369 



DIOSMA hirta. 



Purple I>iosma. 



PENTANDRIA MQNOOYNU. 



Nat. ord. Rutac&b* Jussieu gen. 269. Dm III. Genera Rutaceis 



affinia. 



Diosme^. Brown gen. rem. in app* to Flind. wu. 2. 54*5. 

 DIOSMA. Supr&foL 366. 



JD/v. Agathosma. Fitnmentis alternis sterilibus cochleari-petaliformibus. 

 D. foliis lanceolatiscarinatis imbricatis hirtis, corymbis terminalibus, stami- 

 nibus quinque sterilibus, germinibus apice biglandulosis. Venten. maU 

 tnais. 72. 



Diosma hirta. Lamarck encyc. 2. 286. illustr. tab. 127 rDiosmal jfe.3. 

 Hort. Ketv. ed. 2. % 30. ° 



Diosma purpurea. Herb. Banks* 



Frutex ericoides, protifero~ramosus : rami 8-10, longiores caute 9 erect*- 



paten t es 9 Jbliosi, pubescentes; ramuli apice jloriferi. You sparsa, tub$estilia $ 



linear i-subulata > subtus convexo-carinata, htrta, suprh concave* glabra, punc* 

 tata> saturate virentia, trita odorem aromaticumjitndentia, inferior a patentia, 

 mperiora imbricato<07iferta ; petioli brevissitni tuberculo decurrenti impositi f 

 aloicantes. Urabellae terminates, convexa, confertm ; flores numerosi, parvi 9 

 tntensius roseo'purpurei •• pedicelli capillacei f pubescentes, purpurei 9 duplo 

 lonviores Jlore, ebracteati. Cal. duplo brevior 40orolla } segments lanceolati$ 9 

 extus yubescentibm. Pet. 5, disco hypogyno inserta, unguiculata, erecto- 

 patentia ; ungues JUiformes longitudine catycis; laminae ovules obtusa, longi* 

 tudine unguium. Fit. 10, eodem piano cum petalis inserta, alterrii} sterilia : 

 sterilia petalis opposita et eorum concolora, hnearia, obtusa> concava* inferni 

 pubescentia, longitudine unguium petalorwm; fertilia subulata 9 albida, cord" 

 lam cequantia: anth. erecta, ovales, obtusa* compresses, quadrisulcata, ru- 

 bescentes. Germ. globosum, suprti biglandulosum f disco tmmersum ; stylus 

 rectus, corolla concolor, jiliformts, longitudine staminum. PlurimOm ex gall. 

 Venten. 1. c. vers. 



The present species has been very generally mistaken by 

 our gardeners and nurserymen for Diosma rubra, so much 

 so that we have never met with it in any of our collections 

 under its real name. It is one of the prettiest and liveliest 

 flowered of the genus, and continues in bloom most part 

 of the spring and summer. Introduced from the Cape of 

 Good Hope (where the whole generic group is native) by 

 Mr. Masson, about 1 794. Requires the same treatment as 

 the Cape Heaths, and is easily propagated by cuttings. 



A beathlike shrub, proliferously branched: branches 

 8*10, longer than the stem, open, upright, leafy, furred; 



