On a newly introduced Half-hardy species of Salvia. 223 



S. persicifolia, or some others allied to it, may fairly enter into 

 competition with S. splendens. Others are known to have orange 

 or yellow flowers of different shades. Indeed out of near two hun- 

 dred species of American Salvias, there seems reason to believe 

 that three-fourths of them may be worthy of cultivation. 



We may hope, however, that in the S. patens, we have now 

 secured one of the most desirable of the group, more especially as 

 there seems reason to believe that it is not more tender than 

 S. fulgens. It comes from the same mining districts of Gua- 

 naxuato, Real del Monte, Tlalpuxahua, &c It was there first 

 discovered by Nee, a Spanish botanist, who gave it the name of 

 S. grandiflora, but that name having been pre-occupied, Cava- 

 nilles published it from Nee's dried specimens and coloured 

 figure, under the name of S. patens. Humboldt and Bonpland 

 again brought dried specimens to Europe ; and Kunth, not aware 

 of Cavanilles' figure, called it in his Nova Genera, S. spectabilis, 

 for which he afterwards in his Synopsis substituted Cavanilles' 

 name, since adopted by botanists. 



The Salvia patens is a perennial, growing to the height of two, 

 three, or four feet, erect and hairy. The leaves are large, ovate, 

 or deltoid, broadly hastate, or somewhat heart-shaped at the base, 

 or the upper ones rounded, green and hairy on both sides. The 

 flowers are disposed in long terminal racemes, usually branching 

 into three at the base ; along this raceme they are placed in 

 opposite pairs, each one at the axilla of a small linear-lanceolate 

 floral leaf. The flower-stalks are short, the calyx half to three- 

 quarters of an inch long, hairy, green, and deeply divided into two 

 lips, the upper one entire, the lower deeply two-cleft. The 

 corolla of a rich blue, between two and three inches long, is 

 remarkable for its broad gaping mouth ; the upper lip being long, 

 falcate, and erect, enclosing the stamens and pistil, the lower lip 

 hanging, with two lateral oblong reflexed lobes, and the middle 

 one very broad and emarginate. 



