Á"
A '
with interrupted lines of a darker colour, outside and
inside thickly clothed with short h a irs : Imver lip oblong,
elongated, o b tu se : the upper one of 4 short blunt lobes.
Stamens 4, two rather longer than the others, inserted
in the mouth of the tube, the two lower ones attached to
the inflated part their whole length ; upper ones distinct
a t the p o in ts: filaments thinly clothed with glandular
hairs: anthers 2-lobed, 2-parted, the lobes spreading.
Ovarium conical, densely hairy. Style hairy, the point
bent downwards. Stigma slightly notched.
Our drawing of this handsome species was taken from
fine specimens sent to us from the collection of Messrs.
Young, Nurserymen, at Epsom, where we observed a
great many fine plants of them in flower last Summer.
I t is a handsome perennial plant, a native of Hungary,
and thrives well in the open borders of the flower-garden,
bu t prefers a light loamy soil, and rather a dry
situation, as too much moisture is apt to rot its leaves,
and sometimes will make it damp off altoge the r; in
very severe frost it will also be better to give it a little
covering, as it may otherwise be injured, particularly
if in a moist situation; it is also a good plan to raise it
frequently from seeds, as the plants are not very long-
lived, and will not generally survive many years ; it is
readily increased by seeds, which ripen plentifully.
Digitalis is a Latin name taken from the resemblance
of the flower to a sheath for the finger, or the finger of
a glove, which is very remarkable in D. purpurea, and
some nearly related species. ,
1. Calyx. 2. Corolla spread open, to show the insertion o f the 4 Stamens. 3. Stamen
detached, to show the glandularly haiiy filament. 4. Ovarium, terminated by
the Style and slightly notched Stigma.