TRADESCANTtA difiotof. LHcrit. SerL Angl 8. /. ti. 



Hart. Kew. 1. 403. Smith Ic. Pitl. /. to, 



<S:cartz. fl. Lid. Ucc. 1. 607. Lit. a Red. 



t. 1 68. Lam. lllnjh. /. 226. /. 2. IVilld. 



•V/>. PL 2. 18. 

 T, fpathacea. Swartz, Prod. 57. 



Dkscr. /?oo/ fibrous; root/lock lengthened upwards into a 

 fhort caudex ; leaves from fix inches to a foot long, green on 

 the upper, crimfon-coloured on the under furface, older ones 

 more. flatly expanded than the younger, upper forming a ftcrile 

 coma; Jheaths on the bafe of the /capes or peduncles 1—3, 

 convolute conduplicate, of the fame fubftance, and nearly of 

 the fame fhape as the valves of the involucre, but elongated 

 and fomewhaf narrowed downwards, while thole are broader 

 than they are long at the bafe, opaquely membranous, nerved- 

 ftriate, often tinged with purplifh red ; receptacle of the in- 

 florefcence a Ipongy tranfverfely enlarged, crifta<ely compreffed 

 knob at the end of the fcape ; inflorescence of a circumference 

 fimilar to that of the involucre, which it fills up; pedicles one- 

 Howered, filiform, thickened towards their fummit, about the 

 length of the involucre, each fheathed by a tranfparent>///«fAW 

 brafte, in which it has been at firlt enveloped, gradually 

 erected from an involute polition, to which it reverts 

 partially when the corolla decays; calyx of the fame form and 

 expanfion as the corolla, leaflets membranous, of a watery 

 femitranfparent white colour, fometimes tinged with red; 

 petals alternating with thefe, rather larger, opaquely white, 

 far tenderer and more fucculcnt ; hairs on the Jlamens minutely 

 and clofely jointed in the manner of the antenna: of fmall 

 infects ; loculaments of the anthers faffron- coloured, linear-oblong, 

 placed oppofite to each other along the edge of the femicircularly 

 lamellate receptacle, the chord of which is uppermoft ; fifi'd 

 about even with thefe ; lobes of the gcrmen angularly com- 

 preffed, with a depreffed ftrcak along the edge \ ftyU rather 

 longer than germen. The fruit we did not obtain ; but it has 

 been minutely defcribed by others. We did not perceive any 

 Iccnt in any part of the plant. 



Brought from the countries bordering the Gulf of Mexico 

 to Jamaica ; whence it has been imported into this country. 

 Requires to fre kept in the ftove. Propagates abundantly both 

 by offsets and feed. Of eafy culture. Our drawing was 

 made from a plant that bloomed laft February in Mr. Vere's 

 noihoufc at Kenfington-Gore. G. 



