64. FLORA HISTORICA. 



SO few as to make it appear too thin and empty. 

 The petals should be long, broad, and substan- 

 tial, particularly those of the lower or outer cir- 

 cle, commonly called the guard-leaves ; these 

 should rise perpendicularly about half an inch 

 above the calyx, and then turn off gracefully in 

 a horizontal direction, supporting the interior 

 petals, and altogether forming a convex, and 

 nearly hemispherical corolla. The interior petals 

 should rather decrease in size, as they approach 

 the centre of the flower, which should be well 

 filled with them. The petals should be regularly 

 disposed alike on every side, imbricating each 

 other in such a manner as that both their respec- 

 tive and united beauties may captivate the eye at 

 the same instant: they should be nearly flat, 

 however, a small degree of concavity or inflec- 

 tion at the lamina, or broad end, is allowable ; 

 but their edges should be perfectly entire, that is 

 to say, free from notches, fringe, or indenture. 

 The calyx should be at least one inch in length, 

 terminating with broad points, sufficiently strong 

 to hold the narrow bases of the petals in a close 

 circular body. Whatever colours the flower may 

 be possessed of they should be perfectly dis- 

 tinct, and disposed in long narrow stripes, 

 broadest at the edge of the lamina, and gradually 

 becoming narrower as they approach the unguis, 



