434 Transactions of the London Horticultural Society. 



the upper ones often several so near together as to have the appearance of an 

 imperfect whorl ; they are oblong, lanceolate, obtuse, perfectly entire, embrace 

 the Gtem at the base, and are marked with from three to five parallel ribs. The 

 peduncles are solitary, axillary, about 6 in. long, and bear at the extremity a 

 single erect flower, rather larger than that of the common Helianthemum. 

 The sepals are very hairy, round-ovate and obtuse ; the petals yellow, with 

 occasionally a reddish tinge outside. The flower is sweet-scented, and of a 

 pale straw-colour. 



" Mr. Douglas's dried collection contains also specimens of two other plants, 

 each forming a new genus of the same order of Papaveraceae. 



" Platystigma linedre Benth., Gard. Mag., x. 171. — A smaller plant than the 

 Platystemon, and growing in closer tufts, but otherwise resembling it very 

 much in habit, though so different in botanical character. The flowers are 

 yellow, rather smaller than those of Platystemon. 



" Dendromecon rigidiim Benth., Gard. Mag., x. 171. — A very remarkable plant 

 in this order, on account of its shrubby stem and coriaceous leaves and cap- 

 sules. The flowers appear to be yellow, and nearly as large as those of 

 Papaver nudicaule. 



" EschschoUzm crocea Benth., Gard. Mag., x. 171. — In general habit, foliage, 

 and size of the flower, this new species of Eschscholtzia closely resembles the 

 E. californica, introduced by Mr. Douglas on his first expedition, and now so 

 generally admitted to be one of the most beautiful additions to our hardy or- 

 namental plants. The present species, however, promises far to surpass even 

 that one in the rich orange colour of the petals. It appears to be equally hardy, 

 and, judging from the experience of a season, to flower still more freely. It 

 is distinguished botanically from E. californica by the widely expanded limb of 

 that curious appendage of the peduncle beneath the insertion of the calyx, 

 which is characteristic of the genus, and by the long attenuated point of the 

 calyx. 



" The following new species of the same genus have been sent home in a dry 

 state by Mr. Douglas ; but no seed of them has vegetated. 



" E. ccBspitosa Benth. — Flowers yellow, considerably smaller than E. crocea 

 and californica. 



" E. tenuifdlia Benth. — Stature and flowers of E. cEespitosa, but easily dis- 

 tinguished by its very finely cut leaves, and by the form of the calyx. 



" E. hi/pecoides Benth. — Habit nearly that of E. californica; but the leaves 

 are much smaller, and the flowers not one third the size. It bears much re- 

 semblance to //ypecoum grandiflorum. 



" Meconopsis Benth., Gard. Mag., x. 171, — The dried collection contains 

 two species of this genus, one of which was raised in the garden, but died 

 before it could be determined or drawn. As, however, a small quantity of seed 

 has been saved, it is probably not lost to us; and I therefore give here the 

 botanical characters of both of them. 



" M. lieterophyUa Benth., and M. crassifolia Benth. — These species belong to 

 the section Meconopsis of De CandoUe. The flowers of both are of an orange 

 red, about the size of those of Papaver Argemone : they do not appear likely 

 to be so ornamental as many others of the poppy tribe now in cultivation. 



" Lhnndnthes JDougldsu R- Br., Bot. Beg., 1673. — This plant has been 

 already described by Mr. Brown {Lond. and Edin. Phil. Mag., July, 183.3), 

 from dried specimens, as the type of a new natural order, to which he has given 

 the name of Limnantheae. It has since then flowered in the Society's Garden, 

 and proves to be equally interesting in a horticultural point of view from the 

 elegance of its flowers and foliage. It is a prostrate pale green annual, with 

 finely divided, rather succulent leaves, and white striated petals with a yellow 

 base. The flowers are about the size of Campanula rotundifolia, are slightly 

 fragrant, and very pretty. From the habit of this plant, it seems to require 

 a damp and shady situation, where it will probably remain in flower for a month 

 or six weeks. It is propagated by seeds, which are produced in tolerable 

 plenty. (See Gar^d. Mag., vol. x. p. 174. 285.) 



