130 
THE LADIES’ FLOWER-GARDEN 
Section 1. — Anthers naked. 
§ 1 — -Corolla sub- campanulate ■, limb almost equally five-lohed 
1.— PENTSTEMON SPECIOSUM, Doug. THE SHOWY PENTSTEMON. 
Engravings. — Bot. Reg., t. 1270 ; Swt. Brit. Plow. Gard., 2d ser., I turn. Leaves quite entire. Flowers disposed in numerous many- 
t. 259 ; and our Jig. 1, in PI. 85. flowered cymes, so as to form a pyramidal panicle ; lobes of the corolla 
Specific Character. — The whole plant free from hairs or tomen- I nearly equal. 
Description, &c. — This is a very showy species, from the large size and great number of its flowers. It is 
a native of the north-west coast of North America, whence it was introduced by Douglas, in 1827. It grows 
about three feet high, with rather a stiff stem, and long, glossy, somewhat fleshy leaves, the upper surface of 
which is of a very dark green, while the under surface is pale and bluish. The flowers vary in colour, from a 
beautiful and brilliant cobalt blue to a dark purple, and they continue to appear in succession nearly all the 
summer. The plant thrives most in a mixture of peat and loam ; but it is rather diflicult to propagate, as, from 
the great abundance of its flowering stems, it increases very little by the root, and though it produces abundance 
of seeds, they are diflicult to manage, as they will not vegetate in heat ; and yet the young plants must be 
protected from too much cold. 
2.— PENTSTEMON ACUMINATUM, Dougi. THE POINTED-LEAVED PENTSTEMON. 
Engraving. — Bot. Reg., t. 1285. 
Specific Character. — Stem ascending. Leaves glabious, glaucous ; 
radical leaves ovate-oblong, with a very long petiole, entire, somewhat 
fleshy ; bracts cordate, acuminate, sessile ; stem clasping. Flowers 
in a close raceme ; mouth of the corolla inflated ; segments of the 
limb retuse. 
Description, &c. — This species is very inferior to the preceding one, both in the size of the plant, and in the 
number and beauty of the flowers. It is a native of the sandy plains bordering the Columbia in California, and 
it grows there with the lower part of its stems and leaves “ immersed in sharp, coarse white sand.” It is 
probably from this habit of growth that it is so diflicult to manage in this country, as it is found almost impossible 
to propagate it by any of the ordinary modes. It seldom ripens seeds, and it is very difficult to strike from 
cuttings. The stem grows about a foot high, and the flowers are purple. The species was discovered by 
Douglas, in California, and sent home by him in 1827, with the preceeding species. P. acuminatum flowers 
from June to August, and produces abundance of blossoms ; it is easily distinguished from the other Pentstemons 
by its leaves. 
3.— PENTSTEMON COB.^A, Nutt. THE COB^A-LIKE PENTSTEMON. 
Engravings. — Swt. Brit. Flow. Gard., 2d ser., t. 348 ; Bot. Mag., I serrulated ; radical ones lanceolate and petiolate ; stem ones ovale, 
t. 3465 ; and our Jig. 3, in PI. 87. sessile, and somewhat stem-clasping. Corolla with the throat inflated ; 
Specific Character. — Glandularly pubescent. Leaves sharply | sterile fllament exserted and bearded. 
Description, &c. — This species is remarkable for the large size and pale colour of its flowers, which bear 
considerable resemblance to those of the Cobaea, and which are produced in numerous cymes, bearing from three 
to five flowers each. The stem generally grows about three feet high, and the lower leaves are three or four 
inches long, so that this species is only suitable where there is abundance of room. It is a native of the rich 
meadows on the banks of the Red River, where it was first discovered by Nuttall, growing in dry situations, 
and always in calcareous soil. It has since been found in the interior of Texas by Drummond. It was 
introduced in 1835, and it appears quite hardy in .British gardens, where it is generally propagated by cuttings, 
which strike readily. It is irregular in its time of flowering. 
