a 
1808.] D thus TOZ thee 
MONTHLY BOTANICAL REPORT. : 
ALTHOUGH the plante lurida are far from being the favourites of cultivators, yet 
some of them, independently of the gratification which a more close inspectivn of their 
_ flowers affords, please the eye by their peculiar habit, and the touch by the velvety softness 
of their foliage; Solanum igneum, horridum, &¢ may pss for exceptions. A very fine 
_ plant of this tribe, the pendulo»s Aowered Henbane, Hyoscyamus Seopolia, of which we have 
hitherto wanted a good figure, is given in the last Number of the BorTanitcat MaGa- 
@INE. Matthioli, its first diécoverer, took it for a species of what is now called Atropa ; 
Scopolf, although he found a difference in the fruic from that ofthe Deadly Nightshad:, still 
associate it with ic; Jacquin afterwards considered it as sui generis, under the name of 
Scopola ; and lastly, Linnzeus referred it to the genus Hyoscyamus, where, we trust, it will 
be suffered to remain for some time, notwithstanding the plausiole a’guments here adduced 
fo shew its nearer affinity with Atropa. As the c lyx of this species cannot properly be 
Gailed inflated, we could have wighed to see the Linnean specific character somewhat 
altered and, indeed, though we have been lately reprebating the rashness with which we 
See some modern writers attack, without exception the often much more significant specific 
“ain of preceding botanists, we are not inclined to commend Dr Sims for his excess of de- 
sicacy in this respect. 
Fumaria Cucullavia. There are some other North American species that have the same 
peculiarity in their flowerss* (which by the way hav® more the appearance of bracce than of 
suculle), and may, perhaps, constitute a distinct g-nus. The difference, indesd, is here 
Stated to be trifling, since, to produce the same kind of flower, as in the other Fumaria, 
nothing is required but the curtajling of the horns, and uniting the six filaments into two, 
Bet who has a right to do this? A double plate ‘s assigned to Dr. Smith’s Embothrium spe~ 
Fficsissimum, the well known Waratah of the natives of New South Wales. Both this and 
the fizure of the same plant given in the Paradisus Londinensis, for this month, are from Mr. 
Oodford's collection, where alone it has-as yet flowered in Europe. Dr. Sims has poinred 
_ 9Uty contrary to Dr. Smith, that the flower is not four-petaled, but divided only a very small 
distance from the extremity, except where the style by its pressure cleaves it nearly dowa 
to the base. j 
Allium izedorum, is well figured, and completely described by Mr. G. who thinks it to be 
the same with Michaux’s mutabile. This species recommends itselt by being scentless, that 
is, with regard to the peculiar smell of Garlick ; for irs flowers are odorous. 
The Iris suite in the Magazine is really beautiful, and does particular credit to Mr. Ed- 
wards, . We have in this number the Portuguese purple flag Iris sw5-biflora of Brotero, and 
distinct from all the rest, particularly from I. biflora of Linnzeus: the lower approaches 
4 . 
Nearest to that of germanica. Asthe name sub-biflora is meant to express the circumstance of 
the same root sometimes throwing up Aowering stems, at different seasons, Mr. G. we think, 
would have been fully authorized to change such an ambiguous and misleading specific name. 
Tris spuria var. 3. is Pallas’s balophila, which together with Mr. G's former Iris balophila 
and ocbroleweg, the author is now induced to consider as varieties only of spuria 5 a recantation 
very proper and laudable. 
» The last plant is Aphylanthes monspelicnsis, of which it may be curious to observe that For- 
skeel, ag appears from his own specimenin the Banksian Herbarium, mistook it for Dianthus 
prolifer. ‘ : 
Mr. Andrews has figured, in the last Number of his Repository, the Cochineal Torch. 
Thistle, Cactus coccinellifer, but the specimen. from which the drawing was made, appears to 
have been rather imperfect. We do not recollect to have seen the plant with so small flowerse 
- The account here given of the culture of Cochineal, is certainly not taken from the inte- 
resting and amusing work of Thierry de Menonville. 
A very characteristic figure is that of Juniperus Dauurica (not Davrica) of Pallas, a rare 
Species, which, though described by Gmelin, and fiyured in the Flora Rossica, and from 
thence taken up by Georgi, is, for reasons unknown to us, left unnoticed by Willdenow. 
This fine hardy evergreen is a very acceptable addition to our collections: the figure was 
taken at White Knights. é 
Tropwolum pinnatum ; the leaves of this plant are subpeltate, with five obtuse lobes, the 
petals, according to the specific difference here added, are toothed at the top, though in the 
figure they are mostly represented as gashed down to the unguis; the flowers are said to be 
Pinnate, from which circumstance the specific name appears to be derived; tut we conjes 
Our ignorance as to the meaning of flores pinnati. This very handsome little Nasrur pas 
which is found in the collection of the Comtesse de Vandes, where nothing of sts native piace 
and history could be learnt, undoubtedly belungs to the Nasturtium hyarijum, of which Line 
Reus says habitat nullibi- 
Origanum Tournefor sit. 
fially the variety wth less tomentose leaves, is often confounded with Lo 
Pym; and, indeed, the originally four-cernered spikes which this lacter s 
We find that in gardens and Herbaria the O. Dictamnus, espe- 
urneforts © iga- 
pecies often adopt 
(as 
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