72 Botanical Register. 



species of this genus, is apt to exhaust itself so much in flowering, as to 

 become little better than a biennial. This may, however, be prevented, by 

 pinching a part of the flowering stems of each plant upon their first appear- 

 ance ; a practice which may be advantageously adopted with regard to all 

 plants having similar habits. It should be cultivated in a shady place in 

 some light soil, in which it will flower beautifully during all June, July, and 

 August, ripening seeds in tolerable abundance." — Ipomopsis elegans; 

 Polemoniaceae. A beautiful biennial or perennial, with scarlet funnel- 

 shaped flowers. From both sides of the continent of North America, by 

 Mi'. Douglas to the Horticultural Society, " It is, unfortunately, im- 

 patient of cultivation, being apt to die off", without apparent cause, during, 

 its flowering. Naturally, it is perhaps perennial ; but with us, owing to this 

 cause, it does not survive beyond two years. The best method of culti- 

 vating it is found to be in cold damp soil, under a wall. It will not live in 

 peat or light soil." — Lophanthus anisatus ; Labiatae § Satureinece. A 

 handsome hardy perennial, from the Missouri, flowering profusely in July,, 

 August, and September, and remarkable for the strong scent of anise which 

 it yields when slightly bruised. Flowers, blue and red. — Sisyrinchium 

 odoratissimum ; Jrideae. From South America to the Clapton nursery, 

 where it is perfectly hardy. " We have here a new instance of what is 

 called the certainty and precision of the Linnean system of botany. Sisy- 

 rinchium appears to us to belong to Monadelphia Triandria, and it is so 

 stationed by some Linnean botanists : yet others, of great authority, place 

 it in Triandria Monogynia. We will not pretend to decide between these 

 conflicting opinions ; but we really wonder that gentlemen should be still 

 found, with this and hundreds of similar cases staring them in the face, to 

 talk gravely of the peculiar precision and certainty of the sexual system. 

 No one pretends to claim this character of peculiar certainty and precision 

 for the natural system ; but to ascribe it exclusively to the Linnean is 

 notoriously absurd ; as if the very clever artificial contrivance of the illus- 

 trious Swede, the utility of which is, however, most extravagantly over- 

 rated, were exempt from the imperfections inherent in all human affairs. 

 But what amuses us the most is, that while Linnean botanists are thus 

 anxiously endeavouring to maintain the ground which they cannot avoid 

 perceiving is rapidly slipping from beneath them, they are slily adopting that 

 very system they deprecate, and adopting it by a sort of patchwork process,, 

 which has the peculiar advantage of being particularly useless. (See Spren- 

 gePs, Syst. Veg. passim, in the arrangement of genera.) With us, so com- 

 pletely will prejudice blind men's perceptions, one of the most intelligent 

 and amiable men that the age has seen has announced himself a defender of 

 the Linnean faith in a splendid work, bearing for its name the somewhat 

 singular title of ' Monandnan Plants of the Order Scitammeoc 1 ' which is 

 written, "from beginning to end, upon the principles of the natural system. In 

 no other country than Great Britain would remarks of this nature be neces- 

 sary, if we except a few of the southern kingdoms of Europe, in which 

 science does not particularly flourish. We trust they will soon be super- 

 fluous among ourselves." 



No. X.for December, contains- 

 1284 to 1289. — Fuchsias tfiymifolia, Lopezi« rtiymifolia of Willdenow. 

 " A half-hardy shrub, remarkable for its soft entire leaves and changeable 

 flowers, the petals of which are not rolled together, as is usually the case, 

 but spread open. The blossoms are at first pale-greenish rose colour, gra- 

 dually changing to deep red; so that there are many different hues upon 

 the plant at the same time. It propagates very readily by cuttings, and 

 will soon become a common plant. It flowers continually during all the' 

 summer months." — Pentstemon acuminata. " A rival of the beautiful P. 

 speciosa, inferior to it in stature, but exceeding it in beauty of colouring and. 



