94 



REHMANNIA CHINENSIS. 



Garden of Berlin, through the kindness of M. Otto, to whom the Society are 

 indebted for many rare and valuable additions to their collection. It was figured 

 in the Botanical Register, No. 6, in J une last ; but the flowers, as represented in 

 the plate, and as stated by Dr. Lindley, are so dingy in colour, " that the plant 

 is by no means distinguished for its ornamental appearance." We are disposed, 

 however, to imagine that this must have been an unusual state of the plant, as 

 the specimen from which our drawing was made had flowers not only larger in 

 size, but particularly beautiful in colour. The colour, however, is very fugacious, 

 for we noticed that the flowers of one of the plants, after having been exposed to 

 the influence of the sun's rays for two or three hours, had lost all their depth and 

 richness of colour, and had become of a pale, faded purple, but still presented 

 none of that dinginess of colour alluded to in the Register. It is worthy of 

 remark, that the foliage of our plant appears to have been much less developed 

 than in Dr. Lindley's plant ; may not that circumstance have been connected 

 with the more perfect development of the flowers, and their great superiority of 

 colour as displayed in our specimen ? 



It is said to be a native of the north of China and Chinese Mongolia ; in the 

 natural arrangement it will stand near Digitalis. It has been kept in the green- 

 house, but will probably be hardy enough for a cold frame. The soil should be 

 sandy peat, mixed with a little loam. It may be readily increased by dividing, or 

 by cuttings, but which can only be obtained sparingly from the plant. The 

 generic name, Rehmannia, is unexplained by its author. 



Fig. 1, a flower cut open to show the insertion of the stamens ; 2, the ovary, 

 style, and stigma. 



