408 , 



CISTUS purpureus. 

 Spotted puiyle Cistus. 



FOLYAKDftlA MONOGYNIA* 



Nat* ord* CiSTf. Jussieu gen. 294* 

 CISTUS. Supr* vol S.foL 225. 



JDm. Exstipulati, jrutieosi* 

 C. purpureus* fruticosus, exstipulatus, foliis lanceolatis ufcrmque acuti* ru- 



gosis, pedunculis brevibus. Lamarck encyc* % 1*. 

 Cistus purpureus. Smith in Rees's encychp. Decand* kort* monsp, 19; 



Persoon svn+ 2. 75# 

 Cistus tad am ferns orientalis, flore purpureo majore. Tournef. w» 19? 



_ Frutexauadripedalis ultrbve rami* numerous ascendentibus, vilhsiusculh, 



Jbliosis. Folia obsc*ro*viridia lanceolata, utrinque attenuata 9 ntinuti r*- 



£wa, margine undulala undo* duas vel duos cum dimtdia longa latitudint 



quinque-octolineari. Flores terminates ampli 9 rosethpurpurei, macule Jitsco* 



sanguined ad basin cujustmc petalu Calyx Joliolis quinque ovali&us* mu~ 



. cronatis, apprcsso-vUlom* Lamarck loc ciL; (ex gallico vers.)* 



This handsome shrub is universally known in our col- 

 lections by the title of Cistus creticus; from which however 

 it has been well distinguished by the industrious and sa- 

 gacious Chevalier de Lamarck in his excellent Encyclo- 

 pedic Botanique. Creticus is much smaller in all its parts 

 than pwpuretts ; has spat ulately lanceolate or ovate leaves, 

 a corolla of one colour not marked with the dark purple 

 spot at the base of each petal so remarkable in the present 

 species* 



Purpureus is supposed to be native of the Levant ; in- 

 deed if really the plant of the synonym we have adduced 

 from Tournefort, there can be no doubt on that bead. We 

 presume its omission in the Hortus Kewensis, has arisen 

 from its having been confounded with creticus: why it has 

 not been adopted by Willdenow, we are unable to say. 



The drawing was taken at the nursery of Messrs. Col- 

 ville, in King's Road, Chelsea; where the plant flowers 

 during the summer months; and is preserved in a garden 

 frame during winter. It is one of long standing in the gar- 

 dens of this country, as well as in those of France. We 

 suspect that the specimen from Tournefort's Herbarium, 

 placed in that of Sir Joseph Banks along with another of the 



s 2 



