110 Account of the Purple-fruited Passion Flower. 



his P. incarnata was introduced, having before noticed it in a 

 dissertation in the Amcenitates Academics, written in 1745. 

 He refers to Gronovius's Flora Virginica, where the speci- 

 men No. 151 of Clayton's Herbarium is described, which 

 specimen is now in the possession of Sir Joseph Banks, and 

 is the Virginian plant. It is not improbable, but that Lin- 

 NjEus himself saw this specimen, when he was at Leyden, 

 withGitoNovius, in 1737. The plant he describes was grow- 

 ing in the Upsal Garden, in 1745, and subsequent years, under 

 his inspection, au'l the specimen in his own herbarium, which 

 was most probably taken from that very plant, proves to be 

 the Virginian Passiflora. If further confirmation of the fact 

 were wanting, I might add the authority of my friend, Sir 

 James Edward Smith, who has published the figure of 

 the same plant, as the P. incarnata, in Abbot's Insects of 

 Georgia, from a drawing made in America. Linn je us also 

 refers, his plant to that mentioned in the Hortus Clifforti- 

 anus, and which was growing previous to the year 1737, in 

 Clifford's garden, at Haarlem, as appears by the Virida- 

 rium Cliffortianum ; but as no specimen of it is in Clifford's 

 herbarium, we have not the proof of the identity of that par- 

 ticular plant. 



It is true, that Linnaeus, relying on the accounts and de- 

 scription of certain old authors, has set down his plant for 

 a native of Peru and the Brazils, as well as of Virginia : but 

 from this notion I must dissent : and though, from want of 

 positive evidence, I cannot disprove that opinion, I think I 

 can sufficiently shew, that the authorities, on which it is built, 

 are not decisive. Future investigation will settle this point ; 

 but in the mean time, I will give my view of the subject, pre- 



