354 
TABERILEMONTANA CORONARIA FLORE PLENO. 
RONDELETIA SPECIOSA MAJOR. (Showy Rondeletia, large variety.) 
Class, Pentandria. Order , Monogynia Nat. Order, Cinchonaceas. (Cinchonads, Veg. Kingd.) 
Generic Character.— Calyx with a sub-globose tube, 
and four or five-parted limb ; lobes oblong-linear, acute, 
permanent. Corolla with a cylindrical tube, which is 
hardly ventricose at the apex, and a four or five-lobed 
spreading limb ; lobes roundish. Anthers four or five, 
sessile at the top of the tube, inclosed. Stigma bifid. Cap- 
sule globose, crowned by the calyx, two-celled, dehiscing 
from the apex into two valves, which are usually cleft at 
the apex, whence it sometimes appears four-valved ; but 
usually dehiscing at the cells, rarely at the dissepiment. 
Placentas central. Seeds numerous, small, ovate, angular, 
usually only two in each cell at maturity. 
Specific Character. — Plant a compact, dwarf shrub. 
Stamens smooth, erect, branching, yellow green, slightly 
coloured with rose-colour when young, afterwards becom- 
ing red, and, finally, when the wood is old, of a reddish 
brown. Leaves obcordate, that is, betwixt oblong and 
heart-shaped, acute, opposite, dark glossy green on the 
upper side, paler, and often slightly tinged with red on the 
under. Flowers terminal, in corymbs, very showy. Calyx 
five-parted ; segments acute, yellowish green, tinged with 
red. Corolla-tube three times the length of the calyx, 
rose-coloured ; limb five or six-parted ; lobes rounded, very 
rich orange red, darkest at the extreme edges, and 
becoming lighter towards the centre of the flower ; centre 
of the flower bright orange yellow ; eye dark crimson. 
Variety Major. — Leaves smaller than the species, and 
the flowers much larger in size. 
Authorities and Synonyries. — Rondeletia, Blume, Plu- 
mier’s Gen. t. 12 ; Lin. Gen., 220 ; Rondeletia speciosa, 
Loddiges' Bot. Cabinet Paxton's Mag. Bot., 2 t. 242. 
Rondeletia speciosa major of the nurseries. 
The original species is a native of the Havannah, whence it was received at Hackney in 
1830 through W. J. MacLeay, Esq. The flowers of this variety are exceedingly rich in 
colour and much larger than the parent ; it makes, when in flower, a most striking 
appearance. Of its origin we are quite ignorant, but suppose it to have been an 
introduction of more recent date than R. speciosa. 
The heat of the stove is required to grow it to perfection, and if potted in peat and 
loam and carefully managed, a profusion of flowers will be produced for several months in 
the year. It is increased by cuttings planted in sand, and covered with a glass in heat. 
Our drawing was made in October 1849, from a specimen blooming in one of the 
stoves at Chats worth. 
The generic name is given in honour of a physician named Rondelet. 
TABERNiEMONTANA CORONARIA FLORE PLENO. 
(Double- flowering Garland Taberngemontana.) 
Class, Pentandria. Order, Monogynia. Nat.' Order, Apocynacea; (Dog-banes, Veg. Kingd.) 
Generic Character — Calyx five-parted. Corolla salver- 
shaped ; limb five-parted ; segments unequal- sided. Stamens 
inclosed. Anthers sagittate, cohering to the stigma. Ovaria 
two. Style filiform. Stigma bifid from the dilated base. 
Hypogynous glands wanting. Follicles two, ventricose. 
Seeds immersed in pulp. 
Specific Character.— A n evergreen shrub growing four 
or five feet high, with grey bark and divaricate branches. 
Leaves opposite, oblong- lanceolate, bluntly acuminated, 
thin, shining, smooth. Peduncles axillary, two to four- 
flowered, smooth, erect, shorter than the leaves. Flowers 
pure white, with a yellowish tube, scentless. Calyx small, 
campanulate, with rounded teeth, which are very short, 
and overlap each other. Corolla large, white, salver-shaped ; 
tube slightly ventricose towards the base, tinged with green- 
ish yellow ; limb flat, with falcate, obtuse, entire segments ; 
wavy at the edges. Stamens inserted below the middle of 
the tube. Stigma slightly two-lobed. 
Var. flore pleno. — Stamens converted into petals form- 
ing a fine double flower, larger than the species, and very 
sweet-scented. In other respects, the characters agree with 
the species. 
Authorities and Synonymes.— Tabernasmontana, Plu- 
mier's Gen., 30; Lin. Gen., 301. Tabernaemontana coro- 
naria, Lodd. Bot. Cab., 406 ; R. Br.Willd. Tabernaemontana 
coronata of the Nurseries ■ Nerium coronarium, Bot. Mag., 
1865; Aiton Kew., i., 297; Nerium divaricatum, Willd. 
Sp.pl., 1236. 
This fine old plant has long been an inhabitant of our stoves, and chiefly known as 
Nerium coronarium. It has, however, for some years past, been acknowledged as a 
double variety of Taberncemontana coronaria. It differs from the species, both in the 
larger size of the flowers, the wavy edges of the segments, and the delicious fragrance 
which it emits when in bloom. 
The plant is a native of the East Indies, from whence it was originally introduced in 
1770, but is much less grown even now, than its merits deserve. It requires the heat 
