REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. A Floret, the petals separated, natural size.
2. One of the Petals magnified.
3. The Pointal, and Seed-bud, natural size, the Summit detached,
magnified.
4. The Empalement, natural size.
Our present plant is one of the rarest Proteas at this time in England; as, we believe, there has never been but one importation of the seeds from the Cape, and no one species of this numerous genus is with more difficulty propagated by cuttings. Its lower leaves are apt to suffer much from damps in winter; in consequence, the stem becomes bare till near the top; the plant grows about three feet high, and flowers in August, or September. Our figure was taken from the Hibbertian collection, where it flowered, in 1802, for the first time in Britain. We owe its introduction to Messrs. Lee and Kennedy, Hammersmith, about the year 1790. We have our doubts of this plant being the P. tomentosa of Thunberg; for although he, in his description of that species, comes nigh many of the characters of P. candicans, yet his determining the leaves to be linear, and downy, and our having drawings, taken from two other species, approaching this in habit, yet nigher affined to P. tomentosa, we have retained his specific title for one of them, the other yet unnamed; which will both be given in due course.[Pg 13]
PLATE CCXCV.
PASSIFLORA AURANTIA.
Norfolk Island Passion-Flower.
CLASS XX. ORDER IV.
GYNANDRIA PENTANDRIA. Chives on the Pointal. Five Chives.