cultivated in England. By Joseph Sabine, Esq. 335 



Red, the Old Purple, and the Quilled Purple. The plant grows 

 usually about four feet high; the branches produce the flowers 

 in a loose corymb or cluster. The flowers in this variety ex- 

 pand about a fortnight after the earliest sorts ; they have a 

 strong scent, resembling Chamomile; their colour is rather a 

 dull purple; the florets not growing very compactly together, 

 and projecting, form a sort of expanded tassel-like flower, 

 which generally has a dependent or nodding appearance ; 

 the expansion of a large well formed flower is from two and 

 a half to three inches ; the middle of the flower is generally 

 filled with the long radiate florets, but sometimes a few short 

 yellow florets are seen, and form a disc in the centre ; it is 

 then considered as semidouble ; the radiate florets are tubu- 

 lar, but usually expand with a flat lip, splitting on their in- 

 side to more than half their length ; their backs are a pur- 

 plish gray, which is seen as the flower is viewed in front 

 when the quills are not opened, giving a two-coloured ap- 

 pearance to the whole flower ; the external florets are larger 

 than those which are nearer the centre. The leaves are 

 small and short in comparison with those of some other 

 kinds, the indentations forming the lobes are deep, their ser- 

 ratures are sharp-pointed, and the backs of the leaves are 

 more hoary than is usual. This was introduced from France 

 into the royal gardens at Kew, from M. Cels of Paris in 

 1790; it flowered first at Mr. Colvili/s, in the King's Road, 

 in November 1795, and it was figured in the Botanical Ma- 

 gazine* plate 327, soon after ; it is the variety e, or Purple 



* In the observations on this plant in the Botanical Magazine, the accounts 

 given by Rheede, in the Hortus Malabarkus (vol. x, page S7, tab. 44) 

 of the Tsjetti-pu of that work, and by Rumphius, in his Herbarium Am- 



