THE ORIGIN OF THE FLORIST'S CARNATION. 



305 



but is larger, fuller, richer, immensely various in outward charac- 

 ters, but within, as we may say, that is, in structural characters, 

 it is doubtless altogether free from taint of other blood. It has 

 been often assumed that the carnation and the pink are related 

 by consanguinity, and that Perdita's objection holds good ; that 

 is, if any such objection is worthy of anything more than senti- 

 mental consideration. 



Dianthus caryophyllus in its wild state is registered as occur- 

 ring at Rochester, Deal, Norwich, and other places in England 

 but it is a rarity. Watson suggests that it was originally planted 

 where we now find it, and thereby he seems to authorise a further 

 suggestion, that the so-called wilding may be but a degenerated 

 offspring of an escape from gardens. Bentham ignores its 

 existence ; and Watson adds under D. plumarius, that it has by 

 mistake been reported as D. caryophyllus, and therefore perhaps 

 has never been found at all. But the species is good for all that, 

 being plentiful as such in the south of Europe, a fact that explains 

 the derivation from Spain and Italy of garden carnations in 

 ancient times. 



This wild carnation is constant in its characters ; the flower 

 has five petals, which are wedge-shaped, a calyx of one piece 

 forming a kind of vase or tube for the display of the petals ; this 

 tube forms a five-divided calyx or " pod," at the base of which are 

 four large, conspicuous rhomboidal scales. The change from five to 

 four in the numbers of the floral organs appears anomalous, but 

 if we regard the four scales as the equivalent of two pairs of 

 leaves — for the leaves are in pairs always — there is an end of the 

 arithmetical difficulty. There are other distinguishing characters. 

 Dianthus ccesius and D. plumarius, which are probably forms of 

 one species, come very near to D. caryophyllus in the arrange- 

 ment of petals, sepals, and scales, but the complexion of the 

 entire plant is greatly different, the scales are roundish ovate, 

 the leaves are toothed, and the flowers appear and pass away 

 usually before a single carnation has shown colour. 



It should here be observed that we have in gardens a number 

 of useful flowers known as mule pinks, a term that confesses to 

 their mixed parentage. These are variously compounded of D. 

 plumarius, D. ccesius. and D. deltoides, and combine in various 

 degrees their characters. But no variation of essential character 

 is ever noticeable in a carnation, and this being the case imports 



