SILE'NE SPECIO'SA. 
SHOWY CATCHFLY. 
Class. Order. 
DECANDKIA. TRIGYNIA. 
Natural Order. 
silenacea:. 
Native of 
Height. 
Flowers in 
Duration. 
Cultivated 
America. 
1 foot. 
Aug., Sep. 
Annual. 
in 1847. 
No. 1140. 
Silcne is from the Greek, sialon, saliva ; in al- 
lusion to the exudation that prevails on the stems 
of most of the species. 
The spontaneous exudation from trees and small 
plants, is little seen in this country, but in hot 
climates it is otherwise. The manna of commerce 
is perhaps the most marked instance of vegetable 
exudation which is known ; but notwithstanding 
this medicinal substance is afforded spontaneously, 
from several species of large trees, the greatest 
portion of it is obtained by making incisions in 
their bark, and thus facilitating the escape of its 
juices. Several sorts of wax, gums, and resins, are 
exudations from trees ; and it is perhaps not gen- 
erally known that our own Ash-tree, when grown 
in a warm climate, produces manna. 
Our artist having made the annexed figure, as 
that of Silene speciosa, from plants handed to him 
as the produce of seeds so named, its identification 
was inadvertently omitted till the engraving was 
completed ; it is evidently but a variety of Vis- 
caria oculata. In charity we may hope these mis- 
nomers partake more of ignorance than design. 
