y [ 2 2 2 2 ]
FRANKENIA pulverulenta.
Powdery Sea-Heath.
HEXANDRIA Monogynia.
Gen. Char. . Cal. 5-cleft, funnel-shaped. Petals 5.
Stigmas 3. Caps, superior, of 1 cell and 3 valves.
Spec. Char. Leaves obovate, abrupt; downy and
somewhat powdery beneath.
S yn. Frankenia pulverulenta. L inn. S^. P I. 474. Sm.
F I. B rit. 388. Huds. 138. With. 3 5 2 . H ull,
ed. 2 . 10 1 .
Alsine maritima supina, foliis chamaesices. D ill, in
R a ii Syn. 352.
Anthyllis valentina. Clus. Hist. v. 2. 186. Ger. em. 566.
Quadrifoglio annuo di Persia. Zanon. 1st. 164. t. 66.
A m o n g the rarest of British plants is the Frankenia pulverulenta,
which Mr. Brewer is said to have found on the Sussex
coast in the time, of Dillenius, and Hudson declares that he
; himself gathered it between Bognor and Brighthelmston. Of
late years we have no certain account of its having been observed
there, nor has it ever been seen elsewhere in Britain.
Our specimen came from Mr. Dickson’s garden at Croydon
last July.
Root annual, fibrous. Stems numerous, branched from the
very base, prostrate, repeatedly forked, divaricated, leafy,
round, d*wny, often reddish. Leaves opposite, somewhat
clustered, obovate, abrupt or emarginate, entire, keeled,
slightly revolute; smooth and green above; whitish, downy
and hoary as if powdery beneath. Flowers axillary and terminal,
solitary, sessile. Calyx prismatic, with red ribs, smooth.
Petals pale pink.
This species is not uncommon on the shores of the Mediterranean
or Archipelago.