364 
ON CROSSES AND 
England it pushes again in the spring, and is only liable to 
be lost by drought in summer, or too great a superabundance 
of wet in the winter season. The application of the pollen of 
the latter to the shrubby integrifolia at once reduces the 
stature of the offspring from that of a shrub to a low semi- 
herbaceous plant, not absolutely stemless, yet capable of 
retiring into winter quarters like C. plantaginea, and not ex- 
ceeding a few inches in elevation. C. Herbertiana, though 
shrubby, has more affinity to the herbaceous species, being 
rather intermediate between integrifolia and corymbosa in 
its general appearance, and the effect of the application of its 
dust to C. plantaginea is to afford an offspring more abso- 
lutely herbaceous, and of which the leaves are partly radical 
and partly borne on recumbent sprouts. The same is the 
case with the cross between C. plantaginea and arachnoeides, 
which, though it pushes out a number of herbaceous branches, 
that die back in the winter out of doors, is perfectly hardy 
and spreads under ground, so as to form a large clump. 
The cross from C. plantaginea by rugosa (figured in the 
Botanical Register first under the name ascendens which is 
to be struck out, and afterwards a second time under the 
right name rugosa) grows but a few inches high, and is 
marvellously florid. It is further remarkable, that although 
the natural species in this genus have such diversity of habits, 
the crosses, as far as has been seen, are all fertile and able to 
intermix, ad infinitum, though they will not bear seed as 
readily as some of the natural sorts. Unfortunately C. 
corymbosa which has given us a cross with the most beautiful 
broken colours by intermixture with arachnoeides, called C. 
Youngi, from the nurseryman who first flowered it, is one of 
the most delicate species that have been introduced. C. 
plantaginea is covered with minute specks underneath, and 
the cross between it and arachnoeides is inclined to continue 
speckled, and not to receive the ornamental blotch, but to 
change the whole tint of the corolla. The cross of planta- 
ginea with the annual crenatiflora is a hardy biennial one, 
but it has perished with me after flowering. C. floribunda, 
which endures a Yorkshire winter, may afford the means of 
elevating a conspicuous branching scape from an herbaceous 
stemless plant, and produce some very desirable crosses 
with species that have a more ornamental flower. One very 
singular monstrosity has shewn itself, though not perma- 
nently, yet frequently amongst the mules from C. planta- 
