Generic Character.
Cal. cylindricus 1-phyllus: basi squamis 4. Petala 5 unguiculata. Capsula cylindrica, 1-locularis.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
DIANTHUS barbatus floribus aggregatis fasciculatis: squamis calycinis ovato-subulatis tubum æquantibus, foliis lanceolatis. Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 17. Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 88.
CARYOPHYLLUS hortensis barbatus latifolius. Bauh. Pin. 208.
ARMERIUS latifolius simplex. Single Sweete Williams. Park. Parad. p. 321.
Linnæus, in his Spec. Pl. appears not to have known of what country the Sweet William was a native, and even in the Hortus Kewensis, this circumstance is left undecided; yet Dodonæus, in his Pemptades[7], mentions its being found wild in Germany, and Prof. Hoffman confirms this in his Germanys Flora[8].
At the time Dodonæus wrote (1552) this plant was cultivated in the Netherlands, from whence it was probably introduced to this country, where it certainly is one of the oldest inhabitants of our gardens.
Beautiful as are the numerous varieties of this species of Dianthus, Florists have not deemed it worthy of that peculiar attention which they have bestowed on its more favoured relatives the Pink and Carnation, and hence it probably has not arrived at that degree of improvement of which it is capable; our figure is intended to represent one of the most esteemed of its kind, viz. the Painted Lady variety, which has a deep rich purple eye, surrounded with a pure white, having the edge of the petals slightly indented; but our colours fall far short of the beauties of the original.