34 



DELPHINIUM TRISTE. 



It was well said by an old writer that " the various productions of nature 

 were not made for us to tread upon, nor only to feed our eyes with their grateful 

 variety, or to bring a sweet odour to us; but there is a more internal beauty in 

 them for our minds to prey upon, did we but penetrate beyond the surface of 

 these things into their hidden properties." Let not our plant be despised there- 

 fore, because it is not arrayed in those rich and brilliant colours by which the 

 greater number of its family are distinguished ; nor cast aside as useless because 

 we cannot perceive the design with which it was formed by its almighty Creator : 

 — but rather let us exclaim with the poet, 



" Let no presuming impious railer tax 

 Creative wisdom, as if aught was formed 

 In vain, or not for admirable ends. 

 Shall little haughty ignorance pronounce 

 His works unwise, of which the smallest part 

 Exceeds the narrow vision of her mind % " 



Our drawing was made from a plant in the collection of the Birmingham 

 Botanical and Horticultural Society, which was raised from seeds received, in 

 1835, from John Hunneman, Esq. 



The genus Delphinium is divided by Decandolle into four sections, viz. — 



1. Consolida., which is thus characterised: — seed-vessel 1, petals 4, united 

 in one ; internal spur of one petal. Annuals ; of this section an example {Delph. 

 Divaricatum) is given in our first volume, plate 16. 



2. Delphinellum : — seed-vessels 3, petals free, smooth ; internal spur of one 

 petal. Annuals. 



3. Delphinastrum ; seed-vessels 3 to 5 ; petals free, inferior in the disc, 

 bearded, bifid ; spur elongated, internal of 2 petals. Perennials ; this section is 

 again subdivided into — species having the limb of the lower petals entire, and 

 species having the limb of the lower petals bifid, the former consisting of 3, the 

 latter of about 25 species. An example of the latter sub -section {Delph. Puni- 

 ceum) was given in our first volume, plate 7. To the same section belongs Delph. 

 triste. 



It is a native of Daouria and Siberia, and will grow in any rich garden soil, 

 flowering in July and August. It does not appear to admit of increase by 

 dividing ; it ought therefore to be raised from seeds, which are produced tole- 

 rably freely. 



Fig. 1. A flower with the sepals and petals removed, to show the indefinite 

 stamens. Fig. 2. The upper petals magnified, showing their lengthened bases, 

 which are contained within the spur. Fig. 3. Capsules inserted on the torus; 

 For the derivation of the generic name Delphinium, vide vol. i. p. 14. 



