XXIX. 



EVOLUTION OF THE PETUNIA.* 



The modern petunia is a strange compound of the 

 two original species which were introduced to cultiva- 

 tion less than three-quarters of a century ago. The 

 first petunia to be discovered was found by Commer- 

 son on the shores of the La Plata in South America, 

 and from the dried specimens which he sent home 

 the French botanist, Jussieu, constructed the genus 

 Petunia, and named the plant Petunia nyctaginiflora, 

 in allusion to the four -o'clock -like or nyctaginia-like 

 flowers. The plant appears to have been introduced 

 into cultivation in 1823. It was a plant of upright 

 habit, thick, sticky leaves and stems, and very long- 

 tubed white flowers, which exhale a strong perfume 

 at nightfall. This plant, nearly or even wholly pure, 

 is not infrequent in old gardens, and fair strains of 

 it can be had in the market. I remember that it 

 self -sowed year after year in the old garden in my 

 younger days, and even now an occasional plant may 

 be found in some undisturbed corner. This plant is 

 fairly well represented in the drawing (p. 466). The 

 stem leaves of this species are said to be sessile — or 

 without stalks — but the lower leaves in strong speci- 

 mens like that in the engraving are often conspicu- 

 ously narrowed into long petioles. Possibly this is a 



' American Gardenins:, xiv. 278 (May, 1893) . Abridged. 

 30 SUR. (465) 



