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SPHENOGYNE SPECIOSA. 
(SHOWY SPHENOGYNE.) 
ORDER. 
FRUSTRANEA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 
COMPOSITE. 
Generic Character. — Receptacle with distinct palese. Pappus chaffy, simple. Stigma enlarging at 
the apex, nearly truncate. Calyx imbricated ; innermost scales, or all of them, dilated at the 
summit, and scarious. 
Specific Character. — Plant annual, growing about one foot high. Stems roundish, slightly declinate at 
the base, ascending, branched, smooth. Leaves twice pinnate, sessile; leaflets linear, acute, some- 
what recurved. Rays of the flower somewhat lanceolate, bitten at the extremities, bright orange. 
It is somewhat remarkable, that by far the greater portion of hardy herbaceous 
and annual plants comprised in the natural order Composites, produce flowers 
in which some shade of yellow is the predominant colour. This, combined with 
the popular prejudice against yellow blossoms, has tended considerably to limit the 
number of those who regard them with due attention, and many beautiful plants of 
the above description are now scarcely to be found in British gardens. 
"While, however, variety continues to be considered essential to the appearance 
of the flower-garden, (and we presume this will be the case as long as the tasteful 
art of gardening is cultivated ; or, in other words, till the human race ceases to 
exist,) flowers of every diversity of hue will be employed in the decoration of this 
most interesting department, and those of a yellow tint will be held in equal 
requisition with their more pleasing rivals of other colours. Annuals, especially, 
and still more particularly such as are of dwarf habits, and flower freely, will 
never lack either admirers or cultivators. 
The showy annual, a drawing of which furnishes the occasion of these remarks, 
is one that cannot prove otherwise than an acquisition to any collection. Whether 
in its finely-cut, and gracefully undulating foliage, or its large and handsome 
blossoms, it is eminently worthy of admission to all well-arranged flower-borders. 
The colour of its flowers is far from being vulgar, and its strange variation on the 
same plant is peculiarly pleasing. With regard to the latter particular, it will be 
CLASS. 
SYNCENESIA. 
