- By his Lordfhip’s diretion, I received at the fame time 
from his Gardener, Mr. Wixizttam Dean, the following ins ~ 
formation, in anfwer to my queries :—“ My Lord received the” 
plant from China in 1766 :—it was planted in a confervatory, - 
is now fixteen feet high, and expands ten feet wide :—bears — 
a fucceflion of flowers. from September to March :—the time 
of its firft blowing I cannot precilely afcertain, but believe it 
to be nearly twenty years. back :—it is propagated by layers, 
cuttings, and feeds, the latter it produces moft years at~ 
Croome, but I believe atno other plate in England:—there _ 
are plants of it at Croome fix feet high, in a warm fituation © 
inthe open border, which have ftcod out feveral years by 
being covered with a fingle mat in fevere weather.” 
Not expefting to receive'a plant from Lord Coventry in 
bloom, our drawing was made from one which flowered with 
Mr. Wuir ey, Nurferyman, Old-Brompton, December 22, 
1798, and which .came originally from Croome, his Lord{hip 
having prefented moft of the Nurferymen about town with — 
plants of it; the bloffoms of that from Croome were fome- 
what larger. than thofe here reprefented, and the petals were 
lefs ftriped, indeed almoft wholly tinged with purple, the 
leaves alfo proceeded more from the fummit of the ftalks and 
were of a much greener hue; owing no doubt to. its being 
kept in the confervatory, while Mr. Wurriey’s plant was 
tacked to the outfide of the bottom of the greenhoule. 
-In the. number. ‘of - its. ftamina, which is rarely more -_ 
than five, it does not accord with the charaéter of the clals _ 
icofandria, nor do the feeds agree with the generic character — 
as defcribed by Linnauss oe 
. a 
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