river of the same name, not tar from the sources of the Amazon, 

 gathered by Mr. Mathews (his n. 1 GIG). It is not a little re- 

 markable, considering how distinct these three localities are from 

 each other, and well as they have been explored by many and 

 most able botanists, it should never have found a describer till 

 now that it has thus come to our knowledge through our Floral 

 Gardens. Martins, who made the Amaranthacea of Brazil his 

 special study, and Spruce, who was indefatigable in his researches 

 upon the Amazon river and its tributaries, seem never to have 

 met with it ;* and the specimens in my Herbarium, where it has 

 been for these thirty years seem wholly to have escaped the 

 notice of the author of the Amaranihacea in De Candolle's ' Pro- 

 dromus,' who had access to all of the order in our possession. 

 It is therefore not without reason that we dedicate the plant to 

 Mr. Herbst. The flowering specimen was, with many others, 

 reared by him in the autumn and winter of l>G4-5. 



As the Iresine Herbstii is likely to become of great interest 

 as a bedding-out plant, we shall subjoin an extract from Mr. 

 Herbst's communication to the 'Floral Magazine :' — " It attains 

 a height of from twelve to eighteen inches, and is without any 

 trouble grown into a perfect specimen of the most globular form, 

 as it produces a branch from the axil of every leaf. In a house 

 too warm and close it no doubt grows taller, but even the stopping 

 of the terminal shoot would make it branch very easily. The 

 stem and branches are of a most beautiful, almost transparent 

 carmine, while the leaf itself, strongly bilobed, is of a purplish- 

 crimson underneath, dark maroon on its upper side, with its 

 many broad ribs of a very prominent carmine. There is not a 

 green spot on the whole plant, and whether placed in the shade 

 or in the most brilliant sunshine, it produces a most admirable 

 contrast with plants of a lighter colour. It has neither the gloomy 

 appearance of the Peritta nor the woolly leaf of the Coleus, and 

 is by no means so susceptible of cold and dampness combined 

 as this latter plant. Another advantage it has is, that it does 

 not flower either out-of-doors or in a warm greenhouse, where 

 I have introduced several strong plants on purpose to induce it 

 to flower, but without success." Since that time, however, Mr. 

 Herbst has, by great care, caused plants to produce the panicles 

 of flowers, which to a botanical eye detract in no way from the 

 charm of the plant, as may be seen by our figure. 



Fig. 1. Female flower. 2. The same, with the perianth removed -.—magnified. 

 * See a note on this subject under our next Tab. (5500). 



