CLASS X. OliDRii II.] SAPONARIA. 621 



as the D. delloides, D. c(Bsius, D. plumarius, D. Anneria, Sec. ; but as 

 a florist's flower, tlie Pink is of much more modern introduction than 

 the Carnation: they are more hardy than Carnations, but require a 

 similar mode of cultivation and treatment when in flower. They 

 are chissed under difl'erent heads, as 1. The plieasanl's eye, which is 

 said to have sprung from D. plumarius. 2. The cobs, which are a 

 large sort, and appear intermediate between Pinks and Picotee Carna- 

 tions. 3. The early reds, which are smaller than cobs, but larger than 

 pheasant's eyes, and are probably produced from cobs and D. Armaria, 

 or D. deltoidcs. Of these there are a great number of rarieties, indeed 

 the Paisley growers in Scotland enumerate of pheasant's eyes alone 

 more than three hundred, and of the others almost an equal number. 

 They are an extremely beautiful tribe of plants, and the ingenuity 

 displayed by the cultivators of them in bringing them to such a high 

 degree of perfection, is worthy the greatest encouragement and praise. 



GENUS X. SAPONA'RIA.— Linn. Soapwort. 

 Nat. Ord. Cary^opiiyl'leji:. Jess. 



Gen. Char. Calyx tubular, five toothed, naked at the base. Petals 



live, contracted at the mouth into a narrow claw. Stamens ten. 



Sti/les two. Capsule of one cell, four valved. Seeds roundish, 



kidney-shaped. — Named from Sapo, soap ; on account of some 



of the plants of the genus having been used instead of soap. 



1. S. officina'lis, Linn. (Fig. 706.) Officinal Soapwort. Flowers 



fasciculato-corymbosa ; calyx cylindrical, smooth ; petals notched, 



crowned at the throat ; stem erect ; leaves oblong, lanceolate. 



English Botany, t. 1060.— English Flora, vol. ii. p. 284. — Hooker, 

 British Flora, vol, i. p. 203. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 45. 



Root stout, somewhat tapering, and branched, with numerous 

 creeping underground stems. Stem erect, from one to near three feet 

 high, roundish, smooth, leafy, and somewhat branched, especially at 

 the top, in a paniculated manner, and bearing numerous crowded 

 flowers in sub-corymbose clusters. Leaves opposite, on short foot- 

 stalks, and more or less united at the base, ovate lanceolate, obtuse, or 

 elliptic, lanceolate, acute, smooth, three ribbed, somewhat succulent, 

 a bright green, paler on the under side, the margins entire. Flowers 

 numerous, large, on short smooth or downy stalks, and each with a 

 pair of linear lanceolate bracteas. Calyx smooth, cylindrical, about 

 an inch long, obscurely ribbed, the teeth erect, lanceolate. Petals a 

 pale pink, the limb large, spreading, obcordate, contracted at the base 

 into a long slender four-angled channeled claw, crowned with a linear 

 notched scale. Stamens with slender filaments, as long as the calyx, 

 with oblong anthers, of two cells, yellow or purple. Styles with 

 feathery stigmas, as long as the stamens. Capsule linear, ovate, 



4 M 



