C 5H 3 

 Lobelia Bicolor. Spotted Lobelia, 



% \& » $ * ♦ '♦ .♦ :♦ ♦ , ♦ ♦. * fr i ' 



C/4/} a»d Order. 

 Pentandria Monogynia. 

 Generic Character. 

 Cat. 5-fidus. Cor. l-pctala irregularis. Anthers fubcoalitae. 

 Cap/. 2 — 5-locularis infera. 



Specific Cbaracler and Synonyms. 

 LOBELIA lico!or y caulibus patulis foliis inferioribus oblongis 

 dcntatis pubefcentibus fubfevlilibus, corollis bila- 

 biatis: labio fuperiori reflexo. 



In fo extenfive a genus as the Lobelia, fo few of which 

 have been accurately figured, or even fully defcribed, it is not 

 to be wondered at if fome confufion fhould prevail. This is 

 efpecially the cafe among the fmaller fpecies. 



The pretty lively little plant which is here figured, flowered 

 laft fummer in the Botanic Garden at Brompton, and in fome 

 other collections about town; the bright blue corolladiftinguiihes 

 it at firft fight from the pubefcens, which has white flowers ; we 

 were, however, inclined to confider it only as a variety, but 

 from a confideration of the defcription and figure, by Mr. 

 Salisbury, in bis hones planfarum rariorum, it feems to differ 

 in many material points, and poffibly it may be the very plant 

 that he has diftinguifhed from his alyjjifolia, the pubefcens of the 

 Kew Catalogue, under the name of Lobelia Erinoides ; but cer- 

 tainly is not the erinoides of Lin n,eus, a fmaller, more delicate, 

 tr tiling plant with flower-ftalks fhorter than the leaves. It 

 agrees fo well with the fpecific character of Lobelia Erinus, 

 as given in the Mantijfa Plantarum> that we were once 

 inclined fo to determine it ; but upon a careful examination of 

 the fpecimens in Sir Joseph Banks's Herbarium, it appears 

 to be certainly different from the one which is there marked, 

 as having been compared with the Linnean Herbarium ; nor 

 does it appear perfe&ly to correfpond with any fpecimen in 

 Sir Joseph's extenfive colle&ion : we hope therefore to ftand 

 excufed for having applied a new name and fpecific character. 

 This we do always unwillingly, and never, when we can be 

 tolerably fatisfied that our plant is the fame that has been pre- 

 vioufly defcribed. 



It is an annual which readily perfect its feeds if brought 

 forward by being fown in a hot-bed in the Spring, and treated 

 the fame as other tender annuals. 



