302 GARDEN PLANTS. PAKT II. 



Arid Mr. Darwin says : 



" To keep up a mixed stock of even such extremely close varieties 

 as the variously-coloured Sweet Pea, they must be each year har- 

 vested separately, and the seed mixed in due proportions, other, 

 wise the weaker kinds will steadily decrease in numbers and 

 disappear." * 



In this country plants from acclimated seed produce scarcely 

 any but pink and white blossoms. And if it be true, as stated 

 in seedsmen'*s lists, that the black and purple varieties are 

 natives of Sicily, and the light-coloured ones of Ceylon, it may 

 be easily conceived how those congenial to the climate are pre- 

 served, and others die out. 



In my garden at Chinsurah the Sweet Pea came up each 

 season abundantly, self-sown. 



2. L. Magellanicus LORD ANSON'S PEA. Between this and 

 a common weed in Bengal, which bears small bright blue flowers, 

 there seems to be scarcely a perceptible difference. 



3. L. Tingitanus TANGIER PEA. I have often raised plants 

 of this in my garden, but they never produced flowers. 



Hedysarum. 



H. coronarium FRENCH HONEYSUCKLE. A pretty little bushy 

 plant, with neat dark foliage ; bears curled spikes of dull-red 

 vetch-like flowers. Sow in October; but in the vicinity of 

 Calcutta it rarely flowers. 



LYTHBACE^E. 

 Cuphea. 



C. purpurea. When grown in good rich soil, a beautiful little 

 annual ; bears its pretty fringed pink, purple, and crimson flowers, 

 somewhat like those of Lagerstromia, three or four weeks from 

 the time of sowing. As the plants decay, fresh ones from self- 

 sown seeds almost immediately supply their place in continued 

 succession for a great length of time. 



* * Origin of Species,' p. 76. 



