Description of several New or Rare Plants which have lately flowered in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, and chiefly in the Royal Botanic Garden. By Dr GRAHAM, Professor of Botany in the University of Edinburgh. Andromeda tetragona. June 10. 1832. A. tetragona; foliis quadrifariam imbricatis, appressis, subtriquetris, ob- Andromeda tetragona, Linn. Fl. Suecic. ed. 2. No. 356.-Willd. 2. 607. Andromeda pedunculis solitariis lateralibus, corollis campanulatis, foliis oppositis obtusis imbricatis revolutis.-Gmel. Fl. Siberic. 4. 120. No. 5. DESCRIPTION.-Stem erect, woody (about 5 inches high) naked near the base, and marked by the origin of fallen leaves, much branched; branches suberect, the lower decumbent at the base and rooting. Leaves (two lines long) in four rows, closely imbricated, sagittate, concave in front, triquetrous and furrowed over the midrib behind, blunt, slightly pubescent, particularly in native specimens, but the degree seems to vary, as does the colour, which is bright or dull green. Peduncles axillary, solitary, at first short, afterwards much elongated, slightly pubescent, sheathed with scales at the base. Flower drooping. Ca iya 5-parted, greenish, tipped with red, glabrous, persisting, segments gibbous at the base. Corolla white, campanulate, somewhat contracted near the mouth, which is 5-cleft, the segments blunt and spreading. Stamens included, filaments shorter than the pistil, erect. Anthers yel. low, each with two slender spreading hispid bristles. Pistil scarcely longer than the stamens; stigma obtuse; style persisting, straight, slightly tapering upwards. Germen roundish-oval, obscurely 4-lobed, depressed at the insertion of the style, and surrounded at the base by a wrinkled glandular ring. Capsule erect, nearly globular, glabrous, having 5 loculaments, the dissepiments arising from the centre of the valves, which are inflected in their apices. The seeds of this interesting little plant, which surely will yet be found indigenous in Britain, were kindly communicated to the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, by Dr Richardson and Mr Drummond, on the return from North America of the last expedition under the command of Captain Franklin. It flowered, for the first time, in April 1832, in the same border with, but a little later than, its beautiful compatriot Andromeda hypnoides. We have two varieties: one only has yet, by flowering, rewarded the judicious cultivation of Mr Macnab. It is the lighter coloured, and considerably the freer growing of the two. Arbutus pilosa. A. pilosa; caule frutescente, procumbente, piloso: foliis ovato-ellipticis, ciliato-serrulatis, coriaceis, apice muticis, callosis; pedunculis axillaribus, unifloris, elongatis, nutantibus; antheris quadri aristatis. DESCRIPTION. Stem branching from the root, prostrate, red, twiggy, covered with thickset, harsh, spreading, rusty-coloured hairs. Leaves (9 lines long, 4 broad) scattered, spreading, and being turned to the light, are distichous, coriaceous, naked and shining on both sides, dark green in front, pale behind, ovato-elliptical, with a callous tip, but no mucro, veined, serrulate, each serrature being tipped with a hair similar to those on the stem, a very few also occasionally exist on or near the middle rib behind. Petioles short, subappressed, and with rather tumid axillary buds. Peduncles sparingly covered with a few fulvous hairs, solitary in the axils of a few of the terminal leaves, of which they are equal to onehalf the length. Bractea ovate, scattered upon the peduncle, adpressed, larger and fewer upwards. Calyx 5-cleft, persisting, white, glabrous within and without, spreading, segments ovate, acute, gibbous at the base. Corolla (3 lines long) ovate, white, 5-toothed, teeth blunt and revolute. Stamens 10, arising from a small green disk; filaments white, covered with minute pubescence, swollen immediately above their origin, and there somewhat concave on their inner surface, subulate upwards; anthers yellow, attached by their backs, ovato-oblong, each loculament with two small ascending awns, in front of which it opens by a pore. Stigma small, red, terminal, very obscurely 5-lobed. Style erect, cylindrical, included, colourless. Germen ovate, green, rather more than half the length of the style, and equal to the filaments, slightly covered with obscure pubescence, and depressed on the top, where the style is inserted. This species is nearly allied to A. mucronata, which flowered in the Botanic Garden lately, and is figured in Bot. Mag. t. 3093., but is easily distinguished by the character given above. They undoubtedly belong to the same genus, but whether they should be left as species of Arbutus, or removed to Gualtheria or Arctostaphylos, or erected into a new genus, must be chiefly regulated by the fruit, which I have not seen. I doubt whether the calyx, though persisting, will become berried as in Gualtheria, but the anthers are, as in that genus, provided with 4 awns. The present species is a native of Mexico, and was raised by Mr Neill from seed received from Mr Don. From Mr Neill we received it at the Botanic Garden. In both establishments it flowered during May, and is perfectly hardy. Epacris ceræflora. E. ceræflora; ramulis tomentosis; foliis lanceolatis, acuminatis, patentissimis; floribus patulis, pedunculatis, secundis; calycibus acutis, ciliatis, tubo corollæ longe brevioribus. DESCRIPTION.. -Stem ercct, branched. Branches tomentous, purplish. Leaves lanceolate, acuminate, dark green above, paler below, mucronate, subpetiolate, spreading wide. Flowers collected near the extremities of the branches, white, secund, peduncled, patent. Calyx segments lanceolate, ciliated. Corolla, tube obscurely pentagonal, thrice as long as the calyx, pitted on the outside between the calyx segments, and having nectarife rous depressions under the corresponding elevations within, somewhat contracted upwards; limb revolute, segments subacute. Stamens subexserted; filaments alternating with the nectariferous pores, and adhering through their whole length to the inside of the corolla; anthers dark leaden-coloured, pollen granules white. Stigma capitate, sublobate, flattened on the top. Style glabrous, somewhat thickened above its base, and again contracted, tapering a little towards the stigma. Germen green, glabrous, subrotund. Unripe capsule subturbinate, pitted at the insertion of the style. Seeds erect, on a central placenta. This species, a native of Van Diemen's Land, was raised at the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, from seeds communicated by Mr Newbigging, and likewise by the Rev. Mr Craig, in January 1831. It flowered for the first time in April and May 1832, the plants being still very small. It appears to be ripening seed abundantly. Francoa appendiculata. F. appendiculata; caulescens, foliis lyratis, denticulatis utrinque pubes centibus, lobo terminali maximo cordato obtuse angulato; floribus spicatis. Francoa appendiculata, Cavan. Icon. vi. 77. t. 596.-Pers. Synops. 1. 445. -Sprengel, Sp. Plant. 2. 262. Francoa sonchifolia? Ad. Juss. Ann. des Sc. Nat. 3. 192. t. 12. DESCRIPTION.-Root with several very leafy crowns. Stems short. Leaves (8 inches long) petioled, lyrate, with soft, slightly glutinous pubescence on both sides, bullate, undulate, strongly veined, denticulate, decurrent along the petiole; lobes blunt, the terminal one by much the largest (in a vigorous plant 6 inches long, 44 inches broad), bluntly angled, cordate at the base. Flower-stalk (2 feet high) terminal, scape-like, having a few leaves at the base only, erect, straight, round, slightly tapering, densely covered with pubescence similar to that on the leaves; from the axils of the stem-leaves, and from a bractea near the top, arise solitary erect branches, in all respects similar to the primary shoot, but smaller. Spike (6 inches long) racemose, flowers (4 inch long, inch across when fully epxanded) rather dense, springing from the axils of lanceolato-lnear, green bractea. Calyx persisting, 4-5-parted, green, rather longer than the pedicel, segments ovato-acute, 3-nerved, glanduloso-pubescent within and without. Petals 4-5, twice the length of the calyx, obovato-elliptical, channelled in front towards the short claw, keeled behind, of a pale rose-colour, with a darker spot in the centre, becoming lighter after expansion. Stamens 8-10, shorter than the calyx, alternating upon an obscure but nectariferous disk, with short diverging scales (abortive stamens); filaments subulate, glabrous; anthers yellow, bilocular, oblong, bifid at both extremities, and slightly diverging at the lower, bursting along the sides, pollen yellow, granules small. Germen superior, oblong, 4-5-furrowed, 4-5-valved, and having as many loculaments, formed by the inversion of the margins of the valves. Stigma sessile, 4-5-lobed, at first involute, then spreading, peltate, fleshy, surface tubercled. Ovules numerous, green, oblong. This showy plant was introduced into the Clapton nursery from Chiloe by Mr Anderson. From Clapton it was obtained by Mr Cunningham at Comely-bank, near Edinburgh, and communicated to Mr Neill's gar den at Canonmills. In both these establishments it flowered in May 1832. I have no doubt of this being the species of Cavanilles, and very little about its being that of Jussieu, though the petals are figured (not described) by Cavanilles as acute, and though the flowers are said by Jussieu to be without pedicels in his plant. The leaves correspond with Cavanilles', and the station is the same. His figure represents the flowers as secund, and a dried specimen brought home by Mr Anderson, and given to Mr James Macnab, has the same appearance. Kennedia Comptoniana. K. Comptoniana, var quinquefolia. This is a very handsome variety, but I can perceive no good character by which it can be specifically distinguished. It is very robust, the leaves being much longer and narrower than in the usual form of the species, and very often with 5 folioles, the terminal one only, as in the common variety, being supported upon an elongated petiole. The flowers are in. a dense raceme, and of a deep rich lilac, with two green striated spots on the vexillum. It was raised from seeds sent to the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, from New Holland, by Mr Fraser in 1827, and flowered in the greenhouse for the first time in April 1832. Menziesia empetriformis. M. empetriformis; foliis linearibus serrulatis; pedunculis aggregatis ; floribus campanulatis, erectis, decandris; calycibus glabris, obtusis, basi gibbosis; antheris filamenta æquantibus. Menziesia empetriformis, Smith, in Linn. Soc. Trans. 10. 380.—Pursh, DESCRIPTION.-A small erect shrub. Leaves (6 lines long, 1 line broad) linear, on short adpressed petioles, crowded, suberect towards the extremities of the branches, below spreading, when young glanduloso-ciliated, afterwards glabrous, with a few cartilaginous small teeth especially towards the apices, slightly channelled above, fleshy in their sides, midrib somewhat depressed, flattened and wrinkled. Peduncles (inch long) erect, glandular, axillary, single and single-flowered, collected near the extremities of the branches, bibracteate at the base. Bractea ovate, concave, crenate, opposite. Calyx 5-phyllous, red without, green within, except on the edges where it is red, glabrous, ciliated with minute white hairs, leaflets blunt, wrinkled and gibbous at the base. Corolla (3 lines long, 2 broad) reddish-purple, campanulate, erect, glabrous, about three times as long as the calyx, 5-toothed, teeth reflected. Stamens 10, of rather unequal length alternately, about the length of the germen; filaments rose-coloured, flat, linear; anthers purple, oblong, narrower at the upper end, as long as the filaments, connivent, grooved along their sides, bursting by two terminal pores, attached by their backs to the filaments. Pistil exserted; stigma of 5 connivent, triangular teeth; style slightly curved, cylindrical, red; germen globular, green, glandular, quinquelocular; ovules very numerous, attached to a large central placenta. This very distinct species of Menziesia was raised at the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, from seeds communicated by Mr Drummond on his return from the last expedition to North America under the command of Captain Franklin, and, I believe, collected by him (Mr Drummond) on the Rocky Mountains. It first flowered in November 1831, but much more abundantly in May 1832. If Sir James Smith had seen the living plant, I think he would have given a different specific character. The leaves, in the recent state, are decidedly tumid, both above and below, being depressed only along the middle rib on either side. Pimelea sylvestris. P. sylvestris; foliis oppositis utrinque glabris, lanceolatis, acutis; floralibus 4-5, rameis subsimilibus, capitulo terminali multifloro brevioribus; perianthiis glabris, tubo infundibuliformi.-Br. Pimelea sylvestris, Br. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland. 361.-Rom. et Schultes, Syst. Veget. 1. 274.-Spreng. Syst. Veget. 1. 92. DESCRIPTION.-Stem erect, shrubby, twig-like, bark covered with minute warts. Leaves (above 1 inch long, 4th of an inch broad) opposite, in five rows, on short adpressed petioles, spreading, glabrous on both sides, lanceolate, acute, quite entire, flat above, or slightly turned back at the edges, very obscurely veined, middle rib channelled below; floral leaves similar to those of the branches. Capitulum terminal, many-flowered, flowers expanding from without towards the centre, much longer than the floral leaves. Perianth (above half an inch long) glabrous, funnelshaped, pale rose-coloured, becoming white after expansion, throat naked; limb 4-parted, segments erect, ovate, their edges folded outwards at their base, the two outer segments in the bud subacuminate, and keeled at the apex, the two inner blunt; tube much attenuated downwards, but dilated at its base where it covers the germen, and is persistent, all above being deciduous. Filaments adhering to the throat, above this free, longer than the perianth, reflected. Anthers orange-yellow, linear. Stigma capitate, small. Style erect, filiform, exserted, glabrous, colourless. Germen ovate, compressed, glabrous. Ovule single, pendulous. The seeds of this species were collected on the south coast of New Holland |