10 
THK liADIES' FLOWER-OARDKN 
V * 
u ;* 
GENUS VI. * *' 
PULSATILLA JVilld. THE PASQUE FLOWER. 
Lin.Si/st. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA. 
Generic Character. — Involucre sessile, distant from the flower. I fifteen. Carvopsides ending in a long feathery tail. 
Petals wanting- Sepals coloured and petal-like; varying frem five to 1 with a dilated petiole, clasping the stem. 
Leaves mucfi eut, 
Description, &c. — The beautiful flowers which compose this genus, have been separiited from Anemone, to 
which they are closely allied, on account of their carpels or caryopsides having feathery tails, while those of the 
true Anemones have tails which are not feathery. Though I am in general averse to multiplying genera, as I 
think every new name that is to be learnt adds greatly to the difficulties which the botanical or floricultural 
student has to surmount, yet I have adopted this distinct genus ; because the grounds of distinction are such as 
can be easily ascertained with the naked eye ; and as there are but few species in Pulsatilla, the finding a 
feathery-tailed carpel in any unknown species of Anemone will show that it must be one of these, and will thus 
help the student to discover its specific name. Every species, both of Anemone and Pulsatilla, has, what is called 
an involucre, consisting of three leaves joined together round the stem, at some distance below the flower ; and 
in Pulsatilla these leaves have no footstalks, and form a kind of sheath round the stem. The leaves of all the 
species are much cut, and the plants are all more or less hairy. The name of Pulsatilla is said to be from Pulso, 
to beat, from the plants growing naturally in exposed situations, where they are much beaten about by the wind. 
1 — PULSATILLA VERNALIS Mill. THE SPRING PASQUE FLOWER. 
Synonymes. — Anemone vernalis Lin, ; Anemone sulpburea Alii- 
oni. 
Engravings. — Swt. Brit. Flow. Card. t. 205 ; and our Jig, 4 in 
Plate 2. 
Specific Character. — Leaves pinnate, segmenta cuneate-lanceolate, 
trifid, smoothisb. Flower erect. Involucre very hairy. Sepals six, 
straight, elliptical oblong. (G. Don.) 
Varieties P. v. 2 luteus G. Don. Flowers yellow. 
P. v. 3 autumnalis G. Don. Floweiing in autumn. Leaves 
resembling parsley. 
DEsdRiPTiON, &c. — This very singular little plant, when not in flower, exhibits only a dense tuft of leaves 
quite close to the ground, covered all over with hairs, particularly when young. The flowers first appear in the 
shape of a very hairy bud, the outer covering of which is an involucre cut into long awl-shaped segments, and 
densely covered with thick spreading hairs. The bud soon expands into a very handsome flower, the six broad 
sepals composing which are of a brilliant white inside, and tinted with pale pink and pale blue on the outside. 
The stamens are yellow, and the pollen white. The large size of the flowers in comparison with the close tuft of 
small leaves from which they spring, produces a very striking effect. There is a variety with purple flowers. 
The species is a native of Switzerland, where it is a native of the highest mountains near the limits of the per- 
petual snow, and it was introduced in 1752. The flowers appear in April. This plant is very suitable for 
rockwork, and when grown in the open border, it should be in a sandy soil, and in a dry open situation, as damp 
18 very injurious to it. As it ripens abundance of seeds, it may be increased either by them, or by dividing the 
root ; taking care to sow the seeds in pots as soon as they are ripe, and to keep the young plants when they come 
up safe from slugs and woodlice, which are very apt to destroy them. 
