82 



WEINMANNIA VENOSA. 



ovate, lanceolate, of a pleasing rose colour ; petals linear, smooth, twice as long as the sepals, 

 and of a very pale rose colour. Stamens ten (not eight), smooth, twice as long as the petals. 

 Anthers globular, yellow, styles two, the length of the stamens, somewhat divaricate, smooth. 

 Stigma minute. Ovarium strigosely hairy ; seeds white, smooth. 



This very distinct and pretty species is in the collection of the Birmingham 

 Botanical and Horticultural Society, and was raised from seeds which were col- 

 lected in New Holland and sent to that establishment in the year 1836. It is 

 a plant of slow growth, and of a rigid habit. It possesses a pleasing and singular 

 appearance, having its dense spike of flowers crowned with purple leaves, its 

 stem red, and its leaves strongly veined with red. It is very nearly related to 

 the genus Dieterica Seringa, but from that genus it is distinct, as the calyx is 

 neither large nor deciduous, but after flowering collapses and envelops the 

 ovarium. Whether it will perfect its seed or not is at present uncertain, but 

 the ovarium enlarges, and immature seeds are at present enclosed. 



It requires the protection of the greenhouse during the winter, and ought to 

 be potted in a mixture of peat, loam, and sand. It may be increased by cut- 

 tings, but from its very slow growth and peculiar habit that method of propa- 

 gation must be very tardy ; and if it should not perfect seeds, it will of necessity 

 be a scarce plant in collections. 



The genus is named after J. W. Weinmann, a German botanist. The specific 

 name is from the Latin venosus, signifying veined, in reference to the strong and 

 conspicuous veins of the leaves. 



Fig. 1, a flower magnified; its anterior portion removed for the purpose of 

 showing the insertion of the petals, placed alternately with the lobes of the 

 calyx ; 2, the germ hairy, and surmounted by two styles. 



