Calceolaria Fothergillii. Fothergill's Slipper-Wort. Class and Order. Diandria Monogynia. Generic Character.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
No. 348 To this species of Calceolaria the trivial name of Fothergillii has been given in honour of Dr. John Fothergill, who introduced it in 1777 with several other rare plants from Falkland-Islands, where it is a native. In the Hortus Kewensis of Mr. Aiton it was first figured, and minutely described. This plant of great singularity and beauty particularly merits a place in the collections of the curious; its principal flowering season is in May, but it will often blossom much later in the Summer. It is not to be had in perfection, nor even preserved, without great attention, joined to a peculiar treatment; several times it has been nearly lost from this country. Mr. Aiton makes it a biennial greenhouse plant; it, no doubt, is one of those plants which are liable to be killed in very severe weather, and therefore it is necessary to keep a pot of it at least, during the Winter, either in the greenhouse or a well-secured frame; but the plant will be found to succeed best in the open ground, provided it be planted in bog-earth, in a situation that is moist and moderately shady; with us it has proved perfectly perennial. With care it can be propagated by layers and cuttings, but with most certainty in the former mode; possibly it may be raised from seeds, they ripen here, but are as fine as dust. |