Sackville St no 31.
May 31st 1834
Dear Sir,
I send you a specimen of Sideritis purpurea. It differs I believe in having light purple flowers from every other species of the genus, except S. rosea, of Desfontaines: and from that it differs in having whorls of 6 flowers –
In S. rosea the flowers grow only 2 together.
It is the “Sideritis Cretica maxima Ocymi Valentini facie”, of Tournefort, as appears by a specimen in Willdenow’s herbarium at Berlin but which specimen bears a ticket with that name in the handwriting of Gundelsheimer, but though known to Tournefort it appears quite unknown to modern botanists – nor is the specimen I mention in W’s herbarium referred there to any species, but left doubtful.
Grows in Cornfields & waste ground, flowers in April. –
Believe me to be
Yours very truly
H. F. Talbot
G. Bentham EsqreHorticultural Society