aken individually, though, from their
great profusion, they have a singular beauty. The variety now under
notice, at the height of 2ft., developed a well branched panicle about
the latter end of August; gradually the minute flowers expanded, when,
in the middle of September, they became extremely fine, the smaller
stems being as fine as horsehair, evenly disposed, and rigid; the head
being globular, and supported by a single stem.

[Illustration: FIG. 100. STATICE PROFUSA.

(One-tenth natural size.)]

The flowers are of a lively lilac, having a brownish or snuff-coloured
spiked calyx, the effect being far prettier than the description would
lead one to imagine. The leaves are radical, 6in. to 8in. long, oval, or
somewhat spathulate, waved, leathery, shining and dark green, the outer
ones prostrate, the whole being arranged in lax rosette form.

The flowers are very durable, either cut or in the growing state; they
may be used to advantage with dried grasses, ferns, and "everlastings;"
or the whole head, when cut, is a good substitute for gold-paper
clippings in an unused fire grate; our people have so used one for two
years, and it has still a fresh appearance. It needs no words of mine
to explain that such a plant as is represented by the illustration will
prove highly decorative in any part of the flower garden. There is
nothing special about the culture of the genus. All the Sea-lavenders do
well in sandy loam, enriched with stable manure. Some sorts, the present
one included, are not very readily propagated, as the crowns are not on
separate pieces of root, but often crowded on a woody caudex. I have,
however, sometimes split the long root with a sharp knife, and made good
plants; this should only be done in spring, when growth can start at
once.

Flowering period, August to frosts.

Stenactis Speciosus.

_Syn._ ERIGERON SPECIOSUS; SHOWY FLEABANE; _Nat. Ord._
COMPOSITAE.

This has not long been cultivated in this country; but though a native
of the warm climate of California, it proves to be one of the most hardy
of herbaceous perennials; it begins to flower in early summer, but
August is the heyday of its showiness, and it continues at least a month
longer. Its more recent name, _Stenactis_, is, according to Paxton, a
happy and appropriate derivation, and tends much to explain the form of
flower, "_Stene_, narrow, and _aktin_, a sunbeam, from the narrow and
sunlike rays of the expanded flower." It