ovate, concave, acute, membranaceous, with three or
four strong nerves. Petals 5, narrow, about the length
of the sepals, obovate, slightly notched at the points,
distinctly spreading, of a light yellow, with a small saffron
coloured spot near the base. Stamens 15 to 20,
spreading, longer than the style. Germen three-sided,
pubescent. Style short, erect. Stigma large, capitate,
fimbriate.
This pretty little species is a native of France, and a
hardy annual, and only requires to be sown in the open
borders in April, and to be kept free from weeds; it
will then continue to flower all the Summer, and will
ripen plenty of seeds. We first received plants of it
from Mr. W. Anderson, Curator of the Apothecaries
Company’s Garden, at Chelsea, in 1026, but they had
been raised from seeds so late in the Summer, that the
flowers they produced were all apetalous, but those
produced abundance of seeds, some of which we sowed
in April 1827; the plants from which produced abundance
of perfect flowers, and from one of those the present
figure was made.