The botanist's repository for new and rare plants; vol. 05 [of 10]

Volume 5 — PLATE CCCXXVII.

Reading edition

XERANTHEMUM ARGENTEUM.

Silvery Everlasting-Flower.

CLASS XIX. ORDER II.

SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA. Tips united. Superfluous Pointals.

ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.

Receptaculum paleaceum. Pappus setaceus. Calyx imbricatus, radiatus; radio colorato.

Receptacle chaffy. Feather bristly. Cup tiled, rayed; ray coloured.

See Xeranthemum speciocissimum, V. I. Pl. LI.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Xeranthemum fruticosum; foliis lanceolatis, carinatis, sericeis; floribus paniculatis, argenteis.

Everlasting flower with a shrubby stem; leaves lance-shaped, keeled, and silky; flowers grow in panicles, and silvery.

REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.

1. An hermaphrodite Floret, natural size. 2. The same, magnified. 3. An inner scale of the Empalement. 4. The Receptacle, cleared of the scales and florets. 5. A female Floret, magnified. 6. The Pointal of the above, natural size. 7. The same magnified.

This new species of Everlasting-flower was introduced to us, at the same time, with the X. spirale this work, Pl. CCLXII. by Montague Burgoyne, Esq. of Mark Hall, Essex, in the year 1801. It is a quick growing plant, and has flowered for the first time last April, when our drawing was taken. The flower stems grow to the length of eighteen inches, or more; and the buds, upon their first appearance, have a fine tint of flesh colour, which, however, totally disappears upon the expansion of the flower. It is propagated by cuttings, seeds, (which ripen in this country,) or by parting the branches at the root, as it makes many from one base, which are easily separated by passing a knife between them. It thrives best in sandy peat with a small portion of loam, and must be kept in an airy, dry part of the greenhouse.

Illustration from The botanist's repository for new and rare plants; vol. 05 [of 10]