This pretty annual is quite hardy, and only requires
to be sown in the open flower borders, and to be kept
free from weeds. The seeds of our plants were
received from Germany, under the name of S. bifida;
it is without doubt the S. vespertina of the Botanical
Magazine, and also the S. bipartita of Desfontaines, if
we may judge from the figures, though, in many Botanical
works, they are enumerated as diflferent species.
But Decandolle, in his Prodromus, considers them
both to belong to the same, and we have thought it
safest to follow his opinion. The best time for sowing
the seeds is the latter end of March, or beginning of
April; and should the plants come up too close together,
they should be thinned out, leaving them from
4 to 6 inches apart, they will then grow stronger, and
flower in greater perfection. The flowers appear to
the greatest advantage of an evening, or early in the
morning; for when the sun shines warm on them, the
petals curl up, and do not open again till the evening.
Our drawing was taken at the Nursery of Mr. Colvill,
last Summer.
1. Calyx. 2. Petal detached, to show the insertion of the Stamen. 3 . Corolla
spread open, showing the 5 Petals with their crowned Faux, and the
in s e rti^ of the 5 shortest Stamens. 4. The other 5 longer Stamens inserted
in the Receptacle. 5. Germen terminated by the 3 spreading Styles.
I