PAXTON'S FLO WEE GAEDEN. 



69 



parts smooth. Buds axillary and terminal, oral, acute, consisting of ovate, obtuse, imbricating scales. Leaves opposite, 

 ovate, terminated by a lanceolar, long acumen, margins most elegantly marked with narrow, linear, lanceolate, sharp, 

 slightly incumbent, parallel, and approximate serratures, which are two or three lines long, and sharply denticulate, or 

 serrulate ; base rounded, or acute, 

 nearly entire ; the lower surface 

 with a strong rib and oblique 

 nerves, from three to five inches 

 long. Petiole half-an-inch long, 

 and furrowed. Peduncles lateral, 

 approximate on the young shoots^ 

 filiform, a little flattened, two or 

 three inches long, divided into five 

 or six long slender rays, each bear- 

 ing a simple or compound fascicle 

 of tetrandrous flowers. Calycine 

 segments oblong, obtuse. Stamina 

 very short. Capsule large, turbi- 

 nate, depressed, furnished with 

 from two to five lanceolate, taper- 

 ing, vertical, horizontally spread- 

 ing wings, which are sometimes 

 two-thirds of an inch long, and as 

 broad at the base as the capsule 

 itself is deep. 



" Obs. — It is impossible to con- 

 found this with any other species. 

 While young the leaves are lanceo- 

 late, less deeply, but distinctly 

 duplicato-serrate ; when old they 

 become broad ovate, elegantly 

 fringed with numerous narrow, 

 deep, dentate serratures. The 

 capsules are large and leathery." 



In the winter the large leathery 

 seed vessels open and display the 

 rich orange-coloured seeds, which 

 themselves produce a sufficiently 

 gay appearance. 



Helleborus ATRO- 

 rubens. W ildstein and Kit- 

 aibel. A hardy herbaceous 

 plant, with dull purple flowers, 

 appearing early in the spring. 

 Native of Hungary. Belongs 

 to the Crowfoots. 



" A really handsome and hardy 

 herbaceous flowering plant, blos- 

 soming when flowers are more 

 especially welcome visitors, in 



February and March. The blossoms are large, spreading, at first rather a dark purple (hardly dark enough 

 to justify the name atro-rubens), gradually changing to green as the fruit advances to maturity. It inhabits woods and 

 bushy places in the mountain districts of Croatia, and is especially abundant about Korenicz. Root a branched tuber or 

 cormus, throwing down very numerous long fibres. Stem erect, herbaceous, dichotornously branched, glabrous, obsoletely 

 angular. Root-leaves coming to perfection after the flowers, pedate, shining, the lobes lanceolate, reticulated, finely 

 serrated, shining, paler beneath. Stem-leaves with a sheathing base, almost sessile, less divided : uppermost ones or 

 bracteas at length lanceolate, undivided. Peduncles mostly terminal and two-flowered. Sepals broad ovate, almost 

 rotundate, spreading, dull but rather dark red-purple, persistent and changing to dull pale brownish-green. Petals 



