ON THE CULTURE OE SALVIAS AS BORDER PLANTS. 101 



subjoined is generally extant in England, and if so, under what 

 name ; for Mr. Saunders, florist in this island, received the 

 parent plant a few years ago from England, under the name of 

 •' Sal. coccinca of Linn." But Don Mariano la Gasca, late 

 Professor and Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens of Madrid, 

 on seeing it last year, told me it was evidently not coccinea, but 

 Doliestachya of his Elenchus, H. R. M., which he described and 

 denominated 29-30 years ago in the Royal Gardens of Madrid. 

 And if it is not intruding too much on your pages, I will give a 

 brief account of the history of this interesting species, as I believe 

 it lias never yet been published. Professor La Gasca says, the 

 first seeds were brought to him from Mexico, by the late authors 

 of Flora Mexicana, the celebrated Doctors Don Martin de 

 Si sal and Don Josef Mariano Mocino, in the year 1802 ; and 

 also from seeds sent about the same period, by the late Don Vin- 

 cente Cervantes, then Professor of Botany in the University of 

 Mexico. From that time, he says, its seeds were sent to many 

 botanical gardens in Europe, and probably to Mr. Lambart, and 

 to the Kew Gardens. He published only the name, at page 13 

 of his Elenchus, and only by oblivion, the description of this plant 

 was omitted in his Genera et Species qua: ant nova Sant, &c, 

 which accompanies his Elenchus; and we are indebted to him for 

 the preceding historical account, as well as for the subjoined Latin 

 Bpecific phrase, and short comparative description. 



" Sal. Doliestachya ; foliis cordatis ovato lanceolatis acutis cre- 

 natis, supra nigoasnnja, glabrescentibuSj subtus ad ncrvos precipue. 

 Pubersuinmis sessilibus, pseudo-verticillis subdiodecim. Floris in 

 racrinuiu elongatum tenpinalem Digestis: bracteis caducis, caly- 

 • i- lal.io siiperiose ovato acute apiculo brevissjmo incurvos; corola 

 glabra." 



Su/rin Diilirstachya. — La Gasca's Elenchum, II. R. M., page 



\'.l. - " Ali:iw|uc dcscriptione — Folio colore, virida llavicante, nee 



intense riridia corolla coccinea, fulgcntcs, calyce subtriple longi- 



abxsB, galeataqtun apice subhirsutum verticillis sxspesa;- 



pjua, 12 llori."— La Gas. MSS. 



This n.w and beautiful species of Salvia grows with us from 

 five to neven feet bight and is a handsome bushy plant. It grows 

 wild in the \ alley of .Mexico. /U fiat eight it has the appear- 

 ance ol Sal. fulgeu Cai . bul ii differs from thai in being 



