THE 
FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
March, 1844. 
THE VERBENA. 
WITH AN ENGRAVING. 
The genus Verbena displays to those who delight in witnessing 
and recording the improvements effected by earnest zeal and 
well-directed attention, another instance of the immense ad¬ 
vances made in the cause of horticulture within a very late 
period. 
The advance to perfection of this family has been so quickly, 
and, we had almost said, thoroughly brought about, that the 
merit appears to be due solely to the present race of horticul¬ 
turists, men who are still pursuing the course which has been 
attended with such pleasing results in the case before us. 
Verbenas are flowers that were almost unknown to our grand¬ 
fathers, and even so late as 1836 the late respected Mr. Loudon, 
after describing about a dozen species that are now utterly dis¬ 
carded, terms it a “ weedy genus,” of which only Aubletia and 
Lambertii were worth attention. 
The additions that were made through the succeeding four 
or five years was astonishing, as we find, in 1840, upwards of 
forty species enumerated ; but even this increase of the genus 
falls into comparative nothingness when we think of what has 
since been done by British cultivators; for we have now before 
us a list, containing the names of above two hundred species and 
varieties : in fact, the whole family has become so ductile by 
frequent hybridizing and crossing, that the usual treatment has 
almost merged into that of half-hardy annuals. We remember 
well the introduction of V. Melindres or chamcedrifolia , and the 
stir it made among flower gardeners ; its variety, M. latifolia , 
VOL. V. NO. III. E 
