segments of the involucrum, but narrower and thinner.
Rays 8 or sometimes increased to 10, spreading, ovate, somewhat
cupped, tubular at the base, sterile, producing no style
or stigmas, or rarely an imperfect one, so that its seed is
not perfect. Florets of the disk fertile, tubular, 5-toothed,
the teeth erect, larger than in G. crocetta. Stamens 5 : filaments
distinct, smooth : anthers connected into a tube. Style
smooth, exserted. Stigma 2-parted, the segments very long,
erect or a little spreading, very much fimbriate. Akenia or
seed flattened, a ittle keeled on each side, spathulate, pubescent.
The present species was first pointed out tons as being very
distinct, by our friend Don Mariano Lagasca, at the Nursery
of Messrs. Whitley, Brames, and Milne, at Fulham, where
our drawing was made; he informs us that he first received
seeds of it at the Botanic Garden at Madrid, sent from
Mexico by Cervantes, and described it in his Mantissa,
which has never been published, owing to the troublesome
times in Spain ; it is readily distinguished from all the other
species by its numerous slender branches, which are nearly
solid ; the spathulate seeds will also distinguish it at once
from G. crocetta, as well as the hollow fistulous stem of that
species. According to Lagasca, the G. cocennea and G. reisea
of Cavanilles, are also very distinct species : the G. ròsea is
readily distinguished from G.varieibilis, to which it is nearly
related, by its bipinnate leaves ; we have seen a few plants
of it this season, and some of them producing double flowers ;
we have also seen at Mr. Russell’s Nursery at Battersea, a
beautiful double variety of the present species. This species
requires precisely the same sort of treatment as the more
common sorts, to be taken up and kept dry and out of the
reach of frost all the Winter, and to be planted again as soon
as the weather permits in Spring, when it may be increased
by dividing in several parts, or it may be raised from seeds,
which ripen in abundance. We have already given our reason
for adopting G e o rg 'in a instead of Da' t i l ia, there being
a genus D a 'i il i a established before by Thunberg, a native
of the Cape of Good Hope.
The genus was named by Willdenow, in compliment to
J. G. Georgi, a Russian Botanist, author of some valuable
works on the botany of Russia. Dahlia was in compliment
to A. Dahl, a Swedish Botanist.
I. Head split thronph tlie centre, to show the huge chaffy scales on the Receptacle.
2. One of the. ilorets of the disk, spread open to show the nerves alternating with the
tècth. 3. The five stamens inserted in tlie tulio, tlie filaments distinct and tlic anthers all
connected. 4. Young Akenia terminated by tlie Style and bifid Stigma. 5. Base of one
of tlic Rays.