Curtis Botanical - Plate 273 - Diosma uniflora / One-flowered Diosma

Original hand-colored antique botanical print from Curtis's Botanical Magazine - Plate 273, Diosma uniflora (One-flowered Diosma).

• Plate: 273
• Latin name: Diosma uniflora
• Common name: One-flowered Diosma
• Native region: Cape of Good Hope
• Flowering: April to June
• Flower colour: White
• Linnaean class / order: Pentandria / Monogynia
• Publication: Aug. 1, 1794
• Medium: Original hand-colored engraving (physical print, not a reproduction)

Original Curtis text
Transcribed from the plate's accompanying description page:

[ 273 ]

DIOSMA UNIFLORA. ONE-FLOWERED DIOSMA.

. . .

Class and Order.
PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Generic Character.
Cor. 5-petala. Nectaria 5, supra germen. Caps. 3. f. 5. coalitæ. Sem. calyptrata.

Specific Character and Synonyms.
DIOSMA uniflora foliis ovato oblongis, floribus folitariis terminalibus. Linn. Sp. Pl. ed. 3. p. 287. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 239. Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 276. CISTUS humilis æthiopicus, inferioribus foliis rosmarini sylvestris punctatis, cæteris autem ferpylli subrotundis, flore carneo. Plak. mant. 49. t. 342. f. 5.

The Diosma uniflora another native of the Cape, that never failing fource of vegetable riches, was introduced to the Royal Garden at Kew by Mr. Masson in the year 1775, it flowers in our Green-Houses from April to June, and is usually propagated by cuttings. This plant forms a small bufhy shrub, the leaves are thickly and irregularly fet on the branches, quite up to the flowers, which stand fingly on their fummits, and are larger than those of any other known species of Diosma, expanding as we have found on trial beyond the size of half-a-crown, which the bloffom does in our figure, though it will not appear to do so to the eye of moft obfervers; they are without fcent, the calyx is large and continuing, compofed of five ovato-lanceolate leaves, reddish on the upper fide, and if viewed from above vifible between the petals; the petals are five in number, much larger than the calyx, and deciduous, of a white colour with a streak of red running down the middle of each, surface highly glazed, the ftamina are compofed of five short filaments, white and flightly hairy, broad at their bafe and tapering gradually to a fine point, by which they are inferted into the hind part of

This print comes from our Curtis archive (via the Royal Horticultural Society and Wheldon & Wesley). Sold as an original historic plate - please review photos for condition.