Specific Character and Synonyms.

CYCLAMEN Coum foliis orbiculatis planis, pediculis brevibus, floribus minoribus. Miller’s Dict.

CYCLAMEN hyemale orbiculatis foliis inferius rubentibus purpurascente flore; Coum Herbariorum. Hort. reg.  Paris. Herm.  Cat.

CYCLAMEN orbiculato folio inferne purpurascente. Bauh.  Pin. p. 307.

The common round-leav’d Sowebread. Park.  Parad. p. 198.

[Illustration:  No. 4]

Grows wild in many parts of Italy and Germany, and is sometimes found with white flowers; if the season be mild, or the plants sheltered from the inclemency of the weather, this species will flower as early as February, or much earlier by artificial heat.

As it grows naturally in woods and shady places, it will thrive best in a mixture of bog-earth and loam placed in a north border; if planted in the open border, it will require to be covered with a hand-glass during winter, and in the spring, when in bloom; the more usual method with gardeners is to preserve them in pots in a common hot-bed frame, the advantage of this method is that they may, at any time, be removed to decorate the parlour or the study.

The plants of this genus admit of but little increase by their roots; the best method of propagating them is by seed, which should be sown soon after they are ripe in boxes or pots, and covered about half an inch deep, placing them where they may have only the morning-sun, till the beginning of September, when they may be removed to a warmer exposure.

[5]

Erythronuim Dens Canis.  Dogs-Tooth, or Dogs-Tooth Violet.

Class and Order.

Hexandria Monogynia.

Generic Character.

Corolla 6-petala, campanulata:  Nectario tuberculis 2-petalorum alternorum basi adnatis.

Specific Character and Synonyms.

ERYTHRONIUM Dens Canis. Lin.  Syst.  Vegetab. p. 269. Sp.  Pl. p. 437.

Dens Canis latiore rotundioreque folio. Bauh.  Pin. 87.

Dogs-Tooth with a pale purple flower. Park.  Parad. p. 194.

[Illustration:  No. 5]

Of this genus Mr. Miller makes two species; Linnaeus, perhaps with more propriety, only one, for breadth of leaves or colour of flowers can scarcely be considered as sufficient to constitute a specific difference.

It is found in the gardens with purple flowers of two different tints, also with white and yellow blossoms, grows naturally in Hungary and some parts of Italy, and blows in the open border at the beginning of April.

“They are propagated by offsets from their roots.  They love a shady situation and a gentle loamy soil, but should not be too often removed.  They may be transplanted any time after the beginning of June, when their leaves will be quite decayed, till the middle of September; but the roots should not be kept very long out of the ground, for if they shrink it will often cause them to rot.  The roots of these flowers should not be planted scattering in the borders of the flower-garden, but in patches near each other, where they will make a good appearance.” Miller’s Gard.  Dict.