5. The Chives spread open, to shew the number of distinct bodies into which they are divided.
6. The Seed bud, Shaft, and Summits.
7. A Seed-bud cut transversely.
8. One of the berries, taken from its coat, a little advanced to maturity.
The Genus Monsonia was formed by Linnæus, in honour of the Right Hon. Lady Ann Monson, whose enthusiasm, in pursuing the study of natural history, knew no bounds; and whose liberal and fostering hand contributed more, perhaps, than any of her cotemporaries, by her encouragement and example, to the then incipient, but now so prevailing taste for the study of Botany.
The Monsonias are all natives of the Cape of Good Hope; are rather herbaceous plants than shrubs, at least, those generally denominated such; for although the Geranium spinosum has been given to this genus, we have our doubts whether it ought not to remain with Geranium. They are hardy green-house plants, flower in the months of July and August; are propagated by the cutting small portions from the roots; and should be planted in a mixture of sandy peat and loam. This species was introduced by Messrs. Lee and Kennedy in the year 1788. Our drawing was made from a plant in the Hibbertian collection..
It is rather strange that Thunberg in the second part of his Prod. Plant. Cap. published in 1800; and Wildenow in his Spec. Plant. volume the third, part 1, published the same year, should both, in the classification of this genus rather wish to alter its class, as Schreber and Cavanilles had done before them, than give it, in their works, under the class and title where it was originally placed, by the founder of the genus; or take it up on the authority of the catalogue of the plants in the Kew gardens; where, unquestionably, two species, at least, had flowered antecedent to the publication of that work. But indeed both of them, have so jumbled the different synonims which they have adapted to the three species known at present in our gardens under the names of M. speciosa, M. lobata, and M. filia, that it is nearly impossible to recognize in either publication the different plants under the charactered titles they bear with us. As for Thunberg, he has thrown them all to Geranium, under new specific names: and thus, has made his alteration complete. Wildenow indeed has but changed the class, and altered one specific title; but by new naming that which is our M. speciosa he has been obliged to give the name of speciosa to our present plant, and place the specific filia, as given by Linnæus to this, as a synonim to M. lobata, upon the authority of Cavanilles; who, we must presume, had never seen more than dried specimens of any species of this genus. But however, we shall not pretend to clear up the bewildered state, in which we there find this tribe of plants; or attempt to throw any farther light on a subject that seems to have been, short as it is, a complete puzzle to two such eminent botanists; but merely state our ideas, that we think these plants were sufficiently well arranged under the first assumed class, and equally readily to be known by their old specific titles.[Pg 534]
