Nectariferous tube about three times shorter than the 
calyx, of a brown purple. Petals 5, spreading, or bent 
back a little at the points: the two upper ones bright 
purple, narrowly wedge-shaped, and jagged at the 
ends, marked near the end with a dark patch, below 
which are a few dark lines: lower ones ligulate, of a 
pale reddish lilac, striated with darker veins, also more 
or less jagged at the ends. Filaments 10, connected at 
the base, 7 bearing anthers, which in our specimen 
were all sterile. Style of a red purple, clothed with 
hairs all its length. Stigmas 5, of the same colour, 
their points revolute. 
The present subject is one of the most singular spe¬ 
cies of the genus that we have yet seen ; and had we 
seen the plant without flowers, and been asked its 
name, we should have immediately pronounced it to be 
Delphinium Staphysagria, the foliage and habit being 
so exactly like it, that we believe it would have de¬ 
ceived the most attentive observer; it was raised from 
seed at the Nursery of Messrs. Allen and Rogers, of 
the King’s Road and Battersea, but how the seed was 
procured, they cannot at present say; we do not be¬ 
lieve that it is of hybrid origin, as we know no plants 
that could produce any thing like it ; we therefore sup¬ 
pose it must have been received amongst other seeds 
from the Cape, which is frequently the case at Nurse¬ 
ries; plants are raised from seeds, and before they 
come into flower, the country from which they were 
imported is quite forgotten. 
We should expect that all the admirers of this 
handsome tribe of plants, would wish to have so sin¬ 
gular a production as the present in their possession, 
as it appears to be a strong, free grower, and a very 
abundant flowerer, the flowers being produced in pani¬ 
cles; and although not so large as some others, their 
abundance makes full amends: it will thrive well in a 
rich light soil; and young cuttings will doubtless root 
readily. 
