60 



HEIMIA salicifolia ; var. grandiflora. 

 Large-flowered Heimia. 



D0DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 

 Nat. ord. Lyth raceme. 



HEIMIA. Link §• Otto. Calyx basi bibracteolatus, heniisphserico- 

 campanulatus, lobis 6 erectis, sinubus 6 alternis patentibus coniiformibus- 

 Petala 6, lobis erectis calycinis alterna. Stamina 12 subsequalia. Ovarium 

 sessile globosum 4-loculare. Capsula calyce obtecta. Semina minuta aptera. 



Frutices Americani glabri. Pedunculi uniflori calyce breviores. Flores 



flavi. DeCand. Prodr. 3. 89. 



H. salicifolia; foliis ternis oppositis alternisque lineari-lanceolatis brevissime 



petiolatis acutis basi angustatis, petalis obovatis. 

 Nesaea salicifolia. Humh. Bonpl. $ Kunth. nov. gen. 6. 192. 

 Heimia sabcifolia. Link §• Otto abbild. 63. t. 28. 



var. grandiflora ; fioribus ditjplb majoribus, ramis cernuis ad apicem usque 

 Jloridis. 



It is now about twenty years ago that a very pretty green- 

 house plant was introduced to this country from the Royal 

 Botanic Garden at Berlin, under the name of Chrysostemma 

 salicifolium. It had light green shining leaves, and gay 

 yellow flowers resembling those of a Ly thrum except in colour. 

 It had been raised at Berlin from Brasilian seeds. At a sub- 

 sequent period it was ascertained to be the same as had been 

 described by M. Kunth in Humboldt's work on South Ame- 

 rican plants, under the denomination of Nesaea salicifolia, and 

 its name was changed. Further enquiries led Messrs. Link 

 and Otto to the opinion that, properly speaking, the plant was 

 not a Nesaea, and they proposed to call it Heimia, in compli- 

 ment to Dr. Heim, a physician of Berlin ; a view subsequently 

 adopted by DeCandolle, but objected to by Endlicher, for 

 reasons which it is needless now to discuss. 



This Heimia salicifolia rarely makes it appearance at the 

 present day, notwithstanding that the beauty of its flowers, if 



