70 



POINSETTIA PULCHERRIMA. 



yellow, lenticular. Female flower solitary, central, on a short, stout pedicel, naked ; germen 

 three-lobed, each lobe emarginate ; style wanting (?); * ovule solitary in each lobe. — These 

 appearances I describe as I saw them, but the female flowers were probably imperfect, none 

 enlarged, projected beyond the involucre, nor produced seed ; but after a while, a small number 

 of the male flowers having been perfected, and protruded beyond the involucre, this became 

 yellow, and separated at the articulation near the base of the foot-stalk, the braeteaB for some 

 time remaining, and then the whole cyme dropped at the articulation in the common peduncle. 

 . — Graham. 



This new and splendid ornament of the stove is a native of Mexico, where it 

 appears to have been found by Mr. Poinsette, and sent by him to Mr. Buist, of 

 Philadelphia. It was brought to this country in 1834 by Mr. James M'Nab from 

 Mr. Buist's garden, and was first introduced to the notice of British botanists 

 by the distinguished Professor of Botany in the University of Edinburgh, Dr. 

 Graham, who states that the rose-like whorls of bractese which terminate the 

 branches have been seen on the large plants cultivated at Philadelphia as much 

 as twenty inches across, and equal in colour to the finest tints of Hibiscus rosa- 

 sinensis. 



Our drawing was made from a plant in the collection of George Barker, Esq., 

 of Springfield, near Birmingham. 



It is of easy culture, requiring peat and loam, mixed with a good portion of 

 sand, and the use of plenty of drainers. It may be propagated by cuttings 

 placed in a moist heat, either in the stove or a hot-bed. The best cuttings are the 

 young shoots from the woody stem when about three inches long, which will do 

 better if cut nearly through about a week before they are finally separated from 

 the parent plant, in order to allow the milky juice to dry up and get hardened. 

 It flowers nearly all the year, but principally in winter and spring. 



* In our specimen the female flowers had three styles united at the lose, and Ufid stigmas; in other respects 

 the above description of Professor Graham, which we have quoted at length, is a perfect model of botanical 

 accuracy. 



