188 breck's xew book of flowers. 



D. meteloidcs, B. Wrightii of the catalogues. This 

 species is very sj^lendicl, producing large funnel-shaped 

 flowers, pure wliite, delicately shaded with very pale 

 blue. Before the buds expand, they are curiously twisted 

 or folded, and if cut off in the afternoon and placed in 

 Avater in the house, they will begin to unfold early in the 

 evening, and by nine o'clock be fully opened, filling the 

 room with a delightful fragrance. All the species open 

 during the night, remain during the next day, and then 

 perish. The plants of Z>. meteloides are two or thi-ee feet 

 high, branching, producing a succession of flowers through 

 the season. 



There are varieties of double-blue, white, and straw 

 color. These double flowers are curious, but do not have 

 much claim to beauty. The single flower is filled up with 

 other funnel-shaped petals. The double sorts are D. 

 fastuosa alba plena^ and purpurea plena. D. humilis 

 Jlava is a dwarf species, with yellow flowers. All these 

 double varieties are late in flowering. They are all prop- 

 agated by seeds, being annuals in the open ground, but 

 perennials in the green-house. A plant of J), meteloides., 

 which grew on the grape border and securely protected, 

 survived the winter and flowered profusely the next year. 



DELPHINIUM.— Larkspur. 



[From a Gieek word signifying a dolphxn, on account of the resemblance be- 

 tween tde shape of the flower and the imaghiary figures of the dolphin.] 



The French call it Pied d\douette.,^Y\i\ch. is the same as 

 the English, Larkspur, and it is also called Lark's-claws, 

 Lark's-heel, on account of the spur shape projection at 

 the back of the flower. The species are showy annuals 

 or perennials, valuable as border-flowers. The leaves are 

 much divided, and the flowers in terminal spikes, blue. 



