Lorent, as a distinct species, //. rubrum. There is, 
however, no character other than the colour of the 
flowers by which the two can be distinguished, and we 
have therefore reverted here to what would seem to 
have been the view taken by Haussknecht when he 
examined the two plants as they grew under natural 
conditions. The plant which forms the subject of our 
plate flowered in the collection at Kew in June, 1917. 
It was obtained from Messrs. Bees, Limited, of Neston, 
who exhibited it in flower at the Holland Park meeting 
of the Royal Horticultural Society in June, 1914. With 
Messrs. Bees, at Sealand, Cheshire, the plant withstood 
two successive winters and grew to a height of eighteen 
inches, but at Kew it has proved to be tender and has 
died after flowering. Though it continues in flower for 
about two months, it has failed to ripen seeds at Kew, 
but it has been successfully propagated by means of 
cuttings made from young shoots. The yellow-flowered 
form, regarded by the authors of the species as the 
typical one, has not yet been introduced to English 
gardens. The nearest ally of H. laeve is the Arabian 
fH. scabrum, Linn., from which our plant is readily distin- 
guished by its smooth and glabrous, in place of rough 
and glandular stems. 
Description.—Herb, perennial, sending up several stems, in wild plants 
1-2 ft. in height; stems terete, virgate, smooth and glabrous, with many 
axillary branchlets. Leaves linear or on the stouter stems linear-oblong, 
obtuse, usually and especially on the twigs with revolute edges, dotted with 
transparent glands, }-} rarely 1} in. long, ,.-1 in. wide, those of the twigs 
owing to their much revolute edges often under me in. across. Panicle shortly 
ovoid, rather corymbose and dense, very rarely elongated and more open; 
bracts ovate-oblong or oblong, dotted with black glands. Sepals elliptic-oblong 
or ovate-oblong, somewhat obtuse, glandular-crenulate with black glands, 
7y-1o in. long. Petals spreading, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, shortly clawed, 
towards the apex shortly fringed with black glands, }-! in. long, golden-yellow, 
or yellow with a reddish tinge or, in the form figured, scarlet-red, as are the 
filaments and the styles. z 
, 
TAB. 8773.— Fig. 1, a leaf; 2, flower; 3, a group of stamens; 4 and 5, single 
stamens ; 6, pistil :—all enlarged. 
