198 LOBELIA I1ETER0PIIYLL A . 
whom it flowered in that year. Owing to the liberal manner in which its seeds 
are produced and ripened, it has subsequently been distributed most extensively, 
and there are few nurseries from which it may not be procured. That it may soon 
become equally common in private collections, we have been urged to publish the 
drawing here given, which was executed from a plant that bloomed at Chatsworth 
in the summer of 1837- 
Hitherto this plant has been almost exclusively confined to the greenhouse, 
having been generally considered a half-hardy species. The latter opinion is 
evidently correct ; but it will, notwithstanding, be found quite hardy enough for 
summer display in the flower-garden, of which it would form a most brilliant 
ornament. Such a situation would also better elicit its native colours, and prevent it 
from straggling, which last propensity is merely a consequence of being screened from 
the direct rays of solar light, by growing beneath glass, and at a considerable dis- 
tance from it. 
Wherever cultivated, it should always, if possible, be sown where it is desired 
to flower. By this practice, singular as such results may seem, the stems are 
repressed, and hindered from assuming that length and tenuity which by some 
cultivators is deemed unsightly. They can likewise be made to flower in a much 
shorter time, if this method is adopted. Seeds may be sown at almost any season, 
according to the period at which the flowers are required. The earliest month in 
which they can with safety be sown in the flower-garden is April. Single specimens, 
grown in pots in the greenhouse, will require some training and support ; but if the 
seeds are scattered rather sparingly over the soil in a moderate-sized pot, and the 
young plants thinned as they appear, a much better effect will be ensured, and no 
other trouble will be necessary. 
We have still to record a quality of the flowers, which, if anything yet be wanting 
to guarantee the species a lasting esteem, will effectually supply the deficiency. 
Dr. Lindley, in allusion to specimens of this plant recived from Mr. Veitch, nursery- 
man, of Exeter, states that they were accompanied by " a memorandum that the 
plant had been hung up in the stove for more than a month, without the least soil, and 
without ceasing to flower; — a very singular fact, and quite new in plants of this 
description." 
For the derivation of the generic title, the reader may revert to vol. ii. p. 53. 
The specific name obviously applies to the difference in form between the upper 
and lower leaves. 
