LOBELIAS. 



687 



succession of varied and beautiful flowers, till 

 checked by tlie winter fi-osts. Tlie finest pan- 

 sies should have large, round petals; the flower 

 forming nearly a circle, one inch and a quarter 

 in diameter. The colours should be brilliant, 

 distinct, and permanent; the eye rather small, 

 and not deeply pencilled, and the stigma filling 

 the open part of it. The flower stalk should 

 be strong and erect. 



The propagation of pansies is by cuttings, or 

 seed, either of which may be accomplished with 

 the greatest ease in common garden soil. The 

 seeds may be sown early in spring, under hand 

 glasses, or in a common frame; and the plants 

 may be first pricked out under glass, and after- 

 wards transplanted into beds in the open garden, 

 or put into pots. The situation should be open 

 to the east or west; the surface should be rather 

 below the neighbouring ground, so as to retain 

 moisture, and be cool; and the soil should be a 

 sandy loam, well manured. 



Lobelias. Natural family campanulacece ; 

 pentandria, monogynia, of Linna;us. This genus 

 of splendid plants is called after Lobel, a French 

 botanist, who came to England in the reign of 

 James I. There are many species of this family, 

 some of which are aquatic plants, or grow in 

 very moist situations, as the water lobelia, dort- 

 manna, and the long-flowered longiflora. The 

 leaves are generally oblong, lanceolate, or linear; 

 the prevailing colour of the corolla is red. Three 

 beautiful garden species are known under the 

 name of cardinal flowers. 



The Common Cardinal Flower (I. cardinalis), 

 is a native of Virginia, where it grows wild in 

 abundance, by the sides of rivers and ditches. 

 It was introduced into Britain in the year 1629, 

 and was then very much admired. Justice 

 describes it as "a flower of most handsome ap- 

 pearance, which should not be wanting in curious 

 gardens, as it excels all other flowers I ever knew, 

 in the richness of its scarlet colour." 



This plant is propagated in the usual way, by 

 offsets and cuttings; but those raised from seed, 

 produce the strongest plants. Soon after the 

 seed has ripened, it is to be sown in pots of rich 

 earth, placed under the protection of a frame. 

 Next spring the plants make their appearance, 

 and after they have acquired two or three leaves, 

 they should be put out into separate pots; and 

 as they acquire bulk, still farther transplanted 

 during the season. They should have an eastern 

 exposure, and a liberal supply of water. In the 

 second season they will flower, and if protected 

 from the too great influence of the sun, will 

 continue a long time in full beaut}'. The roots 

 do not last above two or three years, and thus a 

 constant succession of young plants is neces- 

 sary. 



The Fulgent Cardinal Flower (l. fulgens). 

 Tliis species is a native of Mexico, and was 



introduced into England in 1009. It is an 

 aquatic plant, and will even endure the severity 

 of our winters, if planted by the side of ponds 

 or cisterns. It flowers in July and August. It 

 may be propagated by suckers or cuttings, which 

 strike with great facility in any shady situation. 

 It may also be raised from seed, which should 

 be sown as soon as it ripens, on the surface of 

 moist earth in earthen pans, taking care not to 

 cover up the seed with earth. 



The plants will come up in spring, and flower 

 the second year. It is necessary to shelter the 

 pans during the winter. By a succession of 

 transplantings into larger pots, magnificent 

 plants of this species may be obtained, some of 

 them attaining the height of five feet, and up- 

 wards. 



The Splendid Cardinal Flower (h. splendens), 

 is also a native of Mexico, and was introduced 

 into Britain in 1814. It is to be treated in the 

 same manner as the others. 



The Blue Cardinal Flower (I. syphilitica), 

 and several other species, are natives of America. 

 They all require the same mode of treatment, 

 and may be raised without much difficulty. 

 The I. syphilitica was said to be employed as a 

 medicinal plant by the North American Indians, 

 in the cure of syphilis. Its virtues, however, 

 have not been confirmed by the trials of Euro- 

 pean physicians. 



The dwarf varieties of lobelias are of two 

 kinds, those with blue flowers, and those with 

 white. They are easily raised in borders, and 

 have a very showy appearance during the greater 

 part of the summer. They are propagated by 

 cuttings taken early in spring, placed below 

 glasses until they set, and then transplanted into 

 open borders as soon as the weather admits. 



Bell Flower (campanula). Natural family 

 campanulacex; pentandria, monogynia, of Lin- 

 nssus. This is a genus of plants with numerous 

 species, distinguished by the bell-shape of the 

 corolla; hence the name derived fi-om campana, 

 (a bell). Almost all the species have long white 

 roots, of an esculent quality; that of rampion 

 c. rapunculus, is used as food in France and Italy. 

 Many of the species are showy garden flowers. 

 The common Scottish blue bell, c. rotundifolia, 

 is a well known wild flower. 



Pyramidal Bell Flower (c, pyramidalis ) . 

 This splendid species is a native of Istria and 

 Savoy, and was first cultivated in Britain by 

 Gerarde. For a long time it was a fashionable 

 flower in the halls of the nobility, and was usu- 

 ally trained in a spreading, fan-shape, so as to 

 cover the fire place in summer; and for this pur- 

 pose it is still esteemed in Holland. It has, 

 however, been greatly superseded as a fashionable 

 flower in this country, by other more novel 

 plants, as the lobelia. It is, however, when 

 trained to a great height, by successive trans- 



