102 
ECHITES SUBERECTA. 
a few minutes after having devoured them. This would lead many cultivators to 
reject it, from a fear of the consequences that might ensue from an accidental 
absorption of its juice by the hand, and its conveyance from thence to the mouth, 
or through other parts of the body. But no danger of this kind need be appre- 
hended, as it appears quite innocuous unless bruised, and great caution should be 
exercised in this particular. 
It is a stove climbing plant, barely strong enough to support itself, and 
requiring to be trained to the rafters or roof of the house. It flourishes best in a 
light loamy earth, flowering more abundantly when kept in a pot than if it be 
planted out in a border. Water must never be too liberally supplied, since it 
occasions a rapid debilitating growth ; and excessive heat is inimical to its beauty, 
as it renders the stems slender, and the joints and foliage too distant. In a 
somewhat moist stove at Mr. Knight's nursery, it is grown very successfully, and 
produces its blossoms throughout several of the autumnal months. 
Cuttings are procured with some difficulty, the tendency to branch freely not 
being one of its characteristics. This disposition may, however, doubtless be 
superinduced by pruning ; and the cuttings, when obtained, will root if planted in 
a sandy soil, placed in a moderate heat, and covered with a hand-glass. 
Altogether, it is an ornamental plant, and besides the profusion and magnitude 
of its flowers, the great purity of their colour is a particular recommendation. 
We have not observed it in any metropolitan nursery save that above mentioned, 
though it may most likely be obtained of all respectable nurserymen for a trifling 
cost. 
Echis, a viper or snake, forms the basis of the generic appellation, this bearing 
reference to the smooth twining shoots of the plant, which have been compared to 
the coils of that reptile. The term suberecta alludes to the nearly erect habit of the 
species, and its partial capability of sustaining its own weight without extra- 
neous aid. 
