margins imperfectly divide the upper part of the involucre into a simi- 
lar number of cells ; teeth of the inyolucre numerous, reddish like the 
bracts, woolly, connivent. Near the top of the involucre are several 
appendages, or nectaries, of which four are abortive, and one perfect, 
which is round, entire, peltate, and so constructed at the margins as to 
seem two-lipped. STAMINIFEROUS FLOWERS varying from 10 to 14, 
in double rows in each compartment of the involucre, from the base 
of which they spring, each accompanied with a scale, which is hairy 
towards the top ; each flower consisting of but one stamen, which is 
articulated with a small pedicel, filament reddish, anther two-lobed, 
lobes diverging, dehiscing by a deep furrow along the outside. Pot- 
LEN granules yellow, lenticular. PisTILLirEROUS FLOWERS solitary, 
central, supported on a short thick pedicel, naked; ovary three-celled, 
styles three, each style simple (?), bifurcate at the apex. 
Poputar anp Geograpuican Notice. In Plate 70, we published 
what we considered a variety of the present plant, under the name of 
Poinsettia pulcherrima, var. albida, and with this one before them, 
our readers can judge for themselves whether or not we were correct 
in deeming the former merely a variety. Less importance should be 
attached to colour than to any other feature of a plant, and it is pro- 
bable that the bracts are white in the other plant, owing to its being 
more delicate. It is perhaps worth mentioning that the bracts of 
many species of Euphorbia are yellow during the early period of flow- 
ering, but afterwards become green; as do the white sepals of the Hel- 
leborus niger also change to green, (See Treviranus, Vermischte 
Schriften, vol. IV, p. 145 
INTRODUCTION ; WHERE GROwN; CuLTurRE. Sent from Mexico 
to Charles Tayleure Esq., of Toxteth Park, near Liverpool, in 1835. 
About the same time it was sent by Mr. James M* Nab, from Phil- 
adelphia, to the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. Our drawing was made 
from a plant belonging to the Messrs: Pope of Handsworth. The gar- 
dener of Henry Pratt, Esq. of Philadelphia says he treats it in every 
respect as a Geranium, except keeping it in the hot-house during winter. 
ATION OF THE NAMES, 
Derty 
PornsEttrA, so called in honour of J. R. Poinsett, the United States Consul 
at Mexico. Puncnerrima, superlative of pulcher, fair. 
SyNONYMES. 
PornsETTIAa ae ole Graham: in Edinburgh New gee a, Jour- 
nal, March 1836. Graham : in Botanical Magazine, folio 349: 
EvrHorsia PULCHERRIMA, Wildenow: Herbarium. 
EvrHorBia poinsettia, Buist: Mss, 
