174 BRECK'S BOOK OF FLOWERS. 



CLINTONIA. 



Clintonia elegans. Elegant Clintonia. A beautiful ten- 

 der annual, with delicate foliage, and rich blue flowers in great 

 profusion ; six inches high ; in July and August. 



C. pulchella. Pretty Clintonia. A native of California. 

 It is a pretty flowering tender annual, of very humble growth, 

 only rising a few inches high. The flowers are rather larger 

 than C. elegans, blue, with a broad white spot at the centre, 

 stained with a rich yellow. The flower is about half an inch 

 across. Its delicacy of growth will prevent its spreading 

 rapidly through the country. 



The Clintonias, when grown in pots in the green-house, are 

 very beautiful. 



CLEOME. 



This is an elegant tribe of plants, and very curious in their 

 structure. The petals range themselves on the upper side, and 

 the stamens and pistil are protruded a considerable length on 

 slender filaments, forming beautiful airy groups. 



Cleome grandiflora is one of the most showy of the genus. 

 It is easily raised from seed, when planted in the open ground, 

 in April or May, and blooms abundantly from July to Septem- 

 ber ; grows from three to four feet high. Its spikes, continually 

 increasing in length, are always surmounted with a crest of 

 beautiful buds and flowers, which are of a pale pink-purple. 

 It is beautiful in the garden, but withers very quickly when cut. 



C. pentaphylla. This is also a handsome annual, of the 

 same habit of the last ; about two or three feet high ; the flow- 

 ers pure white ; the odor of the plant is most offensive. 



C. spinosa is a spiny plant, which grows about four feet 

 high, and bears a spike of beautiful white (sometimes pinkish) 

 flowers. All the species flourish in any common garden soil. 



However beautiful and curious these plants may be, and 

 desirable for show, they are repulsive to the smell and unpleab- 

 ant to the touch, and, therefore, will not be favorites. 



