PENTSTEMON CTANANTHUS. 
PENTSTEMON CTANANTHUS. 
Nat. Order. — Scropuulariaceje. 
or panicles; corollas scarlet, purple, and violet (or blue). — 
(Endlicher Gen. Plant., 3909.) 
Pentstemon cVANANTmjs, Hooker. — Azure-flowered Pcntste- 
mon. — Stems erect, simple ; leaves entire, the radical ones 
oblong-spathulate, acuminate, petiolate ; the stem ones sessile, 
cordate ovate, with a long acuminate point ; peduncles axillary, 
bearing dense cymes, arranged in a whorl-like manner, and 
forming long terminal crowded spikes of flowers; sepals narrow 
lanceolate, subulate, corolla ventricose upwards, the limb two- 
lipped, with nearly equal segments ; anthers and sterile stamen 
hairy. 
Syx. — Pentstemon cyananthus, Hooker, in Hot. Mag., t. 
4464. 
Generic Character. — Pentstemon, L'Heritier. — Calyx five- 
parted. Corolla hypogynous, the tube almost terete, the throat 
somewhat inflated, the limb two-lipped, the upper lip emargi- 
nately two-lobed, the lower three-lobed, naked or bearded at 
the base. Stamens inserted in the tube of the corolla, four 
fertile, didynamous, exserted ; anthers two-celled, the cells 
divergent; the fifth stamen without an anther. Ovary two- 
celled, the placentas adnate to the dissepiment on both sides, 
bearing many ovules. Style simple ; stigma obsoletely two- 
lobed. Capsule two-celled, septicidally two-valved, placentas 
adnate. Seeds numerous, angular, without a wing. — Perennial 
herbs, natives of North America, and tropical America south of 
the equator ; leaves opposite, entire or serrate ; peduncles axil- 
lary and terminal, few-flowered, bractcate, arranged in racemes 
DESCRIPTION. — A perennial herb, with the radical leaves spathulate, acuminate, and taper- 
&J ing below into a longisb petiole. Stems erect, from one and a half to two feet high, terete, 
nnbranched. Leaves all entire ; those of the stem very broad, and remarkably acuminate, but 
variable in size, sessile, cordate-ovate, ending in a long narrow acuminated point. In our speci- 
mens the stem leaves are much smaller than those represented in the Botanical Magazine; the 
upper leaves decrease gradually in size, the uppermost being reduced to subulate bracts. Flowers 
forming dense spikes, a foot or more in length, on the upper part of the stems, and produced in 
pseudo-whorls from the axils of all the upper leaves ; peduncles opposite, short, bearing cymes 
of many crowded flowers. Calyx of five subulate spreading sepals. Corolla large, the tube an 
inch long, ventricose upwards, and having a reddish or purple tinge ; the limb two-lipped, 
spreading, veiy bright clear azure blue, the segments blunt, and nearly equal in size. Stamens 
and pistil included ; the filaments curved ; the anthers and sterile stamen hairy. 
History, &c. — This very beautiful hardy herbaceous plant was first brought into notice, in 
1849, by Messrs. Lucombe, Pince, k Co., of the Exeter nursery, to whom we are indebted for 
the specimen figured in the accompanying plate. It is a native of the upper valleys of the Platte 
River, in the Rocky Mountains, from whence seeds were obtained by Mi'. Burke. The numerous 
compactly arranged and beautifully coloured flowers have a fine effect, and render this one of the 
most desirable additions to our hardy flowering plants. It blooms freely in May and June ; 
and we understand, like P. speciosus and Gordonianus, and others of similar character, does best 
when raised in succession from the seeds annually. — M. 
Culture. — Beautiful as most of the Pentstemons certainly are, this is one of the most lovely ; 
but possibly, like P. Cobxa and Murrayanus, it is not every locality or situation that will suit it. 
It is, unfortunately, of rather delicate constitution, at least it has been found so in the London 
nurseries ; and it may be like the two species above named — it may flourish to perfection in a 
more northern latitude ; as both P. Coboca and Murrayanus grow admirably near Glasgow and 
Edinburgh, though we in the south rarely see a healthy plant. The chief and greatest enemy 
is mildew, which attacks the plants with such pertinacity as almost to become eradieablc ; 
indeed wc have seen scores of plants of P. Murrayanus perish from that cause only. A timely 
and constant dressing with sulphur is the only remedy; and sometimes even that will fail. In 
the cultivation of this plant, we should treat it as a frame perennial, nursing it carefully through 
the winter, and planting it in the open border in May. The soil most suitable for it will be 
found to be, turfy loam two parts, rich peat one part, and one part of half-decomposed leaf- 
mould, to which sufficient gritty sand and charcoal broken small may be added to make the 
whole free and open. A similar compost we should use in the open ground, taking care that 
the plant was in a well-drained situation. This, like the other Pentstemons, may be propagated 
by cuttings, which are rather shyly produced ; but best by seed, which should be sown in light 
soil, in gentle heat, any time between March and August. The plants will require careful 
nursing in frames, and will make nice specimens for turning out the following spring. — A 
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