By Joseph Sabine, Esq. 



73 



of flowers, the joints of the stem being short, the leaves, and 

 consequently the blossoms, occur more frequently in a given 

 length, the termination of all the young branches bear racemes, 

 or, what I believe is more exactly the case, are without leaves, 

 and only produce stipulae and flowers ; the leaves are more 

 decidedly five-lobed than the first, and are somewhat undu- 

 lated, but the flowers in their general formation, though the 

 purple colour predominates in the interior of the petals and 

 calyx, have more resemblance to those of the second ; the 

 outer rays of the crown agree in appearance with those of 

 the second sort, but the tips, instead of being white, are 

 slightly coloured with lilac. 



The differences between these three plants are not greater 

 than may be found among seedlings of any one species, but 

 such differences are of rare occurrence ; for out of any number 

 of plants of a species it does not often happen that a single va- 

 riety is found differing in so many essential points either from 

 a former variety, or from the parent, as is observed in those 

 three plants apart ; and yet it must be remembered, that these 

 are selections from only seven seedlings. It therefore seems 

 that if the practice of obtaining mule vegetables by artificial 

 means continue, it will lead to such a multiplication of dis- 

 tinct individuals, that we shall have the catalogue of the 

 Hybrids between any two species as extended as a list of 

 Carnations or Tulips ; and the gardener will be in danger of 

 being lost or bewildered in the multitude of his own produc- 

 tions. In order to account for their differences, it has been 

 suggested that the three Passion-flowers might have origi- 

 nated from the seeds of three different capsules ; but I cannot 

 conceive any reason why the seeds of two or more capsules of 



vol. v. L 



