[ 74i ] 



Lobelia Gracilis. Slender-Stemmed 



Lobelia. 



$ ♦ $$ $ ♦ ♦ ♦♦ ♦ # ♦♦$♦♦# 



Clafs and Order, 



Syngenesia Monogamia. L. 



Pentandria Monogynia. Willd. 



Generic Character. 



Cat. 5-fidus. Cor. l-petala, irregularis. Cap/, infera, 2 feu 

 3-locularis. 



Specific Charatler and Synonyms. 



LOBELIA gracilis ; foliis ovatis incifis, caule divifo, racemis 

 terminalibus fubnudis, corollse labio fuperiore 

 barbato. 



LOBELIA gracilis. Bot. Repof. t. 340. 



Our drawing of this lively annual was taken at Mr. Col- 

 ville's, King's-Road, Chelfea, in September laft, but was firft 

 raifed in the garden of George Hibberts, Efq. at Clapham, 

 in 1801, from feeds fent by his Collector from the Cape of 

 Good Hope. It is an annual of eafy culture if it ripen its 

 feeds, which it will not do in this country unlefs raifed on a 

 gentle hot bed in the Spring and planted out about the latter 

 end of May. 



In feveral of the Lobelias it is not eafy to determine whether 

 the capfule be fuperior or inferior; in fome the calyx adheres 

 only to the lower part of the capfule, leaving fo large a portion 

 free, that it may be confidered as much a capfula fupera as 

 infera. This is remarkably the cafe in this fpecies. 



We have fome fufpicion that our plant may be the Lobelia 

 patula of Th un berg, but from his very imperfe6l defcription 

 alone, it is impoffible to afcertain this. It agrees with his 

 obfervation of feldom having flowers and leaves at the fame 

 time, but as he fays " caulibus patulo diffufis," his plant would 

 not feem to be an annual with only one (talk, therefore we 

 have not dared to adopt the name of palate* 



