88. H. SULPHU'REUM Willd. The sulphur-colour-flowered Helianthemum, Identification. Willd. Enum. Suppl., 39.; Swt. Cist., t. 37.; Don's Mill, i. p. 314. Spec. Char., &c. Stems branched, procumbent. Leaves lanceolate, flat; upper surface green, under surface paler, but beset with stellate pubescence on both surfaces. Racemes terminal, few-flowered. (Don's Mill., i. p. 314.) A native of Spain, and cultivated in British gardens in 1795. A very distinct variety, when in flower, during June and July. It is tolerably hardy, but requires a little protection during very severe frosts. Plants were in the Fulham Nursery in 1826. 89. H. STRAMI'NEUM Swt. The straw-colour-flowered Helianthemum, or Sun Rose. Identification. Swt. Cist., t. 93.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 314. Engraving. Swt. Cist., t. 93. Spec. Char., &c. Stems branched, elongated, procumbent, tomentosely pubescent at the apex. Leaves flat, or with the margins scarcely revolute; green above and pilose, hoary-tomentose beneath; lower ones roundish ovate, obtuse; upper ones oblong-lanceolate, acutish. Stipules lanceolate, acute, ciliated, twice the length of the petioles. Racemes many-flowered. Calyx striated, smoothish. Petals obovate, spreading, distinct. (Don's Mill., i. p. 314.) Found in gardens, and, probably, a hybrid. Its straw-coloured flowers are produced from May to August. Plants were in the Clapton Nursery in 1829. Variety. H. s. 2 múltiplex (Swt. Cist., t. 94.) has double straw-coloured flowers, with the petals orange-coloured at the base. It is a very beautiful variety, tolerably hardy. Plants of it were in the Hammersmith Nursery in 1829. 90. H. DIVERSIFO`LIUM Swt. The various-leaved Helianthemum, or Sun Rose. Identification. Swt. Cist., . 95.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 314. Variety. H. d. 2 múltiplex.- Flowers large, double, and of deep purplish red, mixed with lightercoloured ones. Spec. Char., &c. Stem suffruticose, ascending, branched. Branches rather tomentose, erectly ascending. Leaves stalked, green, hairy above, hoarytomentose beneath; lower ones oval or oblong, obtuse, flat; upper ones linear-lanceolate, ciliated, three to four times longer than the petiole. Sepals pilose. Petals crenulated, distinct. (Don's Mill., i. p. 314.) It is not known of what country it is a native; but it is, or has been, cultivated in England, as Sweet's drawing was taken from a plant in the Hammersmith Nursery in 1829. It is nearly allied to H. poliifòlium, and has a very brilliant appearance from May to June, from the dark rich red of its flowers, each of the petals of which has a deep copper-coloured mark at its base. The plant is a very desirable one for rockwork. When grown in pots, it requires a light sandy soil. 91. H. ERIOSE PALON Swt. The woolly-sepaled Helianthemum, or Sun Rose. Identification. Swt. Cist., t. 76.; Don's Mill, 1. p. 314. Spec. Char., &c. Stems branched, procumbent, rather tomentose, hoary at the apex. Leaves lanceolate, acute, with somewhat revolute margins, green on both surfaces, and beset with starry hairs. Stipules linear, acute, ciliate, twice as long as the footstalks of the leaves. Racemes terminal, many. flowered. Calyxes clothed with woolly hairs. Petals obovate, crenulated, C C distinct at the base. (Don's Mill., i. p. 314.) A hybrid, found in Colvill's Nursery, Chelsea, in 1828. It is nearly related to H. sulphureum, but differs from it in habit, and in having a woolly calyx. The leaves are narrow, and undulated in the margins. 292. H. RO'SEUM Dec. The Rose-colour-flowered Helianthemum, or Identification. Dec. Fl. Fr., 4. p. 822.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 314. Variety. H. r. 2 múltiplex. (Swt. Cist., 86.)- A very pretty double variety: it is well suited to rockwork, on which it grows vigorously, and produces large flowers. It is quite hardy, and continues in bloom the whole summer. Spec. Char., &c. Stem suffruticose, rather procumbent, somewhat tomentose. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, tomentose on the under surface, green above, hairy. Stipules lanceolate-linear, ciliated. Pedicels and calyxes pilosely hairy. (Don's Mill., i. p. 314.) A native of the south of Europe, and very nearly allied to H. vulgare. The petals are rose-coloured, and imbricate at the base. It flowers in June and July, and was introduced in 1815. It is a very pretty plant, from the delicate colour of its flowers; and it is very suitable for rockwork, as it will continue in bloom for several months. It requires protection during frosts. It was cultivated in the Fulham Nursery in 1827. 93. H. FŒTIDUM Pers. The fetid Helianthemum, or Sun Rose, Identification. Pers. Syn., 2. p. 79.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 314. Synonyme. Cistus foe tidus Jacq. Icon. rar., 1. p. 98., Misc., 2. p. 341. Spec. Char., &c. Stem suffruticose, procumbent, pilosely hairy. Leaves oblong, green on both sur. faces, hairy, roughish. Stipules hairy, linear, longer than the footstalks of the leaves. Pedicels and calyx rather hairy. (Don's Mill., i. p. 314.) A hybrid, resembling H. vulgàre, but differing from it in having white flowers. The whole plant is said to smell like Bryònia. It produces its flowers from May to July, and was in cultivation in 1800. 94. H. HYSSOPIFO`LIUM Tenore. The Hyssop-leaved Helianthemum, or Sun Rose. Identification. Tenor. Syn. Fl. Neap., p. 48.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 314. Spec. Char. Stem suffruticose, ascending. Branches hairy-tomentose. Lower leaves oval, upper ones oblong-lanceolate, green on both surfaces, flat, hairy. Calyxes hairy. Petals imbricate. (Don's Mill., i. p. 314.) Varying considerably by culture. Varieties. H. h. 1 crocàtum (Swt. Cist., t, 92.) has flowers saffron-coloured, with more or less, of a ferrugineous tint, and may represent the species. Plants of it were in the Clapton Nursery in 1828. H. h. 2 cùpreum (Swt, Cist., t. 58.) has flowers of a reddish copper- H. h. 3 múltiplex (Swt. Cist., t. 72., and our Description, &c. All the three forms of this species are splendid plants; they are hardy, of luxuriant growth, flowering freely, and of the easiest culture, either in pots or on banks of light sandy soil, covered with flints or stones. The flowers of the coppercoloured variety, and also the leaves, are larger than those of the two other kinds. The double-flowered variety appears to be of a more upright habit of growth, and not quite so robust as the others. Sweet says that he is acquainted with two other very distinct varieties; one with flowers of a lighter colour, and the other having double flowers." 95. H. cU'PREUM Swt. The copper-colour-flowered Helianthemum, or Sun Rose. Identification. Swt. Cist., t. 66.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 314. Spec. Char., &c. Stem suffruticose, procumbent. Branches ascending, rather tomentose; adult ones glabrous. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, channeled; upper surface green, hairy; under surface hoary-tomentose. Stipules lanceolate, acute, ciliated, bristly at the apex, twice as long as the footstalks of the leaves. Calyxes tomentosely pilose. Petals imbricated. (Don's Mill., i. p. 314.) A hybrid, found by Mr. Sweet in the Hammersmith Nursery in 1827. The petals are of a dark copper colour, with a darker mark at the base of each. The flowers appear from May to August, and the plant requires very little protection. 96. H. VENU'STUM Swt. The handsome Helianthemum, or Sun Rose. Identification. Swt. Cist., t. 10. ; Don's Mill., 1. p. 314. Engraving. Swt. Cist., t. 10. Spec. Char., &c. Stem suffruticose, ascending, branched. Branches glabrous, warted, somewhat tomentose at the apex. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute, flat, or hardly revolute in the margins, but denticulately scabrous; under surface hoary-tomentose, upper surface green, shining. Stipules lanceolate, hairy, ciliated, twice as long as the footstalks of the leaves. Inner sepals membranous, with hairy warted nerves. Petals imbricated. (Don's Mill., i. p. 314.) The native country of this beautiful plant is not known, though it is now very common in collections about London. It is very suitable for rockwork, as it is quite hardy, and continues in flower during the whole summer. In some collections, Sweet tells us, it is considered only as a variety of H. vulgàre; but he says that it is more nearly allied to H. rhodanthum; from which, however, it may be easily distinguished “by its warted stalks and calyxes, and its smooth shining stems." It was in Colvill's Nursery in 1825. 97. H. MIʼLLERI Swt. Miller's Helianthemum, or Sun Rose. Identification. Swt. Cist., t. 101.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 315. Engraving. Swt. Cist., t. 101. Spec. Char. Stem suffruticose, procumbent. Branches hairy-tomentose. Leaves oblong, bluntish, flat, green on both surfaces, hairy. Stipules falcate, longer than the petioles. Calyxes hairy. Petals imbricate. (Don's Mill., i. p. 315.) A hybrid, with saffron-coloured flowers, with a dark mark at the base of each petal. It is nearly related to H. hyssopifòlium, from which it differs in its dull green and rough leaves, which are much more hairy. It is also related to H. nummulàrium, and may, probably, be a hybrid between the two. It is one of the most ornamental sorts of the section to which it belongs, and is so hardy as to require no protection in winter. Plants of it were in the Bristol Nursery in 1829. □ 98. H. MAJORANEFO`LIUM Dec. The Marjoram-leaved Helianthemum, or Sun Rose. Identification. Don's Mill., 1. p. 315. Synonymes. H. m. var. a Dec. Fl. Fr., 6. p. 225.; Cistus majoranæfðlius Gouan. Herb., p. 26. ? Spec. Char. Suffruticose, erect, much branched. Branches hairy-tomentose. Leaves stalked, ovateoblong, acutish, with revolute margins; under surface hoary-tomentose, upper surface greenish glaucous, tomentosely hairy, Stipules awl-shaped, bristly. Calyxes densely clothed with white hairs. (Don's Mill., i. p. 315.) A native of the south of Europe, and introduced in 1818. It produces its yellowish-white flowers in May and June. 99. H. HIRSUTUM Dec. The hairy Helianthemum, or Sun Rose. Identification. Dec. Prod. 1. p. 284.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 315. Spec. Char. Suffruticose, stipulate, hairy. Leaves stalked; under surface hoary. Lower leaves rounded, upper ones lanceolate, acute. Flowers secund, in terminal racemes. (Don's Mill., i. p. 315.) A native of the castern Pyrences, on_rocks. It has large white flowers, and is procum. bent; but it has not yet been introduced into British gardens. GENUS III. HUDSO`NIA L. THE HUDSONIA. Lin. Syst. Polyándria Monogýnia. Identification. Lin. Mant., 11.; Nutt. Gen. Amer., 2. p. 4.; Dec. Prod., 1. 284. Derivation. Named in honour of William Hudson, a London apothecary, the author of Flora Anglica, published in 1762. Gen. Char. Sepals 5, equal. Petals 5. Stamens 15-30. Filaments filiform. Anthers small, opening lengthwise. Style straight, simple, equalling the stamens in length. Stigma simple. Capsule 1-celled, 3-valved, 1-3-seeded, oblong or obovate, coriaceous, smooth or pubescent. Seeds granulated. Embryo immersed in a horny albumen. (Don's Mill., i. p. 315.) Small heath-like shrubs, natives of North America, with yellow flowers, almost sessile, solitary, or aggregate. 1. H. ERICÖI'DES L. The Heath-like Hudsonia. Identification. Lin. Mant.74. cose, erect. Branches elongated. Leaves 2. H. [? E.] NUTTA'LLI Swt. Nuttall's Hudsonia. Identification. Swt. Cist., p. 19.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 315. Synonymes. H. ericoides Nutt. Gen. Amer., 2. p. 4. Spec. Char., &c. Equally pubescent. Stem erect, much branched. Leaves about 2 lines long, filiform, rather imbricate, but distinct from the stem. Pedicels lateral, crowded; when in fruit, from 5 to 8 lines long. Calyx cylindrical, obtuse, pubescent, with the segments oblique and convolute; the two smaller ones hardly visible when in fruit, but sufficiently distinct in the unexpanded flowers. Capsules cylindrical, oblong, externally pubescent, always 1-seeded. Valves oblong; the central suture obsolete. (Don's Mill., i. p. 315.) An evergreen undershrub, closely resembling H, ericöldes, and perhaps only a variety of it. 3. H. [? E.] TOMENTO'SA Nutt. The tomentose-leaved Hudsonia. Identification. Nutt. Gen. Amer., 2. p. 5.; Swt. Cist., t. 57.; Don's Mill. 1. p. 316. Engraving. Swt. Cist., t. 57. Spec. Char., &c. Tufted, and hoary-tomentose. Stems intricate, dense. Leaves minute, densely imbricated, ovate, acute. Flowers aggregate, almost sessile. Calyxes rather cylindrical, with obtuse partitions. Capsules 1seeded. Valves ovate, smooth. (Don's Mill., i. p. 316.) Found in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, &c., in the sea sand. It was first discovered by Mr. Nuttall, and described by him as a very distinct species. Mr.James M'Nab, in " An Account of some of the rarer Plants, observed during an Excursion in the United States and the Canadas in 1834," published in the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, No. 37., July, 1835, says that he found this species in dry sandy barrens in New Jersey, and that he is much inclined to think it is only a variety of H. ericöìdes: they were both seen in abundance together; and many subvarieties were observed, which seemed to unite the two. This curious shrub covers large tracts of the dry white sandy plains of New Jersey, in large round tufts, where it resembles very much the common ling (Callùna vulgàris) of Scotland." Were all botanists, who, like Mr. M'Nab, are at once scientific observers and practical cultivators, to exercise their common sense, as he has done in this instance, we are persuaded that the number of alleged species, in every genus which now contains a great many, would soon be considerably reduced. The flowers of this kind of hudsonia are small and yellow, and appear from May to July. Like H. Nuttalli, this is somewhat difficult of culture, requiring a peat soil, a shady situation, and protection by glass or by snow during winter. All the species are readily increased by layers, or by cuttings of the ripened wood, planted in sand under a handglass. App. I. Other Species of Cistacea. Long as is the list of Cistacea, and especially of helianthemums, in this chapter, it might have been increased by the addition of various other species, or sorts, described by botanists. The utility, however, of such additions is very questionable. We have confined ourselves, as much as possible, to sorts that are, or were lately, in existence in the neighbourhood of London; and for this information we have taken as our guide the Cistine of Sweet, commenced in 1825, and completed, in one volume, in January, 1830. We think we may safely assert that several of the sorts described in that work are now no longer in existence; because, in consequence of their tenderness, and liability to be neglected, they are continually dying off during winter, and as continually being replaced by others raised from seeds, either imported or saved in this country. The chief use which we propose to ourselves, in giving so long a descriptive list, is, to show the numerous and beautiful forms assumed by this family of plants, in order to promote their more extensive cultivation. Supposing a cultivator about to form a collection of Cistàceæ, we should attach much less importance to his being able to procure all the sorts described by Mr. Sweet, than to his obtaining all the sorts easily procurable, whatever names they might pass under, and cross-fecundating them, so as to produce new forms. There can be no doubt whatever that the sorts of both the genera Cístus and Helianthemum might, by cross-fecundation, be increased ad infinitum; and, considering their very great beauty as border and rock work shrubs, we think they merit the attention of cultivators at least as much as many florist's flowers. CHAP. XII. OF THE HARDY AND HALF-HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF THE ORDER POLYGALA CEÆ. THERE is only one perfectly hardy ligneous plant belonging to this order, and it is of such humble growth, that, for all practical purposes, it may be considered as a herbaceous plant, rather than as a shrub. We have introduced the order, however, chiefly for the purpose of recommending gardeners to try some of the beautiful Cape species of Polygala against conservative walls. |