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MIMULUS CARDINALIS, var. ATRO-ROSEUS, INSIGNIS, AND 
PALLIDUS, Dougl. THE SCARLET MONKEY-FLOWER. 
Mimulus, Lin. Nat. Ord. Scrophularinese. Lin. Syst. Didynamia angiospermia. 
Generic Character. —Calyx tubular, angled, 5-toothed. Corolla ringent, upper lip 2-lobed, 
lower one trifid, usually bigibbous at the base. Segments all flat, divaricate at length, 
sub-confluent. Stigma bilabiate. Capsule hardly-furrowed, 2-valved, locucidal, dehiscent; 
valves entire, and with flat margins ; dissepiment at length free, placentas adnate. Erect 
or procumbent plants, glabrous, or rarely villous, with usually four-sided or square stems. 
Leaves opposite, usually toothed, rarely quite entire. Flowers axillary, solitary, pedi¬ 
cellate ; superior ones sometimes racemose. 
Engraving. —Our Plate xi. 
Specific Character. —Villous; leaves stem-clasping, ovate, with erosely-toothed margins; 
peduncles longer than the leaves; calyx large, inflated, tubular, hardly plicate, with 
ovate-acute teeth ; anthers villous. G. Don. 
Description, &c.— The genus Mimulus is well known from the 
numerous varieties of M. luteus and M. guttatus , which are now common 
in the nurseries; and M. moschatus , the little musk-plant. The varieties, 
or rather hybrids, figured in Plate XI. were all raised in the Edinburgh 
Botanic Garden, by Mr. James M‘Nab, from seed of M. cardinalis, 
fertilised by the pollen of other species. M. cardinalis is a native of 
California, whence it was introduced in 1835 by’ Douglas. It is a per¬ 
ennial, growing from one foot to two feet high ; and it produces its large 
scarlet flowers from June to August. M. atro-roseus, jig. 1, in Plate XI. 
was raised from seed of M. cardinalis , fecundated with the pollen of 
M. roseus , a Californian species, with small, deep rose-coloured flowers. 
The hybrid thus produced is a most beautiful plant, of a low, compact 
habit of growth, and producing abundance of rich, dark crimson flowers, 
as large as those of M. cardinalis , but much richer in colour. M. insignis 
is another hybrid raised from the same parents, but with the flowers of a 
dark scarlet instead of crimson. M. pallidas is a hybrid between 
M. cardinalis and M. lateus. 
All these hybrids are quite hardy, and will flower equally well in the 
open border, or in a greenhouse; the plants being larger in the former 
case, and more compact in the latter. To make them compact, tlie extreme 
points of the shoots should be frequently taken off; and this will make 
them throw out branches from the sides. Nothing can be prettier than 
plants of M. atro-roseus thus treated ; and as I saw them last August, 
at the villa of R. Grade, Esq., Olive Bank, Musselburgh, near Edin¬ 
burgh. 
VOL. i.—NO. XI. 
T T 
