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P L A T E
P R O T E A
CCCCLII.
R E P E N S.
Creeping Protea.
CLASS IV. ORDER I.
TETRANDRIA M0N0GYNL4. Four Chives. One Polntal.
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
COROLLA 4-fida, seu 4-petala. Antherx lineares,
petalis infra ápices insertse. Calyx
proprius, nuUus. Sem. solitaria.
BLOSSOM four-cleft, or of four petals. Tips linear,
inserted into the petals below the
points. Cup proper, none. Seeds solitary.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
PKOTEA repens, foliis sub-amplexicaulibus, cordatis,
undulatis, apice reflexis, acutis, marginibus
rubris : floribus sub basin : interius
squamarum calycis laete carneum, exterius
fu»co-purpureum, villosum.
PBOTEA with a creeping-stdm, and leaves nearly
surrounding it, which are heart-shaped,
waved, bent back at the end, sharp-pointed,
and red at the edges : flowers grow towards
the base of the plant: the inside of the
scales of the empalement are of a bright
flesh colour, and the outside of a purply.
brown, and hairy.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. The blossom complete, and one of the chives magnified.
2. Seed-bud and poinlal, summit magnified.
THE appearance of this Protea, as cultivated in the gardens, is diametrically opposite to its natural character,
which, as its specific indicates, is repent or creeping ; instead of which, the branches of the
plant are bent from their natural habit, forced as upright as possible, and fastened to a stick ; in which
situation the flowers only would compare with our figure. But so averse is it to this confined mode of
treatment, thai, as soon as the branches are liberated, they instantly take the direction most natural to
them, and which is certainly the most graceful. Although repens is the more general title of this
Protea, yet we have heard it sometimes called amplexicaulis, a name given by some cultivators to a
plant whose foliage is so nearly resembling the one now figured, that, when it arrives at a flowering
stale, it will most probably prove to be no more than a variation of culture. It is a difficult matter to
say in what stage the flower is most beautiful, whether in the bud state, before the pointals are released,
or afterwards. From their long confinement, the pollen adheres so strongly to them, that when
relieved they appear like the antheras. Our drawing was made at the Hibbertian collection from a
plant in fine bloom in the month of February,
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