162 



CUPHEA LANCEOLATA. 



six, very unequal in size, the two uppermost five times as large as the lower ones, unguiculate, 

 of a beautiful purple violet colour, elegantly bordered with violet of paler tint. Margin of the 

 upper petals undulate, the apex of the lower petals incurved. Calyx very viscous, longly tubular, 

 gibbous on the upper side, contracted in the throat ; unequally divided into six parts, the upper 

 sepal five times as large as the lower ones, and after flowering, beaked '; the lower sepals are 

 angular, and in the interior of the divisions are six little appendages, to which the name sinuses 

 has been given ; exteriorly between the divisions are small tufts of whitish hairs. Stamens eleven, 

 unequal. Filaments villous beneath the anther. Anther 2-celled, white, bursting lengthwise, 

 articulated to the filament with a thick connectivum. Ovarium oblong, cylindrical. Style 

 subulate, shorter than the stamens, incurved at the apex. Stigma small, capitate. Seeds orbi- 

 cular, compressed, brownish. 



For the opportunity of figuring this showy species of Cuphea we are indebted 

 to Messrs. Osborn and Sons, of the Fulham nursery, who received it from 

 Messrs. Booth, of the Hotbeck nurseries, Hamburgh. It is a native of Mexico, 

 and was introduced by Mr. Anderson, the worthy curator of the Apothecaries'' 

 Garden, Chelsea, about the year 1796, since which time it has been for a long 

 time lost to the gardens of this country. In its treatment as a hardy annual, it 

 requires no particular care or soil. The seeds should be sown in April, when 

 plants will flower in August. As the seeds, however, do not ripen readily in 

 autumn, it would be advisable to sow a few of them in pots, in the month of 

 March, for turning into the open border ; by this means you will ensure ripe 

 seeds being obtained, otherwise the plant is likely to be again lost to the gardens. 

 The genus Cuphea is extensive, containing about 40 species, and may be said to 

 be almost exclusively Mexican. 



The generic name is from Kvcpos, curved, supposed to allude to the curved 

 tube of the calyx ; the specific name, lanceolate, from the shape of the leaves. 



