2 



adopted also by M. De Candolle and a few other 

 distinguished botanists, the prior applied names have 

 prevailed, and, according to established custom, have 

 been generally retained. 



The plants from which three supposed species of 

 this genus were described, were sent from the Botanic 

 Garden at Mexico to the Royal Garden at Madrid, in 

 which the one, called by Professor Cavanille, Dahlia 

 Pinnata, flowered in October, 1789; his D. Rosea 

 and D. Coccinea produced flowers a few years after- 

 wards, and all were successfully figured and described 

 by him in his " Icones — the first in 1791, the two 

 last in 1794; they do not seem, however, to have 

 been successfully treated, for with him they attained 

 the height of three or four feet only, and did not 

 flower till October. In 1802, plants of each were 

 transferred from Madrid to the Jardin des Plantes at 

 Paris, where they grew so well as to enable Mons. 

 Thouin, in 1804, not only to describe and figure them, 

 but also to treat on their cultivation. In May, 1804, 

 seeds of the three kinds were sent from Madrid, by 

 Lady Holland, to Mr. Buonainti, Lord Holland's 

 librarian in England ; from these good plants were 

 produced, one of which, the D. Pinnata, flowered in 

 September following, and was figured by Andrews, in 

 the "Botanist's Repository/' In the succeeding 

 year, plants of the D. Rosea and the D. Coccinea also 

 flowered in the gardens of Holland House. 



