99 
NEMOPHILA ATOM ARIA. 
(speckled NEMOPHILA.) 
CLASS. . OllDEn. 
PENTANDRTA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 
HYDROPHYLLE^. 
Generic Character. — See vol. iii. p. 15]. 
Specific Character Plant annual. Stems procumbent, pale green, much branched, clothed \vith 
bristly hairs. Leaves opposite, pinnatifid ; lobes ovate, mucronulate, hairy. Flowers solitary, on 
slender peduncles, of from one to two inches long, also hairy. Corolla campanulate, wbite, with 
numerous blue specks. Calyx campanulate, hairy, green ; segments ovate, mucronulate. Ovarium 
round, hairy. 
There are few individuals, we should imagine, who make any attempts at cul- 
tivating those delightful plants (popularly termed annuals) which decorate our 
flower beds and borders in the summer months, who are not now well acquainted 
with the lovely species of this genus (iV. insignis)^ figured vol. iii. p. 151 of this 
work, and it has doubtless now found its way into most collections. 
The present plant is neither so bold and handsome in its habits, nor does it 
produce such showy blossoms, as the one above alluded to ; nevertheless, to all 
lovers of simple and pretty plants, it will be found to possess many attractions, and 
we have no doubt that when it becomes more extensively known, it will be very 
generally admired and cultivated, not only on account of the beauty and elegance 
of its blossoms, but also for the great profusion in which they are produced. These 
two latter properties appear to us to be the chief and most important features which 
are expected or required in plants of this description ; and though large and showy 
flowers are highly desirable, they cannot be considered essential to render an annual 
plant worthy of attention and cultivation. Under this impression we have been 
induced to introduce the subject of the present drawing to the notice of our readers, 
feeling assured that it contains suflicient merit to entitle it to a place in any 
collection. 
