[In either a typesetting error or an editorial decision, the last paragraph of Doc. No: 01470 was reproduced as a PS to this letter in Lady Smith's Memoir and Correspondence of the late Sir James Edward Smith, M. D. (London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, 1832), v. 2, pp. 297–298. Doc. No: 01413 was printed in the same volume. The transcription below is from the original manuscript letter.]
Corfu
April 10Dear Sir,
Trusting you have received a letter <1> I sent on some days ago, I will now give you some further account of the vegetation of this island. I have however only examined the environs of the Town; in the remoter parts, if I may credit the director of the botanic garden here, there are some very extraordinary productions; as, Echium Giganteum, 2 species of Othnona the pectinata and others; two species of Osteospermum pisiferum & moniliferum, Nolana prostrata, Chyrsocoma Coma aurea, and a beautiful yellow climber, genus unknown to me, –whether Dolichos or Crotalaria, I cannot tell. But as I have not myself observed these plants growing wild, I hesitate about them. - Now to come to my own observations.–I mentioned in my last that I had found a new? Euphorboia, resembling E. Peplus; on revisiting the spot, I found (which is singular) another Euphorbia growing with it, and very like it, but admirably distinct in its characters, especially in its sharply hexagonal capsule, which I have not seen in any other species of this genus. The two plants are thus characterised: (they both resemble E. Peplus or E. exigeua.
| No. 1. | No. 2. |
| Umbellæ radii 5, | Umbellæ radii 5. |
| Planta glaberrima, | glaberrima. |
| Folia semiamplexicaulia, | sessilia. |
| obtusa, | acutiora. |
| apice obscure serrulata, | ubique eleganter serrulata. |
| Petala minima, integra, | idem. |
| Capsulæ triquetræ angulis echinatæ | acute hexagonæ. |
I should be glad to learn whether these plants are described anywhere. I have found a large whiteflowered species of Lithospermum, with trailing stems; Stachys spinulosa? with white flowers,–a large plant; Veronica syriaca, an elegant plant with large flowers; Phleum felinum? Convolvulus tenuissimus. Crambe Corvini (not in Prodr.); Lotus tetragonolobus. Lathyrus setifolius. Bunias Erucago. Ornithopus scorpioides; Andropogon distachyon; Aristolochia rotunda; Allium subhirsutum; Urospermum picroides; Hesperis verna; Rhagadiolus stellatus; Polypodium leptophyllum? Anthyllis tetraphylla; Euphorbia amygdaloides, abundant (not in Prodr.); Geranium, with very large flesh-coloured flowers,–petals entire; Vicia bithynica; Coronilla securidaca; &c. &c. &c.
I am about to visit Santa Maura (the ancient Leucadia), and hope to give you a good account from thence. The season is backward: there are a vast number of plants springing up everywhere.
I remain, dear Sir, Yours faithfully,
H. F. Talbot.
[In the printed text, the PS is erroneously added here.]
Notes:
1. See Doc. No: 01413.