THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
181 
T HIS is a very extensive and interesting- genus of 
twining plants, consisting of hardy and tender 
annuals, hardy, tuberous-rooted perennials, and green¬ 
house perennials. They are remarkable for their showy 
flowers of white, pink, blue, purple and variegated colors. 
I. purpurea, with its almost innumerable varieties, is the 
common morning-glory of the garden, and there is noth¬ 
ing more beautiful. To enjoy its real beauty one must 
be in the garden early, before the sun is up, when the 
flowers are covered with crystal dewdrops, and insect life 
is busy, visiting every opening flower, gathering the nec¬ 
tar in repay for its labor of cross-fertilization. It is then 
we see the blossoms in their perfection ; the colors are 
the most vivid and the forms the most graceful, while the 
munificence of the flowers combine to make a display that 
no other class of plants can offer. Besides, getting up 
half an hour before sunrise—but little later than ■society 
goes to bed—prolongs the beauty of the day, and makes 
us retire when we ought to, for sanitary reasons. /. pan- 
durata, not unfrequently called Man-of-the-Earth, be¬ 
cause of the resemblance of its tubers to the form of the 
human body ; roots of this variety have been found which 
weighed thirty pounds ; it is a native species, and very de¬ 
sirable for covering unsightly places. The stems from a 
well-established plant will cover a space fifty feet square, 
and produce an immense number of very large pure white 
flowers, which remain open much longer than the annual 
varieties ; if in a shady place, they not unfrequently re¬ 
main open nearly the whole day. For a sunny situation 
this species is not as desirable as some we shall mention, 
from the fact that its foliage becomes burned. 
/. Mexicana and I. Mexicana alba both produce pure 
white flowers. The only difference apparent in the two 
is in their seeds, one being white, the other black. This 
small difference has created a considerable confusion in 
the nomenclature of the species. I. noctiphyton (which 
is sold under several other names) is a tropical perennial 
species, with immense pure white flowers, emitting a de¬ 
lightful fragrance. This is probably identical with /. 
bona nox, as they are both found in the West Indies, 
and are in all respects similar. The flowers, contrary to 
the habits of this splendid family, open at night instead 
of the morning. Being a free bloomer, the effect, es¬ 
pecially on a moonlight night, is charming, particularly 
when growing on a tree, where it seems perfectly at 
home. A well-established plant affords a full orchestra 
of insect music when the plant is in flower, giving it an 
animated appearance. This species is not hardy, and its 
tubers require to be stored during the winter in the same 
manner as those of the dahlia. Propagation of this species 
by seeds or cuttings. 
I. Learii, a tender perennial species, is perhaps the 
