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We may remark that CLUSIUS's figure of this plant is not equally expressive with many of his others.
[138]
KALMIA HIRSUTA. HAIRY KALMIA.
_Cla.s.s and Order._
DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.
_Generic Character._
_Calyx_ 5-part.i.tus. _Corolla_ hypocrateriformis: limbo subtus quinquecorni _Caps._ 5-locularis.
_Specific Character._
KALMIA _hirsuta_ foliis ovato-lanceolatis hirsutis sparsis, floribus racemosis.
[Ill.u.s.tration: No 138]
This new species of Kalmia which we have called _hirsuta,_ the stalk, leaves, and calyx, being covered with strong hairs, was imported from Carolina in the Spring of 1790, by Mr. WATSON, Nurseryman at Islington, with whom several plants of it flowered this present Autumn, about the middle of September, from one of which our drawing was made.
The plants were brought over with their roots enclosed in b.a.l.l.s of the earth in which they naturally grew, which on being examined appeared of a blackish colour, and full of glittering particles of sand; similar indeed to the bog-earth which we find on our moors and heaths; there is therefore little doubt (for no account accompanied the plants) but this Kalmia grows on moorish heaths, or in swamps.
In its general appearance it bears some resemblance to the _Andromeda Daboecii_; from the specimens we have seen its usual height would appear to be from two to three feet; it grows upright; the flowers which are about the size of those of the _Kalmia glauca_, are of a purple colour, and contrary to all the other known Kalmia's grow in racemi.
It is propagated by layers, and requires the same treatment as the rest of the genus, that is, to be planted in bog-earth, on a north border: as this however is a new, and of course a dear plant, it will be most prudent till we know what degree of cold it will bear, to keep it in a pot of the same earth, plunged in the same situation, which may be removed in the Winter to a green-house or hot-bed frame.
[139]
ALSTROEMERIA PELEGRINA. SPOTTED-FLOWER'D ALSTROEMERIA.
_Cla.s.s and Order._
HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.
_Generic Character._
_Corolla_ 6-petala, supera, irregularis. _Stamina_ declinata.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
ALSTROEMERIA _Pelegrina_ caule erecto, corollis campanulatis rectis, foliis lineari-lanceolatis sessilibus. _Linn. Syst. Veg. p. 338.
ed. Murr._ _Amoen. Acad. 6. p. 247. c.u.m icone._
HEMEROCALLIS floribus purpurascentibus maculatis vulgo Pelegrina.
_Feuill. Peruv. 2. p. 711. t. 5._
[Ill.u.s.tration: No 139]
Father FEUILLEE[3] figures and describes three species of _Alstroemeria_, viz. _Pelegrina_, _Ligtu_, and _Salsilla_, common names by which they are severally distinguished in Peru: the present species, which is much valued by the natives on account of its beauty, he informs us is found wild on a mountain to the north of, and a mile distant from Lima.
From Peru, as might be expected, the present plant found its way into Spain, from whence by the means of his beloved friend ALSTROEMER, LINNaeUS first received seeds of it; the value he set on the acquisition is evident from the great care he took of the seedling plants, preserving them through the winter in his bed-chamber.
According to Mr. AITON, this species was introduced to the Royal Garden at Kew, by Messrs. KENNEDY and LEE, as long ago as the year 1753.
Being a mountainous plant, it is found to be much more hardy than the _Ligtu_ already figured, and is generally treated as a green-house plant; it is found, however, to flower and ripen its seeds better under the gla.s.s of a hot-bed frame, where air is freely admitted.
It flowers from June to October, and, though a perennial, is generally raised from seeds, yet may sometimes be increased by parting its roots, which somewhat resemble those of the asparagus: the seeds should be sown in the spring, in a pot of light earth, on a gentle hot-bed, either of dung or tan.
[140]
LUPINUS LUTEUS. YELLOW LUPINE.
_Cla.s.s and Order._
DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.
_Generic Character._
_Calyx_ 2-l.a.b.i.atus. _Antherae_ 5 oblongae, 5 subrotundae. _Legumen_ coriaceum.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
LUPINUS _luteus_ calycibus verticillatis appendiculatis: labio superiore bipart.i.to; inferiore tridentato. _Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14._ _Murr. p. 656._
LUPINUS sylvestris, flore luteo. _Bauh. Pin. 348._
The Yellow Lupine. _Park. Parad. p. 336._
[Ill.u.s.tration: No 140]
The present, with many other species of Lupine, is very generally cultivated in flower gardens, for the sake of variety, being usually sown in the spring with other annuals; where the flower-borders are s.p.a.cious, they may with propriety be admitted, but as they take up much room, and as their blossoms are of short duration, they are not so desirable as many other plants.
It is a native of Sicily, and flowers in June and July.
We have often thought that the management of the kitchen garden, in point of succession of crops, might be advantageously transplanted to the flower garden; in the former, care is taken to have a regular succession of the annual delicacies of the table, while in the latter, a single sowing in the spring is thought to be all-sufficient; hence the flower garden, which in August, September, and part of October, might be covered with a profusion of bloom, exhibits little more than the decayed stems of departed annuals.
