Page:The Botanical Magazine, Volume 6 (1793).djvu/10
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Coronilla Valentina. Rue-Leaved Coronilla.
Class and Order.
Diadelphia Decandria.
Generic Character.
Cal. 2-labiatus: ⅔ : dentibus superioribus connatis. Vexillum vix alis longius. Legumen isthmis interceptum.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
CORONILLA valentina fruticosa, foliolis subnovenis, stipulis suborbiculatis. Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 669. Ait. Hort. Kew. V. 3. p. 58.
POLYGALA valentina. Clus. hist. pl. rar. p. 98. fig. inf.
The Coronilla valentina comes very near to the glauca already figured in this work, but may be diftinguifhed by a little at- tention ; the valextina has {maller leaves, which are more nu- merous, and more truly glaucous; the ftipula, which in the glauca are {mall, narrow, and pointed, in the valeniina are large, and almoft round, and in the young plant are ftrikingly confpicuous; as the plant comes into flower, they drop off ; the valentina is not fo much difpofed to flower the year through as the g/auca, but produces its bloffoms chiefly in May, June, and July; the flowers of the giauca are obferved to {mell more ftrongly in the day-time, thofe of the valentina at all times diffufe a very powerful odour, fo as even to fcent a fmall greenhoufe; we have often been amufed with hearing the dif- ferent opinions entertained of this fmell, fome {peaking of it in terms of rapture, others ready to faint when they approach it: the flowers of the valentina are more difpofed to produce feed-veffels than thofe of the glauca, the feeds of which ufually ripen well, and afford the means of increafing the plant moft readily. To have a fuceeffion of fmall handfome bufhy plants
for the greenhoufe, the old ones muft either be frequently = | cut down, or young ones raifed from feed, or cuttings, the flems as they grow up becoming naked at bottom.
It is a hardy greenhoufe plant, and may be kept well enough through the winter in a common hot-bed frame, or planted againft a fouth wall, and matted as myrtles ufually are 1m fuch fituations; we have known the glauca, treated in this way, prove acharming ornament. -
It is a native of Spain, growing, as Ciusius informs us, by road-fides, in fandy places, and on the declivities of hills.
Cultivated here in 1656, by J. Trapescant, jun. H. 4.