This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1825 Excerpt: ... still, Mr. Bentham's assertion in "The Botanist" is correct, where he says "It is by far the most elegant of all the herbaceous Lobelias." Its fine blue flowers, erected on their slender branches, from one to two feet high, are certainly elegant and attractive. It was first imported to this country by Captain Mangles, to whom florists are indebted for many novelties. Its seeds should be sown on a slight hotbed; the plants, when in rough leaf, should be potted, three in a pot; and in May turned into the borders. The seeds are very minute, and require to be attentively gathered. No. 1026. Pliny mentions the name Illecebra, as used by the Italians; from whom we derive our generic name Illecebrum, signifying enticing, or pretty. The Italians, it would appear, applied it to a species of Sedum; but the imperfect descriptions, given by ancient botanists, leave us, in most instances, doubtful of the identity of their plants. This is a scarce little annual, erroneously called perennial by some writers; an error which has been perpetuated by subsequent copying. It is a native of the west of England, but we believe rarely met with, although Withering intimates the contrary. The milder districts of the European continent are its natural habitat, where it is frequent, in rather marshy places. Ireland, too, claims it as one of her children, --an inhabitant of the mountains, near Dublin. The Illecebrum veiticillatum, requires merely to be once sown on peat soil, that retains a good portion of dampness, and here it will luxuriate, flower, and sow itself; so as to require no further care than thinning in the spring; retaining only the quantity of plants that are necessary. No. 1027. Very many of our readers will, doubtless, remember the meaning of the wo...