C *594 ] 



Lachn^a purpurea. Purple-flowered 

 Lachn^ea. 



♦♦♦♦M ♦♦♦♦♦♦$ ♦♦♦♦ 



Oafs and. Order. 



OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 



Generic Characler. 



» 



Col. o. Cor. 4-fida : limbo insequali. Nux fubdrupacea. 

 Specific Character and Synonyms. 



LACHNtEA purpurea; foliis lineari-lanceolatis quadrifariam 



oppofitis patentibus. 

 LACHN7EA purpurea; foliis oppofitis quadrifariam imbricatis, 



capitulis glabris. Hort. Kew. ed. alt. 2. p. 415. 

 LACHN^EA purpurea. Bot. RepoJ. 293. 



This fpecies is, in the Hortus Kewenfis, attempted to be 

 diftinguifhed from eriocephala by the fmoothnefs of its capitula; 

 but this character by no means holds, the woolinefs being very 

 variable in degree in both fpecies ; for though the corolla is 

 lefs hairy in purpurea, yet the infide of the fcales of the involucre 

 is often covered with a denfe wool ; and fometimcs in eriocephala 

 this woolinefs is much diminifhed by the almoit. total want of 

 the involucre, as in our figure, No. 1295. In the prefent 

 fpecies we have obferved the woolinefs to remain long after the 

 flowers have difappeared. The chief diftincf ion is, the leaves of 

 purpurea being far lefs clofely imbricated, longer, and more 

 pointed: the lacinise of the corolla too are both longer and 

 more acute. The filaments are inferted at the fuperior edge of 

 the tube, as in Passerina. 



The Lachn/ea purpurea is a handfome grecnhoufe fhrub, 

 and takes up but little room. It requires plenty of frefh air, 

 being very apt to damp off in the winter if kept too clofe. 



Flowers in June and July. Introduced by George Hib- 

 bert, Efq. from the Cape of Good Hope. Our drawing was 

 made at Meffrs. Lee and Kennedy's, Hammerfmith ; we re- 

 ceived it alfo from Meffrs. Loddiges and Sons. 



