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feeds which ripened there the preceding year, but unfortunately
from the latenefs of their flowering, and the very great injury
the plants had fuftained from the Cobweb Mite (Aeon,
teliarius] vulgarly called the red Spider, there feemed little
profpeft that the feed-veflels would arrive at perfection.
The feeds were fown by Mr. FAIRBAIRN, in March, and
the plants kept in the green-houfe till very late in the fummer,
when to accelerate their blowing, they were removed into
the dry ftove: it is worthy of remark, that thefe plants, even
late in the autumn, mew no figns of bloffoming, but the flowers
at length come forth with almoft unexampled rapidity, and the
feed-veffels are formed as quickly, fo that if the flowers were
not very numerous, their bloffoming period would be of very
ihort duration ; future experience may perhaps point out the
means of making the plant blow earlier: in Spain, the blof-
foms appeared later than here, Monf. CAVANILLE obferved
them in the Royal Garden, in November and December, noil
probably in the open ground, as no mention is made of the
plants having been preferved from the weather.
It was not till long after our defcription was taken, that we
had an oportunity of feeing Monf. CAVANILLE'S moft accu
rate and elegant work, above quoted, in which this plant is
firft figured and defcribed ; we have felefted the moft eflential
parts of his generic character, and adopted his fpecific defcrip
tion : there is one point, however, in which we differ from
him; the part which he regards as the fifth Petal, we are in
clined to confider rather as that indefcribable fomething, called
by LINNAEUS the Neclary, it is indeed of little moment whether
we call it a Petal or a Neftary, but there are feveral reafons
why, ftriftly fpeaking, we cannot regard it as a Petal: in g
the leaves of the Calyx, thofe of the latter are four ; the bafc
of this Neftary originates deeper than the claws of the Petals,
fpringing in faft from the fame part as the Filament, its ftruc-
ture, efpecially the lower part of it, is evidently different from
that of the Petals, correfponding indeed as nearly as poffibk
with that of the bafe of the filament. Vid. D ESCER.
Monf. CAVANILLE was induced to call this plant Lopeztb
in compliment to TH. LOPEZ, a Spaniard*.
* In honorem Licent. THOMA LOPEZ, Burgenfis, qui aliquot annos Reg1^
Senatoris munere funftus in America, CAROLO V. imperante. In P81?8111 .^
verfus breviarium hiftoriaa naturalis novi orbis fcripfit fub titulo de tribus«
mentis acre, aqua, et terra, MS. apud eundem Muguozium.
DESCRIPTI N
DESCRIPTION OF THE LOPEZIA.
ROOT annual.
STALK five or fix feet high, branched almoft to the bottom,
fquare, of a deep red colour, fmooth towards the bottom,
{lightly hairy above: Branches like the ftalk.
LEAVES alternate, ovate, pointed, toothed on the edges,
more fo on the larger leaves, (lightly befet with foft
hairs, veins prominent on the under fide, ufually
running parallel to each other and unbranched: Leaf-
jlalks hairy.
FLOWERS numerous, from the alse of the leaves, growing
irregularly on hairy leafy racemi, {landing on long
{lender peduncles, which hang down as the feed-veflels
are produced : in this and fome others of its characters,
the plant {hews fome affinity to the Circ