50 



HELIANTHEMUM formosum, 



Beautiful Sun- Rose. 



Sect. I. HALIMIUM. Supra fol. 4. 

 ** Stylo subnullo, stigmate magno. 



H. formosum, caule frnticoso : ramis tomentoso-villosis canescenti- 

 bus, foliis subpetiolatis obovato-lanceolatis tomentoso-villosis: 

 junioribus incanis, pedtmculis calycibusque villosis, catycibus 

 trisepalis, petalis obcordatis valde imbricatis. 



Helianthemum formosum. Dunal. ined. ex DC. prodr. 1. p. 268. 

 Swt. hort. brit. p. 34. n. 8. 



Cistus formosus. Curt. hot. mag. 264. Willdcn. sp. pi. 2. p. 1188. 

 Pers. syn. 2. p. 75. Hort. Kew. ed. 2. v. 3. p. 306. 



Stem shrubby, erect, much branched : branches erect 

 or spreading, thickly clothed with a close dense white 

 tomentum, and long hairs intermixed. Leaves oppo- 

 site, crossing each other, very shortly petiolate or 

 scarcely sessile, ovate, or obovately lanceolate, obtuse, 

 underneath 3-nerved at the base, the nerves more or 

 less branched: young ones densely clothed with a close 

 white tomentum on both sides, and spreading villous 

 hairs intermixed ; old leaves smoother and greener, the 

 hairs on them in stellate fascicles underneath, and 

 spreading on the upper side. Petioles very short, vil- 

 losely canescent. Flowers terminating the branches in 

 a paniculate cyme. Bractes leaf-like, concave, becom- 

 ing deciduous. Peduncles generally 3-flowered, vil- 

 losely tomentose. Pedicles and Calyx densely clothed 

 with a white tomentum, and long villous hairs inter- 

 mixed ; amongst these are other straight rigid purple 

 hairs, which gives a brownish appearance. Calyx of 

 3 sepals, which are ovate, concave, tapering to a point, 

 with scariose membranaceous margins, tinged with red 

 on one side. Petals 5, obcordate, much imbricate, of a 



o 2 



