Our drawing of this ornamental plant was taken at the
Nursery of Mr. Col§ill, in June last; it is an old inhabitant
of our gardens, having been introduced into them from
the Cape, ever since the year 1774; but it is still far from
being common, and is not so much cultivated as it deserves
to be, probably from want of a proper mode of treatment.
The best soil, to have it thrive and flower well, is an equal
mixture of turfy loam, peat, and sand, and the pots to be well
drained with potsherds broken small, or they will be liable
to suffer with moisture in winter, at which season it requires
but very little water; but in summer, when it is
growing freely, it requires a constant supply. The best
method of propagating it is by cuttings of the root, planted
with their tops above the surface of the mould; those require
no water for the first 2 or 3 days, until the wound is
dried over; they must then be supplied with a little, and
they will soon make nice young plants.
We have lately received seeds of M. ovata brought
from the Cape by Mr. W. Synnet, who had been residing
there, in the interior, for four years; we have also received
from him seeds of that rare and lum laciniatum, little known plant, Gfrie- which we have long been wishing to
procure, and plants of it are already growing; the
styles in it were not hardened into a spine, as in
G. tenuifolium,, though they were very rigid and persistent;
the calyx is also persistent and hardened, but not
so much as in the latter species. From the same gentleman
we have received both seeds, and roots of several other
curious Geraniaceae, which we hope soon to flower, and
to have an opportunity of publishing. Mr. Colvill has
also procured from him a fine collection of bulbs, consisting
of different species of Gladiolus, Ixia, Moraea, and
other genera belonging to I ride.®, Asphodele®, and
Melanthace® ; amongst them, we believe, there are some
curious new genera.