108 
NAT. ORDER. LEGUMINOSjE. 
two varieties, all of which are worthy of the gardener's notice, es- 
pecially as an ornament. A more particular description of the vari- 
ties, their different modes of cultivation, and their properties and 
uses, will be entered into and given in a future number of this work. 
Propagation and Culture. All the species of t his most beautiful 
genus thrive much the best in a mixture of loam and peat, and the 
shrubby and perennial kinds are easily increased by young cuttings, 
planted in sand, with a hand-glass placed over them ; those of the 
stove species in heat. The seeds of annual kinds should be sown 
in pots, which should be placed in a hot-bed, and the plants sepa- 
rated and planted into other pots, singly, when they have grown to 
a sufficient size for that purpose ; and some of them may be planted 
out into the open border in a warm, sheltered situation, where they 
will probably ripen their seeds. None of the species are worth the 
trouble of cultivation, except in botanical gardens. 
Medical Properties and Uses. The medical virtues of this plant 
have never been considered of sufficient importance to give it a place 
in the Pharmacopasia, and consequently it has never been regarded 
as of much value. Prof. Lindley, speaking of this plant, says that 
the extract, taken in quantities, has been known to do harm, produ- 
cing symptoms that were considered dangerous, resembling those of 
Belladonna and Nightshade. 
