iimilar, but feffile and fometimes fimple. Involucre of about ten 

 leaflets, ovate-lanceolate, acute, entire at the bafe, but from 

 the middle upwards finely fawed, and the ferratures armed with 

 fharp prickles, white with green veins underneath, and rofe- 

 coloured on the upper fide, increasing in fize and becoming 

 greener after the flowering is over. Florets on erect pedicles the 

 length of the involucre, many of them fterile, not only in the 

 circumference, but alio intermixed with the fertile florets : the 

 lateral umbels confift chiefly of male or fterile florets, with only 

 a few fertile ones intermixed. The whole flower poffeffes 

 brighter colours than the major or minor, and is therefore con- 

 fiderably more ornamental than either. 



Although this plant was defcribed and figured by Pallas, 

 fo long fince as the year 1790, under the name of Astrantia 

 maxima, yet Willdenow took it up as new, calling it hetero- 

 phylla ; which name was adopted by Persoon, in his Synopfis 

 Plantarum, and by Mr. Marschal v. Bieberstein, in his 

 Flora Taurico-Caucafica. That the latter, who trod as it were 

 in the footfteps of Pallas, and muft, one would fuppofe, be 

 well acquainted with his Caucafean plants at leaft, fhould have 

 made no mention of the original difcoverer, is really furprifing; 

 and the more fo, as the feeds were repeatedly fent from Caucafus 

 to Mr. Loddiges, under Pallas's name of A. maxima. 



Mr. Salisbury, in the Paradifus Londinenfis, ftill con- 

 fidering this plant as undefcribed, gave it the appropriate name 

 of helleborifolia, under which it appears in the new edition of the 

 Hortus Kewenfis. We have thought it incumbent on us to 

 reftore the original name, retaining that of Hellebore-leaved as 

 the Englifli one, which we truft will tend rather to leffen, than 

 increafe the confufion. 



A hardy herbaceous perennial. Flowers in June and July. 

 Native of the higheft mountains of Iberian Caucafus. Intro- 

 duced, according to Mr. Aiton, by Mr. Bell, in the year 

 1804; but was railed fome years prior to this date, by Mr. 

 Conrad Loddiges, by whom it was communicated to us. 

 Propagated by parting its roots and by feeds. Loves a moilt 

 foil and rather fliady fituation. 



