Sprengelia
(named in honour of Christian Conrad Sprengel, of Brandenburgh, 1750-1816, who published, in 1793, a celebrated work on the fertilisation of flowers). SYNS. Poiretia (of Cavanilles), Ponceletia. ORD. Epacrideae. A small genus (three species) of elegant little, erect or prostrate, glabrous, greenhouse shrubs, confined to extra-tropical East and South Australia. Flowers solitary and terminal, many-bracted; calyx of five sepals; corolla as long as, or scarcely exceeding, the calyx; lobes five, spreading, imbricated; stamens short, hypogynous. "Leaves with a shortly sheathing, often membranous base, completely covering the branches, very concave and stem-clasping immediately above the base, acute or acuminate, with a spreading point, finely veined or almost veinless, the upper ones passing into floral leaves or bracts, the sheathing bases of the stem leaves deciduous with them, leaving the denuded stem without scars" (Bentham). Two of the species have been introduced. These are best raised from seeds when they can be obtained, and grown on in firmly pressed, well-drained pots of sandy peat. Cuttings should be treated like those of Epacris.
S. Andersoni (Anderson's). A synonym of Andersonia sprengelioides. S. incarnata (fleshy).* fl. pink; sepals coloured; corolla equalling the calyx, the petals almost free, the very short claws valvate and slightly cohering. May. l. 1/4in. to 1/2in. long, tapering to a spreading or recurved point; floral ones similar, but smaller. h. 2ft. 1793. (L. B. C. 262; B. M. 1719.) S. Ponceletia (Ponceletia).* fl. scarlet; sepals leaf-like, but more lanceolate; corolla about as long as the calyx, the very short tube not separating into petal claws, the lobes much longer. May. l. broad, concave, spreading or incurved, acuminate and pungent-pointed, two to four lines long. h. 1ft. 1826. SYN. Ponceletia sprengelioides.