Dr Graliaurs List of' Rare Plants. 156 



Hegonia sanguinea. 



B. sanguinea ; caule raniusu ; foliis ina;qualiter cordatis, acumiiiatis, co- 

 riaceo-carnosis, glaberriniis, subtus sanguineis, margine crenulato re- 

 voluto ; germinis alis tribus aequalibus. 

 Begonia sanguinea, Radd. in Spreng. Syst. Veget. 2. 625 — Link and Otto, 

 Icones Plant. Karior. Hort. Reg. Bot. Berol. p. 25, t. 13. 



Descriptiok Stems several from the crown of the root, subligneous, red 



with scattered oblong paler spots. Leaves (4-6 inches long, 24-3^ inches 

 broad) subpeltate, unequally cordate, acuminate, the apex soon wither- 

 ing, leathery-succulent, perfectly glabrous and shining on both sides, 

 green above, blood-red below, the edge crenulate and revolute all round ; 

 nerves about 10, radiating, the larger branched, the smaller subsimple. 

 Petioles of very unequal length, round, resembling the stem. Stipules 

 intrafoliaceous, large, ovate, acute, keeled, marcescent. Peduncle (10 

 inches long) terminal, becoming axillary, tapered, similar to the stem, 

 but without spots, repeatedly dichotomous at the apex (primary branches 

 about one inch long, the others gradually shorter). Bructece lanceolato- 

 elliptical at each subdivision. Flowers white, rather small. Male Jiowers 

 in the clefts of the cyme, or on the inner side, when the ultimate 

 branches are reduced to two flowers, the outer being a female ; petals 

 four, the two oucer subrotund, slightly crenate, the two inner linear-el- 

 liptical, very narrow, entire ; stamens numerous, filaments free, except- 

 ing at the base, where monadelphous, anthers spathulate. Female Jiowers 

 with five subequal petals., expanding later than the earlier of the males ; 

 stigmas pale rose-coloured ; germen with three subequal wings. 

 I was at some i)ains to ascertain the relative position of the male and fe- 

 male flowers, when only these two were found at the extremity of the 

 ultimate branch. It seems to me that the normal form is the conversion 

 of the last dichotomous ramification of the cyme into the pedicels of two 

 female flowers, and that the male flower, here, as elsewhere, is placed in 

 the cleft, the loss of the inner female flower being an illustration of the 

 opinion that internal parts, from pressure, more frequently abort than 

 those which are external. As the common support of these two flowers 

 generally turns half-round on its axis, their true position may not be ob- 

 vious, unless examined when they are very young. 

 This plant, more remarkable for the colour and texture of its leaves than 

 elegant in its form, was raised at the Botanic Garden, Berlin, from seed 

 transmitted by Sello from Brazil in 1823, and communicated to the Bo- 

 tanic Garden, Edinburgh, in 1832. It flowers in the stove in April. 



Bletia patula. 



B.patula; foliis radicalibus, lanceolatis, jilicato-nervosis ; scape elate, 

 subramoso ; floribus patentissimis ; sepalis lanceolato-ellipticis, basi at- 

 tenuatis, subaequalibus, patulis ; labello cucuUato, lobis lateralibus ro- 

 tundatis, intermedio emarginato transverse plicate, disco lamellis 6, 

 subramosis, injEqualibus. 



Description Bulb round, at first, when it pushes up the scape, very 



small, gradually enlarging to the size of a small orange ; in the second 

 year green, shining, nearly smooth, and crowned by the withered bases, 

 of the leaves, when these fall, marked with three or four circular bands, 

 and furrowed at the apex, persisting for some years, and becoming gra- 

 dually smaller without shrinking much ; young bulbs are formed at the base, 

 or near the apex of those of the year preceding. Leaves arising from 

 the apex of the bulb after the flowers, lanceolate, plicato-nervose. Scape 

 (above 3 feet high) purplish and spotted at the base, with a few distant 

 sheathing scales, greener above, subrameus, terminal, but from its appear- 

 ing in the very young state of the bulb seeming to be lateral, the old bulb 

 only being conspicuous. Raceme (above 20.flewered) gradually elon- 

 gating. Flowers large, very handsome, each springing from the axil of a 



