Volume 9 — PLATE DLXI. XERANTHEMUM FRAGRANS. Fragrant Xeranthemum.

CLASS XIX. ORDER II.

SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA. Tips united Superfluous.

ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.

Receptaculum paleaceum aut nudum. Pappus setaceus. Calyx imbricatus, radiatus: radio colorato.

Receptacle chaffy, or naked. Feather bristly, Empalement tiled, rayed: the ray coloured.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Xeranthemum foliis undulatis, lanatis, apice reflexis: floribus parvis, odoratis, terminalibus: radiis calycis exterioribus rubris: radio interiore albo.

Habitat ad Caput Bonæ Spei.

Xeranthemum with waved woolly leaves reflexed at the point: flowers small, sweet-scented and terminal: the outer rays of the empalement red, the inner one white.

Native of the Cape of Good Hope.

REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.

This little Xeranthemum is a native of the Cape, perfectly new, and very sweet-scented. As fragrance is very unusual in this fine tribe of plants, we have on that account considered it as a good specific title. It was introduced to the Clapham gardens about the year 1803; and as we have not seen it since that period, we are inclined to think it is not at present in this country. In the herbarium of A. B. Lambert, esq. we found a fine native specimen of an unnamed species very much resembling our plant, but with a profusion of flowers—a habit which ours would in all probability have assumed as soon as it had been familiarized to the change of climate.