tion as a greenhouse plant in 1788, and its re-discovery in 

 the greenhouse of the Oxford Botanic Garden in 1867; the 

 fact being, that the much hardier F. Magellanica was im- 

 ported from wintry Tierra del Fuego very shortly after the 

 introduction of P. coccinea, and immediately usurped its 

 name and spread it to every garden in the kingdom, whilst 

 the true plant lingered in Botanic Gardens, lastly sur- 

 viving (greatly to the credit of the Baxters, father and 

 son) in that of Oxford alone. It may be more common 

 abroad, and is almost naturalized in Madeira, according to 

 Mandon. 



The native country of the true coccinea is unknown ; it is 

 probably Brazilian, as it resembles the Brazilian more than 

 the Western or Southern American species ; Salisbury says 

 it was introduced by Vandelli from Brazil, whereas Aiton 

 attributes its introduction to a Captain Frith, from Chili. 



The evidence of the plant here figured being the true and 

 original plant of Aiton's ' Hortus Kewensis,' ed. 1, rests on 

 the fact that named specimens of the same are preserved in 

 the Banksian Herbarium of the British Museum, and in Sir 

 J. Smith's Herbarium at the Linnean Society, all procured at 

 Kew in the year of the introduction of the plant, and at the 

 date of its being described by Aiton. 



The Royal Gardens are indebted to Mr. Baxter for one of 

 the two plants preserved at Oxford, and from this the figure 

 here given was made. 



As a species, F. coccinea is much more graceful than any 

 of the varieties of F. Magellanica, flowers even more freely, 

 and is readily distinguished by the almost sessile leaves with 

 broad bases, and the hairy twigs and petioles ; further, its 

 foliage turns of a bright crimson when about to fall. — ■ 

 /. R H. 



Yig. 1. Flower, with one calyx-lobe removed : — magnified. 



