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The Commelina: Sweet

The best figure of the plant that we have met with in any botanical work is in Sweet's "British Flower Garden" (t.3). It is also figured in the Botanical Magazine (t.1659) as C. tuberosa, which Sweet regards as a mistake; for, he says, this has "smooth leaves and hairy peduncles, whereas C. tuberosa has hairy leaves and smooth peduncles." The very broad views that now prevail in respect of the characters of species would sanction the opinion that these two "species" are but two forms of the same plant; but we must not encumber these pages with the heavy arguments that might be needful to establish exact identity. Certain it is that "species" are now more boldly separated than in the days of Sweet and Herbert and Haworth. After all, more depends perhaps on words than ideas-that is, in respect of these verbal distinctions. What one regards as a species, another may regard as a mere variety, and the difference of terminology will not matter much in the end, provided all behold the truth as nature presents it to our notice.