permost widely spatulate, cream-coloured, with a dark 
reddish purple mark from the base to the middle ; 
lower petals much shorter, ligulate, of a pale cream 
colour. Filaments 10, united at the base, 7 bearing 
anthers. Germen hairy. Sti/le red, slightly hairy on 
the lower part and smooth on the upper. Stigmas 5, 
red, reflexed. 
Our drawing of this handsome species was taken 
from a strong healthy plant communicated to us by 
R. H. Jenkinson, Esq. It seems to have caused some 
perplexity among botanists; probably from the state 
of the samples before them. The number of flowers 
in the umbel depends entirely on the strength of the 
plant, likewise the size and divisions of the leaves. In 
a very strong specimen we have seen as many as eight 
flowers in the umbel, but much oftener only four or 
five. Jacquin's figure appears to have been made from 
a very weak plant, and ours from one altogether as 
strong. It is rather more tender than most other 
species, and requires to be kept in the warmest part 
of the greenhouse in winter, when care must be taken 
not to overwater it, as it is very liable to rot ; its leaves 
are also of a succulent nature, so that they are very 
apt to decay, if wetted. The best soil for it is a mix- 
ture of turfy loam, peat, and sand, the same as re- 
commended for P. fulgidum and its relatives. Cut- 
tings strike root readily, planted in pots in the same 
kind of soil, and placed on a shelf in the greenhouse. 
