hairs. Petals 5, or sometimes 6, broadly obovate or
obcordate, slightly notched, concave, slightly imbricate
at the base, of a bright yellow. Stamens about 24,
unequal in length, spreading: filaments smooth, pale
yellow, overtopping the stigma: pollen orange-coloured.
Germen smooth. Style straight, very short. Stigma
very large, capitate, papillose.
Had we not seen H. brasiliense growing by the side
of the present plant, we should have been inclined to
have given it for that species, as the description given
of that by M. Decandolle differs but little from our
present subject, but it still agrees better with what we
consider the true H. brasiliense; plants of both species
were raised from seed, the year before last, by Mr. Anderson,
at the Apothecaries’ Company’s garden, at
Chelsea, where our drawing was made last July; the
seeds were given to him by Dr. J. Sims, who received
them from Mr. Frederick Sello, by whom they were collected
in the Brazils, and Mr. Anderson informs us that
they are the best things he has yet sent; the present
plant differs from H. brasiliense in being much more
smooth and slender, its branches are more decumbent,
the leaves less pubescent, of a glossy green, and
narrower, and the capsules scarcely half the size; we
have not seen any perfect flowers of H. brasiliense,
as it did not bloom till autumn, and the flowers were
all apetalous, which was also the case with the autumn
flowers of the present species, and all the other species
of this section that we have had an opportunity of examining
this season; the apetalous flowers all produce
perfect seeds, but we do not understand the reason of
their producing perfect flowers only in summer.
This plant, as well as H. brasiliense, will require to
be kept in a cool part of the Greenhouse, or in frames,
in frosty weather, or they will be liable to be injured,
though perhaps they will prove quite hardy, as we observe
they draw up very weak in the Greenhouse ; they
thrive well in a mixture of turfy loam, peat, and sand;
and young cuttings taken off at a joint, and planted
under hand-glasses, will soon strike root; plants may
also be raised from seeds.