Select Carnations, 
Picotees, and Pinks. 
ee ee, 
I.— HISTORY. 
The Carnation (Dianthus Caryophyllus, Linnaeus) 
is a native of North and West Normandy, in 
France, and South and East Punjaub in India. Other 
really wild European habitats are North Italy and 
parts of Austria bordering on the Mediterranean, 
It grows on limestone cliffs and banks, as well as old 
castle ruins in Normandy such as Chateau Gaillard 
on the Seine, and Falaise in which William the 
Conqueror first saw the light. In England it has 
long been naturalised on Rochester Castle, built by 
the Normans, being recorded as early at least as 
1788, with pale and deep red, single flowers. 
The botanical name is comparatively recent, 
having been given by Linnaeus, and published in his 
“Species Plantarum,” dated 1753. The single, wild 
flower has five, toothed, beardless, rose coloured or 
white petals, forming a close, circular bloom. The 
plant is tufted in habit, glaucous, and quite smooth, 
with a branching flower stem about 12in. high. 
The generally accepted meaning of Dianthus is the 
divine flower, from dos anthos. The specific name 
Caryophyllus was used in a generic sense by the older 
botanical writers previous to the time of Linnaeus, 
and seems to have been given in allusion to the 
scent of the Carnation resembling that of the 
cloves of commerce (the old name of the tree pro- 
ducing the spice being Caryophyllus aromaticus). 
The meaning of the word Carnation has been 
much disputed, some writers deriving it from the 
Latin caro, carnis, flesh, in allusion to the colour. 
The name Carnation first occurs in “ The Historie of 
Plantes,” by D. Rembert Dodoens, translated by 
Henry Lyte of London, and dated 1578. In this 
work a plant with double flowers is named Vetonica 
