476 



MALVACE^:. XII. LEBRETONIA. XIII. HIBISCUS. 



Cult. The greater part of the species of this genus bear bright 

 scarlet flowers; therefore they are desirable in all collections. 

 A mixture of loam and peat will suit them best, and cuttings 

 will root readily in sand under a hand-glass ; these should be 

 taken ofFas near the stem of the plant as possible, not being so 

 apt to rot as when taken off by the middle of the shoot. None 

 of the leaves should be taken off or shortened above the sand. 

 (Sweet.) 



XII. LEBRETO'NIA (in honour of Manuel Le Breton, a 

 French botanist.) Schrank, pi. rar. hort. mon. t. 90. D. C. prod. 

 J.p. 446. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Polyandria. Calyx 5-parted, girded 

 by a rather shorter 5-parted involucel. Petals 5, in part pro- 

 truding, twisted in the bud, with a spreading border. Styles 10. 

 Carpels 5, or from abortion only 4, 1-seeded, indehiscent. Per- 

 haps sufficiently distinct from the second section of Pavonia. 



J L. COCCI'NEA (Schrank. 1. c.) leaves ovate, acuminated, ser- 

 rated ; pedicels axillary, 1 -flowered, longer than the petioles; 

 corolla twice as long as the involucel. ^ . S. Native of Bra- 

 zil. Pavonia Schrankii, Spreng. syst. 3. p. 98. Trunk hispid. 

 Flowers large, scarlet. Leaves pubescent above, tomentose beneath. 



Scarlet-flowered Lebretonia. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1823. 

 Shrub 4 feet. 



2 L. LATIFOLIA (Nees et Mart. nov. act. bonn. xi. p. 98.) 

 leaves ovate, somewhat cordate, acutish, crenately-serrated, pu- 

 bescent ; pedicels 1 -flowered ; corolla almost equal in length with 

 the involucel. Jj . S. Native of Brazil. Pavonia latifolia, 

 Spreng. syst. 3. p. 98. Flowers scarlet. Calyx greenish, as in 

 L. coccinea. Leaves pubescent. 



Broad-leaved Lebretonia. Shrub 4 feet. 



3 L. SEMISERRA'TA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 446.) leaves oblong, 

 serrated at the apex, coriaceous, on long stalks ; flowers ter- 

 minal ; calyx coloured, permanent, tj . S. Native of Brazil. 

 Schouwia semiserrata, Schrad. gcett. ann. 1821. p. 717. A 

 doubtful plant. 



Semiserrated Lebretonia. Shrub 4 feet ? 



Cult. These shrubs deserve to be cultivated in every collec- 

 tion on account of their shewy scarlet blossoms. They require 

 to be treated in the same manner as recommended for Malva- 



XIII. HIBI'SCUS (from i/37/.-oe, hibiscos, one of the names 

 given by the Greeks to Mallow. The Hibiscus of Pliny appears 

 to be an umbelliferous plant, while that of Virgil is a plant with 

 pliant branches, which was made into baskets. The name is 

 said to be derived from Ibis, a stork, which is said to chew some 

 species.) Lin. gen. no. 846. Lam. ill. t. 584. D. C. prod. 1. 

 p. 446. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Polyandria. Calyx encompassed by 

 a many-leaved, rarely by a few -leaved involucel, sometimes con- 

 nected at the base. Petals not auricled. Stigmas 5. Carpels 

 joined into a 5-celled, 5-valved capsule, with a dissepiment in 

 the middle of each valve on the inside. Cells many-seeded, 

 rarely 1-seeded. The bark of all the species is so tough that it 

 may be made into ropes, or spun into thread of any description. 



SECT. I. CREMONTIA (from cremo, to burn ; vivid colour of 

 the flowers of some of the species.) Comm. ined. D. C. prod. 1 . 

 p. 446. Corolla (as in Malvaviscus) convolute, cylindrical, but 

 the petals are not eared at the base as in that genus. Stigmas 5. 

 Cells of capsule many-seeded. 



1 H. LILIIFLOBUS (Cav. diss. 3. p. 154. t. 57. f. 1.) leaves 

 lanceolate-oblong, entire or rarely trifid ; involucel 5-leaved; 

 shorter than the 5-toothed calyx ; petals rather velvety on the 

 outside, fj . S. Native of the island of Bourbon, in moun- 



tain woods. Malvaviscus puniceus, Bory, ined. Flowers scar- 

 let, campanulate. 



Var. ft, hybridus (Hook. bot. mag. 2891.) This is a splendid 

 hybrid, produced from H. liliiflbrus, impregnated by the pollen 

 of H. mutabilis. Flowers large. Jj . S. Raised in the Mau- 

 ritius. 



Lily-fionered Hibiscus. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1822. Tree 

 8 to 12 feet. 



2 H. BIFLORUS (Spreng. syst. tent, suppl. p. 19.) leaves ob- 

 long-lanceolate, remotely toothed, pilose above, but tomentose 

 and veiny beneath ; peduncles axillary, straight, forked, 2- 

 flowered ; involucel 4-leaved, stellately-pubescent, with the leaf- 

 lets broad and lanceolate, and drawn out at the base, longer than 

 the woolly calyx, but equal in length to the conniving campanu- 

 late corolla, fj . S. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. This 

 is a very shewy species. 



Two-flowered Hibiscus. Shrub 6 to 10 feet. 



3 H. BORYA'NUS (D. C. prod. 1. p. 446.) leaves ovate, a little 

 toothed, undivided, 5-nerved, smooth ; involucel 5-7-leaved, a 

 little longer than the 5-toothed calyx ; petals oblong, rather 

 velvety. Tj . S. Native of the island of Bourbon. Flowers 

 white, on very short pedicels. 



Bory de St. Vincent's Hibiscus. Shrub 10 feet. 



4 H. FRA'GILIS (D. C. prod. 1. p. 446.) leaves ovate, hardly 

 3-lobed, toothed, smooth ; pedicels 1 -flowered, length of leaves; 

 involucel 5-leaved. Tj . S. Native of Bourbon. Malvaviscus 

 fragilis, Bory. ined. Flowers red. 



Brittle Hibiscus. Shrub 4 to 8 feet. 



5 H. PEDUNCULA'TUS (Cav. diss. 3. p. 163. t. 66. f. 2.) leaves 

 3 or 5-lobed, obtuse, crenated, hairy ; pedicels twice as long as 

 the leaves ; involucel many-leaved ; corolla rather campanulate. 

 Tj . G. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. Ker, bot. reg. t. 

 231. Flowers small, bright red. 



Pedunculated-Aowered. Hibiscus. Fl. May, Dec. Clt. 1812. 

 Shrub 3 to 4 feet. 



6 H. CALLOSUS (Blum, bijdr. ex Schlecht. Linnaea. 1. p. 649.) 

 leaves half 3-lobed, acuminated, upper ones heart-shaped, stel- 

 lately-pubescent beneath ; peduncles sub-racemose ; involucels 

 very minute, callose at the tip ; calyx toothed, smooth ; capsules 

 oval, pentagonal, 3 times larger than the calyx. ^ . S. Native 

 of Java. 



C//<we-involucelled Hibiscus. Tree 15 feet. 



7 H. LA'MPAS (Cav. diss. 3. p. 154. t. 56. f. 2.) leaves cor- 

 date, 3-lobed, smooth, dotted beneath; pedicels solitary, 1- 

 flowered at the tops of the branches, longer than the petioles ; 

 involucel small, of 5 or 7 bristle-like leaves. Tj . S. Native of 

 the Philippine islands and Java. Flowers large, yellowish. 



Lamp Hibiscus. Clt. 1806. Shrub 10 feet. 



8 H. MEMBRANA'CEUS (Cav. diss. 3. p. 159. t. 57. f. 2.) leaves 

 cordate, ovate-lanceolate, acuminated, toothed ; pedicels twice 

 as long as the petioles, 1 -flowered; involucel of 10 lanceolate 

 leaves, much shorter than the 5-cleft calyx, with 3-nerved seg- 

 ments. !? . S. Native of? Flowers yellow. 



Membranaceous Hibiscus. Fl.Ju. Jul. Clt. 1816. Sh. 10 ft. 



9 H. SPIRA'LIS (Cav. icon. 2. p. 47. t. 162.) leaves ovate, 

 acute, toothed, smooth, quite entire at the base; pedicels 1- 

 flowered, twice the length of the petioles ; involucel of 9-10-linear 

 leaflets. ^ . S. Native of Mexico. Petioles villous. Flowers 

 from yellow to flesh-coloured. 



<S'pVa/-flowered Hibiscus. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1823. Shrub 

 6 feet. 



10 H. TUBIFI.6RUS (Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon. ined. D. C. 

 prod. 1. p. 447.) leaves cordate, acute, somewhat scolloped, den- 

 ticulately-serrated, villous ; pedicels 1 -flowered, twice as long as 

 the petioles ; involucel many-leaved. ^ . S. Native of Mexico 

 on the mountains. Flowers from yellow to red. 



