Edward's Botanical Register 7: table 549, 1821: "A very newly introduced species ; drawn in April last at the nursery of Messre. Colvill in the King's Road; but had as we are informed, made its appearance the year before last in the Physic Garden at Chelsea. Native of Hungary, where it is constantly found in dry sandy places. Differs from pumila in being smaller in all the parts, and in having a primary flower, the fruit of which miscarries, while that of the secondary flower comes to perfection; in regard to this character indeed, as far as we have seen, it differs from the whole genus. Flavissima, the nearest akin, is found constantly to affect springy moist places, flowers later in the year, and has a scape higher than the leaves. Lutescens, also very close to our plant, is much larger, with a proportionately longer scape. The four are very like, but still evidently distinct in port and economy, besides the above technical marks.Arenaria, we believe, will prove quite hardy; though the present sample had been sheltered in the winter. Rootstock horizontal, many-budded along the upper side. Scape 1 ½ to 2 inches high, rather thicker than a crow-quill, round, shining, green, simple, shorter than the leaves.Leaves few, narrow, linearly ensiform, faintly nerved, upright, about 3 inches long, lightish green. Spathe 3-valved, 2-flowered, herbaceous, convolutely folded, lanceolate, smooth, inner valve cleft at the top. Flowers light yellow, peduncled, strongly but not disagreeably scented, upright, with the tube about an inch and a half deep, the first barren, the second fertile: peduncles enclosed, nearly the length of the germen and tube. Germen enclosed, green, 1/3 of an inch long, evenly continuous with the tube of the corolla, oblong, a little thicker than a crow-quill, roundedly 3-cornered, the intervening facets marked by a deeper green scarcely raised rib; cells with many ovula in two rows. Corolla funnelform: tube enclosed, pale green, piped, about the thickness of a crow-quill, slightly tapered downwards, 3 times shorter than the limb : limb turbinately divergent at the lower part, spreading and recurved at the upper, segments of one length, 3 outer ones bearded, about 1/4 broader, about 1/4 of an inch wide, of rather a deeper yellow than the others, cuneately oblong, unguis evenly continuous with the recurved retuse lamina and marked on each side with purple veins, beard a narrow strip of deep yellow hairs ; inner ones narrower, cuneately ligulate, waved, recurved at the upper part, crenulately eroded at the top, unguis narrow, inflectedly channelled, 3 times shorter than the lamina stained with purple. Stigmas paler, about the length of the bearded part of the segment, segments lanceolate, taper-pointed, uprightly recurved: outer lip membranous, short, smooth, white, truncate. |