12.  I have called the Giulietta ‘blue-flushing’ because it is one of the group of exquisite flowers which at the time of their own blossoming, breathe their colour into the surrounding leaves and supporting stem.  Very notably the Grape hyacinth and Jura hyacinth, and some of the Vestals, empurpling all their green leaves even to the ground:  a quite distinct nature in the flower, observe, this possession of a power to kindle the leaf and stem with its own passion, from that of the heaths, roses, or lilies, where the determined bracts or calicos assert themselves in opposition to the blossom, as little pine-leaves, or mosses, or brown paper packages, and the like.

13.  The Giulietta, however, is again entirely separate from the other leaf-flushing blossoms, in that, after the two green leaves next the flower have glowed with its blue, while it lived, they do not fade or waste with it, but return to their own former green simplicity, and close over it to protect the seed.  I only know this to be the case with the Giulietta Regina; but suppose it to be (with variety of course in the colours) a condition in other species,—­though of course nothing is ever said of it in the botanical accounts of them.  I gather, however, from Curtis’s careful drawings that the prevailing colour of the Cape species is purple, thus justifying still further my placing them among the Cytherides; and I am content to take the descriptive epithets at present given them, for the following five of this southern group, hoping that they may be explained for me afterwards by helpful friends.

14.  Bracteolata, C. 345.  Oppositifolia, C. 492.  Speciosa, C. 1790.  These three all purple, and scarcely distinguishable from sweet pease-blossom, only smaller.

Stipulacea, C. 1715.  Small, and very beautiful, lilac and purple, with a leaf and mode of growth like rosemary.  The “Foxtail” milkwort, whose name I don’t accept, C. 1006, is intermediate between this and the next species.

15.  Mixta, C. 1714.  I don’t see what mingling is meant, except that it is just like Erica tetralix in the leaf, only, apparently, having little four-petalled pinks for blossoms.  This appearance is thus botanically explained.  I do not myself understand the description, but copy it, thinking it may be of use to somebody.  “The apex of the carina is expanded into a two-lobed plain petal, the lobes of which are emarginate.  This appendix is of a bright rose colour, and forms the principal part of the flower.”  The describer relaxes, or relapses, into common language so far as to add that ‘this appendix’ “dispersed among the green foliage in every part of the shrub, gives it a pretty lively appearance.”

Perhaps this may also be worth extracting.

“Carina, deeply channeled, of a saturated purple within, sides folded together, so as to include and firmly embrace the style and stamens, which, when arrived at maturity, upon being moved, escape elastically from their confinement, and strike against the two erect petals or alae—­by which the pollen is dispersed.