16 Rhexia virginica.
and is worthy of introduction to our gardens. It is said to succeed
only tolerably in England in bog-beds with plenty of water, and that
it there requires to be sheltered from the winter. In this its native
clime however, it is not likely to suffer from the cold of winter. The
boggy swamps of the lower and middle parts of Jersey, are abundantly
supplied with this species of Rhexia; and it there grows to a
large size, bearing a corymb of numerous flowers. The petals are,
however, fugacious; but the constant succession of new flowers,
makes up for their short duration.
This species may be increased by sowing the seeds obtained from
the wild plant, in the spring or autumn, in pots filled with fresh
mould, and protecting them by frames. In a mild hot-bed they will
be more forward. If sown later the seedlings seldom appear the
same year. When they have attained a sufficient size, they ought to
be planted out in borders and pots. They flower the second year,
and often for three or four years successively.
Fig. p A flowering specimen.
a. A petal.
3. A calix opened, shewing the stamens and pistil.
4. A mature capsule.
(All the size of nature.)