OF ORNAMENTAL ANNUALS. 
167 
GENUS IV. 
CLINTONIA, Douglas. THE CLINTONIA. 
Lin. Syst. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
Generic Character..— Limb of calyx 5-cleft. Corolla bilabiate, with hardly any tube. Anthers cohering; the two superior ones bearded. 
Capsule silique-formed, triangular, dehiscing by three loriform valves, many-seeded. Seeds attached to two parietal placentas.—( G. Don.) 
Description, &c. —Beautiful little plants, found by Douglas in North America, and named by him “ in 
honour of the late De Witt Clinton, governor of the state of New York, and author of several ingenious treatises 
on different branches of natural history.” 
1.—CLINTONIA ELEGANS, Doug. THE ELEGANT CLINTONIA. 
Engravings_ Bot. Reg. t. 1241. angular; leaves sessile, ovate, 3-veined; flowers solitary', axillary, 
Specific Character. —Glabrous, stem procumbent, branched, rather sessile ; ovarium sessile, long, acuminated.—(G. Don.) 
Description, &c. —When this plant was first found it was thought very beautiful, and Dr. Lindley described 
it as looking, when sown in masses, like “ a carpet of silver and blue." It is now, however, so completely out¬ 
shone by C. pulchella , that it is rarely to be met with. There is, nevertheless, considerable general resemblance 
between the two species. C. elegans was found by Douglas near the Columbia river, and seeds of it were sent 
home in 1827, but they are not now to be procured in the seed-shops. 
2.—CLINTONIA PULCHELLA, Lindl. THE PRETTY CLINTONIA. 
Engravings. —Bot. Reg. t. 1909; Swt. Brit. Flow. Gard. 2nd ser. corolla divided into two ovate, acute, spreading segments; lower lip 
t, 412 ; and our Jig. 1, in Plate 29. tripartite, and broad across the centre. 
Specific Character.— Leaves and sepals obtuse, upper lip of the 
Description, &c. —It is perhaps scarcely possible to imagine a more brilliant little flower than this, or one 
more ornamental for filling a bed, or a vase, or basket. It is als^ remarkable for the length of time 'that it 
continues not only in flower, but in full beauty. Two vases filled with it in our garden at Bayswater have this 
year (1839) remained in full splendour since the month of May, till now, September 4; notwithstanding the 
heavy rains, violent winds, and other unfavourable circumstances, which have tarnished the beauty of nearly all 
the other flowers in the garden. The plants appear still in a vigorous state, and they are ripening a few seeds, 
which are contained in long capsules, that appear at first sight to be the footstalks of the flowers. These 
curious capsules, when ripe, open on the sides, and show a number of very small seeds like dust. This beautiful 
little flower was discovered by Douglas in California in 1832, and seeds of it were sent home by him the same 
year to the London Ilort. Soc. At first the seeds ripened so sparingly that it was feared the species would soon 
be lost ; but a better method of treating it was soon discovered ; and in 1838, so great a quantity of it was grown 
for seed in Forrest’s nursery, Kensington, and other places, that it is now common in nearly all the seed-shops. 
The species being quite hardy, the seeds may be sown in the open border with the other annual flowers; but it 
does best sown in a hotbed in March, and planted out in May. As it has a procumbent stem, and branches very 
