POINTAL. Seed-bud roundish. Shaft thread-shaped, projecting beyond the tips. Summit oblique. SEED-VESSEL. Capsule egg-shaped, three-sided, blunt, one cell and three valves. SEEDS many, egg-shaped, having appendages, fixed to the valves. Receptacle linear, running like a line along each valve. _Obs. The summit is either reflexed into a simple hook, or a concave small head perforated at the end._ SPECIFIC CHARACTER. VIOLA acaulis; foliis pedatis, septempartitis; laciniis dentatis. VIOLET without a stem, leaves formed like a bird’s foot, with seven divisions; segments toothed. REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. The Empalement. 2. One of the upper Petals of the Blossom. 3. One of the lateral Petals. 4. The lower Petal, with its Honey-cup. 5. The Chives and Pointal with the Appendages that fall into the Honey-cup from the two hinder threads. 6. The Pointal magnified. The Bird’s-foot-leaved Violet is a native of North America near Philadelphia; and (according to the Kew Catalogue) was cultivated by Mr. P. Miller, in 1759, at the Physic Gardens, Chelsea. It is a hardy herbaceous plant, but is sometimes destroyed by the wetness of our autumnal months: the flowers, if kept in the open air, expand about May, or the beginning of June; but if kept in pots they, with a slight protection from the Spring frosts, will be produced in April. Peat earth is the soil it approves most, and it should not be exposed to too much wet, whether planted in the borders or in pots. The roots may be parted in March. [Illustration] PLATE CLIV. ECHIUM ARGENTEUM. _Silvery-leaved Viper’s-Bugloss._ CLASS V. ORDER I. _PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA._ Five Chives. One Pointal. ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. COROLLA irregularis, fauce nudâ. BLOSSOM irregular, mouth naked. See ECHIUM GRANDIFLORUM, Pl. XX. Vol. I. SPECIFIC CHARACTER. Echium foliis lanceolatis, acutis, sericeo-villosis; spicis terminalibus; corolla violacea, subæqualia. Viper’s-bugloss with lance-shaped leaves, sharp-pointed and silkily-hairy; spikes terminate the branches; blossom violet colour, nearly equal. REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. The Empalement. 2. A Flower cut open, with the Chives remaining attached. 3. The Seed-buds, Shaft, and Summit. This fine species of Echium, was raised from seeds received from the Cape of Good Hope in the year 1789, at the nursery, Hammersmith; where our drawing was made, last year, from a plant which had been planted in the open ground, for the summer months; and where it had grown to the height of four feet. It is a hardy green-house plant, and grows best in light earth, either peat, or leaf mould; and flowers about July. It is as difficult to propagate as either, the E. grandiflorum, or E. ferocissimum; but only to be increased, like them, by cuttings. [Illustration] PLATE CLV. IXIA POLYSTACHIA. _Many-spiked Ixia._ CLASS III. ORDER I. _TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA._ Three Chives. One Pointal. ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.