PLATE LI. 



1. SCABIOSA ATROPURPUREA. 



SWEET SCABIOUS. 



This genus contains plants of the herbaceous, annual, biennial, 

 perennial, and shrubby kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Tetrandria Monogynia, and ranks 

 in the natural order of Aggregata;. 



The characters are: that the calyx is a common perianth, many- 

 floAvered, spreading, many-leaved: leaflets in various rows surround- 

 ing the receptacle, and placed upon it, the inner ones gradually- 

 less: proper perianth double, both superior; outer shorter, mem- 

 branaceous, plaited, permanent; inner five-parted, with the segments 

 subulate-capillaceous: the corolla universal equal, often from un- 

 equal ones: proper one-petalled, tubular, four or five-cleft, equal or 

 unequal: the stamina have four filaments, subulate-capillary, weak: 

 anthers oblong, incumbent: the pistillum is an inferior germ, in- 

 volved in its proper sheath as in a calycle: style filiform, length of 

 the corolla: stigma obtuse, obliquely cmarginate: there is no peri- 

 carpium: the seeds solitary, ovate-oblong, involute, crowned vari- 

 ously Avilh proper calyxes: the receptacles common convex, chaffy, 

 or naked. 



The species mostly cultivated are: 1. S. alphia, Alpine Scabious; 

 2. S. leiicantha. Snowy Scabious; 3. S. siiccisa, Devil's-bit Scabious; 

 4. S. integrifoUa, Red-flowered Annual Scabious; 5. S. tatarico. Giant 

 Scabious; 6. S. gramuntia. Cut-leaved Scabious; 7- 'S'. stellata, Starry 

 Scabious; 8. S.atropurpurea, Sweet Scabious; p. S. argentea. Silvery 

 Scabious ; 10. S. gvaminifoUn, Grass-leaved Scabious ; W.S. Africmw, 

 African Scabious; 12. S, Crefica, Cretan Scabious. 



