Viper’s-Bugloss with a shrubby stem; branches very smooth; leaves between egg and lance-shaped, of a sea-green colour, smooth, and slightly sawed at the margin; blossoms nearly equal.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The Empalement.
2. A Blossom cut open, to shew the insertion of the chives.
3. The Seed-bud, Shaft, and Summit, magnified.
This shrubby species of Echium was introduced, to the Royal Gardens at Kew, by Mr. F. Masson, in the year 1792, from the Cape of Good Hope. It grows to the height of three feet, or more, rather bushy at the top, flowers about the month of May, and perfects its seeds with us; by which only method, it is to be propagated. It thrives best in a light loamy soil, with a small proportion of sandy peat, about one fourth.
Professor Martyn, in his Miller’s Dic. has collated two descriptions of Echiums under the titles of lævigatum, and glabrum; the first, No. 9, from Lin. Sp. Plant. 199; the second, No 19, from Vahl. Symb. 3. 22. Thunberg has likewise, in his Prodromus, 33. two names of plants, as E. lævigatum, and E. glabrum; from whom Willdenow, in his new Edition of Sp. Plant, p. 785, has copied them under the same titles; adding, the various synonyms, from Linnæus’s Sp. Plant, to the one; and to the latter, Prof. Jacquin’s specific of glaucophyllum, taken from his Ic. rar. 2. t. 312, and his Collect. 2. p. 325. Now, we have little hesitation in declaring our opinion, and we think, those who choose to compare our figure with the different descriptions here mentioned, will coincide with us, that this is the plant from which they must all have originated, except the E. glabrum of Vahl, which we take to be a different plant; as, the cup is described hairy, the length of the tube of the blossom; the chives longer, and the flower smaller. Wherefore, we have taken, for our plant, the specific title of Jacquin, as being, in our idea, the most appropriate.[Pg 85]
