Botanical Collections, 121 



Lewisia rediviva This singular plant, first described by Pursh, from the 



herbarium of Lewis, has, till lately, been involved in great obscurity. 

 Nuttall placed it among the Crassulaceae ; but afterwards De Candolle, in his 

 memoir on that family, judging from the descriptions, suspected it to belong 

 to the Berberideae ! Dr Hooker has at length given a very able account of 

 it, and has most correctly referred it to the Portulacea?. The roots are 

 gathered in great quantities by several of the tribes who inhabit the country 

 skirting the sub-alpine regions of the Rocky Mountains, on the west side, 

 and are known among those who use the Spokan tribes, by the name of 

 spatulum. The mode of using them is simply to boil them in water, when 

 they form a substance similar to salep, or boiled arrow root. Owing to their 

 highly nutritive quality, these roots are admirably calculated for carrying on 

 long journeys, two or three ounces per day being sufficient for a man, even 

 wlule undergoing great fatigue Hooker's Botanical Miscellany. 



. Anagallis coerulea. — Professor Henslow, having received some specimens 

 and seeds of Anagallis ccerulea from Yorkshire, raised from the latter a dozen 

 plants, nine of which had blue flowers, and three red. Hence, it would 

 seem, that in future, A. carulea must be regarded as a variety of A. arvensis. 

 But whatever be the cause which disposes the petals of this species to 

 assume a blue colour, this likewise disposes them to become notched or 

 toothed at the margin, as Dr Hooker has universally observed them to be. 

 From this and other considerations. Professor Henslow seems to think the 

 following to be a law in botany, — That if a change takes place in one 

 of the organs of a plant, a simultaneous change may be expected in some or 

 all of the other organs, considered to be modifications of the same organs : 

 thus, considering the calyx and corolla to be modifications of the leaf, when 

 we see the leaf of the cowslip diflfering from that of the primrose, one need 

 not be surprised to find that the calyx and corolla should differ also, though 

 these plants be not distinct species, but only varieties, as had been long 

 suspected, but which Professor Henslow has also satisfactorily proved to be 

 the case Mag. of Nat. Hist. Nov. 1830. 



Hybrid Azaleas Mr Gowan at Highclerc, the seat of the Earl of Car- 

 narvon, has of late years raised many new sorts of American azaleas, by 

 means of cross impregnation, chiefly between the high-coloured and late- 

 flowering varieties. For mother plants, the different fine varieties of A. 

 coccinea were selected, major, minor, and ruhescens, the anthers of which 

 very seldom produce pollen. The two former were dusted for several suc- 

 cessive mornings with the pollen of a late flowering A. pontica. Many 

 pods swelled, and produced perfect seed. The pods were gathered at the 

 approach of winter, kept in a drawer for some weeks, and sown in the 

 beginning of January. Of these, about 400 seedlings were raised. The 

 ruhescens was impregnated with the pollen of A. calendulacea, or Lee's tri- 

 umphuns, and about 100 seedlings were raised. Of the first mentioned 400 

 seedlings, three-fourths closely resembled the male parent, A. pontica, in 

 foliage, inflorescence, and general habit: some were very beautiful, and 

 highly fragrant. The remaining fourth part resembled the female parent in 

 habit, but the foliage was rather on a larger scale. The colours of the 

 blossoms were very rich — various tints of crimson, vivid pink, or scarlet; 

 and most of these will form beautiful acquisitions to our shrubbery borders. 

 — Ed. New Phil. Journ. Jan. 1831. The botanist cannot but regret these 

 attempts to involve his science in confusion. But horticulturists might 

 certainly give an index of their Promethean labours, by applying to the new 

 being, a name compounded of those of the two individuals from which it ha& 

 been unnaturally formed. 



VOL. III. Q 



