THE POISONOUS PLANTS OF BOMBAY. t 351 



however, is the same as that drawn by Sir William Hooker, namely, 

 that what is rosy may be considered red. Examining further the 

 aptness of the synonyms mentioned above, I find in a recent edition 

 of Johnson's Gardener's Dictionary (by Wright and Dewar, 1894, 

 pp. 771-772) that, besides the species mentioned as Plumbago rosea, 

 bearing red flowers, another distinct species is given under the name 

 of Plumbago rosea eoccinea, which has larger and brighter flowers than 

 P. rosea, and which is said to be a native of the Neilgherries. This 

 is evidently done on the authority of Sir William Hooker's letter- 

 press accompanying plate 5363 again referred to later on. In Paxton's 

 Botanical Dictionary (Hereman's edition, 1868), on the other hand, 

 I find that Plumbago rosea and Plumbago eoccinea are mentioned as 

 two distinct species. The latter is said to be scarlet-flowered and a 

 native of the Neilgherries, whereas the former is red-flowered and 

 found throught the East Indies. On referring to the Species Plant- 

 arum of Linnseus (Willdenow's Edition, Berlin, 1797, vol. 1, p. 838), 

 I find that the species described by Burmann as Plumbago zeylaniea 

 is synonymous with Plumbago rosea. This Plumbago zeylanica of 

 Burmann is a distinctly red-flowered plant. In the " Flora Zeylanica," 

 which LinnEeus published in 1747, the same statement is made {vide 

 p. 30). I mention this here particularly, because I wish that the 

 red-flowered Plumbago zeylanica of Burmann should not be con- 

 founded with what we now-a-days know as Plumbago zeylanica, 

 Linn., which is a white- flowered variety. I presume that this white- 

 flowered species is the Plumbago zeylanensis of Burmann. Asa Gray 

 prefers to call the red-flowered plumbago of America P. eoccinea.* 



The plant we are considering is easy of propagation by means of cut- 

 tings. The cuttings root very readily in the rains. They evidently 

 require much moisture and grow in almost any soil; they prefer, how- 

 ever, a sandy soil, and thrive, both as regards leaves and flowers, in cool 

 and shady places. For I have observed that plants growing in the 

 open suffer very much in foliage and blossom and never fruit on this 

 side of India. Firminger observes that " the beauty of the plant 

 is much impaired by many of the leaves appearing generally in a 

 decayed condition ; requires shade and moisture." (Manual of 

 Gardening, 1890, p. 543.) 



* Field, Forest, and Garden Botany of the United States, 1870, p. 222. 



