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FLOEISTS' CINERARIAS. 
FLORISTS' CINERARIAS. 
Nat, Ordct\ Composit.e, { Senecionidje. 
Scr. ix.—CiHARiENSES.— Natives of the Canaries, Azores, or 
Madeira. 
\ 1. Pericaixtdes. — (CinerarisB of many autliors.) Involucre 
in one row, -without accessory scales, raany-leavcd. Ligulcs 
numerous, flat. Shrubs or herhs ; natives of the Canaries or 
Madeira, Cauline leaves petiolate, palminerved, angularly 
lobed, cordate at the base, often tomentose beneath, not nnfre- 
quently with auriculate stipules at the base of the petiole. 
Capitule corymbose, pedicels with little bracts. Fowers purple, 
white, or yellow. 
Generic CnAnACTER. — Senecio, Lessing. — Capitiihs homo- 
gamous, discoid, or heterogamous, florets of the ray ligulate, 
female. Involucre in one row, sometimes n.aked, sometimes 
calyculate, with small accessory scales, the scales very often 
sphacelate, sub-scarious at the margins, frequently two- 
nerved at the back. Receptacle without palete, naked or 
pitted, truncheon of the style of the hemaphrodite flowers 
truncate, and tufted with hairs only at the apex. Aehamia 
without beaks or wings, roundish or furrowcd-angular. Pappus 
hairy in several rows, caducous, of subequal, straight, very 
slender, and sparcely scabrous bristles. 
BESCRIPTION, &c. — Tlie vai-ieties of garden Cinerarias figured in tlie accompanying plate, are 
scarcely to be traced to their original progenitors. They are probably descended thi'ougli 
numerous crossings from certain of the species of the genus Senecio, which was included 
under Cinerai'ia by the older authors. These are S. Heritieri and poijulifolius, shi-vibby species, 
and S. cruentus and tussilaginis, herbaceous species : all natives of the various Canary Islands, 
TeneriiFe, &c. The colour of the ligulate florets of all these species, appears to be purple in 
the original condition, and I am not aware how the brilKant blue variety originated ; so pure 
a blue is exceedingly rare in this family, where yellow, red, and pui'ple, often, indeed, going 
as far as violet, are the prevailing coloui-s. — A. H. 
HisTOET. — ^The varieties represented in the plate are some of the best of the seedlings of 
the present year Avhich have come under our notice, The raiser's name is attached in the 
following descriptions : — 
Madame Meillez {Ivery), pui-e white groimd, black eye, blue edge (the colour of the 
Neapolitan violet), not the shghtest notch, petals broad, indentations between the petals slight, 
bloom abundant, and habit excellent. 
Dr. Bushell {Kendall), white ground, amethyst margin, or tip, ftdl average size, iadenta- 
tions slight, no notch, bloom abimdant, truss well formed, habit good, ojsens flat or very nearly 
so, and general appearance novel. — G. G. 
Elecira {Ivery), a violet purple, petals broad, notch scarcely jDerceptible, outline tolerable, 
habit beautiful, size average, colour new, bright yellow disc, and flowers abundant. 
Blue Perfection {Ivery), deep blue, approaching na^y blue, size average, hardly flat, 
outline fair, habit good, bloom abundant, and scarcely any indication of notch, in many flowers 
none, colour quite new. 
THE CINERARIA AND ITS PROPERTIES. 
By Me. G. GLENNT, F.H.S. 
KTIHE Cineraria is one of those flowers, and there are several, which made no advance until we 
H published the criterion of a perfect flower. It cannot be said that any other person had ventm-ed 
even an opinion of what it ought to he ; so that, whether right or wrong, cm' dogma, as it was once 
called, was original, and the best proof that we were right is, that om- notions have been universally 
adopted. In re-publishing the properties for the use of raisers of seedlings, we shall be guiding the 
young florists, who perhaps hardly know where the original instructions appeared ; and they will 
act as a reminder to those who have gro^vn careless. 
This flower was once a poor narrow -petalled star ; it was considered almost a species of madness 
to venture an assertion that it should he round to be perfect ; but we laid that down, as a leading 
feature, which some averred it was impossible to approach, much less attain ; yet what did it reqiure ? 
only that the number of petals should be increased, that these petals should widen, that the ends 
should be obtuse, and the notch, which was general, should he got rid of. This would have made a 
round flower ; and we have already seen the indentations between the petals so slight, as to scarcely 
break the circle. There is a good deal depending on the colom- in Cinerarias. The texture of the 
petal is naturally rough and stripy, or guttery — the colom's are therefore dull ; that is to say, the 
blue or the crimson, that would be rich on a glossy or velvety surface, is dull on a sm-face like rough 
paper. To bring this point more familiar, the colour of the common blottmg-paper, instead of the 
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