propagates it by dividing its limbs or branches, which often put forth small roots; the plant grows in a pot, in a mixture of loam and peat or bog-earth, and is kept constantly plunged in the tan-pit of the stove. ”

“ Kew. has many years been cultivated at Kew, and in the stoves of the curious near town, is a native of Malabar and Java; in its native soil it becomes a vast tree, here we rarely see it more than two or three feet high; its flowers are large and shewy, but quickly deciduous, and remarkable for the unpleasantness of their scent, which is like that of the Lycium japonicum, but not being readily exhaled does not infect the air of the stove.
This species is increased without difficulty by cuttings, which quickly produce flowering plants. ”

“ This climber rises with a shrubby stalk to the height of many feet, is very prolific in branches, and produces flowers abundantly from July to September, which are succeeded by ripe seed-vessels and seeds.—As the plant is easily propagated by cuttings, as well as by seeds, it will soon become common to our greenhouses, though it is rather better suited to the conservatory; if its blossoms, which have a great affinity to those of the Foxglove, had more colour in them, the plant would be more desirable: at some future period such may probably be obtained from seeds. ”

“ Our figure was drawn from a very fine healthy plant which flowered in the collection of Lady Downe, at her villa of Bookham-Grove, near Leatherhead, in April 1799; though not enumerated in the Hortus Kewensis, it had produced blossoms in several other collections near town long before this period; those when they once expand are of short duration, but the foliage when healthy is always handsome. ”

“ Corolla scarlet, with a bottom of a whitish green, the three outer petals round at the tip, the three inner fringed at the base; the style red, the flower stems seldom rise more than one foot high; each stem supports two, three, or four flowers, rarely more; they are large, and of a bright copper colour, inclining to red; the spathe which cover the buds before they open, divides into two parts to the bottom, standing on each side the umbel of flowers joined to the peduncles. ”

“ The Genista linifolia is a native of Spain, and was introduced to the royal garden at Kew, by Sir Francis Drake, in the year 1786. Ait. Kew.
The bright yellow flowers, which are abundantly produced on this plant during May and June, joined to the silky appearance of its foliage, has rendered it worthy the notice of most lovers of plants, in whose collections it is now generally found.
It is most successfully propagated by seeds, which usually ripen in this country; it may also be raised from cuttings, but not readily, agreeing in this respect with leguminous plants in general. ”

“ Miller raised this plant in 1732, in a very curious way, from seeds picked out from among raisins.
In its place of growth it is not confined to Spain, but is found in the Levant, Syria, Arabia, and elsewhere; flowers with us from May to July, and may be increased by cuttings of the roots, a mode of propagating by which we sometimes happily succeed with rare and valuable plants when all others fail.
It is a plant not very nice as to the quality of the soil in which it grows, but must have a warm dry situation, will succeed very well in a pot, or it may be planted in the open border ”

“ It forms a neat pretty shrub, which is rendered more desirable by its early flowering; its blossoms are pure white, set off by Antheræ of a lively purple colour; the whole plant has a strong scent very like that of Pennyroyal, but more powerful.
This shrub is one of the many which have been raised within these few years from Botany-Bay seeds, is a greenhouse plant, of easy culture, blows freely, and is readily increased by cuttings. ”

“ It is the only one, as far as we yet know, that has white blossoms; these, when first expanded, are beautifully so, but in the morning they change to a purple colour, fade, and their place is supplied by a fresh succession. In this remarkable change of colour, it bears some affinity to the Œnothera anomala, which may be considered as strengthening our opinion that the latter plant belongs to this genus rather than to that of Gaura. The Œnothera tetraptera is a native of Mexico, its duration as yet not certainly ascertained, but may be treated as a tender annual ”

“ Thunberg having thought fit to make a Gladiolus of that plant, he could do no less than regard this as a Gladiolus also; we regret that the infinite variety to which all the productions of nature are subject should give occasion to versatile minds perpetually to alter genera, often without due consideration. This species flowers in February and March, requires the same treatment as other Cape bulbs, and is propagated in the same manner. ”

“ Flowers appearing before the leaves are fully expanded, and produced in umbels at the extremities of the branches, from eight to twelve or more in an umbel, of a fine yellow colour and agreeable fragrance; each blossom is about the size of that of the horse-chestnut, and as some of them are produced much earlier than others, the plant of course continues a considerable time in bloom, standing on short peduncles; Calyx very short, viscous, and irregularly divided, most commonly into five ovato-lanceolate segments ”

“ Linn. Am. Acad. v. 6. p. 99. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 746. Ait. Hort. Kew. p. 174.
No435.
In the 6th vol. of the Amœnitates Academicæ, Linnæus describes this species of Gnaphalium, most probably from dried specimens collected at the Cape, where it is a native; so insignificant did the plant appear to him, that in his description, he calls it misera; compared with the more magnificent species, such a term might not perhaps be inapplicable: but, though small, the plant possesses much beauty when cultivated, and hence is generally kept in our green-houses. ”

“ Its blossoms are produced in May and June, and sometimes again in autumn; neatly trained to a wall or paling, it makes a beautiful appearance when in flower, the shortness of its shoots renders it a very proper object for this purpose.
Is propagated by seeds, layers, and cuttings; the first are not produced in any great plenty with us. ”

“ These plants will continue many years with proper management, but as young plants always flower better than the old root, so it is scarce worth while to continue them after they have borne good seeds, which should be sown on a hot-bed in the spring. ”

“ It grows readily either in a pot or in the open border, succeeds best when planted in bog earth in a situation moderately moist and shady, and is readily increased by parting its roots, which are somewhat of the creeping kind. ”

“ Although this shrub possesses a certain stiffness, which gives it somewhat the appearance of an artificial flower, yet the fine yellow colour of its blossoms contrasts so well with the rich green of the foliage, that in the flower-pot or bouquet it never fails to have a conspicuous and pleasing effect.
Is a native of the South of Europe and the Levant, was cultivated by Mr. John Gerard, in 1597, and flowers from May to October. Ait. Kew.
Is easily propagated by suckers or layers; as the flowers have no scent, is not so much cultivated as formerly. Miller's Dict. ”

“ MIRABILIS viscosa floribus racemosis; foliis cordatis orbiculato-acutis tomentosis. Cav. Icon. I. n. 17. t. 19.
No434.
The present is one of those plants which is entitled to our admiration, for its curious and singular structure, rather than for any extraordinary figure it makes in a collection; not that its flowers are without a certain share of beauty. ”

“ It thrives best on the sides of ponds or rivulets, and those that would choose to have it flourish in their gardens, where it must naturally make a very elegant appearance, ought to supply it with some support while it continues young and weakly. ”

“ This species is perennial, hardy, and of very humble growth; the leaves grow thickly together, forming a kind of tuft; the flowering stems rarely rise above the height of six inches, and produce on their summits numerous flowers, waved on their edges ”

“ Is easily propagated by parting its roots the latter end of October, prefers a moist soil, but will grow in a dry one; if in severe frosts the stalks, which are rather soft, should be killed, new ones will be put up the following Spring. ”

“ Corolla bright red, funnel-shaped, tube bent somewhat downwards, nearly cylindrical, a little flattened, and glossy, limb divided into six ovato-lanceolate segments, spreading outwards, the uppermost segment incumbent, the three lowermost smaller than the others; Filaments three, whitish, nearly straight; Antheræ oblong, straight, purple; Style red ”

“ ALOE africana brevissimo crassissimoque folio, flore viridi. Comm. hort. 2. p. 11. t. 6. Till. pis. 6. t. 5.
No455.
Though the flowers of this Aloe have little to recommend them, there is much to admire in the form and structure of its leaves; and this pleasing circumstance attends it, it is perfectly distinct from all the other species: when first introduced, it was no doubt an object of great admiration; Fairchild, the celebrated Gardener of Hoxton, who preceded Miller, had it engraved, with several other succulents, on a plate which is prefixed to Dr. ”