Tab. 5813. 

 dahlia imperialis. 



Imperial Dahlia. 



Nat. Ord. Composite — Stnoehesja Scperflua. 



Gen. Char. — Capitulum radiatum, fl. radii ligulatis foemiueis neutrisve, 

 disci tubulosis 5 dentatis. Involucntm duplex, exterius squamis foliaceis 1- 

 serialibus circa 5 patulis retlexisve ; interius squamis subbiserialibus basi 

 inter se coalitis. Receptaculum planum, paleaceum, paleis membranaceis 

 oblongis indivisis. Styli rami erecti aut subincurvi, crassi, extus piliferi. 

 Anthera ecaudate, appendiculatse. Achccnium oblongo-obovatum, obcom- 

 pressum, epapposum, apice obsolete bicorne. Herbae Mexicanae grandes. 

 Folia opposite, /nioiatipartita, rarius bipinnatipartita, segmentis ovatis acutis 

 serratis. Radices fasciculate!, a/iis n/lindricis, aliis oblongo-tuberculatis. 

 Rami apice dongaU, nudi, 1-cephaU. C'apitula versicolora, disco nempe luteo, 

 radio purpureo roseo albo autjlaco. — D. C. Prod. 



Dahlia imperial is ; caule elato 4-6-gono nodoso, ramis brachiatia inter - 

 nodiis subtomentosia, foliis amplis 2-3-pinnatisectis, foliolis ovatis 

 acuininatis serratis sparse pilosis, petiolo basi dilatato cymbiformi, 

 cvmis ad apices ramulorum 3-chotome ramosis, capitulis 3-nis longe 

 pedioellatie nutantilnis maximis, involucri squamis exterioribus 5 her- 

 bae. is oblongo-spathtllatifl obtusis, interioribus lineari- oblongis obtusis 

 pellucidis, ligulis foemiueis ianceolatis acuminatis albis roseo-tinctis. 

 Dahlia imperialis, JRoezl. ex Ortgies in Regel Gartenjlora, v. xii. p. 243, t. 

 407-408 (1863). 



For our first knowledge of this most magnificent plant we 

 were indebted to an article and drawing contributed to 

 Kegel's Gartenflora, by M. E. Ortgies, of the Zurich Botanic 

 Garden ; where, however, the specimen described and figured 

 is literally not one-third the size of that here given, and 

 very inferior in beauty; the flowers being in the German 

 plate only two and a half inches in diameter, and of a pure 

 white, whilst ours are seven inches in diameter, tinged with 

 faint lilac and streaked with blood-red at the base. This in- 

 crease of size cannot, as might be suspected, be due to, or ac- 



JANUARV 1st, 18 70. 



