NAT. ORDER. — BEGONIACE;E. 25 



base, where they are nionadelphous ; untliers spathulate; female 

 flowers with five subequal petals, expanding later than the males ; 

 stigmas pale rose colored; gernicn with three subequal wings. In 

 the hot-house it flowers in April. 



This plant is more remarkable for the color and texture of it.s 

 leaves, than for its elegant form. It has been attended with some 

 pains to ascertain the relative position of the male and female flow- 

 ers 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 flowers here, as elswhere, 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 tiiaii those which are external. As the conmion 

 support of these two flowers generally turns half round on its axis, 

 their true position may not be obvious unless examined wlicn they 

 are very young. It is a native of Jamaica, and flowers from May 

 until December. 



Propagation and Culture. Tiiese plants may be raised either 

 by seed, layers, or cuttings. The seeds should be sown in pots of 

 light earth, in the early part of the spring season, and brought for- 

 ward by being plunged in a moderate bark hot-bed. When the 

 plants have attained sufficient strength, they may be removed into 

 separate pot«, and placed in the stove. 



In the second method the layers may be laid down in the early 

 part of spring, and be taken oflf in the autumn, and planted in sepa- 

 rate pots. The cuttings may likewise be i)lanted out in the spring 

 mouths, being transplanted into separate potsafter they have become 

 w^ell rooted, and then placed again in the stove. The plants succeed 

 best when kept in the bark stove, or even over the flue of the dry 

 stove, being very ornamental both in their flowers and leaves, which 

 sometimes continue nearly all summer. This plant has never been 

 considered as possessing properties worthy to bring it into use. 



