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The Canary Flower: European

The best-known plumbagos are P. capensis (here figured), and the two hardy species P. Europaea, native of Southern Europe, and Lady Larpent's (P. Larpentae), native of China. The last-named is sometimes described as Valoradia plumbaginoides, on the authority of Hooker, who removes it from the genus plumbago because of some trifling peculiarities of structure. These two hardy species are well adapted to plant on the face of a rockery, and they are equally adapted to clothe low trellises with their neat leafage and beautiful blue flowers.

The tropical species comprise the Mexican (P. Mexican), with white flowers; the diamond-leaved (P. rhombifolia), with blue flowers; the rosy (P. rosea), with red flowers; the Ceylon (P. Zeylanica), with white flowers; and the climbing (P. scandens), with white flowers. The last-named is the best of the series. These, in common with P. capensis, may be had in flower all the winter by a little management, and in that case will often prove serviceable to supply cut flowers for decorative purposes.

The plumbagos are bitter and acrid, and perhaps poisonous. The root of the European species is sometimes chewed as a cure for toothache, and a preparation of it with olive oil is in high repute in the south of Europe as a cure for ulcers and the itch. All the species probably, and certainly several of them, have striking vesicatory properties, so that when rubbed upon the skin they produce inflammation, and may therefore supplant cantharides and other irritants. The statices have nearly the same properties, but are bitter, and are astringent rather than acrid.