23 



SALVIA patens. 

 Large Blue Mexican Sage. 



DIANDRIA MOlsiOGYNIA. 



Nat. ord. Lamiace^e, or Labiat^e. 

 SALVIA. Bot. Register, vol. 18. fol. 1554. 



§ 7. LoNGiFLOR^, coerulese. Bentham lab. 276. 



S. patens ; radice tuberosa, foliis cordatis aut hastatis ovato-oblongis supra pi- 

 losis subtus pubescentibus floralibus lanceolate- llnearibus, verticillastris re- 

 motis subbifloris,floribus maximis, galea falcata, labelli trilobilobis laterallbus 

 minutis acutis intermedio transverso concavo subangulato emargiuato. 



S. patens. Cav. ic. V. 33. t. 454. Bentham Labiat. '295. Id. in hort. trans, 

 n. s. II. 222. t. X. 



S. spectabilis. H. B. K. n. g. sp. pi. II. 304. 



Of this, the finest of the genus, a beautiful figure has 

 been published in the last part of the Transactions of the 

 Horticultural Society of London, together with an account 

 of it by Mr. Bentham. 



Instead of referring to that account I avail myself of a 

 manuscript communication upon the subject, for which I am 

 indebted to my excellent correspondent Mr. W. B. Booth, 

 of whose drawing the annexed is a copy. 



Specimens were sent me last autumn by Mr. Rogers of 

 Southampton, Messrs. Lowe and Co. of Clapton, and Mr. 

 Pontey of Plymouth. 



" My knowledge of this handsome species of Salvia was 

 first derived from a plant exhibited at the Meeting of the 

 Cornwall Horticultural Society at Truro, in July, 1838, by 

 John Penberthy Magor, Esq. of Penventon, near Redruth, 

 to whom I am indebted for the specimens from which the 

 accompanying figure and description were taken. It is a 

 native of Mexico, from whence roots of it, in a dried state, 

 were forwarded to this country in the spring of 1838, one of 

 which shortly afterwards produced its magnificent flowers in 

 Mr. Magor's garden, and has continued to do so in an airy 

 greenhouse ever since. It is one of the largest blue flowering 

 kinds yet introduced, and is a valuable addition to the 

 splendid assortment of Mexican Salvias which we already 

 possess. 



" Boot perennial, fasciculated, fleshy and fibrous, very 

 much resembling that of an Alstromeria, and in this respect 

 diflering from most other Salvias with which I am ac- 

 quainted. The old tubers decay after planting, and are 

 succeeded by new ones, which are long and slender, and of 



