13 



DELPHINIUM PUNICEUM. 



(Purple Larhspw.) 



NATURAL ORDER. 



ranunculacejE — (Juss. De Cand. Syst. 

 vol. i. p. 127.) 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 

 Calyx deciduus, petaloideus irregularis, sepalo nempe superiore in calcar deorsum producto. 

 Petala 4. 2 superiora basi in appendicibus intra calcar contentis producta. — De Cand. Syst. vol. 1. 

 p. 340. 



Calyx deciduous, petal-like, irregular, the upper sepal being prolonged downwards into a 

 spur. Petals 4, the two upper ones prolonged at their base into appendages within the spur. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 



D. puniceum. Petiolis basi dilatato-vaginantibus, foliis in lobos lineares ad basin usque 

 multipartitis, racemo elongato, calcare recto obtuso pedicello sublongiore flore breviore, petalis 

 inferioribus pilosis. 



Descr. — Petioles with dilated sheaths at their base, /raws much divided even to their base into 

 linear lobes, raceme elongated, spur erect obtuse, somewhat longer than the pedicel, shorter than 

 the flower, lower petals hairy. 



D. puniceum.— Pallas. Voy. 8. p. 327. N. 336. 



Our plant was raised from seeds presented to the Birmingham Botanical and 

 Horticultural Society by the late Dr. Steudel, in April, 1835, and will form a 

 valuable acquisition to the herbaceous department of the garden. Its elegant 

 flowers in long branching racemes, which appear in July and continue till Novem- 

 ber, are beautifully conspicuous from their rich dark purple hue, and form a pleasing 

 contrast with such of the species as are at present in cultivation. It is a native 

 of the most arid parts of the desert of Tartary, around the Volga, where it was 

 collected by Pallas during his travels in the Russian empire, and was introduced, 

 according to Aiton (Hortus Kewensis), by Dr. William Pitcairn, in the year 1785, 

 but is now a scarce plant, and rarely to be met with in collections. It is perennial, 

 grows about four feet high, is perfectly hardy, and may be cultivated in any deep 

 light garden soil, upon a dry subsoil, and increased by dividing. The best time 

 for that purpose with all the species of this genus is in the spring, when the young 

 shoots are two or three inches above the soil. This species ripens seeds freely, 



LINNEAN SYSTEM. 



POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA. 



