260 
THE LADIES’ FLOWER-GARDEN 
GENUS III. 
PLADERA, Solander. THE PLADERA. 
Lin. Syst. TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
Generic Character. —Calyx tubular, 4-tootlied. Corolla funnel-shaped, limb irregular. One of the stamens is shorter than the rest. Stigma 
2-lobcd. Capsule 1-celled, 2-valved. Seeds numerous. 
1.—PLADERA DECUSSATA, Roxb. THE DECUSSATE PLADERA. 
Engravings. —Bot. Mag. t. 3066 ; and our fig. 3, in Plate 48. 
Synonymes. —Canscora decussata, Wall. ; Exacurn alatum, Roth. 
Specific Character. —Erect. Stem and branches 4-winged, the 
latter cross-armed. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acute, 3-nervcd, sessile; 
terminal peduncles trichotomous. Flowers pedicellate ; axillary ones 
solitary.—(G. Don.') 
Description, &c.— An East India plant of very little beauty, introduced in 1816, and growing about a foot 
high. It is rather tender ; and it requires to be raised on a hotbed, and not planted out till June. Pladera 
signifies a moist place. 
P. VIRGATA, Roxb. 
This plant has many synonymes. It is a native of the East Indies, whence it was introduced in 1820, and it 
has small rose-coloured flowers. 
P. PERFOLIATA, Roxb. 
This species has large, pale rose-coloured flowers, and grows about two feet high. It is a native of Malabar, 
where it is called Kansjan corn, and where the native women use it to ornament their hair. It has not yet been 
introduced. 
GENUS IV. 
ERYTHR/EA, Renealm. THE LESSER CENTAURY. 
Lin. Syst. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
Generic Character. —Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla funnel-shaped, with a short 4—5-parted limb. Anthers spiral in the old state. Style 
erect. Stigmas 2, roundish.—( G. Don.) 
1.—ERYTIIRiEA CENTAURIUM, Pers. THE COMMON LESSER CENTAURY. 
Synonymes.— Chironia Centaurium, With. ; Gentiana Centau- 
rium, Lin. 
Engravings _Eng. Bot. t. 417, 2nd edit. vol. ii. t. 320 ; Wood. 
Med. Bot. t. 157 ; and our fig. 8, in Plate 48. 
Specific Character.— Stem tetragonal, dichotomously panicled, 
corymbose. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, 3-nerved. Calyx shorter than 
the tube of the corolla.— (G. Don.) 
Description, &c. —A British plant, with pink flowers, of which there are many varieties. The species 
grows about a foot high, in dry gravel or chalk ; but it perishes if transferred to a soil richly manured. It is a 
powerful bitter; and when steeped in gin, or any other strong spirit, it is taken as a tonic by the labouring 
classes. As a garden flower, it is only suitable for rock-work, or hard gravelly banks, where scarcely anything 
else will grow. Erythrsea is from Erythros , red flowers. 
