EDWARDS'S BOTANICAL REGISTER: OK, ORNAMENTAL FLOWER-GARDEN AND SHRUBBERY: CONSISTING OF COLOURED FIGURES OF PLANTS AND SHRUBS, CULTIVATED IN BRITISH GARDENS; ACCOMPANIED BY THEIR $Kstorg, Best iilctuotj of ^Treatment tit <£ttltibatiou, propagation, &c. and LIBRAST NEW YORK MONTHLY CHRONICLE BOTANICAL OAKDEW BOTANICAL and HORTICULTURAL NEWS. CONTINUED By JOHN LINDLEY, Ph. D. F.R.S. and L.S. PROFESSOR OF BOTANY IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON, AND THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN, ■ . VICE-SECRETARY OF HIE HORTICULTURAL bOCJLTY, V -Q L 2» T lO Tl | 4-<7. SfC. $fC ~-»-**-. fo! VVJ. OR VOL. fXXYl.; OF THE ENTIRE WORK. OR VOL. XIII. OF THE NEW SERIES. viret semper nee fronde caduca Carpitur. LONDON : r,,, JAMES RIDGWAY, PICCADILLY. ^1***4 . T B0TAN(9U> Xt 6/, 27 I <*» aS»( ' 9*6-. fy f %Jr„i^/6j cft,.rrU//J.(y Ant : %wuLm/ *c 1 ECHEVERIA lurida. Lurid Echeveria. DECANDRIA PENTAGYNIA. Nat. Ord. CrASSULACE^E. ECHEVERIA. Botanical Register, vol. 15. #. 1247. - UAKDEN E. lurida', foliis rosulato-confertis oblongis concavis glaucis discoloribus, racemo apice mitante, floribus peduneulatis. This plant is in many respects similar to E. secunda, being- like that species stemless, with the leaves collected into a circular patch, in the manner of a House-leek. It differs how- ever in having longer and more blunt leaves, which are deeply stained with dull purple. The flowers too are a richer scarlet. The genera Echeveria, Cotyledon, and another or two of the Crass ulaceous order are truly monopetalous, that is to say, their petals are united by the edges into a single organ ; and yet the Crassulaceous order is arranged in the Polypeta- lous division of the Natural System of Jussieu. What are we to infer from this ? Is it that Echeveria and the others are not Crassulaceous ? or that the distinction between Mono- petalous and Polypetalous structure ought not to be taken as a fundamental character by which to classify plants ? — The latter is surely the inevitable conclusion ; and there can be no doubt that the first step to be taken in arriving at a truly natural system of classification, is to discover some means of dispensing with modifications of so unimportant an organ as the corolla, in framing the distinctive characters of the higher systematic divisions under which the natural orders are to be grouped. A hardy greenhouse perennial, requiring about the same treatment as the various species of Fig Marygolds, and smaller Crassulas ; that is, it should be kept in small pots, well drained, and filled with a mixture of leaf-mould and brick-rubbish, covering the surface of the pot with silver sand. January, 1841. b The plant should be kept in the greenhouse during summer, for if placed out of doors it is liable to suffer from excess of moisture. It is increased freely, as every leaf with a bud at the base will soon form a good plant, if treated in the ordinary way. The following characters of some Orchidaceae will serve to occupy an empty space in our pages. MICROSTYLIS caulescens; caide elongato folioso, foliis lanceolatis basi angustatis, racemo laxo multifloro ccrnuo, pcdicellis filiformibus bracteis longioribus, labello acuminato intra basin biaurito. Tbe only caules- cent species yet described. Tbe stem is about four inches long, and is covered with ten or twelve distichous leaves. Tbe flowers are very small, green, in a thin raceme, about three inches long. Found by the late Colonel Hall in Peru, in the valley of Lloa, at the elevation of 8000 feet above the sea. (Herb. Hooker.) ISOCHILUS «* %? ra. Loose-flowered Sowerbcea. TRIANDRIA MONOQYNIA. Nut. ord. Liliace^e. SOWERBJEA. Perigonium corollinum, sexpartitum, laciniis eequali- bus, paten tibus. Stamina 6, imo perigonio inserta: tria laciniis exterioribus opposita sterilia : filamenta filiformia, glabra. Ovarium triloculare. Ovula in loculis 2, peltata. Stylus filiformis, persistens ; stigma simplex. Capsula mem- branacea, bilocularis, loculicido-trivalvis. Semina in loculis subsolitaria peltata. Herba perennis, in Nova Hollandia orientali extratropica indigena ; radice fasciculato-fibrosd, foliis radicalibus fdiformibus,basibus dilatatis, scariosis, dis- tiche equitantibus, supra in stipulam intrafoliaceam solutam productis ; scapo simplicissimo, nudo, umbella congestd, capituliformi, bracteis membranaceis, exterioribus integris subsericeis interioribus lacero-multifidis ; pedicellis sensim erumpentibus, apice cum perigonio roseo articulatis. Endlicher genera plan- tarum, no. 1138. S. laxiflora ; foliis triquetris scapo subsequalibus, pedicellis floribus duplo longioribus, sepalis petalisque ovatis, antherarum locubs elongatis. Swan River Plants, p. lviii. no. 2/6. A pretty little greenhouse herbaceous plant from Swan River, for which we are indebted to the Earl of Orkney. It differs from the old Sowerbcea juncea in having paler and smaller flowers, the stalks of which are long and slender, and in the leaves being nearly as long as the scapes, and triangular not tapering. The plant has much the appearance of an Allium, but manifestly differs from that genus in having three of the stamens imperfect, scales only appearing in the place of fila- ments and anthers, a circumstance far from uncommon among the Liliaceous order of New Holland. * Named by Smith in honour of the late Mr. James Sowerby, whose English Botany and British Fungi are records of zeal and patience such as few have left behind them. Although so similar to an Allium in appearance, there is no smell of garlic, nor any tendency to produce a bulb. On the contrary the immediate affinity of Sowerbaea appears to be with Anthericum, Thysanotus, and other fibrous-rooted genera of the order, especially the latter and Trichopctalum. Fig.l. represents a portion of a leaf, to shew its true form; jig. 2. is the stamens and pistil, the floral envelopes having been removed ; Jig. 3. is a section of the ovary, showing that there are several ovules in each cell. // M-tfi Zvtsx^js- dn£ SUr fa ¥ ^Lct?,*™, f60 'Zui.aJU/y Toty f ?6tf '? jbcvu/ay 4G 11 OENOTHERA fruticosa, var. indica. Indian CEnothera. OCTANDRIA MONOQYNIA. Nat. Ol'd. ONAGRACEiE. (ENOTHERA. Supra vol. 2,fol. 147. (E. fruticoea. Linn. sp. pi. 1. 456. Among the numerous seeds obtained from India by the East India Company, have been received occasionally collec- tions of old European and American annuals and perennials, originally sent out to India from this country. If it seldom happens that such collections produce anything of interest, we nevertheless occasionally find varieties of well-known plants, whose novelty and beauty claim attention. In this manner was secured the great blue large-flowered Greek Valerian, whose blossoms are twice as large as those of the old shop- variety ; and the plant now figured has been procured in a similar way. On several occasions, and from different parts of India, has been received an CEnothera, with perennial roots, dwarf stems, rather dull and hairy leaves, and very handsome bright yellow flowers, which approaches very near to the CE. fruti- cosa of the United States, but is nevertheless distinct from all the varieties of that plant now cultivated. Its leaves are less shining than in that species, the corymbs of flowers are never elevated above the leaves on a long stalk, and the herbage forms a compact little bush about a foot and a half high. Sometimes its leaves are quite entire, occasionally they are toothed in a repand manner ; in outline they vary from ovate to ovate-lanceolate. This variety is not identical with, nor indeed very similar February, 1841. e to, either CE. scrotina, ambigua or canadensis, or incana, nor even to the common form of CE. fruticosa ; still less does it resemble those glaucous species called CE. glauca and Frazeri. On the contrary it would seem to be a peculiar variety, whose distinctive marks have been stamped upon it in consequence of long cultivation in the climate of India. It is very pretty, and well worth a place among a collec- tion of choice herbaceous plants. It is hardy, and grows about eighteen inches high, requiring the same treatment as (Enothera Frazeri or glauca. It grows and flowers freely in any good common garden soil, and is easily increased by dividing the old plants either in the autumn or spring ; it flowers from June to August. It was raised in the garden of the Horticultural Society, from seeds given to the Society by Dr. Royle, said to be col- lected in Cashmere, but it is frequently amongst the collections from the north of India, and was once raised from seeds marked (Enothera Frazeri from Cashmere. 9>jUt try Tvbr'uMy ?rM> / &tf S Kanctay J* 12 * XSMENE virescens. Stalk-flowered Ismene. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Nat. Ord. Amaryllidace^e. ISMENE. Botanical Register, vol. 20. t. 1665. I. virescens; foliis lsete viridibus erectiusculis acutis basi long& vaginantibus, scapo ancipiti, ovario brevi-pedunculato, tubo laciniis subsequali, coronse lobis petalis brevioribus rotundatis dentatis. This plant flowered last July in the garden of the Hor- ticultural Society, having been received among other bulbs from Cusco, where it was found by Mr. Pentland. It appears to be very nearly allied to Mr. Herbert's I. pedunculata, but the tube is longer, there are no green stripes upon the coronet, and the leaves do not appear less sheathing at the base than in /. Amancaes. The flowers, although greenish white, have an agreeable lemon-like fragrance. The following are Mr. Herbert's directions for the cultiva- tion of the species of Ismene ; " Absolute rest in winter is essential to this genus, which delights in very light sandy soil ; its cultivation is easy when those two requisites are observed. Amancaes seems to thrive best in pure white sand, at least in the vicinity of the bulb. I have floAvered it in the open ground by putting a pot full of white sand with the bulbs into the border. Calathina is less particular as to soil, and pedunculata is hardier than either, vegetates in a lower temperature, and flags sooner in hot weather. They should be planted in a border of light compost in April, and the bulbs must be taken up when the leaf is cut by frost in November or sooner, without breaking * See folio 1665. off the thick fleshy fibres which will endure through the winter after the bulbs are taken off. They must be put in a box or large pot, and covered with dry sand or earth, and kept quite dry till the following April or May. If Amancaes be set in the stove at the beginning of May, and watered, it will flower immediately, and should be removed into a green- house as soon as the first bud is ready to expand. The sul- phur-coloured mule may be forced as easily. It is a beautiful plant, and has produced flowers in which the expansion of the cup was three and a half inches, and of the limb five and a half. Its ovules, three in a cell, are bold, and its pollen seems fertile. The seed of Ismene is large and round, and vegetates immediately in a remarkable manner, forming a bulb as big as itself (sometimes much bigger) far under ground without pushing any leaf. As soon as the seed rots, the young bulb must be left without water, till the next spring. A person unaware of the peculiarity of this genus and Cho- retis, when he found the seed rotten, would be likely to throw- away the earth without suspecting the formation of the bulb near the bottom of the pot. If the seedlings of Amancaes are grown in loam, I believe they will be twenty years before they attain size to flower ; in pure white sand, or a very sandy compost, I think they may flower the third. I have a mule seedling from Amancaes, from seed of last year, which is now near two feet high with five leaves. The seedling bulbs raised this year from the mule, are larger than the natural Amancaes from seed that was sown at the same time." The species now figured is a greenhouse bulb, grows well in a mixture of loam, peat, and sand, and flowers from June to August, The leaves wither soon after flowering, when it must be kept perfectly dry until spring. It will then begin to send forth young leaves, and remind the cultivator that it requires a plentiful supply of water to perfect its growth. It is easily multiplied by offsets which it produces in abundance. ^t^ ftft&umtifly 4onci1 f'dlj (J fflaisJtirS ±c 13 IPOMCEA ficifolia. Fig-leaved Ipomcea. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Nat. ord. Convolvulace^e. IPOMCEA. Botanical Register, vol. 21. fol. 1794. I. ficifolia; piloso-scabra, foliis trilobis : lobis lateralibus rotundatis inter- medio angustiore et productiore acuto, pedunculis subtrifloris, sepalis acutis nigro-hirsutis, tubo corollse limbo breviore. Bot. Reg. 1840. misc. no. 221. Tuberosa, volubilis, subpilosa. Foliorum lobi laterales rotundati, nunc in acumen producti. Calyx villosus. The native country of this beautiful plant is unknown. It was raised from seeds at Messrs. Salter and Wheeler's Nur- sery, Weston Road, Bath, and by them communicated to us last November. Possibly it is one of the fine things for which we are indebted to residents at Buenos Ayres. Mr. Wood, the foreman in the plant department of the above mentioned Nursery, informs us, that when little more than twelve months old it produced nearly 500 flowers upon a cylindrical wire trellis two feet high. In fact its disposition to blossom to this unusual degree, is one of the circumstances that more particularly recommend it to the gardener's atten- tion ; especially as it is said to be accompanied by a corre- sponding diminution of foliage. It is slightly shrubby, and has a tuberous root. Mr. Wood thinks it will succeed in the summer against a south wall, and he adds that it thrives under the commonest kind of cultivation. For ourselves, we can only testify to its being a beautiful climber, with rich purple flowers, and an unusually short tube, and that it is readily known out of flower by the side lobes of its leaves being almost semicircular, and only occasionally produced into a point. March, 1841. f fy f^&jtytvui/ /60 9/JZttddly ™*jftcrfj./ • "r/a/y Mi 14 SALVIA Regla. The Regla Sage. DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Nat. ord. Lamiace^e or Labia-ite. SALVIA. Botanical Register, vol. \A.fol. 1205. S. Regla ; caule fruticoso, ramis glabris vel sub axillis pubescentibus, foliis petiolatis rotundatis obtusis sinuato-crenatis basi lato-subcordatis coria- ceis rugosis supra bispidulis subtus nervosis pubescentibus, floralibus subconformibus, verticillastris terminalibus paucifloris, calyeibus sub- sessilibus tubulosis coloratis, labio superiore integro dentibusque labii inferioris lato-ovatis acutiusculis, corolla calyce duplo longiore extiis pubescente, tubo ventricoso, labio superiore erecto, inferiore vix longiore lobis lateralibus oblongis reflexis medio rotundato integro deflexo, con- nectivis postice edentubs breviter productis deflexis obtusis longitudi- naliter connatis, stylo glabro exserto apice subulato bifido. Bentham gen. fy sp. lab. p. 288. S. Regla. Cavanilles Icones, vol. 5. p. 33. t. 455. S. deltoidea. Pers.synops. 1. 28. For this fine Mexican sage we are indebted to Mr. Hart- weg, who found it at Aguas calientes, and sent it to the Hor- ticultural Society. It had previously been found by Spanish collectors at Vilalpando, and at a place called Regla, after which the species is named. Mr. Hartweg describes the wild plant as a shrub four or five feet high, and from his specimens it would appear that its shrubby habit is of a very decided character ; in our collections it has not however at present taken this on, except in a slight degree. The only specimens that have flowered were grown in a greenhouse in the garden of the Horticultural Society, and afterwards removed to the great iron conservatory, where they were certainly beautiful, although the number of flowers open at the same time was inconsiderable. As the specimens are older and the management of the species is better under- stood, the growth may be expected to be more compact, and the bloom proportionately abundant. No particular treatment is required. The plant seems to grow freely under common circumstances. We however'fear it will not become an out of doors decoration, because, like many other Mexican plants, it flowers too late in the season. In a greenhouse it is a charming plant. /5 •uJU rM %lr.)^ f 9lJ^^yMj9/u