14 FAMILIAR GARDEN FLOWERS. 



probability a form of it, thus making 1 excuse for the con- 

 fusion that has arisen as to their supposed identity. 

 Anemone vitifolia is a native of Nepal/ in the shady 

 valleys of which it is plentiful, and though not equal 

 to our present subject as a garden flower, it is a delicate 

 beauty, flowering earlier than the Japanese plant, and being 

 less in size and less pure in its whiteness ; it is, in fact, 

 tinged with purple, red, or bronze, as influenced by soil and 

 various degrees of exposure. This plant is figured in the 

 Botanical Magazine (t. 3,376), from plants grown by Mr. 

 Don, at Knyppersley Gardens, Congleton ; but we owe 

 the introduction of A. vitifolia to Dr. Wallich, who may 

 be styled the father of Indian botany. In describing it he 

 says : " It grows in all the forests of the great valley and 

 uhe surrounding mountains, delighting in the most shady, 

 retired, and moist situations in the vicinity of rills and 

 torrents." The figure in the Botanical Register (t. 1,385) 

 shows a larger flower and stouter growth than the B. M. 

 figure, and will justify our regarding the* vine-leaved 

 anemone as the Nepal form of our Anemone Japonica. 



To Siebold's " Flora Japonica " we are indebted for 

 the first description of this anemone, but to our own Robert 

 Fortune for the plant itself. It was figured in the Botani- 

 cal Magazine, in 1847 (t. 4,341), by Mr. W. H. Fitch, the 

 red form alone being then known, and the figure showing 

 it in higher colour than we have ever seen in the flower 

 itself, although familiar with it from its first introduction. 

 Sir W. J. Hooker, in describing it, said : " I cannot but 

 fear that what have been transmitted to our gardens ex- 

 hibit strong marks of the flowers being double, which 

 may account for the fact mentioned by Siebold of the 

 seeds rarely coming to perfection." The " fear" entertained 



