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MAGAZINE OF BOTANY. 


PAXTON’ S 


Of 


AND 


REGISTER OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 


“ Flowers of all hue.” 


VOLUME THE THIRD. | 


a: 


SRY Lk S/ 


LONDON 
PUBLISHED BY W. S. ORR & CO., PATERNOSTER ROW. 


MDCCCXXXVII. 


_ BRADBURY AND | 


iN 


a ne 


‘TO HER GRACE 
‘THE DUCHESS OF NORTHUMBERLAND, 


Ghis Third Volume 


THE MAGAZINE OF BOTANY 


Is, 


WITH PROFOUND RESPECT, AND BY HER GRACES KIND PERMISSION, 
MOST HUMBLY DEDICATED, 
IN TESTIMONY OF 


THE UNBOUNDED PATRONAGE GIVEN TO BOTANY AND GARDENING, FOR A LONG SERIES 


OF YEARS, BY THE NOBLE HOUSE OF PERCY : 
BY 


HER GRACES MOST OBEDIENT HUMBLE SERVANT, 


JOSEPH PAXTON. 


nig 
i 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


A TASTE for Botany and Gardening has made rapid strides 
during the past year; the extensive circulation of botanical works 
written in a popular form having, no doubt, very much assisted in 


giving a stimulus to this delightful pursuit. 


The steady increase in the circulation of the MacazINE oF 
Borany, is a gratifying assurance that the work has been conducted 


to the general satisfaction of the Public. 


The plants most in esteem now by the scientific Botanist are 
unquestionably Celestial Orchidee ; but these plants, we are quite 
aware, are in general cultivation with but few of our Subscribers ; 
we have, therefore, figured only a very few, though perhaps we 
possess the advantage of doing so to as great, or perhaps greater 
extent, than any other Botanical Periodical: the object of this 
work has been to give figures of such plants only as are worthy 
of general and extended cultivation, and not of those whose chief 


recommendation is that they are new and curious. 


Vill ADVERTISEMENT. 


To ensure the earliest information respecting new and valuable | 


plants, and the best way of managing both new and old in the 


vicinity of London, we have employed an experienced Florist, — 
whose sole occupation is to go from Nursery to Nursery, and_ 
to private gardens, to collect every useful fact, which will be 
embodied monthly in the Magazine. ‘This is an advantage which | 
no other Botanical or Horticultural Work can lay claim to; and. | 
in this, and in every other way which may occur to us, we shall | 
constantly endeavour to render the Magazine more and more useful — 


and valuable. 


CHATSWORTH, 
December 20, 1836. 


LATIN INDEX 


THE COLOURED FIGURES OF PLANTS. 


ACACIA vestita, 145 
Aristolochia trilobata, 2 
Azalea Rawsonii, 123 


Begonia platanifolia, 125 


Calceolaria corymbosa, vav. Talisman, 27 
Camellia reticulata, 101 

Chironia trinervis, 149 

Clerodendrum speciosissimum, 217, 271 
Collinsia bicolor, 195 

Cypripedium calceolus, 247 


Dendrobium moniliforme, 77 
Dichorizandra thyrsiflora, 127 
Dryandra longifolia, 171 


Erythrina Crista-galli, 175 
Eschscholtzia crocea, 49 
Eutaxia pungens, 245 


Gardoquia Hookeri, 243 


Heliconia Brasiliensis, 193 
Hibiscus splendens, 147 
Hovea Celsi, 241 


Ipomea Horsfalliz, 50 

—  rubro-ceerulea, 9% 
Ismene Amancaes, 267 
Txora grandiflora, 75 


Kennedia splendens, 26 


Leptosiphon androsaceus, 219 
eae densiflorus, 220 


Mimulus cardinalis, 197 
Musa Cavendishii, 51 


Nemophila insignis, 151 
Nerium thyrsiflorum, 73 


Oncidium divaricatum. 4 
Pentstemon Murrayanus, 265 
Phacelia vinifolia, 121 


Poinciana pulcherrima, 3 


Rhodanthe Manglesii, 173 
Rhododendron chamecistus, 15° 


Sarracenia purpurea, 221 
Solanum crispum, | 


Thunbergia, var. alba, 28 
Witsenia corymbosa, 260 


Yucca aloifolia, 25 


Zygopetalum Mackai, 97 


| 


ACACIA, Cunningham’s, 145 
| Azalea, Captain Rawson’s, 123 


| Begonia, platanus-leaved, 125 


Birthwort, three-lobed, 2 


Calceolaria, Talisman, or Slipper-wort, 27 


| Camellia, Captain Row’s, 101 
- Carolina Gardoquia, 243 


Cels’s Hovea, 241 

Chironia, three-nerved, 149 
Clerodendrum, beautiful scarlet, 217, 271 
Collinsia, two-coloured, 195 

Common ladies’ slipper, 247 

Coral-tree Cockscomb, 175 


Dichorizandra, thyrse-flowered, 127 
Dryandra, long-leaved, 171 


Eschscholtzia, saffron-coloured, 49 
Flower-fence, very pretty, 3 


Heliconia, Brazilian, 193 
Hibiscus, splendid, 147 


Ipomea, Mrs. Horsfall’s, 50 
— bluish red, 99 
Ixora, great-flowered scarlet, 75 


Kennedia, splendid crimson, 26 


ENGLISH INDEX 


THE COLOURED FIGURES OF PLANTS. 


Leptosiphon, androsace-like, 219 
— thick-flowered, 220 


Mimulus, scarlet-flowered, |197 


Narcissus-flowered Ismene, 267 
Necklace-like Dendrobium, 77 
Nemophila, showy, 151 
Nightshade, curled, 1 


Oleander, dense-flowered, 73 
Oncidium, cushion-lipped, 4 


Phacelia, vine-leaved, 12] 
Plantain, the Cavendish, 51 
Pungent-leaved Eutaxia, 245 


Rhodanthe, Captain Mangles’, 173 
Rhododendron, ground-cistus, 169 


Scarlet Pentstemon, 265 
Side-saddle flower, purple, 221 


Thunbergia, white-flowered, 28 
Witsenia, corymbose-flowered, 269 


Yucca, aloe-leaved, 25 


Zygopetalum, Mr. Mackay’s, 97 


WOOD-CUT ILLUSTRATIONS. 


VOLUME THE THIRD. 


MACHINES, INSTRUMENTS, AND UTEN- 
SILS, GARDEN STRUCTURES, &c. 


Cast Iron Flower Stand, designed to form 


a pillar of Roses, 30 
Cast Iron Garden Chair, 257 
Implements, 204 
Ornamental Basket, 134 
Plan of a new:Hot-water Boiler, 103 
Plan of a Rosery for Scotch Roses, 139 
Wooden Flower Stands, 31 


Wooden rustic ornamental vases, 258 


PLANTS. 
Aristolochia trilobata, 5 
Collinsia bicolor, 195 
Digitalis purpurea, 43 
Dioscorea alata, 200 
Fucus vesiculosus, 42 


Heliconia Brasiliensis, 194 


Mimulus cardinalis, 198 
Mucuna pruriens, 20 
Musa Cavendishil, 52 
M. paradisiaca, 56 

M. sapientum, 58 

M. rosacea, 60 

M. coccinea, 62 
Papaver somniferum, 11 
Sweet Potato, 199 
Tamarindus Indica, 111 


Trees in exposed and sheltered situations, 
107 


Yam, or Dioscorea sativa, 200 


DIAGRAMS. 
Black-heart Cherry Tree, 231 
Cellular wall, 158 


Dissections of a flower of Mimulus car- 
dinalis, 197 
Pavia lutea, 231 


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SOLANUM CRISPUM. 


- (CURLED NIGHTSHADE. ) 


CLASS. , ORDER. 
PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 


NATURAL ORDFR. 


SOLANE. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyz five-parted, persistent. Corolla wheel-shaped, five-lobed, plaited. Berry 
of two cells. Seeds many. 


Speciric Cuaracter.— Plant a shrub, growing to upwards of twenty feet high. Stem smooth, very 
branching; branches, when young, bright yellow-green; when older, light brown. Leaves’ ovate 
and obcordate, waved, curled more or less, according to the situation in which the plant grows, and 
vigour of growth ; in our specimen very little curled, rich green on the upper side, paler beneath. 
Flowers corymbose, very showy. Calyx green, five-cleft, acuminate. Corolla five-lobed, lobes 
obcordate, blunt, waved, and slightly curled. Stamens five. Anthers orange-yellow. Berry 
two-celled. 


Tue rich purple-blue flowers of this plant are produced in corymbs, and if the 
plant is trained against a wall makes as fine a show as the Glycine Sinensis, and 
continues in bloom a long time. 

It is a native of Chiloe, where it was found growing by Mr. Anderson, who 
introduced it to this country in 1824. It was also discovered by Ruiz and Pavon. 

The plant grows freely in any common garden soil, and is nearly hardy, merely 
requiring a slight shelter in very severe weather. It is increased by cuttings which 
strike readily planted in light soil under a hand-glass. 

For our drawing we are indebted to Mr. Lowe of Clapton, in whose nursery it 
may be seen growing to perfection, and of whom it may be purchased. 

It may also be obtained at other nurseries round London, and many in the 
country, as Messrs. Fisher and Holmes, Sheffield, &c., at a moderate cost. 

The generic name is derived from solart, to console and comfort ; and the 


specific name crispum, from the slight curling of the leaves and flowers. 


VOL. III.—NO, XXV. B 


ARISTOLOCHIA TRILOBATA. 


(THREE-LOBED BIRTH-WORT. ) 
CLASS. ORDER. 


GYNANDRIA. HEXANDRIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 
ARISTOLOCHIA, 


Generic Cuaracter.— Calyx none. Corolla monopetalous, tubular, bellying at the base. Germen 
angular. Capsule six-celled and six-valved. Seeds many. 


Sprciric Cuaracter.—Plant a twining shrub, growing from six to ten feet high. Stem smooth, 
slender, twining, yellow-green, slightly tinged with purple. Leaves cordate, three-lobed, smooth, dark- 
green on the upper surface, paler beneath, lobes obtuse. Flowers on thick twining peduncles. Corolla 
cylindrical, at the base formed like a bag; extremity broken, lip cordate, cuspidate, extending to the 
length of six inches or more, dark brown, tinged with yellow, base green. 


Synonyms.—Aristolochia trifida— Lam. Encyclop. 2. 249. 

Tuis species is a native of South America, where it grows in damp woods, and 
whence it was introduced in 1775, It is a stove climber of no mean appearance, 
growing freely, with little trouble, in a mixture of sandy heath mould and rich loam. 

The plant from which our drawing was made flowered in the nursery of Messrs. 
Young of Epsom, and continued in bloom for a long time, for although the flowers 
are very fugitive there is a constant succession all the latter end of the summer. 

Some of the species emit # very disagreeable odour, and indeed the scent of the 
whole is rather unpleasant. Yet, from the singular forms and colours of the flowers, 
almost all the kinds deserve a place in every hot-house, and perhaps none has 
greater claims than the present subject. | 

The plant strikes readily from half-ripened cuttings, planted in sand under a 
bell-glass, and plunged in a little heat. 


The whole of the genus were formerly 
very popular for medicinal purposes, 
whence the name Aristolochia, or Birth- 
wort; indeed, the A. serpentaria (figure) 
is still used, and the roots, which are the 
parts used, may be purchased of the 
chemists. 

Snake Root (Aristolochia serpentaria) ; 
a, the flower; 0b, section of the same, 
showing the situation of the stamen and 
pistils, ¢; d, the stamen attached to the 
pistils, e. 

The A. trilobata may be obtained at 
almost any of the London and country 
nurseries for a trifling sum. 


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POINCIANA PULCHERRIMA. 


(VERY PRETTY FLOWER-FENCE. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


DECANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


LEGUMINOS/. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyz five-parted. Petals five, clawed, and notched. Stamens long, all fertile. 
Pod compressed, two-valved, about four inches long. 


Srxciric Cuaracter.—A shrub, eight to ten feet high. Branches round, green, spotted with whitish 
spots, and prickly. Leaves alternate, bipinnate, six or eight inches long, spreading. Leafits about 
nine pairs, oblong, elliptical, rounded, smooth, bluish-green, paler beneath. lowers large, orange- 
red, in a terminal corymbose raceme. Flower-stalks an inch long, cylindrical, pale green at the 
base, becoming red upwards. Calyx in five ovate-oblong, thin, membranaceous, orange-red segments. 

- Petals five, spatulate, much larger than the calyx, bright orange-red, beautifully waved, notched, and 
veined. Stamens ten, separate. Filaments two inches or more long, filiform, bright crimson. 
Anthers dark red, attached by the middle. Styée shorter than the stamens ; thick at the base, and 
tapering upwards; same colour as the filaments. 


Tuts splendid ornament to our stoves is a native of both the Indies; where it 
is said to be planted in hedges, whence the name of flower-fence. It was introduced 
so long since as 1690 or 91, but is still a scarce plant in collections. 

It requires a very strong heat to make it flower in perfection, and should there- 
fore be placed in a hot and damp part of the stove. It does not grow very tall, but 
forms a very ornamental shrub; the delicate, blue, pinnated leaves, and, when in 
flower, the splendour of the blossoms, render it a striking and very desirable plant. 

The plant grows freely in a mixture of sandy heath mould and rich loam; and 
is readily increased by cuttings, which strike freely in sand under a bell-glass in 
heat. The plant also bears seeds, which may be sown in any light soil. 

The generic name was given by Tournefort, in honour of M. de Poinci, a great 
patron of botany. 

The plant may be purchased at a moderate cost of almost any of the nursery- 


men in town and country. 


ONCIDIUM DIVARICATUM. 


(CUSHION-LIPPED ONCIDIUM. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


GYNANDRIA. MONANDRIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


ORCHIDE/. 


Generic Cuaracter—Lip expanded, lobed, having little knobs, or excrescences at the base. Petals 
spreading. Column winged. Pollen-masses two, and two-lobed behind. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—Epiphyte. Bulbs in clusters, flat, two-edged, one-leaved. Leaves thick, yellowish 
green, nearly oval, terminating in a small blunt point. Scape from one to upwards of two feet 
long, erect about half way up, afterwards drooping, many flowered, slender, straggling. FJowers 
yellow and red, very beautiful. Petals five, bright yellow, coloured deeply at the base with orange- 
red. Lip large, flat, three-lobed, notched, yellow, spotted with dark crimson. Column the same 
colour as the lip, winged. 


Tuts beautiful plant is a native of Brazil, and was sent to the London Horti- 
cultural Society, through the kindness of A. J. Heatherly, Esq., where it flowered 
for the first time in 1826. 

It thrives in the stove, either in pots of turfy peat, or wood covered with moss, 
but the first is the best way of growing it to perfection. 

The same system should be followed in potting as recommended fer Stanhopeas, 
page 141, viz., to pile up the pieces of turfy peat six inches above the rim of the 
pot. ‘To prevent this pile falling down, small pegs are run through each square 
piece of peat which constitute the walls ; and, when nicely finished, the appearance 
1g very neat. 

The plant from which our drawing was made flowered in our stove at Chats- 
worth, in May, 1835, and continued in bloom for a long time. 

The generic name is derived from Ogkidion, a tubercle, and is given from the 
peculiar excrescences observable at the base of the lip of all Oncidie; the specific 
name, from the loose straggling raceme of flowers. 

The plant may be purchased at Messrs. Loddige’s, Knight’s, Lowe's, Young’s, 


and many other nurserymen in the neighbourhood of London, at a moderate cost. 


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MORE REMARKS ON THE CULTIVATION OF VIOLA 
: TRICOLOR *. 


THE ardour evinced in the growth of pansies, has induced us to offer a few 
remarks upon their culture, as practised by persons who grow them to perfection ; 
it is not to be wondered, that they now occupy so conspicuous a station in every 
good garden, but that such a gem to the flower garden, almost throughout the 


year, should have been neglected so long ; but such is the (we may say) enthusiasm 


now shown for them, that a periodical has commenced, published monthly, devoted 
entirely to Heartsease ; that is, describing the choicest named kinds now in culti- 
vation (we have not seen the work, but reviewers have spoken favourably of it). 
Pansies or jflos éricolor are recommended for the flower garden, and to be grown in 
pots, in the oldest works on gardening we have perused ; but the kinds grown a 
very few years since in gardens, were not better than those occasionally found now 
growing under the plants of a shrubbery or in corn fields; indeed we remember 
when the seeds of Viola tricolor were seldom or ever sown in the majority of 
gardens, or, if they were, a spot where little else would grow was the site chosen ; 
but the pleasure of seeing the then little neat flowers was very different from the 
emotions felt when viewing a bed of the now existing kinds, blazing in endless 
variety, dazzling the eye with their countless beauties, and delighting the senses 
with their grateful fragrance. Who can contemplate a bed of Heartsease, where in 
every individual something fresh and apparently more beautiful than the last 
observed, arrests the attention, without feeling what their name would imply, and 
forgetting for the time the troubles inherent to mankind ? 

Amateurs and gardeners who cultivate Heartsease for competition at flower 
shows, take considerable pains with them, such as giving them plenty of room, 
very rich soil &c., but in gardens where general effect only is required we would 
recommend beds sown with seeds from selected kinds, by which means a beautiful 
effect is obtained with little trouble, without the formality of rows so much to be 
avoided when masses are wished for; if the weather is favourable, they will flower 
in about six weeks from the time of sowing, with the anticipation every day 
of seeing something more new and beautiful than heretofore: we only suggest this 


_ to persons not in the habit of growing named kinds for competition, but merely for 


effect as a group, at the same time nothing is more simple than having masses of 
proved good kinds, as cuttings will strike almost at any season when they can be 
obtained by planting them under a northern aspect; the cuttings chosen should 
not be the strongest shoots, but the moderate sized ones which have ‘not flowered ; 
the season to propagate those intended for the principal flowering is the first week 
in July, the cuttings struck at this time will flower in autumn, and get strong plants 


* See Vol. 1. page 115. 


e MORE REMARKS ON THE CULTIVATION OF VIOLA TRICOLOR. 

by spring, when if intended for masses they should be planted about six inches 
square, but if to show each individual plant separately one foot in the rows and 
eight inches apart will not be found at all too much; cuttings struck early in 
the spring would be better if planted under an eastern or western aspect, where 
they would strike readily, succeed the others, and flower in profusion throughout the 
summer ; seedlings and cuttings will come into flower about the same time; it is 
generally a rule with growers to sow their seeds as soon as ripe, by which means 
as little time as possible is lost in proving their success. 

They will grow nearly in any soil or situation, but a good free loam is to be 
preferred, and where a bed is prepared expressly for them it should be composed of 
the following: three fourths good mellow loam, and one fourth dung, if the loam be 
not of a friable texture a quantity of clear sand should be added, the dung used 
should not be too much exhausted, or what is generally called perfectly rotted, but 
rather well prepared dung, still retaining its heating principles; the advantage 
derived will be, that the bed will be kept open, and long continuance of dry weather 
(as experienced last season) will not have the same penetrating effects; this will be 
found of considerable importance when the soil becomes hard and baked during dry 
weather. 

As one of the characters of Violacee is the corolla usually withering in a short 
time, and as scarce any are more liable to do so than Viola tricolor, those 
who wish to have fine flowers and preserve them as long as possible, choose a situ- 
ation for their bed where their plants may be partially shaded during the hottest 
part of the day, when this cannot be obtained, through trees or other natural causes, 
artificial shading should be resorted to in very hot weather; the beds should be kept 
low, indeed under any circumstances they should scarcely be raised above the level 
of the paths. 

There is a method of growing Heartsease in pots, so as to have a very neat and 
novel effect, although we have seldom seen it adopted; it is training the plant to a 
single stem, until it has attained the height of one foot, or eighteen inches, which 
it will readily do, and then pinch off the extreme points, it will then throw out 
side branches with flowers in profusion, which when placed among small green-house 
plants or otherwise have a strikingly pleasing appearance. 

The criterion of a good flower is, that its petals be broad, and lying upon each 
other quite flat, so that the flower may appear nearly circular, this is of the utmost 
importance in exhibition, although there are many beautiful kinds which are not 
so; it isa general practice amongst amateurs in Heartsease to bring their flowers 
to exhibition each covered with a small piece of glass or silver coin, which not only 
prevents them curling, but imparts to them that flatness in appearance so much 
prized and sought after ; the lower petal of the corolla should be nearly as broad as 
the upper ones, and nearly round. ‘The colours should be clear and brilliant, the 
eye small and finely pencilled, but should it have these qualities without broad flat 
petals, let whatever be the splendour of its hues, it is discarded as unworthy of a 
name, and would disqualify a stand of an hundred kinds of show flowers ; the goodly 
shape of the flowers seems to be the object sought, in preference to purity or brilli- 


OF THE GENUS THUNBERGIA. 7 


ancy of colour, novelties or grotesque mixtures in colour being the ruling passions 
in these times of varying tastes. 

The varieties are generally called according to the caprice of the individual who 
raises them from seeds, either descriptive of their colours (which is preferable when 
it can be done concisely) or some favourite or poetical name. 

In conclusion we may add the oftener young plants are raised the better, as upon 
young healthy plants such a difference takes place in the size and colour of the 
flowers, as oftentimes not to be taken for the same thing ; there might be a succes- 
sion every month, put in from the beginning of May to July, the latest seeds 
produced 1 in the autumn should be sown in March, when the young plants would 
receive slight protection in inclement weather. 


OF THE GENUS THUNBERGIA, 


MORE PARTICULARLY OF THE CULTURE OF THUNBERGIA ALATA. 


Tuis is a family which, in the Linnzan system, belongs to the fourteenth class, 
Didynamia, and to the second order Angiospermia ; that is, the stamens are four 
in number, two of them being longer than the two others; and the seeds are 
enclosed in a capsule, or dry seed-vessel, which opens by means of valves. The 
flowers of most of the plants of this class are irregular, gaping (ringent), or have- 
closed lips, somewhat like those of a fish (personate). But Thunbergia exhibits 
very slight marks of these characters: its flowers are nearly regular, the border flat 
and expanded, and cut into nearly equal divisions. 


The characters of the genus, whereby it is botanically described, are a calyx, 
said to be double, but this is incorrect; the two-leaved external integuments are an 
involucrum, which encloses the flower, opens to let that expand, and remains per- 
manent, if the seed-vesse] form and ripen; but is deciduous if it prove abortive. 
The real calyx is a very small organ, cut into ten or twelve minute teeth, close 
seated under the capsule. 

Corolla campanulate, or bell-shaped; though but slightly so. 

Capsule beaked, two-celled, containing two or three seeds. 

In the natural system, Thunbergia is found in the order Acanthace@, which has 
Acanthus as its type. The leading characters of this order are the following :— 

The joints of the stem are swollen, the capsules are elastic and fly open; the 
seeds are attached by little hooked processes. 

We do not interfere with the authorities which have placed this family in 
Acanthacee ; but we think that its situation ought to be reconsidered ; for to us 


it appears that the relationship between Thunbergia and its congeners is somewhat 
remote. 


8 OF THE GENUS THUNBERGIA. 


When the Encyclopedia of Plants was published in 1829, two species only 


were in its catalogue, viz :— 


Thunbergia fragrans, with sweet-scented white flowers; native of the East Indies; introduced 
in 1796, and figured in the Bot. Mag. plate 1881; a climber, four feet high, with 
heart-shaped, pointed leaves. 

erandiflora, great blue-flowering 7'h.; from the East Indies in 18203; a very fine 

high climber, somewhat shy of flower. Bot. Mag. No. 2366. | 


—_——— 


Subsequently the following have been added to the Last. 
Thunbergia cordata, heart-leaved ; from Trinidad in 1820; flowers white. 
Capensis, Cape Thunbergia; the only green-house species; yellow flowers, in 
May and to September. 
alata, winged-leaved 7h. ; from East Indies in 1823 ; Bot. Cab. 1045. See also 
Mag. of Boiany, Vol. Il. page 2. 
angulata, angular; from Madagascar; yellow. Bot. Cab. 1044. 
coccinea, scarlet; dingy red flowers in September ; from Nepal in 1823. 
Hawtayneana; idem 1826; red. 


———— 


(eee 


ee 


— 


Among these the choice will fall upon fragrans, grandiflora, and alata ; but 
the two first are seldom seen. The last is a general favourite, and is easily raised 
and cultivated, one objection, and one only, seriously attaching to it, this is found 
in its great liability to be permanently affected with red spider (acarus). We 
know of no remedy for this pest, unless it be in plunging and immersing an entire 
plant in a vessel of water for many hours. Sulphur and sulphur washes are proved 
to be ineffectual, though hot-water syringed repeatedly upon the leaves, may do 
some good. 

Thunbergia alata is propagated by seeds and cuttings, also by layers at a joint 
if required ; the first method is superior, but few persons can procure them. With 
the best treatment, and in the most favourable situations, the plants appear to pro- 
duce no seeds till the summer be nearly over; hut, about the middle of August, and 
thence through September, many capsules form; and these ripen in October, The 
seed-vessels are almost globular, with a marked and strongly developed beak: the 
calyx is fixed closed under the bottom of the capsule, and is hidden by the then 
permanent, two-leaved envolucrum. The seeds are very curious, they are punctured 
or reticulated over the surface, and of a hemispherical figure, not very unlike the 
half of an orange. They are brown when ripe, and ought to be retained in the capsule 
till the end of January, when they may be sown in a pot of earth, composed of 
equal parts of soft loam from decayed couch-grass, black leaf-mould, and pure pit 
sand. The soil should be rendered moderately moist, and be pressed pretty firm 
into the pot over a drainage of half an inch of dry moss. Having laid the seeds 
evenly on the surface, an inch or more apart, cover them with the soil to the depth 
of one-third, or half an inch; then either plunge the pot in a leaf-bed of the stove 
or pine-pit, or place it in a feeder pan filled with wetted moss, standing on a shelf 
not far remote from the flue; keep the moss moist, and de not suffer the soil to 
become dry. Our seeds were sown last January (12th), and the seed-lobes appeared 
bearing the testa or covering integument on them by the 16th of February. They 


IMPORTANCE OF EARLY PLANTING THIS SPRING. 9 


yielded plants of the first character, which soon came into bloom: the soil for 
potting, in their future culture, may be, decayed turfy loam rubbed up fine, one half; 
black heath mould and silver sand, each one quarter. Pure black peat also will suit 
them, and induce great richness of verdure. 

One circumstance in the culture ought to be noticed, as adding much to the 
value of this charming plant. If young seedling plants be carefully stopped while 
in sixty or forty-eight size pots, so as to prevent their twining, and be thus made 
to form a branchy or stocky growth, they may be bedded out in parterre, not 
earlier than the first week in June; and will with care form one of the most beau- 
tiful objects that any mass of flowers is capable of presenting. ‘The rich verdure 
of the leaves, which in favourable soil assumes somewhat of the figure of a broad 
arrow-head, contrasts with the innumerable pure buff-coloured blooms that peep from 
among them; to which the open intensely purple-tinted eye of the flower affords 
the finest relief imaginable. ‘There is nothing gorgeous in this display, the whole 
is softly delicate and chaste: we know of nothing that can compare with it. 

Seed forms well on these external plants if the autumn be warm and sunny ; 
and every capsule, as it acquires the pale brown tint of maturity, either on the 
exposed plants or those under glass, ought to be carefully preserved, either to be 
sown or distributed among friends, as we know that many persons lose all their stock 
in the winter, and are thankful to be re-supplied. 

Nothing adds more to the charms of horticulture than that amenity or kindly 
fellow-feeling, which inculcates the importance of a liberal participation of one 
another's superfluities. 

We may add, in conclusion, that cuttings of one or two upper joints of young 
shoots taken off under the leaves, produce roots freely throughout the summer, in 
water ; and the plants thus produced, placed in small pots of vegetable soil with 
sand, strike off freely, if retained close under glass for a few days. 


IMPORTANCE OF EARLY PLANTING THIS SPRING. 


WE earnestly recommend all those who may have planting to do this spring 
to proceed with it immediately, if not in a forward state now: we should advise 
that no undertaking be commenced that cannot be completed by the first week in 
March at farthest. In consequence of the heat and continued dryness of last 
summer, vegetation ceased to perform its annual functions much earlier than the 
usual season. In some parts of the country deciduous trees shed their leaves as 
much as two months before the proper time, it follows as a necessary result that 
vegetation will be stimulated into action easier and much earlier after so irregular 
a season as last. On the continent, where the winters are dry in comparison to 

VOL. I1L—NO. XXV. c 


10 IMPORTANCE OF EARLY PLANTING THIS SPRING. 


ours, the effects of an arid summer is not so visible on plants the succeeding spring. 
The great humidity we are subject to, the constant change of temperature, together 
with the thermometer being for days as high as fifty-five and sixty degrees, induces 
an early developement of the vegetable functions and particularly so in plants, the 
energies of which were prematurely stopped the preceding season. Inan extensive 
tour which we made in December through a great part of the south and west of 
England an early disposition of growth was most conspicuous. In some very shel- 
tered situations buds had made a movement for expansion. We need hardly inform 
our readers that this premature disposition to grow is anything but favourable to 
the plant; on the contrary, it will be the means of increasing the injury done last 
summer by the too sudden termination of growth. From a pretty long experience 
of all kinds of planting, we are convinced that all trees and shrubs should -be 
transplanted when they, are in a dormant state; indeed, a little common sense 
and reasoning would convince the greatest novice in these matters; and that ‘to 
move a plant after it has commenced growing is a sure means of destroying part. of 
its vital functions, and weakening its future efforts in a much greater degree than 
when the plant is in a state of rest; transplanting before the wood. is ripe in 
autumn is as injurious as transplanting late in the spring. About three years since, 
we had occasion to remove some young apricot trees very early in the autumn ; the 
work was performed as carefully as possible, reserving nearly all the fibres, every 
attention, was paid to watering, but with all this attention the upper parts of 
the shoots began to shrivel in about a fortnight ;. and when the trees pushed 
forth the following spring they grew very weakly, and continued through the 
season in a very precarious state. , I think the removal took place about the 20th 
of September. Now it is quite evident that these trees were injured by being 
removed before the leaves had shown a disposition to fall. on being transplanted, 
there was no supply to support the continued exhaustion which is continually per- 
formed by the leaves. We have therefore found it an excellent practice to take off 
all leaves from trees when they are removed late in the autumn. We do not re- 
commend a plant to be meved at all until it is in a dormant state, but sometimes it 
is obliged to be done in extensive alterations. It is very easy to know when a 
deciduous plant is ready for removal, by holding the shoot and drawing the hand 
gently upwards, if the plant is in a state fit for removal, the leaves will readily 
separate from the shoot. In some small plants of birch, hornbeam, &c., the leaves 
turn of a copper colour, but do not separate from the plants ; when leaves are thus 
changed in colour they may with equal propriety be removed; as they have ceased to 
circulate the juices.of the plant. Every tree or shrub that it is to be planted this 
spring should be taken up by the first week in the present. month, and if it is. not 
convenient to plant them immediately they may be preserved in some cool shady 
situation, which will retard the advancing sap considerably. .We should always 
recommend plants to be put in their permanent situation as soon after they are 
taken up as possible ; when they have not to be removed far, as much earth as can be 
conveniently got up with the plants will be of great advantage. 


1 


CULTURE OF THE GENUS PAPAVER. 


Aut the species of this genus are showy plants, many of them very splendid 
in the size and colour of the flowers, but the blossoms are very fugitive. On the 
whole they are great ornaments to the flower-borders, and deserve to be cultivated 


in every garden. 
They are of three kinds, annual, biennial, and perennial ; being all very hardy, 


they are easy of culture, and require very little attention. 


IB, 


1 
\\ y y YY tj, Z 


Amongst the annual species and 


varieties several are natives of Britain, 
as P. Rhwas, which is common in corn- 
fields, some of the varieties of which are 
great ornaments onour borders, and P. 
somniferum (figure) from which the sub- 
stance called opium is extracted. The 
flowers of this species are white with a 
faint blush, but there are many varieties, 
some of bright scarlet, others purple, and 
others striped and variegated. 

White Poppy (Papaver somniferum) ; 
a, the seed organ, showing the stamens 
attached to the receptacle; 6, the fruit. 


The seeds are known by the name of maw seeds, because of the use made of 

them by bird fanciers. 
<P. somniferum is originally a native of the warmer parts of Asia, but is some- 
times found apparently wild in Britain.” 

“ Many attempts have been made in this country to obtain opium from its cap- 
sules, and Mr. Bal! obtained a premium from the Society of Arts for specimens of 
British opium, in no respect inferior to the best eastern opium.” 

“Mr. Young, a respectable surgeon in ‘Edinburgh, has also obtained it of 
excellent quality and in considerable quantity.” 

“ It was very early cultivated in Greece, perhaps, at first, solely for the sake of 
its seed, which was used for food. It is extensively cultivated in most of the states 
of Europe in the present age, not only on-account of the opium for which it is 
reared in Turkey, Persia, and India, but also on account of the capsules, and of the 
oil obtained from the seeds.” 


12 CULTURE OF THE PAPAVER. 


“ All the parts of the poppy abound in a narcotic milky juice, which is partially 
extracted, together with a considerable quantity of mucilage by decoction. ‘The 
liquor strongly pressed out, suffered to settle, clarified with white of eggs, and 
evaporated to a due consistence, yields about one-fifth or one-sixth of the weight of 
the heads of extract which possesses the virtues of opium in a very inferior 
degree ; but the milky juice of the poppy in its more perfect state, which is the case 
in warm climates only, is extracted by incisions made in the capsules, and inspis- 
sated to form the true opium of commerce. 

‘The plants during their growth are carefully watered and manured, the 
watering being more profuse as the period of flowering appreaches, and until the 
capsules are half grown, when it is discontinued and the collection of the opium 
commences. 

«¢ At sunset, longitudinal incisions are made upon each half-ripe capsule, passing 
below upwards and not penetrating to the internal cavity. The night dews favour 
the exudation of the juice, which is coliected in the morning by women and 
children, who scrape it off the wounds with a small iron scoop, and deposit the 
whole in an earthen pot, where it is worked by wooden spatules in the sunshine, 
until it attains a considerable degree of thickness. It is then formed by the hand 
into cakes, which are laid in earthen basins to be further exsiecated, when it is 
covered over with poppy or tobacco leaves *.” 

All the annual species and varieties may be sown in the open borders about the 
end of March, which is very preferable to sowing them in other situations and after- 
wards transplanting them ; as from the nature of their roots they will not bear to 
be removed without injury. See Vol. I. page 18. 

The biennial kinds, as P. floribunda and its varieties, may be treated like other 
hardy biennials (vol. I. page 66), except that it is better to sow the seed on the 
border where the plants are to flower. 

The perennial kinds of diminutive growth, as P. crocea, nudicaule, and its 
varieties, rubro-aurantiacum microcar pum, Pirenaicum and its varieties, require 
to be planted in very dry situations in the borders, or, which is better, on rock 
work, or in pots, for which from their pretty dwarf growth they are well cal- 
culated. If some precaution of this kind is not used, they are very likely to damp 
off in dull wet weather in winter. 

The more robust perennial species, as P. ortentalis bracteatum, require nothing 
further than the treatment of herbaceous perennials in general. See Vol. II. p. 199. 

All the three kinds produce seeds, by which they may be readily proneenigt 
but the perennial species are increased by dividing the roots. 

Sow the seeds of the perennials at the same season as the annuals are sown, and 
after they have become of a sufficient size, remove them, with good balls, into the 
situations where they are to flower. 

It is always best to preserve the seeds of poppies in the heads, because being 
very small they are liable to become so dried as to lose their vitality; but if they 
are allowed to remain in the heads they will grow after being kept several years. 


* Don’s Syst. Gard. and Bot. 132. 


13 


CULTURE OF THE HYDRANGEA HORTENSIS. 


Havine frequently observed during our tours, very large plants of Hydrangea 
hortensis, with very small heads of flowers, perhaps to the amount of fifteen or 
twenty clusters, and very often of a dingy white colour; we offer to our readers a 
very superior method of growing this gay plant for the house or flower garden, 
whereby it may be seen in perfection nearly the whole year. No plant which we 
know will retain its beauty longer, and suffer less injury from being kept in a 
room. Persons who have plants in rooms most generally injure them with too 
much water, in which respect the Hydrangea is very accommodating, it requiring a 
good supply; the largest heads of flowers we have ever seen grown have been pro- 
duced in the method about to be described. 

In April or early in May, choose cuttings of the strongest shoots, about four or 
five joints ; trim off the leaves from that part of the stem only about to be im- 
mersed in the soil; prepare then a wide mouthed pot, nearly half filled with pot- 
sherds, the remaining portion with light sandy loam; let the cuttings be planted in 
this, not too close together, and place them in a frame where there is a lukewarm 
bottom heat; in about a fortnight they will be rooted sufficiently to pot off, which 
should be done immediately, using the smallest pots the roots can be con- 
veniently got into without breaking, which will be some small and some large 
sixties, and again placed in the frame, and hardened to the open air by degrees. 
When all danger of frost is past, they may be taken out of the frame, and placed 
under a west aspect wall, where they should have abundance of water ; about the 
latter end of June they will require repotting into pots a size larger, and 
then placing them under a southern aspect, to ripen their wood and buds. Much 
of the future success of the plants depend on this, for if the wood is not well 
ripened, however fine the plants may be, the flowers will be small in comparison. 
Should the season prove a wet one, they should be taken earlier into pits or the 
green-house, and kept pretty dry, which will materially assist them in maturing 
their buds; a succession of cuttings should be put in a month later, and treated in 
a similar manner ; they should be placed in their winter quarters about the time of 
taking in green-house plants, and placed where they may have full exposure during 
the day and protection at night, here they may remain until wanted to force. In 
January or when the vinery is commenced with, or indeed any house where they 
will receive a moist temperature, the thermometer ranging from 60° to 65° Fahren- 
heit, the vinery is a very suitable place, as such waterings as are given to the vines 
Is the very thing, of all others, that the Hydrangea delights in; just as they start 
growing they will require another shift, and nothing more is necessary except 
frequent waterings over the head and at the root. 

The soil used is a rich light loam without any mixture whatever. 


14 NOTES ON THE TREVIRANA COCCINEA. 


With regard to colour, we may make a few observations, but so various and 
numerous have been the causes assigned for turning the colour of the flowers blue, 
that it is very difficult to state the cause, when so many different recipes are given 
as all producing the same effect. 

Mr. Haythorn, late gardener to Lord Middleton, recommends plenty of room, or 
planting them out in the borders to turn their colour; but we can only say those 
we have had in the border a length of time have never yet shown a symptom of 
blue. Others have recommended powdered alum mixed with the soil, in proportions. 
of six ounces to a bushel of soil; this we have never tried, but have seen blue flowers 
which were stated to have been procured by these means. Very many have recom- 
mended bog earth, and certain it is that earth of this description obtained from a 
part of Wimbledon common turns the flowers blue. Sweet recommends planting 
out in peat borders, and states the longer they .remain, the deeper blue. will be 
the colour of the flowers. Iron filings have also been strongly recommended as certain 
to change their colour. . A florist residing at Hammersmith was famed several 
years for growing blue Hydrangeas, which he accounted for in the following manner: 
he had a large quantity of soil brought in for general purposes, and happening to 
use it for his Hydrangeas, to his great surprise they became blue, which brought 
him a.better price than the pink ones, consequently he reserved the whole of the 
soil solely for Hydrangeas, for which purpose it lasted several years ; but there isan. 
end to all things, the heap of soil. wasted to nothing, which was his secret, and the 
following year as he had no more blue Hydrangeas his fame for them went also. 

We can only state our having seen beautiful blue flowers in loam, as well as 
peat, and should say the presence of some mineral existing in the soil is the main 
cause ; most probably oxide of iron in an unusual degree. 

The second season the plant should be cut down, and three shoots only left to 
grow. The plants must receive similar treatment to that recommended for the young 
ones, and the consequence will be that heads will be obtained nearly or quite as. 
large as they produce the first season ; three heads will generally be found suificient. 


NOTES ON THE TREVIRANA COCCINEA AND 
MIMULUS CARDINALIS. 


— 


TREVIRANA coccinea.  Cyrilia puilchella of some, and Achimenes coccinea 
of Persoon, is an elegant little plant well known under the first two names, and 
belongs to a tribe of plants, many of which, as Mimulus, Chelone, Collinsia, &c.; 
present to us some of the greatest attractions of the flower-garden. | 

But our object now is to treat on the cultivation of the first-named plant, of 


NOTES .ON THE TREVIRANA COCCINEA. 15 
which none of its tribe are more beautiful or desirable, as its splendid pyramids of 
scarlet flowers in September and October, when the greenhouse, as well as the parterre, 
begins to assume a sombre tint, cannot be too highly prized; and as we have seen 
some persons flower it beautifully and others very indifferently, which is evidence 
every one does not practise the best method, ours being extremely fine this 
season, and as we have pursued a method with them somewhat different to that 
detailed in our first volume, we offer it to our readers with confidence. 

In the spring, about the middle of February, its imbricated roots will begin to 
vegetate, at this time turn them out of the pots and separate the roots, taking care 
not to bruise or break them, which requires caution, as the soil sometimes becomes 
hard by being kept dry since the preceding autumn. The strongest roots being care- 
fully released from the old soil, should be potted into large sixty pots with the 
following compost; one half rich loam, the other half heath-mould and well-rotted 
cow-dung in equal quantities, with the addition of as much clear sand as will make 
the whole a light open soil (which will require sand equal to about one-fourth of 
the whole); and then placed where they would receive abundance of light, and a 
moist atmosphere, where the thermometer ranges from 65° to 75° of Fahren- 
heit. Whether this be a vinery, stove, or dung-bed, they should be syringed over 
every morning after the plant has formed perfect leaves, which will generally be 
found a sufficient watering during the early part of the season. We would recommend 
in this case, as in every other, never to use cold water. Water for syringing in high 
temperatures should always be heated to from 80° to 90°, by being placed upon 
the flues, or other means ; indeed, we find that water heated to 120° of Fahrenheit 
will not injure the most tender foliage, but will check the ravages of insects in a 
very material degree. 

As the plants fill their pots with roots they should be shifted successively to 
forty-eights, thirty-twos, and lastly into their flowering pots, which, if the plants 
have thriven, will be twenty-fours; at this time the plants should be eighteen 
inches high, and forming a perfect pyramid. 

By striking the end shoots in August, singly in small sixty- reine pots, neat 
little plants covered with bloom may be obtained, which when placed among the 
small plants of the stove or green-house have an exceedingly neat appearance ; indeed 
we are not certain but that by striking still later some of the youngest shoots, a 
succession might not be kept up during great part of the winter months ; it will 
however be worth trying, and should we live another season it shall have a fair 
trial and the results be stated. 

MIMULUS CARDINALIS is a beautiful scarlet species, lately introduced by the 
Horticultural Society of London, through the late-lamented naturalist Mr. D. 
Douglas, from America; we inform those not in possession of this new plant, that 
they may obtain it shortly, as it is a robust grower, strikes freely from cuttings, and 
produces seeds in abundance. The Horticultural Society are distributing it to their 
members, which with what we have stated regarding its habits, renders it certain 
that this distinct and elegant species will soon become as common in our flower 
gardens as the other kinds. It is not more desirable for its own beauty, than for 


16 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


the splendid hybrids which may be anticipated from the mixture of a scarlet with 
the present vivid colours of the same genus. It has been proved that plants of the 
same genus will not produce mules unless closely allied ; for instance, the gooseberry 
and currant, the pear and apple, have never been found to mix with each other, 
although repeatedly fertilised by persons for experiment; notwithstanding, we do 
not despair seeing a hybrid Mimuius of a shrubby habit, eclipsing all the others for 
beauty, raised between M. cardinalis and M. glutinosus, which would not be going | 
farther than what has been done with Calceolarias. Nothing can be more interesting 
than seeing new plants springing up, differing widely from their parents, andsurpassing 
them for beauty, as much as the Mimulus Smithit does its parents. Thunbergia 
alata alba, which is white with a still deeper coloured eye than alata ; Rhododen- 
drons also, and many other genera, have their mules, which for the beauty of their 
flowers, hardiness, and elegance of growth, surpass both parents in their combined 
merits. 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS 


FIGURED IN THE LEADING BOTANICAL PFRIODICALS AND FLORISTS’ 
MAGAZINE FOR NOVEMBER. 


BoTanicaLt RecisTEr. Edited by Dr. Lindley, each number containing eight 
figures; coloured 4s., plain 3s., and corresponding letter-press. 

BoTanicaAL MaGazine. Edited by Dr. Hooker, each number containing eight 
plates; coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s., and corresponding letter-press. 

British FLrowerR Garpen. Edited by Mr. David Don. Containing four 
plates ; coloured 3s., plain 2s. 3d., with corresponding letter-press. 

Fiorists’ MaGazine. By F. W. Smith. Containing four monthly plates, 
highly-coloured ; several plates with two figures; large size, 4s., small 2s 6d., and 
corresponding letter-press. 

Of the above figures, we have only selected such as are new or very rare; and 
among'st these only such as deserve to be extensively cultivated. For descriptions 
and figures reference must be made to the works themselves. 


CLASS I.—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONE#). 


CROWFOOT TRIBE (RANUNCULACEZ). 


DELPHINIUM CHEILANTHUM MULTIPLEX. Double large-lipped Larkspur. 
A hardy perennial, with dark purple flowers; the flowers are double, and equal in 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 17 


size to those of the double variety of grandiflorum, and of a still richer colour. A 
mixture of peat and loam will be found to suit it best, and it is increased by parting 
the roots. Don’s Brit. Fl. Gard., 309. 


ESCALLONIA TRIBE (ESCALLONE#). 


ESCALLONIA PULVERULENTA. ‘This hardy evergreen shrub is common about 
Conception and Valparaiso in Chile, and was introduced in 1831, from seeds col- 
lected in that country by Mr. Cumming. We know nothing of the constitution of 
the present species, but we presume it will be found to be quite as hardy as the 
other species from the same country. The flowers are white, disposed in a terminal 


spike. Don in Brit. Fl. Gard., 310. 


PEA TRIBE (LEGUMINOSZ). 


PoinciAna Gixuuiesit. Dr. Gillies’s Flower-fence. An erect, slender, branched 
tree, rising to the height of 8 or 10 feet, bearing large yellow flowers in terminal 
corymbs. It is abundant on banks of rivers, and in irrigated grounds about 
Mendosa in South America, where it was discovered by Dr. Gilles. The plant 
from which the figure was made, flowered in the choice collection of Mr. Knight, 
King’s Road, Chelsea, in the end of July, where the tree has stood for several years 
placed near the wall of a stove. We have seldom had to record so interesting a 
production as the present, and one so eminently deserving the attention of the cul- 
tivator. Don in Brit. Fl. Gard., 311. 


THE WATERLEAF TRIBE (HYDROPHYLLE®). 


Eutoca viscipa. Clammy Eutoca. A new hardy annual, found in California 
by Mr. Douglas, and raised by the Horticultural Society, in whose garden it flowered 
this summer. It is perfectly hardy, and will grow in any common soil. ‘The blue 
of the flowers is remarkably deep and brilliant, so that the plant has a handsome 
appearance, but its leaves are rather coarse and weedy. We know, however, of no 
plant better adapted for bouquets: for it will go on growing and flowering in water 
for two or three weeks after being gathered. Lind. in Bot. Reg., 1808. 


THE ROSE TRIBE (ROSACEZ). 


Crata@cus Douciasit. The Douglas Thorn. A native of North West 
America, where it was collected by Mr. Douglas. A hardy tree of small size 
flowering in May. Lund. in Bot. Reg., 1810. 

Mapam Harpy Rost. This is a lovely white damask, growing beautifully, 
and producing a profusion of flowers of a fine warm white, remarkably double and 
well formed. Smith's Florists’ Magazine, 37. 

VittacGe Matp Rose. ‘This is one of the most novel roses which we possess, 
and well deserves to be generally cultivated. Its beautifully striped leaves form a 
most pleasing contrast with almost every other rose, whether white or red; and, 
though the individual blossoms soon droop, the succession is so abundant and so 

VOL III.—NO. XXV. D 


18 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


rapid, that the tree retains its loveliness to a comparatively late period of the season, 
Few roses are better adapted for budding on standards, and none can be a more 
delightful ornament. Smith's Florists’ Mag., 37. 


MINT TRIBE (LABIAT#). 


GarDoauiA Gites. The Gillies’ Gardoquia. A neat little half shrubby 
herbaceous plant, growing not more than six or eight inches high, flowering from 
June to September in the open border, and readily multiplied by cuttings which 
root freely in peat and sand. It requires a little protection in winter. It appears to 
be a common Chilian plant, for it occurs in almost every collection that has yet 

-reached England from the neighbourhood of Valparaiso. Lind. in Bot. Reg., 1812. 


PRIMROSE TRIBE (PRIMULACE®#). 


PrimuLa SIBIRICA INTEGERRIMA. Entire-leaved Siberian Primrose. This 
plant is a native of marshes among the Altai mountains, about the middle of the 
range, and was received at the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, in 1832, from Mr. 
Goldie of Ayr, when several specimens flowered in the cold frame and greenhouse, 
in March and April, 1835. The plant is dwarf, and the flowers are reddish lilac. 
Hlooker in Bot. Mag., 3447. 

PrimuLa AuRICULA, var. Achilles. Achilles Auricula. This kind is quite 
new, and may be justly regarded as a first-rate flower. It was raised about seven 
years ago, by Mr. Marsh of Bath, late of Dulwich Common. He has besides this 
several other new and superior varieties: and for this one he has obtained the first 
prize awarded by a select society of amateurs. The properties of the flower are very 
fine. The mouth of the tube is remarkably neat: the contrast between the ground 
colour and the brilliant green edge is unrivalled, and the paste is perfectly firm. 
The manner in which the flower forms its tress is good; the foliage is large ; and 
the stem of a firm texture. The plant breeds freely by offsets, and is very constant 
to its character. Mr. Marsh has now a sufficient stock to be able to dispose of a 
few plants, at about one guinea each. Smuith’s Florists’ Mag., 43. 


CHICKWEED TRIBE (CARYOPHYLLEZ). 


Diantuus Caryoruyuuus, var. Emmeline. Emmeline Picotee. This is a 
neat and beautiful flower, producing a great number of delicate white blossoms, nar- 
rowly bordered with bright bluish purple. The petals are broad and firm, and not 
in the least serrated in the edge. The plant grows to the height of three feet, and 
furnishes a liberal supply of grass. Simith’s Florists’ Mag., 41. 

Diantuus CARYoPrHyLuius, var. Frederica. Princess Frederica Picotee. This 
is one of the choice varieties of the yellow picotee, of good form, and with the 
petals very regular and perfect in their margins. The ground colour is a very 
brilliant yellow, the spots or stripes of a dark reddish brown, and bizarred with a 
darker colour, almost black. Smith's Flor. Mag., 41. 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 19 


CLASS IL.—PLANTS WITH ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONES). 
ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEZ). 
VANDER. 


VANDA TERES, ‘Taper-leaved Vanda. This superb epiphyte was originally 
discovered upon trees in Sylhet by Dr. Wallich, and it has more recently been met 
with by Mr. William Griffith, abundantly, near Medown in the Burmese Empire, 
also growing on trees in the woods. Nothing can exceed the flowers of this plant 
in delicacy of texture, or softness of colour, the deep purple of the petals softens 
away to the margin, and seems to melt, as it were, into the purer white of the 
sepals, while the rich crimson and the yellow of the lip render the brilliancy of 
the other parts still more conspicuous. Lind. in Bot. Reg., 1809. 

MAXILLARIA CRISTATA. Crested Maxillaria. This remarkably beautiful 
epiphyte flowered in the stove of Mr. Knight of the King’s Road Nursery, with 
whom it flowered in the stove in July last. It is a native of Trinidad, growing on 
old decayed branches of trees near The Mud Lake. The striping, banding, and 
painting of the delicate white flowers with rich crimson produces a very rich and 


striking effect. Lind. in Bot. Reg., 1811. 


PINE APPLE TRIBE (BROMELIACEZ). 


DycKIA RARIFLORA. Few-flowered Dyckia. This plant is a native of Brazil, 
and was sent to the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, from Berlin. It is very handsome, 
and flowered for the first time in the stove at Edinburgh in June, 1835. The 
‘flowers are bright orange. Hooker in Bot. Mag., 3449. 


LILY TRIBE (LILIACE®). 


Tutipa Grsneriana, var. Marcellus. Marcellus Tulip. This variety is 
one of the choicest bizarres, and it is now in pretty general request among amateurs. 
The breeder was raised from seed by the late Mr. Clark, of Croydon, and was broken 
by him about the same time that Mr. Lawrence of Hampton broke the celebrated 
Polyphemus. The flower is large and well formed. ‘The ground colour, a clear 
and bright yellow; the feathering, of a rich and glossy brown; and the flame, of 
the same brown, but very much deeper in the tone. Srmuth’s Flor. Mag., 33. 


ASPHODEL TRIBE (ASPHODELEZ): 


DAUBENYA AUREA. Golden Daubenya. A green-house bulb, native of the 
Cape of Good Hope, whence it was obtained by Messrs. Young of Epsom, under 
the name of Massonia lutea. It flowers in June, and is very pretty, as well as sin- 
gular, so long as its blossoms remain expanded, which is about three weeks. A fter- 
wards its placid green leaves have little to attract attention. Lind.in Bot. Reg., 1813, 


20 CULTURE OF THE GENUS MUCUNA.. 


CULTURE OF THE GENUS MUCUNA, OR COW-ITCH. 


— 


ALL the species of this genus are tender climbing stove plants ; there are, how- 
ever, but a few that may be considered worthy of cultivating in a choice collection. 

The kinds most deserving of notice are, M. altissima, which will grow forty or 
fifty feet high, and bears a profusion of crimson-purple flowers; J/. imbricata, 
which is more dwarf, seldom exceeding in height twelve feet, and produces flowers 
of asimilar colour to the altissima ; M. wrens. with buff flowers; and AL. pruriens, 
with crimson flowers, both of which grow from ten to twelve feet high. 


The M. pruriens (figure) is a well- 
known plant, and remarkable for the use 
made of the short hairs which cover the 
seed-pods, which if touched will penetrate 
the skin and cause a most intolerable itch- 
ing, hence the common name, Covw-ttch. 
This peculiarity in the hairs is taken ad- 
vantage of for medicinal purposes. 

Cowhage (Dolichos pruriens); a, the 


which lie folded up in the keel-like petals 


lower, c, and one, the upper,d; e, the 


pistil. 


The soil best suited for the growth of these plants is, a mixture of equal parts 
of sandy heath mould and light rich loam. 

They are propagated without difficulty by half-ripened cuttings, which should 
be planted in pure sand, and the pots plunged in a brisk bottom heat and be covered 
with a glass, any time during the spring months. 

In two or three weeks they will have struck roots, and may be potted off into 
small pots, and treated like other young plants of a similar habit. 

They may also be propagated by seeds, which are produced freely in long pods. 
The seeds should be sown in the spring, at the time of sowing tender annuals, and 
be placed in the same situations. 


flower; 5, the ten stamens and _pistils 


of the flower. ‘The stamens are divided 
into two bodies, of which, nine form the 


CULTURE OF AMARYLLIDE/E. 21 


CULTURE OF AMARYLLIDE/. 


(Hatracted from “ Mantell’s Floriculture.” ) 


Tae Amaryllidee are a beautiful and interesting tribe of plants, and add greatly 
to the attractions of the stove and green-house during the winter and spring months. 

Although the varieties of the Amaryllis are very numerous, the hybrids are in 
many instances preferred, as they often surpass the originals in beauty, and are found 
to flower more freely, Mr. William Nichol of Newick Park, succeeded in obtaining 
beautiful hybrids from the following varieties, by transferring the pollen of 


Amaryllis rutila to Amaryllis Johnsoni. Amaryllis fulgida to Amaryllis vittata. 
—  crocata — vittata. — miniata — Johnsoni. 
— | Johnsoni — miniata. —  vittata — equestris. 
— equestris — Vittata, —  Johnsoni — reticulata. 
— reticulata — Johnsoni. — reticulata — vittata. 
—  Solandreflora— Johnsoni. —  vittata — Johnsoni. 
—  Johnsoni — regimes: | — Johnsoni — equestris. 
— miniata — regine. —  fulgida — Johnsoni. 
—  splendens — Johnsoni. —  psittacina — reticulata. 


The seed should be collected as soon as ripe, sown in pots, and placed in a hot- 
bed. When the young plants have produced two leaves, they should be potted 
singly into the smallest sized pots, taking care not to put them too deep, but to 
leave the young bulbs on a level with the surface of the mould. They should be 
watered, and kept shaded in the hotbed frame for a few days, and as soon as the 
_bulbs recede from the surface, they should be repotted into large 60-s, and occa- 
sionally shifted during the summer, until the plants are well rooted in 24 sized 
pots. By this treatment many of the young plants will flower the following 
spring. 

The established plants treat in the following manner :—as soon as they begin 
to show flower, stir the surface of the mould, and give as much water as will pene- 
trate to the bottom of the pots; then place them in the stove, and water them 
occasionally as the plants may require. In a few days the flower-stems advance 
considerably in height, the leaves shortly after make their appearance, and in a few 
weeks the plants are in flower. 

When the flowers begin to fade, the flower-stems should not be cut off, but be 
allowed to die down, for if cut while in a green state it will cause the coats of the 
bulbs to decay. 

After the leaves have attained their growth, which may be known by their 
dropping down to the sides of the pots, and by the tips of the leaves beginning to 
turn yellow, the plants should be repotted, taking care to disturb the roots as little 
as possible. 


22 PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS. 


After being potted, place them in a hotbed frame, and supply them with water 
sufficient to settle the mould, shading them with a mat till another set of leaves 
begin to be developed. 3 

They will now form embryo buds for the following season. The plants being 
established, should be gradually exposed to the sun and air, and as soon as the 
leaves have attained their full growth water should be more sparingly applied. 

When the leaves have died down to the bulbs, the plants should be removed into 
a cool vinery or green-house, and if the bulbs feel firm, which may be easily known 
by pressing them with the finger and thumb, the watering may be gradually discon- 
tinued, and the plants be suffered to remain till they begin to-show their flower-buds, 
when the surface of the mould must be stirred as before directed, and the same 
treatment pursued. 

The A. curvifolia, A. corusca, A. (Nerine) Sarniensis, or Guernsey Lily, require 
the same treatment as the other varieties, and will, if properly managed, flower every 
year. ? 

There are several varieties of the Amaryllis that do not root so freely as others, 
but if these are allowed to remain in the pots, and be carefully watered and judici- 
ously treated, they will invariably flower in perfection. 

In the management of Amaryllidex, and bulbs in general, it is of great impor- 
tance that they be not overwatered, that the offsets be carefully detached, and that 
in planting the pots be sufficiently drained. 

The following compost may be advantageously employed, both for seedling and 
established plants:—three parts light turfy loam, two parts white sharp sand, and 
one part turfy-peat. 


PROPAGATION OF CERTAIN PLANTS BY CUTTINGS, 


AS RECOMMENDED BY MR. JOHN MACHRAY, OF ERROL, AND READ BEFORE THE CALEDONIAN 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, FEBRUARY, 1826. 


THERE are many plants that, from their hard texture or peculiar organisation, 
are very difficult to propagate by cuttings; but there are comparatively few that 
have not been found, under proper management, to produce those appendages which 
are requisite to promote the growth and prolong the existence of the species. 
Nature, indeed, employs other means of propagation, but her handmaid Art has 
proved successful in propagating many useful and ornamental vegetables, the seeds 
of which cannot be easily obtained in a climate where they are not indigenous, by 
layering, by cuttings, and by grafting. The approach which Nature may have made 
to propagate the species by any of these methods is very limited. The process of 
layering is the most obviously natural, next to the universal law of “ every tree: 
yielding fruit in which is the seed thereof after his kind.” The mode of grafting, 
by which varieties are propagated, may have first. been adopted from the appearance 


OPERATIONS FOR FEBRUARY. 23 


of cross branches uniting, after long continued and severe pressure against each 
other ; but the origin of striking by cutéings is not so easily accounted for. 

The compost for striking the cuttings of the Aster argophyllus, Pyrus Japonica, 
Aucuba Japonica, the striped-leaved Bramble, and the broad and narrow-leaved 
Myrtles, should always be of an open nature, and at the same time contain as much 
nutritive matter as is requisite to communicate sufficient vigour to the young plants 
when rooted; let it be composed of one-half light brown loam, one-fourth vegetable 
soil, and one-fourth river sand, well mixed and put through a sieve. The best time 
for planting them is from the middle of August till the middle of September, when 
the shoots have acquired sufficient firmness. 

Plant the cuttings on a south border under hand-glasses, about six inches from 
the wall, and so situated as to be partially sheltered from the afternoon sun, but 
fully exposed to that of the morning. 

After marking the place for the glass, take out the natural border earth to the 
depth of eight inches, and that space fill with the above compost, treading it gently 
down, then put in the cuttings, prepared in the common way, with a small dibble. 

The cuttings should be of a last summer’s growth, and be made from four to 
six inches long, and be placed from one and half to two inches apart from each other, 
according to the strength and size of the cuttings. 

After they are made firm give them a good watering, close them down with the 
hand-glass, and shade from the heat of the sun in September and October, but keep 
off the mats during the winter months, and put them on again in March. Continue 
to shade occasionally till August following, and give gentle waterings from the 
beginning of May. 

By the end of June the cuttings will have struck root, and by the end of July 
they will have acquired from six inches to a foot long of young wood. During this 
period they will require more frequent watering and shading throughout the day. 

Admit no air from the time they are planted until the end of the following July, 
except what is unavoidable during the time of watering. About the 12th of August 
they may be potted ; and it will strengthen the plants to have a little air admitted 


every day, by little and little, for about a fortnight before potting.—Mem. Cal. 
Hort. Soc. 


OPERATIONS FOR FEBRUARY. 


AZALEA.—The greenhouse kinds will now commence flowering and continue 
till May. When they are in flower, a good supply of water is requisite to enable 
the plants to support them: inattention to this will cause the flowers speedily to 
fall. See Vol. I. pages 129, 126, and 127; Vol. II. pages 145 and 121. 

ANNUALS (Tender) about the middle of this month may be sown in a mixture 
of light rich loam and leaf-mould or peat, taking care to cover the seeds very lightly ; 


24 OPERATIONS FOR FEBRUARY. 


to excite germination they should be plunged in a moderately heating hot bed, and 
carefully watered with a fine rose or syringe. . 

BrunsvictA.—Toward the latter end of this month examine the bulbs and 
repot them, in light turfy loam mixed with equal parts of peat and sand, let it be 
well chopped and mixed together, but not sifted. See Vol. I. pages 163 and 164. 

CALADIUM BICOLOR, which have been kept dry during the winter, should now 
be excited by giving a moderate supply of water. 

CLeoME.—About the end of the month, the annual species should be sown in 
large feeders, filied with light rich soil, and placed in a warm frame or pit. See 
Vol. I. page 122. | 

Dautias, when propagation 1s intended to be carried toa great extent, a few 
of the roots should be plunged in a tar bed, or frame, where they will soon begin to 


grow. Seeds may also be sown in feeders in very light open soil, and placed in a_ 


hot bed till up. See Vol. I. page 104. 

It is astonishing to what an extent the cultivation of Dahlias is now carried, a 
list to the extent of three hundred new kinds is offered for next season. Amongst 
a variety of new ones, which we saw last autumn, were several excellent flowers 
raised by Mr. Forsyth, of Antaby, near Hull. 

GLORIOSA SUPERBA that were potted last month, as directed Vol. I. page 
97, should now be attended to, and towards the end of the month will require 
repotting. 

KALMIA LATIFOLIA and GLAUCA brought into a forcing-house with a moderate 
heat will soon come into flower. 

Lity oF THE VALLEY.—This interesting little plant will flower freely if 
taken into the greenhouse early in the month. Placed in a warm situation it will 
presently flower. As soon as the flowers appear, remove it into an airy part of the 
house. So treated it will continue in flower for a length of time. 


MIGNONETTE sown last autumn, and preserved through the winter in a cold 


frame, should now be very carefully attended to as regards the application of water, 
air, &c. 

Pinks.—Some of the common kinds, if not already placed in heat, should be 
so immediately, and if carefully watered will soon have a pretty appearance. 

RHODODENDRONS.—If desired to flower early, some of the common kinds 
should be brought into a moderate heat. Syringing every morning is advisable in 
order to excite the growth of the shoots. 

RosE TREES in pots now brought into the forcing house, (a peach house or 
vinery, will do if the heat do not exceed sixty degrees), they should be syringed 
over now and then in order to excite the buds to push; if so treated, they will flower 
about the middle of April. See Vol. I. page 23. 

TREVIRANA COCCINEA should now be attended to as directed vol. I. page 
169. 


Tutte BEDS. Choose a fine day for examining the bulbs, and any that are — 


found cankering, (which will be known by the sickly appearance of the leaves,) the 
affected part should be taken off, and the wound exposed to the sun will soon heal. 


it 


Nig skh 


Tee 7 
SUEY Ly 


25 


YUCCA ALOIFOLIA. 


(ALOE-LEAVED Yucca.) 
amice! ORDER, 


HEXANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 
LILIACE/. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Corolla bell-shaped, six-parted, spreading. Ovarium, three-sided. Capsule, 
three or more celled, with a small hole at the end of each. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—LEvergreen, from three to four feet high. eaves lanceolate, smooth, spreading, 
terminating witha very fine point. Flowers produced, in small clusters, forming a loose spike from 
one foot and a half to two feet high, of a whitish green colour, marked with a streak of purple down 
the centre of the outside of each petal. 


Tuts plant is a native of South America, and has been known in this country 
for many years. We are obliged to our esteemed friend, Mr. Campbell, for the 
opportunity of figuring this species: also for many other beautiful specimens he 
has kindly communicated to us, and under whose management it flowered profusely 
about August last, in the Manchester Botanic Garden. ‘The plant when in full 
bloom stood from nine to ten feet high; the spike of flowers measuring four feet. 

It is nearly hardy, but prefers the protection of the green-house or conservatory, 
where, when in flower, (in which state it is only seen to perfection,) it has a most 
magnificent appearance. The copious display of delicate flowers set in panicles 
round a column four feet high, contrasted with the deep green leaves at their base, 
form a pyramid of beauty and attractiveness. 

The soil in which it thrives best, is rich loam, to which with advantage may be 
added a little pulverised peat, and if mixed carefully with the former, which must 
not be sifted, will enable the rootlets to perform their office without having to 
encounter those obstacles often met with by the loam getting too stiff, as it is 
sometimes liable to do; in this case the roots receive injury. They require but 
little water, and that only in the growing season, when the soil is found to be very 
dry. The method of increasing them is by suckers from the roots. | 

Many of the yuccas may be planted out in the flower-garden, or on the lawn, 
such as the Y. gloriosa,. filamentosa, &c.; in either place they will be objects of 
great ornament. But, for this purpose, a dry situation should be chosen, and in 
places where this cannot naturally be found, the preferable way is to elevate them 
ona hillock of suitable compost a little above the surrounding surface, covering the 
whole with good turf, and if neatly done it will be found to answer, and havea pretty 
effect. The generic name is taken from its being called by the inhabitants of San 
Domingo, Yuca. The specific name is taken from the resemblance of the leaves to 
those of the aloe, hence aloifolia. 

Adam’s needle is the English name of the yuccas, taken from the leaves 
terminating with a sharp point; those of the yucca filameniosa have the fibres 


detached in separate filaments: from this it has been called Eve’s thread. 
VOL PIiL——- NO. XX V1. E 


26 


KENNEDIA SPLENDENS. 


(sPLENDID CRIMSON KENNEDIA. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


DIADELPHIA. DECANDRIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


LEGUMINOS/E. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx two-lipped, upper one two-toothed, lower three-toothed. Corolla butter- 
fly shaped (papilionaceous). Veaillum bent backwards, (vellexed), wings pressed close to the keel. 
Keelremote. Legumi oblong, compressed. 


Speciric Cuaracter.— Plant an evergreen twiner, with a smooth stem. Leaves in threes (ternate), leaflets 
oblong lanceolate, obtuse, smooth, of a dull green colour. Racemes axillary, terminal ; flowers in ~ 
threes, footstalks short and rough. Calyw a light browncolour, villous. Corolla a rich bright 
crimson. 

Turs beautiful plant has been considered to be a new Gilycine, and some doubt 
exists whether it might not safely be referred to that genera; but only having the 
drawing to inspect, we have beenunable to effect that strict investigation so requisite 
to arrive at certainty in anomalous cases. 

Whether it be a new glycine, or, as we have considered it, a species of Kennedia, 
it is evidently distinct from any of the preceding ones; and from its neat character 
the size and brilliancy of its flowers, combined with the length of the raceme on 
which they are produced, sufficiently recommend it to a place in all good collections. 

Our drawing was taken at Messrs. Youngs’ nursery, of Epsom, about October — 
last, and we believe it was the first time of its flowering in this country. We are 
not certain of its native country, but Messrs. Young think it came from the 

Brazils, among other articles. | 

Its twining habit at once recommend it for the greenhouse or conservatory, or for 
training to a trellis in a warm situation on the south wall. The soil suited for 
young plants is two parts of good rich loam, to one of peat, the whole mixed with 

a little clean sand. Cuttings of the ripened wood will strike tolerably free if 

planted in pots filled with white sand, and placed in a tan pit or frame, where there 

is a little bottom heat. 

Messrs. Young have been successful in propagating a few plants, and with the 
exception of two or three they have disposed of, it is at, present very scarce, and 


can only be purchased at the above nursery at about five guineas a plant. 


% Le 
Cw as ae 
¢ Vier PLECLALD Go LOVLA 


rt del eh3c. 


eg 


Lele se 


PHC Srra2th 


| CALCEOLARIA CORYMBOSA, var. TALISMAN. 


(TALISMAN CALCEOLARIA, OR SLIPPER-WORT.) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


| #DIANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


SCROPHULARINE SE. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calya four cleft. Corol/a monopetalous, two-lipped, inflated. Capsule two- 
celled and four valved. 


Spreciric Cuaracter.— Plant perennial, herbaceous. Stem a foot or more high, erect, simple, covered with 
soft hairs, of a purple colour. Lower leaves ovate, obtuse, having a short footstalk and notched. 
Stem leaves heart-shaped, embracing the stem, opposite, flowers ina corymb. Flower stems long, 
and slender, covered also with pubescence like the stem. Calyx broadly ovate, spreading, partly 
acute. Corolla upper lip small, lower one large and inflated, bright yellow. Germen globose. 


Var. Tatisman. —Stem two feet high, pubescent. Root leaves oblong, lanceolate, obtuse, notched. 
Stem leaves ovate, obtuse, opposite. Corymbs forked, consisting of twenty or more flowers. Calya 
ovate, acuminate. Corolla upper lip small, of a pale purple colonr, incurved, lower lip large, of a 
deep blood red, and slightly notched. 


Turis, of all the varieties that have emanated from the species Corymbosa, is 
the most rich in colour, and, when grouped with the other kinds, displays a picture 


of elegance and gracefulness of which no collection should be destitute. 


Its habit is that of the var. Jupiter, requiring as it does, when grown in borders, 
to be sheltered from excessive wet in winter, if not taken up and potted, and 
removed to a cold pit or frame, in either of which they will stand quite safe till 


spring. For further particulars, see Vol. I., page 246. 


28 


THUNBERGIA ALATA, var: ALBA. 


(WHITE- FLOWERED WINGED THUNBERGIA. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


DIDYNAMIA. ANGIOSPERMIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


ACANTHACE/.. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx double, outer one consisting of two heart-shaped leaflets, each having three 
nerves, inner one smaller and toothed. Corolla consisting of one petal, somewhat bell-shaped, 
with a limb divided into five equal lobes. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—A twining shrub. Stem slender, covered thickly with soft white hairs. Leaves 
heart-shaped, sagittate, opposite, pubescent, five-nerved. Flowers solitary, springing from the axils of 
the leaves. Calyx double, yellow green. Corolla orange yellow or buff; inside of the tube dark 
purple, giving a striking appearance to the eye. 


Var Avsa.—Habit very like the alata, but with broader leaves, and larger flow its beautiful delicate 
white corolla, and the conspicuous dark spot in the centre. 


Tuts beautiful and interesting plant has so striking a resemblance to Thunbergia 
alata, in every important particular, except the colour of the corolla, that we are 
lead to consider it merely a variety of that species. 

It is unquestionably a most desirable plant, being so well adapted for training 
up the rafters of the stove, or other convenient places, where its loveliness can be 
clearly seen. 

It grows freely, and produces its blossoms in great abundance, and no doubt 
will be found to propagate with great ease. For further particulars see Vol. II. 
page 2, where 7. alata is treated of. : 

We are obliged to Mrs. Lawrence, of Kaling, for our drawing, in whose collection 
the plant flowered beautifully in the early part of last summer. | 

The generic name is given in honour of Charles Peter Thunberg, M. D., Pro- 


fessor of Botany in the University of Upsal. 


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iif, 


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| Ll Saith del et sc 


| : 4 . ae 4 y. fi. 
ee BF re La we Lia. Oot Lo 


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29 


CULTURE OF THE HELIOTROPIUM PERUVIANUM. 


To propagate this fragrant exotic with success, cuttings must be taken from the 

parent about the latter end of February, or beginning of March, and planted in pots 
_ of rich garden soil, and plunged in a strong hotbed or bark-pit, removing all decayed 
| _ jeaves, &c., as they appear, or they will affect the whole. In two or three weeks, 
_ when the cuttings have grown, they must be removed to an airy part of the hot- 
house for a few days, to harden previous to potting. If a succession of flowering 
plants through the autumn and winter months are wanted, more cuttings should be 
put in during May and June. 
If they are intended to be kept in pots, provide some good soil, composed of one 
| _ part good maiden loam, one of good rotten dung, half the quantity of sandy peat, 
and a little prepared leaf or vegetable mould; the whole must be well chopped, and 
incorporated together, but not sifted ; pot off the cuttings in forty-eight sized pots, 
allowing as much soil to adhere to their roots as possible; cover these halls of roots 
about a quarter of an inch deep, pinch off the extreme ends of the plants to cause 
them to grow bushy, and after giving them a watering, place them in a shady part 
of the stove till they have taken root, then remove them into a more exposed 
situation, and give them plenty of air and water. Due attention must always be 
paid to potting them as often as the roots appear to mat, or the plants will soon 
assume a sickly hue. When in bloom, remove them to the greenhouse or con- 
servatory, where they will continue to flower the greatest part of the year. When 
they have done flowering, set them in a cool part of the greenhouse, until the 
following February, when they should be cut down, their balls reduced, and repotted 
in the compost. When potted, they should be placed in a hotbed to produce 
healthy shoots for propagation, after which the old stools may either be turned into 
the flower-borders or thrown away, as young plants raised every year are to be 
much preferred for flowering in pots. 

But if the Heliotropes are grown purposely for the flower-garden, cuttings put 
fam during the month of September, potted off into small pots, kept in a close frame 
and well protected from cold nights, by means of mats or long litter, until the 
following spring, is considered the best method. Harden them by gradual exposure 
to the open air, so that by the middle of May they will bear to be planted out in 
beds, composed of a good mellow rich earth. Should cold nights happen after the 
plants are turned out (which is sometimes the case), they must be defended by 
means of hoops and mats, or canvass ; if thus protected, they will grow and flower 
freely in favourable seasons, until the chilly nights of autumn give a check to their 
vigour: they should then be taken up with their balls entire, and potted in good 
sized pots. If placed in the stove, and shaded for a few days, they will continue to 
flower down to Christmas, when a few cuttings may be taken from them for 
early propagation, and the old plants thrown away. 


30 


A NEW FLOWER STAND, 


DESIGNED TO FORM A PILLAR OF ROSES. 

TRAINING roses upon stands of varied descriptions, so as to form pillars from 
eight to sixteen feet high, is one of the prettiest floral fancies of the present day ; 
and what in reality can be more lovely to look upon than a column after this 
description of blooming roses? For this purpose, we have net met with any better 
calculated than the one represented in the accompanying figure, being in every 
respect well adapted for the flower-garden, the ornamental shape of the centre 
support rendering it at all times an agreeable object. It was designed and sent 
us, some time ago, by Mr. Saul of Lancaster, 
who communicated the flower-stand figured in 
Vol. II. page 89; and from the great demand 
for the latter, Mr. S. has been induced to have 
it remodelled, improving it in some respects, 
so as to render it interesting and desirable for 
the drawing room, &c. The central pillar of 
the annexed figure, with the brackets, are made 
of cast iron. The letter A, shows the centre 
pillar sunk a sufhcient depth into a large stone 
or block of wood, so as to hold it fast ; of the 
two stone is preferable, as being more durable, 
and better calculated to secure it against rough 
winds, &c., C C C C C C, refer to the brackets 
which fasten the uprights B B B; through 
these uprights pass rods of iron for the 
purpose of tying the branches to. The whole 
should be painted three times over with paint 
of a blackish blue colour, which will secure it 


against rain, and prevent corrosion at the joints 
for many years. One advantage resulting from 
a stand of this description, consists in being 
enabled to make use of plants whose flowers 
vary in colour, such as red, white, and blush; 
the change in colour thus produced makes the 


ANE s 
Wp ISVS a S 


whole extremely pleasing and full of interest. 
If a proper selection of kinds be made, a con- 7 
tinual display of bloom may be kept up during many of the summer months. At 
the bottom of the pillar D, may be placed a few large rough stones, which will 
have the appearance of rock work, and much add to the picturesque beauty of the 
whole ; also prevent the soil becoming dry about the roots, thus assisting them to 
grow with more freedom. 


A NEW FLOWER-STAND. 31 


There are other stands of a more simple 
structure, made of well-seasoned oak or 
larchwood, as represented in the accompany- 
ing figures, that answer for training plants to 
very well. (Fig. 2.) consists of three stout 
upright stakes roughly planed, standing at 
right angles, with cross bars made of the 
same material, either nailed on the outside, 
or let into a mortice to hold them fast; to 
these bars the branches of the plants so 
trained are to be tied. 


Fig. 2. 


(Fig. 3.) represents one similar in structure but less uniform in appearance, the 
only difference consists in the bars crossing each other in the middle ; by this means 


there is an advantage in training the young 
shoots, for by the crossing of the bars this may 
be donemore neatly, and with greater regularity. 
Stands of this description cost very little, and 
if made of dried wood, well painted, will last. for 
four or five years. The height of them should 
be regulated by the habit of the plants intended 
to be trained, if for Clematises or Passifloras 
about eight or ten feet will be sufficient, as 
the first object in training them will be to have 
every internal part quite hidden, so as to 
render the whole one complete mass of flowers 
and foliage; if carried higher they will be apt 
to become naked at the bottom which will give 
them an unsightly appearance. But if Ececremo- 
carpuses or Lathyrises, be desired for training, 
a stand of six or seven feet high will be found 
suificient. As many of the plants that look 
well, trained after this manner, are rather 
tender, it will be advisable to choose as warm 


a situation as the flower-garden will afford. A 


select list of ornamental creepers is given in 


VAL O\C A 


/ 
MN 
Lf 


A\ 


AY 
vy 


V7,__—_-.* 


& //\$ 
Vs 
WY SN Ye X 


e/ 


iN 


Vol. II. pages 83 and 34, arranged so as to show the time of flowering, colour of the 
flowers, height they usually grow, and their general habits. 


32 


CULTURE OF THE GENUS VERBENA; 


PRINCIPALLY THE VERBENA MELINDRES. 


Tue V. melindres is one of the most splendid and lively ornaments we possess, 
contributing more to beautify our fower-garden than any other plant introduced into 
this country. “It may truly be called the gem of the flower-garden.” The 
graceful habit of its growth, the surpassing brilliancy of its flowers, combined with 
the ease with which it is preserved and cultivated, sufficiently tend to prove its 
worth ; so bright and dazzling are the flowers when the sun shines, that it is often 
with pain that we approach near to look upon them. In short, its merits cannot 
be too highly appreciated by those who love to admire the richness of nature, when 
given to augment our pleasures and enrich our dwellings; nor can we, as practical 
men, too assiduously apply ourselves to its cultivation, in order that it may be 
improved and disseminated, and the plant brought to as high a state of perfection 
as human skill can find means to reach. A short time ago, when only a few solitary 
plants existed in this country, the situation they then enjoyed was one the most 
select and favourable, generally occupying a place where its grandeur could be 
readily and advantageously seen. So rare and valuable was it considered, that every 
attention was given to encourage its growth, and to increase the number of plants. 
Experiments were tried, and soon it was found, that. to propagate it was 
attended with little difficulty. At length the plants became numerous, consequently 
the worth and beauty of our flower-garden increased. And to render this the more 
perfect, we find whole beds filled with it, and in summer, when in full bloom, nothing 
can surpass the richness it imparts, and the animating effect it gives to all around. 
For the particulars of this mode of culture, see Vol. I. page 173. There is another 
method not generally practised, which we shall now detail, not that it will enhance 
its genuine beauty, but exhibit it with more advantage, particularly as it affords 
the opportunity of moving it from one place to another, as the taste or will of the 


possessor may dictate, and this’ without injury to the plant or impairing the beauty _ 


of its blossoms. About the month of August or September, when the plants in 
the beds have grown strong, and the branches have commenced to emit young roots 
at the joints, a selection of the strongest and best rooted ones is made, taking care 
to secure a ball of earth to each ; they are then potted, using good rich compost made 
of rich loam and well rotted dung, into thirty-two sized pots, after this a little water 
is given to each, in order to settle the soil about the roots, they are then moved to 
a favourable part of the greenhouse, and in a short time they will have recovered 
any tardiness that might have been occasioned by shifting; after this they may be 
moved to any part of the house, or to a cold dry frame or pit, but here they must 
be watered very sparingly, and air admitted freely when the weather is fine, leaving 
them exposed at no time when the atmosphere is unusually damp. In this state they 
will stand the whole of the winter without sustaining any loss. In the spring as 


CULTURE OF THE GENUS VERBENA. 33 


early as is consistent they should be excited te grow, and will shortly require fresh 
potting, which should be done as soon as the roots have penetrated through the 
soil to the sides of the pot; at this shifting, twenty-four sized pots should be used, 
and the plants placed where they can enjoy an abundance of light and air; this 
cannot be better effected than by placing them near the front of the greenhouse. 
At this stage water should be given, so as just to keep the soil moist. In about a 
month or six weeks after this they will need an additional supply of pot room, 
which should be given without delay. The shoots now will be found to have 
increased in strength and number, and if frequently shifted, increasing the size of 
the pot at each shift, until they finally reach to number one, in which they may be 
allowed to flower, the progress made will be surprising. During their growth, 


| which will continue without intermission, some of the flower-buds which have made 


their appearance should be pinched off, for, if allowed to remain on, will rob them of 
a portion of their strength and consequently their growth will be retarded. After 
they have received their last shift, no more buds should be plucked, for, if any more 
be destroyed, the ultimate beauty of the plant will be impaired. But whether the 
branches, which at this stage will have grown three or four feet long, are to be trained to 
a trellis, or allowed to hang over the sides of the pots, must be determined by the 
taste of the possessor. We have them upon both systems at Chatsworth, and find 
both to answer admirably, the branches of many growing the length of four or five 
feet, entirely covering the pot over which they hang, or hiding the trellis to which 
they are trained; and when elevated in a conspicuous part of the greenhouse, or 
placed in a warm part of the flower-garden, the effect they give is truly grand, a 
continual display of loveliness being maintained until the frost sets in. And to try 
to what pitch of excellence this plant can be brought, we propose plunging a 
plant or plants into a good rich border, and training them toa trellis on the hot wall, 
with other beautiful and valuable plants. The result we shall treat of in its place. 

Verbena aubletia, or rose Vervain, is also a beautiful plant, well adapted to flower- 
garden purposes. Its pretty lacinate leaves, and solitary corymbs of purple flowers, 
entitle it to extensive cultivation. It is a perennial plant, requiring the protection 
of the greenhouse during winter, yet, if well covered with leaves or straw mats, it 
endures the intensity of the winter. Cuttings of the young shoots will take freely 
if put in sand and placed under a bell glass; this should be done about the month 
of August. It may also be increased by layers, which should be pinned down as 
the growth of the shoot advances; good loam and sandy peat suit this best. 

Verbena paniculata is not so handsome as the other species. It is a hardy 
perennial, and does well with the treatment required for V. aubletia. Its flowers 
are blue, and produced on an erect stem. 

Verbena venosa, or strong-nerved Vervain, is another beautiful plant of this 
genus, and planted in the flower-garden it flowers prolificly ; either single, or a number 
grouped together, they have a very pleasing effect. Its flowers are of a rich purple 
colour, produced on a kind of forked spike. It is propagated freely by cuttings planted 
in common rich soil, but the most ready way is by dividing the roots, which is easily 
done, as it throws up many suckers. It requires the protection during the winter, 

VOL. III.—NO. XXVI. F 


34 REVIEWS, 


either of the greenhouse or a cold dry frame or pit, in which place it should be 
cautiously watered. | 

The V. pulchella, or sweet-scented Vervain, is a plant of much beauty, and is well 
adapted for planting in beds in the flower-garden ; its flowers are pretty, and emit 
an agreeable fragrance when growing in the open air or in the greenhouse; in 
either place it will thrive well, but of the two it is more calculated for the flower- 
garden, as, when grouped together, the effect they give is much better than when 
standing singly in pots. This also is easily propagated either by layers or by 
cuttings of the ripened wood, which should be planted in sand, and placed under a 
bell glass ; any rich soil will do for this purpose. 

Verbena rugosa, or wrinkled-leaved Vervain, is a hardy plant, and particularly 
showy, making a grand display of beauty when planted in beds in the flower-garden, 
for which it will be found well adapted. It thrives well in light rich soil, and may 
readily be increased by cuttings. ; 

The species spoken of above are all valuable plants, and should be in every 
well-arranged flower-garden. 


REVIEWS. 
1. THE COMPANION TO THE BOTANICAL MAGAZINE. 


“THE proprietor of the Botanical Magazine has long been desirous to combine 
with that work a supplementary portion, destined to include various information 
relating to botany and botanical travellers; to be edited by the talented Dr. 
Hooker, author of the above, to be continued in monthly numbers, each number to 
contain two sheets of closely printed letter- press, and two partially coloured plates ; 
separate ls. 6d., or stitched with the magazine ls., thus making in the whole, 
including a coloured number of the magazine, 4s. 6d. From the editor’s extensive 
correspondence, and frequent intercourse with scientific botanists and travellers of 
almost every part of the world, a constant supply of novel and entertaining inform- 
ation will be insured, which will be found extremely useful to the botanist, and 
interesting to the general reader.” This work we can safely recommend as one 
of interest and extensive utility ; but to enable our readers to judge of its merits 
we make the following extract, from the sixth number, upon the uses and properties 
of the coca. “The coca, (Lirythroxylon coca of Lamarck,) is a shrub of six or 
eight feet high, and to the eyes of an individual unpractised in botany, presents 
the general appearance of a straight-growing black-thorn bush ; its numerous small 
white flowers, and the pleasing green of its leaves, occasioning this similarity. A 
large plantation of coca, while in this state, is an agreeable object, though less 
beautiful than a well kept coffee ground. The frequent stripping of the foliage of 


REVIEWS. 39 


coca soon reduces it to naked brushwood, and it is but slowly that it regains its 
verdant garb. ‘These leaves, which are gathered and dried with great care, form 
the object. of a brisk trade, and the use of them is as ancient as our first knowledge 
of Peruvian history; for the rude primitive people received the coca from the 
Cadmus of the lofty mountains of Titicaca, and wherever the incas afterwards pene- 
trated, they distributed it as a boon among the conquered nations. To the present 
day, we see the Indian, stretched out unsociably in the shade, alternately putting 
some coca-leaves and some finely powdered chalk into his mouth. Silently, as 
unwilling to be disturbed by conversation, he whiles away a good half hour in the 
enjoyment of this occupation, slowly swallowing the saliva, and renewing the 
masticated leaves by fresh ones; and, while thus engaged, not all the haste and 
impatience of the traveller, nor even the approach of a heavy storm, can rouse the 
Indian from this state of intolerable apathy. The servant would instantly quit any 
white master who attempted to restrain him in this respect, and would sooner bear 
to be deprived of necessary food, than to employ in any other manner the period 
allotted to the enjoyment of his coca. Only in quiet retirement, too, is the pleasure 
unalloyed, it is lost by riding or walking: so that if the traveller would keep his 
companion in good humour, whether proceeding by boat or by mules, he must four 
times a day, consent to these tantalising pauses, a sacrifice which even the farmers 
of this country are compelled to make to the infatuation of their workmen. It has 
never answered to debar a coquero (thus is the most intimate companion termed in 
Peru) from the enjoyment of this vice, for every one declares he would sooner 
forego the most necessary things, and the appetite for it increases with age, bringing 
with it many evil consequences. Strangers are amazed at beholding such an in- 
fatuated passion for a leaf, which, whether fresh or dry, is only distinguished by a 
slight scent ; possesses no balsamic properties, and when taken in small quantities 
has merely a grassy, or at most, a bitterish taste; the difficulty, however, vanishes: 
when the observation of its effect upon others, or one’s own personal experience, 
convinces us that, the coca, by its property of stimulating the nervous system, pos- 
sesses a power much akin to that of opium. Rude nations have ever sought for 
artificial excitements, and the lower a people stand in the scale of intellectual 
ability, so much the more attractive to them is that means of exhilaration which 
removes for a time the consciousness of a dreary waste within. The American 
Indians, and especially those of the Peruvian Andes, though surrounded by civilisa- 
tion, are enthralled by a melancholy suspicion of their own deficiencies and inability, 
to improve themselves, whence arises their passion for artificial stimula, whether 
supplied by the coca or by the immoderate use of ardent spirits. Under the effect 
of the former, the habitual dejection of the Peruvian leaves him, and his indolent. 
imagination brings images to his mind, which would never occur to him in his usual. 
condition. If less violent in its first effects than opium, the coca is, perhaps, more 
dangerous from their longer continuance. A series of observations can alone 
convince the novice of this fact, as without it, the long train of ills which attack 
the Peruvian would never be traced to their real source. The sight of an inveterate 


36 REVIEWS. 


coquero suggests the desired explanation; useless for every active pursuit in hfe, 
and the slave of his passions, even more than the drunkard, he exposes himself to 
the greatest dangers, for the sake of gratifying this degrading propensity. As the 
stimulus of coca is most fully developed when the body is exhausted with toil, or 
the mind with conversation, the poor victim then hastens to some retreat in the 
gloomy native wood, and flinging himself under a tree, remains stretched out there, 
heedless of night or of storms, unprotected by covering or by fire, unconscious of 
the floods of rain and of tremendous winds which sweep the forest ; and often 
yielding himself for two or three entire days to the occupation of chewing coca, 
returns home to his abode, with trembling limbs and pallid countenance, the 
miserable spectacle of unnatural enjoyment. Whoever accidentally meets the 
coquero under such circumstances, and by speaking interrupts the effect of this 
intoxication, is sure to draw upon himself the hatred of the half-maddened creature. 
The man who is once seized with the passion for this practice, if placed in circum- 
stances which favour its indulgence, is a ruined being. Many instances were related 
to us in Peru, where young people of the best families have begun to use coca for 
the sake of passing the time away ; and, acquiring a relish for it, have, from that 
period, been lost to civilisation, and, as if seized by some malevolent instinct, refuse 
to return to their homes, and resisting the entreaties of their friends, who occasion- 
ally discover the haunts of these unhappy fugitives, either retire to some moré 
distant solitude, or take the first opportunity of escaping when they have been 
brought back to the town ; indeed the lives of such wretched beings are embittered 
by the presence of civilised society, where the white coquero is shunned as the 
most dissolute drunkard, and, soon sinking into a semi-barbarous state, and degrad- 
ing their white hue, which is the natural stamp of a higher class of society, they 
die a premature death from their excessive use of this intoxicating leaf. An 
example of this kind fell under my own notice, in an individual who lived with me 
in the solitary Pampayaco, and unworthily bore the honoured appellation of 
Calderone. He was of the fairest colour, and of very good descent, but for twenty 
years had resided in the montana, where from compassion, he was permitted to 
inhabit a hut, more fit for a savage than for a white man. Although scarce forty 
years of age, he was more decrepid than many a person of sixty, and utterly useless 


for any common purpose of life, as no one could depend on his word. Priding | 


himself excessively, like all Creoles, on his white colour, yet utterly averse to any 
exertion, the mere idea of a city life with its accompanying restraints, was hateful 
to him. As he was a decided coquero, he could only be of service when it was 
practicable to keep this intoxicating herb from him; but when once the passion 
had irresistibly seized him, which was at least every month, he would break through 
all restraints, and disappearing in the forest, was lost for many days, after which he 
would emerge, sick, powerless, and altered. He was of some use to me, as a good 
and eager sportsman, and, by liberally supplying him with such fine gunpowder as 
he could not obtain by purchase, I soon gained his perfect confidence and goodwill. 
His disposition was generally kind, but any remonstrance against his vices, would 


REVIEWS. 37 


throw him into an ungovernable rage; he has frequently assured me, in confidential 
moments, that he would rather, as he has done for months together, live alone in 
the midst of some coca shrubs, in the most solitary spot in the wilderness, depend- 
ing for support on his fishing-line and gun, than return home to his family at 
Huanuco. His descriptions of the lovely visions that appeared to him in the 
forest at night, and of his delicious sensations at such moments, had something in 
them truly awful. | 

“When it rained, he used to cover his half-naked body with soddened leaves 
that had fallen from the trees: and he assured me, that when this wretched sub- 
stitute for raiment was brought to steam by the warmth of his person, that he could 
lie thus enveloped, for hours, without experiencing inconvenience or cold. The 
exciting principle of the coca appears to be of very volatile nature, and whether the 
elaborate chemistry of our country will ever be able to ascertain its mode of operation 
seems very dubious, as even in its native place, the leaves, where this quality 
principally resides, after being kept twelve months, become perfectly inert, and good 
for nothing. Apart from the effect undeniably produced on the nervous system by 
masticating the foliage, its exciting properties must be derived from subordinate 
causes. Large heaps of the freshly dried leaves, particularly while the warm rays of 
the sun are upon them, diffuse a very strong smell, resembling that of hay in which 
there is a quantity of melilot. The natives never permit strangers to sleep near 
them, as they would suffer violent headaches in consequence. When kept in small 
portions, and after a few months, the coca loses its scent, and becomes weak in 
proportion. The novice thinks that the grassy smell and fresh hue are as per- 
ceptible in the old state as when new, and this is to be expected with the Peruvian, 
who never uses it without the addition of burnt lime. Without this, which always 
excoriates the mouth of a stranger, the natives declare that coca has not its true 
taste, a flavour by the bye which can only be detected after a long use of it; it 
then tinges green the carefully swallowed spittle, and yields an infusion of the same 
colour. Of the latter alone I made trial, and found that it had a flat grass-like 
taste, but I experienced the full power of its stimulating principle. 

“When taken in the evening, it is followed by great restlessness, loss of sleep, 
and generally uncomfortable sensations, while from its exhibition in the morning, 
a similar effect, though to a slighter degree, arose, accompanied with loss of appetite. 
The English physician, Dr. Archibald Smith, who has a sugar plantation near 
Huanuco, once, when unprovided with Chinese tea, made a trial of the coca as a 
substitute for it, but experienced such distressing sensations of nervous excitement, 
that he never ventured to use it again. The Peruvian increases its effects by large 
doses, utter retirement, and the addition of other stimulating substances. The 
inordinate use of the coca speedily occasions bodily disease, and detriment to the 
moral powers, but still the custom may be persevered in for many years, especially 
if frequently intermitted ; and the coquero sometimes attains the age of fifty, with 
comparatively few complaints. But the oftener these orgies are celebrated, espe- 
cially in a warm and moist climate, the sooner are their destructive effects made 


38 REVIEWS. 


evident ; for this reason, the natives of the cold and dry districts of the Andes are 
more addicted to the consumption of coca than those of the close forests, where 
undoubtedly other stimulants do but take its place. Weakness in the digestive 
organs, which like most incurable complaints, increases continually in a greater or 
less degree, first attacks the unfortunate coquero. This complaint, called opilacion, 
may be trifling at the beginning, but soon attains an alarming height; then come 
bilious obstructions, attended with all those thousand painful symptoms, which are, 
so much aggravated by a tropical climate. Jaundice and derangement of ‘the 


nervous system follow, along with pains in the head, and such a prostration of 


strength that the patient speedily loses all appetite ; the hue of the whites assumes 
a leaden colour, and a total inability to sleep ensues, which aggravates the mental 
depression of the unhappy individual, who spite of all his ills, cannot relinquish the 
use of the herb to which he owes his sufferings, but craves brandy in addition ; the 
appetite becomes quite irregular, sometimes failing altogether, and sometimes 


assuming quite a wolfish voracity, especially for animal food; thus. do years of 


misery drag on, succeeded, at length, by a painful death. 

“In a moral point of view, the custom of chewing coca is no less deleterious. 
The propensity for solitude and inaction which it engenders, is productive of many, 
bad consequences; and if the intellectual powers do not seem to sink so quickly as: 
under the influence of ardent spirits, still the effects tend finally to equal degrada- 
tion. It is fortunate that a thinly peopled region is the only theatre for the 
coqueros, the bustle of a town would ill suit this propensity ; besides, public opinion 
is even more strong against it than gambling or drinking. The stigma of vul- 
garity attaches so much tothe coquero, that every white person shuns any inter- 
course with him, though he always pleads the weakness of his stomach as an excuse 
for chewing the herb. The Indian alone is considered as privileged to continue 
this custom, for even the negro, though fond of strong excitement, does not love 
the coca; still, females of every class are said to be partial to it, and to enjoy it 
both in the montana and the towns, though in the greatest secrecy. It is a rare 
thing for strangers to addict themselves to it, though it is said that the Chilians do 
so, when coming to reside in the coca districts, and become even more inveterate 
coca chewers than the natives themselves. You may frequently hear the ignorant 
people in Peru speak of this herb as a blessing sent from heaven, and a miraculous 
plant, to which the greatest virtues are ascribed. Undoubtedly many individuals 


may use it without suffering materially, but as its effects of increasing the powers arise 


solely from exciting the nerves, the results: must finally be injurious; and, even 
those instances of endurance which arise from its use, have been greatly 
exaggerated. The miner will perform, for twelve long hours, the formidable 
heavy work of the mine, and sometimes even doubles that period, without sustain- 
ing any farther sustenance than a handful of parched maize, but every three hours 
he takes a pause for the purpose of chewing coca (coqgueat). He would work ill 
and reluctantly if the proprietor let him want his favourite herb; and he exerts 
himself four-fold if he is allowed to take brandy along with it, thus heightening, as 


REVIEWS. ; ; 39 


he says, its pleasing taste. But after quitting such labour as no European could have 
performed, he requires (provided the coca has not engendered any disease) as much 
food as others, and such a quantity of it as might surprise any one, when its 
miserable nature is considered. The same holds good with the Indian, who, as a 
porter, messenger, or vender of his own productions, traverses the Andes on foot. 
Merely chewing coca from time to time, he travels with a load, weighing one 
ewt., on his back, over indescribable rough roads, and accomplishes frequently ten 
leagues in eight hours. During the revolutionary war, the undisciplined patriot 
troops, chiefly consisting of Indians from the Sierra, by dint of ample supplies of 
coca and brandy, traversed long distances in a very short time, and thus became 
very dangerous to the Spaniards). Where Europeans would have halted and 
bivouacked, the ill-clad barefooted Indians merely paused, for a short interval, to 
chew their coca. But, with all this, coca only possesses a stimulating property 
which is highly dangerous, and so fascinating, that, for one who becomes passion- 
ately attached to it, there is no escape. Short, too, is the alleviation of misery 
which it yields to the thousands whose destruction it procures, so that we may well 
adopt the opinion of the old Spanish chronicler, who affirms that ‘the use of the 
coca is solely a depraved taste, and worthy only of such beings as the unhappy 


9 


Indians now are.’ 


2. FLORIGRAPHIA BRITANNICA. 


Coloured 1s. Plain 6d. “* By Richard Deakin, and Robert Marnock, curator of the 
Sheffield Botanical and Horticultural Gardens.” 


Tue first number of this publication appeared in August last. Each number 
contains twelve plates, illustrative of the flowering plants and ferns of Britain. 
The engravings, though small, are well executed, and the colouring good, giving a 
tolerably correct idea of the plants they are intended to represent; and to obviate 
any difficulty that may arise from the smallness of the plates, the authors have 
given dissections of, and considerably magnified the reproductive organs, &c., so 
that the class and order to which they belong may readily be fixed upon. The 
arrangement followed is that of the Linnean system, at the same time, the 
natural order of each genus is specified. We recommend this work to the notice 
of all who desire to become acquainted with the native plants of this country, and 
from its reasonable price it cannot fail to get into the hands of all classes. To the 
young gardener, who may feel disposed to possess it, we would advise to make. 
choice of the plain copies, as the expense is not only smaller, but, if he be diligent, 
he may lay on the colours himself from the natural plants, and this would certainly 
make a more lasting impression on the mind, than merely looking over and reading 
the descriptions. 

Perhaps no one has contributed more, or laboured with more diligence, to im~ 


40 HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF FERNS. 


prove the art of gardening, even at that day when so many obstacles tended to im- 


pede the progress and cool the desires of those whose ardent wish was to see that 
pursuit brought to such a standing as might lead their fellow men to taste of those 
pleasures they well knew it was so competent to afford, than John Evelyn, 
he was the son of the author of the Sylva ; and to show how defined his taste for 
that art was, we extract the following from S. Felton’s second edition of the 
Portraits of English authors on Gardening; when he says, “ Let us but take a turn 
or two in a well contrived and planted garden, and see what a surprising scene pre- 
sents itself in the vernal bloom, diffusing its fragrant and odoriferous wafts, with 
their ravishing sweets; the tender blossoms curiously enamelled; the variously 
figured shapes of the verdant foliage, dancing about, and immantling the laden 


branches of the choicest fruits; some hiding their blushing cheeks, others displaying - 


their beauties, and even courting the eyeto admire; others the hand to gather; and 
all of them to taste their delicious pulps. 


“Can anything be more delightful than to behold an ample square in a beniyn 


aspect, tapestried and adorned with such a glorious embroidery of festoons and 
fruitages, depending from the yielding boughs pregnant with their offspring, and 
pouring forth their plenty and store as out of so many Amalthean horns? Some 
tinctured with the loveliest white and red; others are azure purple ; others striped 
with an incarnadine as over a tissue of vegetable gold. Colours of an oriency that 
mock the pencil of the most exquisite artist ; and with which their native beauty, 
perfume, fragrance, and taste, gratify and entertain more senses at once than does 
any sublunary object in all unvitiated nature besides.” 


HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF FERNS. 


In Vol. I, page 171, of our Magazine, we detailed the method of raising stove 
ferns from seeds ; we now proceed to lay down a few rules for their future manage- 
ment. It is well known to all who have the least acquaintance with this interesting 
but often neglected tribe of plants, that the situation the generality of them prefer, 
is (if tender kinds) that part of the hot-house which is little suited for any other 
sorts of piants, and if hardy or indigenous ones, we generally find them thriving in 
the greatest vigour in those situations which would be immediate death to almost 
any other native plant. We recollect some time ago seeing a good collection of 
tender ferns, placed at the back of the house, on a flue, or a shelf or kind of stage, 
and from the healthy state of the other plants which stood immediately in front of 
them, this part of the house where the ferns were growing, was constantly shaded ; 
and in cloudy or dull weather it was surprising to see how gloomy their situation, 
was rendered, and still more surprising to witness their very healthy state, putting 
forth, as many of them did, beautiful large leaves, obtruding themselves into the path 


/ 


HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF FERNS. Al 


which run at the back of the house. It cannet be denied that the ferns are a 
handsome and extremely interesting tribe of plants, adapting themselves, as the 
generality of them do, to those situations where plants of more delicate habits will 
scarcely keep in existence; we think, for this simple reason, they are entitled to 
more general cultivation, for any one who has but a small hot or green-house may 
have choice selections of these interesting plants suited to either place, and if the 
following directions be attended to, they may be grown with tolerable ease, and 
will not fail, we are sure, to compensate for the labour that may be bestowed 
upon them. After the plants that have been raised from seed or otherwise pro- 
cured, have attained sufficient size and strength to be allowed to stand singly in 
pots, they should, with the greatest possible care, be potted, for if the roots are 
broken, or otherwise injured, they will be sometime in recovering. The soil best 
for the purpose, we would say, is sandy peat with a very little mixture of rich loam. 
Before potting, nothing perhaps is of more importance than to attend properly to 
the drainage, for ferns although we find them sometimes in this country growing 
in very moist places, do not like, neither will they thrive if the soil in which 
they are potted be suffered to become saturated. Next in the scale of importance 
to proper drainage, is to understand the most advisable plan for putting in the 
plants, and of placing the soil about their roots: it cannot be urged that it is 
generally natural for ferns to have the soil close packed about the roots, but expe- 
rience has taught us that in potting them it is best to press the soil pretty close to 
their roots, which may be done without damaging them, if care be taken, andif the 
soil have a pretty good admixture of sand, the water will pass off with freedom. 
After the plants are safely settled in the pots, a little water may be applied with a 
very fine rose, so as not to wash any of the soil into the hearts of the plants, or into 
the axils‘of their leaves, for if this be not attended to, the soil which is most sure 
to accumulate, will tend greatly to injure the plants and retard their future progress ; 
next they should be secured from the influence of the sun, either by placing them 
at the back part of a wall, or, what is equally good, is to place canvass or mats so as 
to evade this luminary; in a short time after this the plants will have made new 
roots, and become established and set in a promising state for growing, they may 
then be removed to the situation in which they are hoped to flourish, which should 
be the back part of the house, or so disposed at the front as to prevent the rays of 
the sun from acting directly upon them, or, as we have sometimes seen them placed 
in a pit with other stove plants, so as to be partially shaded by their branches and 
foliage ; in either of these places they will grow better, and maintain a more healthy 
and pleasing appearance than they would if left exposed to the heat of the sun; this 
is one reason why ferns do better in a partially shaded situation, since they enjoy an 
atmosphere more humid and subject to less variation than when under the direct 
rays of the sun. The administration of water is often too little attended to, and 
considered of minor importance in many instances, and to this is not unfrequently 
attributable the bad success of many cultivators, and it is certainly a very diffi- 
cult point to hit upon. In close damp weather the watering should be particularly 
attended to, for if the plants at this time get over-watered they are more liable to 
VOL. I1I.—NO, XXVI. G 


4? HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF FERNS- 


suffer, than when the atmosphere is clear and less humid, but at all times water 


should be given with the greatest caution, as once over-watering may be attended 


with the worst consequences. In dry weather it may be seen when a plant needs 
water by the appearance of the soil, which will be dry on the surface, but although 
this cannot be taken as a sure criterion, it is certainly better than always watering 
indiscriminately, without reference to any rule, which is too often the case. As 
ferns, like most other plants, are subject to the attacks of insects, particularly the 
red-spider, it is necessary to syringe them now and then over the leaves in order 
to arrest the progress of this little intruder, the best time to perform this is in the 
evening, after a fine summer’s day. After this operation it is not uncommon to 
see many of the pots left standing full of water, which in many instances is 
succeeded by an indication of sickness in the plant, to remedy this the plants should 
be looked over, and where water is found standing in the pots, they should be turned 
on one side until this superabundance has run off, then they may be placed in their 
upright position without sustaining any injury. His Grace the Duke of Devon- 


shire’s collection of ferns at Chatsworth are planted in the fissures of the rock- 


work in the stove, giving the whole at all times a very pretty and interesting 
appearance. In fine, from the varied shapes of the leaves, the peculiar manner of 
their development, a continued diversity is 
maintained, which is quite engaging and 
beautiful; in this situation they grow sur- 
prisingly and are remarkably healthy. 

The accompanying figure is the Bladder- 
wrack, (Fucus vesiculosus, Linn.)it belongs to 
the Jussieuan order Ale ; the leaf issmooth, 
glossy, and dark olive, having a mid-rnib 
tapering from its base: a, represents the 
vesicles, containing the spores; 6, a section 
of the same. The plant is said to be 
employed in the manufacture of kelp. It is 
readily known by the round hollow bladder- 
like excrescence, which is said to be filled 


with air, in the male plant, while in the 
female it contains a jelly. In the dry state 
the plant assumes a dull black colour very 
brittle, and is not unfrequently found covered 
with a kind of saline efflorescence. 


The subject of Ferns we shall resume at a future opportunity. 


43 


HINTS ON THE GENUS DIGITALIS. 


Tue genus Digitalis belongs to the class Didynamia and order Angiospermia of 
the Linnzean system, and is one of that group in the Jussieuean arrangement deno- 
minated Scrophularinee, or Fig-wort. They are, for the most part, showy plants ; 
and D. purpurea (see fig.) and the variety Albo are natives of this country, 
found growing in abundance about rocky places, old hedge-rows, and not un- 
frequently by road sides, where they are objects of much beauty. The flowers of 
the former are of a purplish-red colour, growing on one side of a fine showy spike; 
the flowers of the latter are white, but it is not so commonly met with as the other. 

The D. laciniata is a hardy perennial, and although common, is, when well grown, 
a very pretty plant, producing its flowers about June and July. It may readily be 
increased by dividing the roots. It is a native of the mountains about Malaga. 
The flowers are yellow, which it produces in great abundance. 

The D. ambigua is certainly a very desirable plant, as 1t will grow in almost 
any soil and situation, It has large yellow blossoms which it produces about 
August, and, being a hardy plant, is well 
calculated for the flower-garden. It is a 
native of the South of Europe, particularly 
Germany, and is easily increased by seeds, 
or by divisions of the roots. 

The D. canariensis is said to have been 
cultivated in this country so long ago as 
1698, by the Duchess of Beaufort. It 1s 
sometimes found growing to the height of 
six feet, in which state, when in full bloom, 
it is a very lively object. The flowers are 
of a tawny yellow colour, produced about 
the month of June. It is a native of the 
Canary Islands, and not so hardy as the 
preceding species, requiring the protection 
of a green-house or frame, during frost. It 
grows well in sandy loam, and is increased 
by seeds, which it produces in abundance.! 

The D. lutea is a native of the South of 


France, Transylvania, and Italy, where it is Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) a, part of a 
found on mountainous places in the shade. flower, showing the four stamens; 6, the pistil. 


Itisa hardy perennial of very easy culture, growing in almost any soil and situation. 
The flowers are yellow, and when in bloom it has a very pretty appearance about 
June and July. It may be propagated from seeds, or by dividing the roots. 

D. parviflora, or small-flowered Foxglove, is a plant of little beauty, and will 
grow in any sheltered situation, being nearly hardy. The flowers, which are pro- 
duced in great abundance, are very small, and of a dull colour. It may also be 
propagated by seeds, or by divisions at the root. 


44 


NEW AND BEAUTIFUL PLANTS 


FIGURED IN THE TWO LEADING BOTANICAL PERIODICALS, AND FLORISTS 
MAGAZINE FOR JANUARY. © 


BotANicAL Register. Edited by Dr. Lindley, each number containing 
eight figures; beautifully coloured 4s., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

BoranicaL MaGazine. Edited by Dr. Hooker, each number containing eight 
figures ; beautifully coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

British Frower-Garpen. Edited by Mr. David Don, each number con- 
taining four plates; beautifully coloured 3s., plain 2s. 6d. 

Fiorists’ MaGcazine. Edited by Mr. F. W. Smith, each number containing 
four elegantly coloured plates, with, occasionally, two or more on each plate. Large 
quarto 4s., octavo 2s. 6d. 

Of the above twenty-four monthly plates we have only noticed such plants as 
are new and very rare, and only such new ones as are handsome, and deserve to be 
extensively cultivated. For descriptions and figures reference must be made to the 
works themselves. 


CLASS L—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONE AS). 
INDIAN FIG TRIBE (CACTEZ). 


Cereus NAPpoLEonis. Napoleon’s Cereus. This plant was sent by Mr. Kay, 
of Clapton, about ten years ago, to the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, where it 
flowered for the first time in September last. The flowers open in the morning 
and close in the afternoon, It is very like the C. grandiflorus, and is slightly, 
not very agreeably, perfumed. Bot. Mag. 3408. 


COMPOSIT&. 

COREOPSIS CORONATA. Crowned Coreopsis. Seeds of this beautiful plant 
were gathered in Texas, and received from Mr. Drummond during the spring 
of 1835. The plants raised from them flowered copiously in the summer and 
autumn ; those in the open air continuing to display their handsome flowers, remark- 
able for the circle of brown spots placed at a distance from the disk, till October, 
when they were cut off by the frost; those in a frame continued much longer in 
perfection. Bot. Mag. 3460. 

EPACRIDEX. 
CosMELIA RUBRA. Red Cosmelia. A marshy plant found upon the coast of 
New Holland. In this country it is a very pretty green-house plant, with the 
habit of an Epacris. It flowersin May. Bot. Reg. 1822. 


THE BIRTH-WORT TRIBE (ARISTOLOCHI#). 
ARISTOLOCHIA F@TENS. Stinking Birth-wort. A native of the West Indies, 
whence it was obtained by Mrs. Marryat, in whose stove at Wimbledon it flowered 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 45 


in June last. It is remarkable for its large size, and the singular colour of its 
flowers, which are beautifully variegated with purple and dirty yellow. They have 
a most disagreeable and disgusting smell, which will prevent the plant from becom- 
ing a favourite. It will strike freely fromcuttings. Bot. Reg. 1824. 


THE CHICKWEED TRIBE (CARYOPHYLLEZ). 


AcrosT—EMMA BunGEANA. Dr. Bunge’s Scarlet Campion. A plant of this 
beautiful species was received from Messrs. Booth of the Foltbeck Nurseries near 
Hamburgh, by Dr. Neill, in whose collection it flowered in July last. It is a 
native of Asiatic Russia. A hardy perennial, requiring a loamy soil, and it may be 
increased by cuttings, or by seeds which appear to perfect. freely. Brit. Fl. 
Garden, 317. 

THE VERVAIN TRIBE (VERBENACEZ). 

VERBENA RUGOSA. Wrinkled-leaved Vervain. A very showy species, raised 
from seeds received from Buenos Ayres. It is a hardy perennial, growing in a light 
rich soil, and increased by cuttings, or by parting the roots. Brit. £l. Garden. 


THE MEZEREUM TRIBE (THYMELEZ). 

DAPHNE ODORATA, var. RUBRA. Red-flowered fragrant Daphne. An erect 
evergreen bushy shrub, about two feet high ; very desirable for the green-house or 
conservatory, for, if growing vigorously, it continues to blossom during the greater 
part of the year. The flowers are of a dark red in the bud state, becoming paler 
and more glossy after expansion, and they are then highly fragrant. Brit. £1. Gar. 


ees 


CLASS I1.—PLANTS WITH ONLY ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONES). 


THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDE#). 


DENDROBIUM DENSIFLORUM. Dense-flowered Dendrobium. This lovely 
Orchidea comes so near to Roxburgh’s D. clavatum (Hort. Beng., p. 63), that 
Dr. Lindley would have considered them as identical, had not bulbs been ascribed 
to the latter, of which the former was entirely destitute. It is a most splendid plant, 
producing large clusters of yellow flowers. It thrives well in a moist atmosphere, 
with other Orchideous plants. Bot. Reg. 1828. 


THE LILY TRIBE (LILIACEZ). 


Tuxirs. Elizabeth and Homer. Rose Elizabeth was raised from seeds by the 
late Wm. Clark, Esq., of Croydon, and bloomed for the first time in Mr. Jeffries’ 
superb collection at Rotherhithe. It is a flower of considerable merit, of a beautiful 
form, and has the white ground exceedingly pure to the base of the cup. Homer is 
one of Mr. Groom’s flowers. It is one of great beauty. The cup is of a beautiful 
form, approaching to a globe; the white is very bright and pure; the feathering is 
glossy, and of a peculiar richness. £7. Mag. No. 7. 


46 


REMARKS ON THE NATURAL ORDER ASCLEPIADEA; 


WITH SOME 


DIRECTIONS FOR GROWING THE PERGULARIA ODORATISSIMA. 


Tuts is a tribe of plants which differ materially from most others of the vege- 
table kingdom, particularly in the structure of its fertilising organs. The subjects 
of this tribe belong to the fifth class and second order of the Linnean system, viz. 
Pentandria Digynia, but they occupy a section of it by themselves, inasmuch as 
they have characters in which they all agree, but which stamp them with peculiar 
interest. They also form an order in the natural system, and this is represented 
by the genus from whence it derives its title, Asclepiadee, from asclepias, ot 
swallow-wort. 

This order comprises about twenty-five genera, a family among which the most 
noted are Periploca, that beautiful hardy climber wherewith the trellised fronts and 
balconies of some rural villas are decorated; Asclepias, the type, which contatas 
several interesting herbaceous perennials, natives of America; and some pretty 
annuals of ready culture. Stapelia, a most extensive family of succulents, possess 
the very disagreeable property of emitting a powerful stercoraceous or putrescent 
odour, which even deceives while it attracts the common blow-fly. Hoya, that 
elegant climber, whose blossoms appear as if they were modelled out of wax, or 
from some vegetable substance of a very beautiful texture; and finally our Pergu- 
laria, also a climber, which yields to none other for the singularity of its habits and 
the astonishing diffusibility of its great fragrance. 

The Asclepiadee agree in having the stamens more or less concealed, and sur- 
mounted by a member which forms a sort of crown, and of this peculiarity of struc- 
ture Hoya furnishes one of the best examples. 

The pollen or farina is not a powder, as that of flowers in general, but is pro- | 
duced in waxy or glutinous masses, and in this one point it approximates to the 
Orchidee, or plants of the Orchis tribe. The flowers of all the genera have but 
one petal, which is below or inferior to the fruit, and that is a follicle, or seed-vessel, 
somewhat resembling a folded leaf, opening when ripe by one suture only, of which 
the fruit of the larkspur may be adduced in illustration. | 

Pergularia is distinguished from its congeners by its yellowish green fiowers, — 
produced in large tufts from the axils of its heart-shaped leaves; these flowers have 
a wheel-shaped contort corolla, the segments somewhat reflexed, and their edges 
folded back; the tube swollen at the top. Calyw in five segments, shorter than the 
tube; masses of pollen erect, small, and requiring a glass to be accurately investigated ; 
stigma obtuse, closely invested by the small anthers or pollen, The verdant tufts 
of flowers are formed rather widely apart, in the twining stems; the individual 


% OPERATIONS FOR MARCH. 47 


blossoms are very numerous on the tufts, and durable ; the odour they emit can 
scarcely be described, it perhaps may best be compared to the compound blended 
fragrance of a perfumery shop, and though not absent during the day time, is only 
diffused after sun-set; as soon as the shades of the evening approach, the house 
becomes replete with the gaseous aroma. ‘The base of the tube is melliferous, and 
the honey yielded is attractive of wasps and flies; the former absolutely revel in 
its sweets, and are to be seen plunged and immersed, as it were, in the swollen 
cavity of the tube. : 

This climber cannot be called a pretty plant, but its leaves are handsome, its 
stem graceful, and its flowers exceedingly curious ; no good collection ought to be 
without it. 

The culture of the Pergularia is simple: it strikes freely during summer, in 
a pot with a large layer of sand, over rich soil, or in a phial of glass, if kept gently 
warm. ‘The rooted plants grow well in the decayed turf of sandy loam, broken up 
and mixed with black reduced leaf mould. 

But the plant should have plenty of room, because its roots ramify widely, and 
require much water; hence it always succeeds best when a large pot (a twelve), 
with four or six holes opened around its sides, is plunged in the leaf-hed of the 
stove; its shoots then twine freely and widely, and the blossoms are produced 
early in summer, and remain a source of fragrance formonths. It may be cut back 
very freely after the flowering season, or rather just before the season of spring 
growth, and be thus kept within bounds and in full verdure. 


a eS TE ON ERNE 


OPERATIONS FOR MARCH. 


ACHANIA MOLLIS (oR MALVACISCUS MOLLIS,)—This is a pretty species, pro- 
ducing its scarlet flowers at almost all seasons. Cuttings of it may now be put in 
sand, which will readily strike root if plunged in a little heat. In taking off the 
cuttings it is best to go as near the old ripened wood as possible, the new shoots 
being liable to rot in the middle. Do not take care of any of the leaves above the 
part immersed in the sand. 


ALOoES may now have a little water, say once in eight or ten days, but not 
oftener. See Vol. I., page 41. 


ALSTREMERIAS.—The green-house kinds may now safely be potted. They 
thrive best in a mixture of full one third sand, rather more than a third of good 
loam from the pasture, and a little peat. See Vol. I., page 199. 


ANDROMEDA, Katmias, &c.— Propagate those that strike readiest from cut- 
tings ; others that increase best by layers should also be attended to during this 
month. 


48 OPERATIONS FOR MARCH, 


ANNUALS.—Some of the tender kinds may now be sown in pots filled with light 


rich soil, and placed where there is a little bottom heat. The half-hardy kinds may 


be sown on a slight hot-bed. See Vol. I., page 18. 


ANNUALS (Tender) sown on a hot bed last month will now be up; give 
plenty of air on fine days in order to make them hardy. 


BoUVARDIA TRIPHYLLA should now be propagated. The readiest way to 
perform this, is, by dividing the roots, and planting each division in a mixture of 
loam and peat. After this, place them in a warm situation, they will soon begin 
to grow, and speedily make pretty plants. See Vol. I., page 225. 


Ericas.—The greenhouse kinds may now be propagated in pots filled with 
sand, and placed under a bell glass in a gentle heat. 


IsoTOMA AXILLARIS.—Cuttings of this pretty plant, that were put in last 
autumn, should now be potted off into small pots, and carefully watered, placing. 
them in a part of the green-house where they will have a free circulation of air. 
Also young plants that were potted off in the autumn should now have an increase 
of pot-room. The best soil for them is good rich loam and peat. 


Ix1as.—The bulbs of this favourite genus should now be carefully examined; 
any that require to be fresh potted should now be done. The soil they delight in 
is rich sandy loam, mixed with a little peat, or decayed leaves ; after potting, water 
should be very sparingly given. See Vol. I., page 8. 


PELARGONIUMS.—If it be desirous to have them in flower in the peste cut- 
tings of the favourite kinds should be put in this month. 


PETUNIA VIOLACEA. Cuttings of this, if not put in last autumn, should 
now be, without delay. They readily strike in light rich soil, placed in a little heat 
under a handglass. The other kinds may be similarly treated, observing to pot 
them in good rich soil at all times. Vol. I., page 7. 


SCHIZANTHUS RETUSUS.—Those potted off last autumn will now require an 
increase of pot-room, as they are, at this season, liable to damp; water should be 
given with great caution, and an airy situation in the green-house should be chosen 
to place them, where they can have the benefit of the sun. Vol. I., page 5. 


Mg ) 
SIN AAG 


ia 


Na 


an 


—— 


ih 


eee 


“ 


i 


CEL . 


Parvin 
Le LO CHE 


A 


4 


LHS mtthysc 


Ld err tel, 


AS 


ESCHSCHOLTZIA CROCEA. 


(SAFFRON-COLOURED FSCHSCHOLTZIA. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


POLY ANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


PAPAVERACE/E. 


Generic Craracter.—Calysx, of one leaf. Corolla, consisting of four petals. Capsules round, and 
ten-ribbed. 


Specrric Cuaracter.—Perennial. Leaves glaucous, bipinnatifid. Calyx long, more slender than that 
of Californica. Corolla, dark orange, very showy. 

TueE flowers of this beautiful perennial are of a much richer colour than those of 
the weli-known &. californica, which make so splendid a show on our flower borders 
from the beginning of July to the end of October, or beginning of November. 

Our plants appear to bear the weather as well as that species, and, from what we 
have already experienced of their habit, will, no doubt, require the same treatment, 
which may be briefly stated as follows :-— 

1. Propagation. may be effected either by seeds or by division, but the best 
plants are always produced by seeds. 

2. Always sow the seeds as soon as they are ripe ; this is preferable to keeping 
them until the following spring, for, in doing so, many lose their vegetating power ; 
and a crop of plants is seldom raised. 

3. Always select alight dry soil for the purpose and a somewhat sheltered situa- 
tion, and the young plants will stand the winter without any protection. 

4. It is better to sow the seeds at once in the open ground, where the 
plants are intended to flower; this is preferable to sowing them in pots, and 
afterwards transplanting them, in consequence of the peculiar construction of their 
roots. When transplanted, they are long before they commence growing again. 

5. When the seedlings are of a proper size, thin them out where too thick, and 


they will require no. more attention except keeping free from weeds. 


VOL. III.—NO. XXVII. H 


50 


IPOMAA HORSFALLLE. 


(MRS. HORSFALL’S IPOMZA. ) 
CLASS. ORDER. 
PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


CONVOLVULACE/E, 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calywv five-parted, naked. Corolla bell-shaped, five-plaited. Stigma capitate, 
composed of three lobes. Ovartum, two or three-celled, each cell containing two seeds. 


Sprciric Cuaracter.—Plant, a smooth tender evergreen, with a long twining stem. Leaves, generally 
in fives (Quinate), with rather long foot-stalks; leaflets lanceolate, entire, slightly curved at the 
edges. Flower-stalks axillary, as long, or longer than the footstalks of the leaves. Flowers many, 
forming a cyme, each flower growing upon a small stalk, which increases in size upwards, to the seat 
of the flower-bud. Calya of five, imbricated, equal, oval-shaped lobes, very blunt, and of a purplish 
black colour. Corolla campanulate, with a short limb, consisting of five broad rounded lobes, each 
with a notch at the end, and of a brilliant rich rose colour. Stamens five, erect. Filaments smooth. _ 
Ovary globular. Stigma consisting of two hairy lobes. 


Tuts beautiful and very splendid species of the extensive genus Jpomea, was 


raised a few years ago by Mr. Evans, at Everton, gardener to Charles Horsfall, Esq. 


by whom seeds were received either from Africa or from the East Indies, some time 
previous. 


Mrs. Horsfall, in whose stove it flowered profusely, kindly furnished us with a 
drawing of this exquisite plant last autumn. 

As a twining plant for the stove, this is unquestionably the most deserving of 
cultivation, for, if well grown, it is highly ornamental, producing an abundance of 
rich blossoms, which continue beautiful for many months. Its whole habit is 
pleasing, the leaves are pretty, and fu'l of interest, which, if plenty of room be 
allowed for the branches to ramble, grow to a great size, so as almost to hide the 
part of the house over which they are permitted to flourish. 

The most successful method of cultivating this plant, so as to ensure a good 
display of bloom, is to encourage plants in a young state, by first potting them in 
nice open soil, composed of sandy loam and peat, placing them in rather a humid 
atmosphere, and occasionally syringing over the leaves, which will give them a 
green and healthy appearance. After they have become strong, a little well-rotted 
dung may be added to the compost, and the plants potted into the new soil, allowing 
them a good shift, and plenty of drainage ; at this shift the plants should be removed 
to that part of the house where they are intended to flower, and carefully trained 
to the trellis or rafter to which they are to grow, bearing in mind at all times, 
particularly when the plant is growing vigorously, to supply it with plenty of water. 

The flowers usually begin to open about the month of August, and continue to 
expand in succession until the latter end of October, and sometimes later. It may 
with tolerable ease be propagated by cuttings, potted in pure sand, and placed under 
a bell glass in a moderate heat. 


RENAL 
asta 


i AlN 


ie i 


we 
bee 


MUSA CAVENDISHII. 


(THE CAVENDISH PLANTAIN.) 


CLASS. ORDER, 


HEXANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 
MUSACEA. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Corolla in two divisions, upper erect, terminated with five teeth, lower half the 
length of the upper, and conical shaped. F'rutt oblong three-cornered, many-seeded. 


Speciric Cuaracter.— Plant four to five feet high. Stem composed of small cells, retaining moisture. 
Leaves oblong, lanceolate, obtuse, with parallel veins, midrib protuberant on the under side, upper 
grooved. Spadix spathaceous, nodding, springing from the centre of the leaves, spathes brown red, 
freckled with white spots. Corolla pale yellow, consisting of two petals, upper fringed and reflexed, 
under short and entire. Stamens erect, fertile. Pistid erect, nearly as long as the stamens. 
Stigma globose. 


Tus highly interesting and most valuable plant is a native of China; it was 
sent from the Mauritius in 1829-by the late Charles Telfair, Esq., to his friend the 
late Mr. Barclay of Burryhill. Mr. Cameron, Curator of the Birmingham Botanic 
Gardens, has kindly furnished us with the following particulars respecting its 
history :— 

“The only plants of the Chinese Musa, that I ever heard of, were two imported 
ones received under that name at Burryhill in 1829. They were sent from the 
Mauritius by the late Charles Telfair, Esq., who stated in his letter, that he had 
Obtained the species two or three years previously from China, that he had been at 
much pains in collecting together all the species and varieties of Musa he could 
obtain, and that he considered the one sent to be the most valuable, as it fruited 
profusely, and, only growing three feet high, would render it a great acquisition to 
the stoves of this country. As I had left Burryhill, I do not know what became of 
either plants.” 

Messrs. Young, of Epsom, purchased both plants at Mr. Barclay’s sale, one for 
the Duke of Devonshire, and the other to go to the continent. 

A confirmation of its being a Chinese species, is an old Chinese drawing of the 
present kind, in the possession of Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq., one of the vice- 
presidents of the Linnzan Society. Ina communication which we had with Mr. 
Lambert in July last, before our plant flowered, he informed us that he possessed a 
drawing on old Chinese paper which he believed identical with our plant. Mr. 


Lambert had a full sized copy made, and exhibited it at the Linnaan Society in 


b 


o2 MUSA CAVENDISHH. 


November last, at the same time giving it its present name, HW. Cuvendishit. For 
an idea of the whole plant, see (fig. 1.) 


Our plant showed indications of A ys 


flowering in September last by put- 


‘ 


ting up a small imperfect leaf; this 


was shortly followed by the spike W Za a Bw 
Z Ie ye \ S > Ze 

(spatha) of flowers. Owing to the <i ‘ << > 
lateness of the season, the flowers de- i US Ao 
veloped themselves but slowly: the a S SS lili 
first week in November it commenced s £ i 2 

eS iif = 
flowering, and has continued witheut ae Wi lies 
vie ) if lie 
intermission ever since ; on the flower- (" 


stalk there are 100 fine fruit swelling (4 


off; unfortunately it had been kept in 


rather a small pot, or there is no doubt 
but it would have perfected a greater number. Fig. 1. 

The plant before us differs widely from any of the known species of this genus, 
and particularly from the common dwarf kinds, the leaves being very short and 
thick, with short petioles or leaf-stalks. With respect to the fruit, which is its 
most valuable quality, an extract from a letter addressed to our friend, Mr- 
Cooper of Wentworth, dated March Ist, 1835, from Mr Newman, superintendent 


of the Royal Gardens at Mauritius, will at once explain. “ Returning again to my | 


experimental garden, I have a dwarf sort of Banana which has fruit of an exqui- | 


site flavour, and I think would do well in England with very little care in the 
hothouse. I have gathered 240 fruit from a single raceme, and in less than a year 
after planting : if you like to havea few plants, I will with pleasure send them; I feel 
confidant that ere long this and several other varieties of Musa will be cultivated 
for the tables of the great in England.” 

The plant is not more than four feet six inches high; had it flowered at a more 
favourable season, we have every reason to believe it would have swelled off more 
than double the quantity of fruit it is now doing. 

We have a very healthy plant, which we intend to grow with every possible 
care, and there is no doubt but a great crop of fruit will be gathered. If our anti- 
cipations should prove correct, what a valuable addition this will be to our exotic fruits ! 
A pit forty feet long, fifteen broad, and five high, will produce several hundred- 
weight of fruit in a year, with no other care or attention than that of giving plenty 
of manure to grow in, and a good supply of heat and water. It will fruit at all sea- 


sons, and no doubt with easier culture than any kind of fruit grown under glass. 


oo 


PREFATORY REMARKS ON THE GENUS MUSA. 


Tue derivation of the type of this genus has been variously admitted. Linnzus 
says “it was given in honour of Antonius Musa, the brother of Euphorbus ;” 
others allow the Arabic name for the plant, Mauz, as being more probable ; but the 
former, judging from the two words, appears most likely to be the original. The 
plants of this splendid genus are amongst the most prominent features in the 
vegetable world, and form a striking part of that group or class in the Linnean 
arrangement called Hevandria ; characterised by each flower being furnished with 
six male organs, termed stamens ; it is divided into three orders, in the first of 
which, Monogynia, they occupy a conspicuous place; the plants belonging to this 
order are known by each flower possessing only one female organ or style, which is 
surmounted by the stigma. In the natural or Jussiewan system they are ranked in 
that order denominated Musacee, well known to have sprung from the name of the 
genus Musa. Arranged in this noble family are some species of the highest value 
to mankind in point of usefulness, others as ornaments are only surpassed by a few 
of the higher orders of vegetation admired for their gigantic stature and graceful 
foliage. They are either biennial or perennial, with roundish, solid, watery stems, 
usually straight, perpendicular, averaging from five to twenty-five feet high, simple, 
thick, round, smooth, fungous, and lameilated. The leaves are oblong, from three 
to ten feet in length, and under two in breadth. The flowers are produced in large 
terminating racemes, destitute of a calyx or perianthium, generally of a yellowish 
white, but in some of a bright scarlet, some possessing fertile, and others sterile 
blossoms, the fertile occupying the lower, and the sterile the upper part of the 
raceme. The fruit that succeeds the former is of an oblong, angular, recurved 
shape, sweet, eatable, and containing many seeds ofa black colour. They are 
found in great abundance in the old world, where, for the greatest part, they are 
cultivated. Two species only are cultivated for the nutritive aliment afforded by 
their fruit, viz., Plantain and Banana, although by some the former has been 
considered merely a variety of the latter ; still there are some points of dissimilarity 
existing in the colour of the leaves, shape, and taste of the fruit, sufficient to con- 
stitute them distinct species. And what is so very remarkable connected with the 
history of these plants is, their being no where found in a wild state, claiming 
nativity to no particular part or country in the torrid zone, but from equinoctial 
Asia and America to the islands of the Atlantic and Pacitic Oceans, they offer their 
produce indifferently to the inhabitants; in a word, wherever the mean heat of the 
year averages 75 degrees Fahrenheit, these plants are amongst the most important 
and interesting objects for the cultivation of man ; and, we may ask, is it not here 
that the first rudiments of civilisation begin to develope themselves? for even 
amongst the wildest tribes of South America, which depend upon their fruit for 
subsistence, much care is exercised in the propagation of them. All hot 
countries. appear equa!.y to favour their fruit, and they have been even cultivated 


54 PREFATORY REMARKS ON THE GENUS MUSA. 


in Cuba, where the thermometer is known to descend as low as 45 degrees Fahren- 
heit. The produce of these plants is enormous, and the short period and little 
labour required to bring this to perfection is wonderful to the European, who has 
never witnessed them growing in a natural state. Eight or nine months after the 
suckers are planted, the flower-spike or raceme may be seen arising from the centre 
of the leaves, which, in three months after, will be feathered with clusters of ripened 
fruit, when it is collected and preserved by the natives. The whole labour required 
in the cultivation of a plantation of these plants is, to cut the stalks laden with 
ripe fruit, and to give them a slight nourishment once or twice in the year by 
digging about their roots. These plants, therefore, for a great portion of mankind, 
are what wheat, barley, and rye, are for the inhabitants of Western Asia, and Europe, 
and what the numerous varieties of rice are for those of the countries beyond the 
Indus. The produce of a single plant not unfrequently weighs upwards of seventy 
pounds; thus we may estimate the produce of a plantation containing a thousand 
square feet, planted with thirty or forty plants, to exceed four thousand pounds of 
nutritive substance. M. Humboldt calculates, “that as thirty-three pounds of 
wheat and ninety-nine pounds of potatoes require the same space as that in which 
four thousand pounds of bananas are grown, the produce of bananas is, consequently, 
to that of wheat as 183: 1, and to that of potatoes as 44: 1.” 

The banana, ripened in the hothouses of Europe, has an insipid taste; but yet 
the natives of both Indies, to millions of whom it supplies their principal food, eat 
it with avidity, and are satisfied with the nourishment it affords. The fruit is a 
very sugary substance, and in warm countries the natives find such food not only 
satisfying for the moment, but permanently nutritive; yet, weight for weight, the 
nutritive matter of these plants cannot be compared to that of wheat, or even 
potatoes. At the same time a much greater number of individuals may be supported 
upon the produce of a piece of ground planted with these plants, compared with a 
piece of the same size in Europe growing wheat. Humboldt estimates the propor- 
tion as twenty-five to one, and he illustrates the fact by remarking that a European, 
newly arrived in the torrid zone, is struck with nothing so much as the extreme 
smallness of the spot under cultivation, round a cabin which contains a numerous 
family of Indians. 

The ripe fruit is preserved like the fig, by being dried in the sun; in this state 
it is an agreeable and healthy aliment. Meal is extracted from the fruit by cutting 
it in slices, drying it in the sun and then powdering it. 

In addition to the uses made of these plants already noticed, slices of the fruit 
fried as fritters are considered a luxury; the tops of the young suckers are eaten as 
a vegetable of great delicacy ; the fermented juice produces a good wine much 
indulged in by the natives, and praised as agreeable by Europeans. Ina paper on 
Tropical Fruits, by Dr. Lindley, in the fifth vol. of the Horticultural Society’s 
Transactions, he states, upon the authority of Mr. Crawford, that some of the 
varieties (which are numerous) are equal in flavour, when served up raw, to fine 
Reinette apples, and when stewed equal to our best stewing pears. They vary, 
according to the varieties, in shape, from eight or nine inches long and two broad, 


MUSA PARADISIACA. 55 


to nearly spherical, and in colour from dark red to pale green. ‘The plants which 
have fruited in the stoves of this country (and this has happened frequently for the 
last century, and is attended with no great difficulty), have been uniformly of a pale 
yellow colour, insipid or nearly tasteless, which indeed is almost the general 
character given them by Europeans, even by many of those who have eaten them 
in the tropics. 

Having now given the most general uses to which this fruit is applied in an 
edible point of view, we may mention some of the many domestic purposes to 
which other parts of the plant are applied; the leaves are used as a thatch for 
buildings, they are woven into mats for many purposes, serving as dishes, &c.; and 
are worked into baskets, and other fancy articles ; they yield flax in abundance, from 
which some of the most expensive muslins of India are manufactured ; we believe 
M. Telexis produces that most valued. Decandolle states, that their spiral vessels 
exist in such abundance in the stem (which is formed by the united petioles of the 
leaves), as to be capable of being pulled out by handfuls, and actually collected in 
the West Indies and sold as a kind of tinder. 

In addition to those kinds noticed for their value to mankind, there are many 
others known, several of which are cultivated in our stoves for their stateliness and 
magnificent foliage, which, when combined with their beautiful spathaceous flowers, 
are objects of peculiar interest. Musa rosacea, and M. coccmea, have been long 
known in this country for the ornamental effect they render when introduced 
among other plants; and being of a dwarf habit, they are well adapted as decorations 
at balls or assemblies given by the great, their noble foliage giving an air of 
grandeur to such scenes. The species best known in this country are four, viz., 
M. paradisiaca, M. sapientum, M. rosacea, and M. coccinea ; a separate wood-cut 
of each will be found in the succeeding pages, accompanied with the habit, culture, 
and other distinctive particulars connected with them, so as to point out the most 


essential points of resemblance and dissimilarity known to exist in the genus. 


| 
| 


fF 
( 


MUSA PARADISIACA; OR, COMMON PLANTAIN. 


Tus species, trivially called the Common Plantain, was introduced to this 
country prior to the termination of the sixteenth century. It differs from the 
M. sapientum, or Banana Tree; first,in the absence of dark purple stripes 
and spots on the stem ; secondly, in its fruit being more of an oblong shape, and 
somewhat longer, with a more firm pulp, and less pleasant to the taste. The 
Botanical distinctions are as follow: Stem herbaceous, of a light, clear, green 


_ colour, rising from twenty to twenty-four feet high. Zeaves something paler in 


colour than the stem, measuring, in a full grown specimen, from six to seven feet 


_ im length, by two or more in breadth. Spadix or flower spike, springing from the 


centre of the leaves, inclining to one side, frequently measuring four feet and a half 


56 MUSA PARADISIACA. 


in length, spathaceous. Corolla divided into two parts, an upper, and a lower, the 


upper erect, and five-toothed, the lower concave. Stamens generally six, persistent. . 


Fruit slightly recurved, with three angles, measuring, when ripe, eight or nine 
inches in length, by one and a half in diameter, of a pale yellow colour, many 
seeded. In its general external character, this species bears a striking prox- 
imity to the species rosacea, but a little guarded attention and observation will 
soon detect their distinctive differences ; the points in which they nearest resemble 
each other are the form, colour of the leaves, and stem yet in these there exists a 
considerable difference, although not easily discovered by a superficial glance; this 
consists in the length, breadth of the leaves, and the height the former usually 
grows, all of which are superior to the latter. The most essential distinctien will 
be found in the manner the two species produce their flowers, and the disposition of 
the flower stem; in the former, or JZ. paradisiaca (see fig. 2), this consists externally 


il} 


| 


=| 


Cy 
\\ 


<—S 
SS 
~~ 


Fig. 2. 
of a great number of spathes of a dark blood colour, which continue to develope until 


it finally reaches the length of four feet, suspended from the centre of the leaves.. 


In thelatter, or IZ. rosacea, instead of producing a spike, the flowers, also spathaceous, 


are disposed singly round the stem, and the corolla is of aclear rose colour. The culti- _ 


vation of this species is not difficuit, and it may be grown with little trouble, provided 
a lofty spacious hothouse be at hand, without which the result will be a stunted and 


MUSA SAPIENTUM. 57 


imperfect specimen, with four or five torn and unsightly leaves, instead of one 
healthy and vigorous, crowned with beautiful and perfect foliage. It is also quite 
essential to allow the roots plenty of room and soil, so that the extreme exhaustion 
carried on continually by the jeaves may be counteracted. The soil should comprise 
two parts of turfy loam, about half decomposed, and one of well-rotted dung from a 
disused hotbed, and a little sandy peat; the whole well reduced, and incorporated, 
but not sifted, this would much lessen its value by taking from it the fibrous part. 
As these fast growing plants are generally amongst the first to start in the spring, 
the sooner at this season they are shifted the better, which should never be deferred 
longer than the latter end of February. In shifting, the suckers, if any, should be 
carefully taken off, and planted in a proportionable sized pot, filled with the same 
compost ; but, at all times, except in the dead of winter, suckers, after they have 
made twe perfect leaves, should be removed, as they take a deal of nutriment from the 
soil, thus diminishing the food of the parent plant. The treatment frequently given 
this plant during winter, operates as a detriment to its future welfare in a number 
of instances. Commonly the practice at this season is, to water it liberally, from 
amistaken notion of its being essential in consequence of the healthy appearance 
always maintained by the leaves. The result of this method is, in the spring, when 
desired to shift and re-excite their growth, the roots assume an unnatural colour, 
and a great number totally perish. The baneful effects of this we have experienced, 
and find that a season of rest is indispensable for them. We therefore for three 
months in the winter apply little or no water, say from the middle of November to 
the middle or latter end of February, when they receive a full shift. 

After the soil has been changed, and the plant fully set fair for growing, in a 
temperature of 70° or 75° Fahrenheit, water may be copiously administered, and 
the whole syringed forcibly with water of the same temperature. 

The suckers are produced in abundance from the base of the parent stem, they 
require a little additional attention after being taken off, until pretty well established, 
when they will thrive with the treatment yiven to old plants. ; 

A few plants have produced fruit in this country, which, in every instance, has 

been something inferior to that grown in the tropics, the taste generally being much 
_ like a sweet potato when boiled, and eal the skin is tough and of a pale 
| yellow colour. | | 


MUSA SAPIENTUM; OR, BANANA TREE. 


Tuts noble species was added to the collections of this country about a century 
| ago, being previous to that time imported from the tropics, when, shortly after, its 
_ present specific name was given by Linnzus. The earliest accounts we possess of this 
ent inform us of its being a distinct species, distinguished from the preceding 
_ one by its maculate or spotted stem, and of its fruit being less esteemed for food 
| by the natives of the East and West Indies, where they are carefully cultivated by 


VOL. III.—NO. XXVII. I 


58 MUSA SAPIENTUM. 

the planters, who plant them in low rich ground, by the sides of gullies (water 
courses,) where they produce fruit most part of the year. Since the period of its 
introduction, it has been cultivated with various success in the hothouses of this 
country. By some it is admired for the extreme magnificence and superiority of 
its leaves, and certainly, as a plant, calculated to impart ease and give an air of 


oriental grandeur to an arrangement of exotics, this stands without a rival, except 
we allow an exception among its congeners the palms. Others, no less admirers 


of its portly and stately habit, have been somewhat more deeply interested in its 

cultivation, from a desire to witness its enormous and nutritive produce, which se 

largely administers to the wants of so many of our fellow creatures in the parching 

regions of the tropics ; neither have the commendable exertions of those been alto- 
gether frustrated: but, on the contrary, it has been brought to produce its fruit, aithough 
somewhat inferior. One instance is given in Vol. IV. of the Horticultural. Transac- 
tions, 183. In 1811, a plant of the Banana was planted in the pit of a stove. 
“It was then about six feet high, with a single stem, in each succeeding year it 
has produced a bunch of fruit, and, in 1819, two bunches; the first ripe in May, 
the other in August, having about four dozen of fruit on each stem. ‘The plant is 


= a | | / G 
i MM W 
MEA 


Tiree 


———{iy| 


“il 


> 


iN 


Sain SooAN WE 


aT ete 
WIA Nl he 


Fig. 3. 
now sixteen feet high, and measures three feet round at the bottom.” The botanical 


descriptions may be briefly noticed as follows: Stem perennial, of a pale purple 
colour, occasionally interrupted with a cluster of dark spots; full-grown, from 
twenty to twenty-five feet high. Leaves shaped like the WZ. paradisiaca, (see 
fir. 8,) but more flaccid and of a faint purple colour, which gradually grows deeper 


MUSA ROSACEA. 59 


as it approaches the margin, when a still deeper purple stripe is formed round the 
whole, extending itself over the leaf stalk, until it is finally lost in the stem. 
Flowers, mostly like the preceding, except the durability of the stamens, which 
are in this deciduous. /rwit something shorter, and rounder than that of the 
preceding, and with a softer pulp of a more delicious flavour. This species is of 
extremely easy culture, and will grow equal in size to those produced in the soil of 
India, if the treatment recommended for JZ. paradisiaca is faithfully applied to it. 
The rapidity of its growth when the roots have plenty of room for extension, and 
the plant a lofty house for the spread of its leaves, is very surprising. In the 
beginning of May, 1835, we had occasion to remove a plant then about four feet 
high, with two or three imperfect and sickly looking leaves, from a small stove in 
which it had been kept during the winter and spring months, into one more spacious 
and. lofty. At this removal, the roots were placed in a good sized box of about 
three feet in depth, by two and a half in width, and filled with light rich compost, 
well watered. It had not been in this situation long before it began to vegetate 
freely, throwing up more healthy and perfect leaves, and in the course of a short 
time its growth became so rapid, that, before six months had elapsed, the extremities 
of the leaves had reached the glass at the roof, and were considerably injured by 
forcing themselves against the rafters and bars of the lights. The house from the 
plane on which the box was placed, to the centre of the roof, which is double, 
measured nearly twenty feet, thus allowing the plant and box when first introduced 
to be about five feet, which was the outside; the plant in six months grew to the 
astonishing height of twenty feet, which averages its growth at two feet and a half 
per month, or more than seven inches per week. At the present time, the whole 
plant from the surface of the soil to the centre of the leaves is sixteen feet, the 
stalk at the base in diameter exceeds six inches, and the leaves from the two 
opposite extremities equal the whole length of the plant; and what makes this 
appear the more extraordinary is, that, during this incessant growth, it threw out at 
different times three or four strong suckers, one of which was allowed to remain on, 
and isat this time attached to its parent, to which it is not a great deal inferior. In 
the whole course of its growth it received precisely the same treatment as that recom- 
mended for the species paradisiaca, which has proved satisfactory. If we are 
fortunate, we anticipate seeing it laden with its wonderful fruit towards the termina- 
tion of the ensuing summer. 


MUSA ROSACEA; OR, ROSE-COLOURED PLANTAIN TREE. 


Tuis species has been long known in the stoves of this country for its magnifi- 


cent foliage and lively flowers. It was found in the Mauritius, whence it was 
introduced to this country about 1805. In speaking of the HM. paradisiaca it was 


observed, in reference to that species, that it bore much resemblance to this ; so 
much as not unfrequently to confound the two; but was distinguished by the 


60 MUSA ROSACEA 


inequality of their leaves and the disposition of their flowers. In addition to these 
differences, which are of themselves sufficiently evident to conduce to a ready 
distinction, we may notice another equaily clear: still, as it relates to the fruit, it 
cannot be of any assistance except when the plant is in a fruiting state. But as 
mistakes are always liable to arise in cases like the present, we shall briefly detail 
it, hoping it will not prove unserviceable. In the tropics, the former, Mf. para- 
disiaca, is cultivated for its abundant nutritive produce ; and the facility with which 
this is brought to perfection has caused it to be looked upon by the amateur of this 
country as an object worthy of cultivation, more for the usefulness of its fruit than 
the mere novelty of its appearance. Of the latter, MZ. rosacea, we possess no 


en 
ZN TT . 
NNN) Ly D>, 
<2 CESS 


Se. 
—~ 


\ 
‘\ A 


——— 


ie 


; 


Vf 
i, 

per 
ls 

v4, 

Aj 


LNG 
A ? Wi 
Vi 


) 
Fi 
is 


lh 


AY 
<a 


KN 


ZZ 


information to show that it is any where grown for the usefulness of its fruit ; in 
short, respecting its existence in its native country we know comparatively little ; 
and the acquaintance our experience has enabled us to form of it since it was 
introduced, has been such as satisfactorily to convince us that in this country, under 
the most judicious management, its fruit cannot be brought, in any quantity, to such 
a state of perfection as to be mistaken for the former. There are a few instances of 
its having fruited in this country, but, wherever this has happened, the fruit has been 
of inferior quality, compared with that produced by the Common Plantain in this 
country or in the tropics. In the botanical descriptions we are informed that the 
flowers are produced on a spike, and nodding; or erect and in clusters round the 
stem, the latter being most frequently the case. Male‘flowers deciduous. Spathes 
elliptical (oval-shaped), obtuse. rit oblong. The most attractive feature in the 
whole plant is in the flowers, which are ofa clear rose-colour, and certainly a well 
grown plant in full bloom is handsome, when arranged among other exotics. The 


MUSA COCCINEA. 61 


best way to grow fine healthy plants, with plenty of good foliage, is to shift them 
early in the spring, and to place them in a vinery or peach-house, where a 
temperature of 60 or 65 degrees is kept, giving them, after they commence grow- 
ing, a good supply of water, not only at the roots, but with the syringe over the 
stalk and leaves. None of the species of this genus are very subject to the attacks 
of insects, although, if neglected, these enemies may be expected and will appear; 
but if a good supply of water is forcibly applied with the syringe or engine they 
cannot do much harm. After the plants, introduced to the vinery or peach-house, 
have made five or six good leaves, the month of May will be drawing near, when 
they may be brought into the green-house or conservatory (if lofty enough to 
admit them), placed amongst the other plants, and will give a pretty and interesting 
appearance to the whole. As it 1s requisite in the summer months almost to expose 
the plants in these places, it will be found necessary to take some precautionary 
step to prevent the wind from tearing their leaves, which it is very liable to do if 
not protected. Plants so treated are then in a fit state to employ as decorations 
for ball-rooms, &c.; for this purpose many are grown in the neighbourhood of 
London. At the approach of winter the plants should be placed in the stove, or 
other place where a little heat is kept, until spring, when they will require fresh 
shifting. The only thing necessary to be attended to particularly, in the successful 
cultivation of this plant, is to keep the roots sound during their torpid existence 
in winter, which can be only guarded against by a judicious administration of water 
during that season. In other particulars the treatment recommended for MZ. para- 
distaca will also suit this. 


MUSA COCCINEA; OR, SCARLET-FLOWERED 
PLANTAIN TREE. 


ao 


Tuis is the most dwarf species known in the genus, except that represented in 
the coloured figure, viz., 1. Cavendishu, from which it will be readily known by the 
broad obtusely-shaped pale green leaves of that species. It has been an inhabitant 
of the stoves of this country for more than a century, and was, previous to that time, 
imported from China. The dwarf habit of its growth renders it interesting and 
valuable as a stove-plant ; and it is much esteemed by some who favour the growth of 
this genus on account of the peculiar colour of its stall and leaves, which are of a 
yellowish-green. This peculiar feature being only natural to this species, will at all 
times be a sure mark of distinction. 

The botanical distinctions are as follows: Spadix, or flower-spike, erect. 
Flowers produced in heads (capitate) round the flower-spike, which rises imme- 
diately from the centre of the leaves. Spathes, in great numbers, of a clear scarlet 
colour at the base, very large, with a portion of yellow at the end ofeach. Stalk, 

rom six to eight feet high in a full grown specimen. Leaves obtusely-lanceolate, 


62 MUSA ‘COCCINEA. 


few, seldom exceeding four or five perfect ones on a good sized plant, being parallel, 
very conspicuous on the under side. 

The cultivation of this species is attended with somewhat more trouble than 
any of the preceding, on account of its being of rather a more tender habit. It requires 
at all times to be grown in a brisk heat, with an atmosphere inclined to humidity ; 


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and in very open rich soil well watered. Suckers, by which it is increased, are 
produced from the roots of the old plants in abundance, at all times, but more 
particularly after the stalk is cut off, which always dies after flowering. When they 
are large enough, and have made plenty of good roots, they should be carefully 
taken from the old soil and potted in new, being careful at first in giving them 
water until well established, which will be soon manifest by the indications of 
growth in the plant; afterwards they may be treated as recommended for older 
plants. ‘This plant, when in bloom, is peculiarly handsome ; the rose colour of the 
flowers and yellow-green tint of the leaves make a pretty contrast, and produce a 
lively effect in the stove, when arranged among other exotics. When in bloom, if 
it is desired to set the fruit, the pollen from the anther, when matured, should be 
removed to the stigma by means of a soft camel’s hair brush, when the atmosphere 
of the house is dry, for if damp it cannot be performed so successfully. ‘This is 
essential to the setting of the fruit in the whole species. Care should at all times 
be taken not to damage the leaves, as this tends much to injure the beauty of the 


plants. 


63 


HINTS ON THE ILLICIUM FLORIDANUM. 


Tuts species is esteemed as a green-house plant, on account of the fragrance 
contained in its leaves and flowers ; the leaves when rubbed between the fingers 
emit a scent, much like anise, hence arises the trivial name Anise seed tree. Nor 
does this property only exist in the leaves and flowers, but the bark when bruised 
is found equally to possess it. It is a native of West Florida, found in considerable 
abundance on the banks of the river Mississippi, and in marshy places near the 
town of Pensacola. It flowers freely in the green-house about April or May, and 
continues in this state for a considerable time; the blossoms are of a dark purple 
colour, possessing no remarkable show ; the only attractive feature in them, is the 
agreeable perfume they emit, which in a small house, in the evening when closed, 
is so powerful as to impregnate the whole with its delightful odour. It cannot be 
said that this plant is generally cultivated well, on the contrary, it is frequently 
indifferently managed in this respect; some who possess it, fall into an error by 
keeping the soil at the roots too dry, others without any reference to discriminative 
treatment, apply to it exactly what they consider indiscriminately suited to all 
green-house plants. We have plants at Chatsworth which produce an abundance 
of bloom every spring, and the treatment that appears to suit them best may be 
briefly stated as follows. 

The soil made use of at all times is sandy peat, with a very trifling mixture of 
friable loam, well incorporated. In shifting we take care to drain well with pots- 
herds, in fact, during the whole process of potting, we add now and then a few 
pieces of grit stones, which at all times act as a reservoir to the young roots, this 
is performed in the same manner as in potting Ericas, the sole use of the practice 
being to prevent the roots from getting too dry or too wet. When the potting is 
completed, they receive the same treatment as other green-house plants, except that 


we always observe to give them more water than the generality of these plants 


require. If shifted in March, which is the most proper time, the flowers will not 
only be more abundant but much stronger and finer in every other respect. It is 
rather difficult to propagate; still cuttings of the well-ripened wood, planted in a 
pot of sand put under a hand-glass, and placed ina moderately heated close situation 
in the propagating house, will root freely, observing to give a little water carefully 
now and then with the syringe, or water pot that has a fine rose. So treated, the 
success will be satisfactory. But the easiest way to increase them is, by laying the 
branches in any common soil, after the manner usually followed in this operation. 
The other two species, ZU]. anisatum and Il. parviflorum, are interesting, and 
will thrive well in the green-house amongst other plants, where they may be 
treated as recommended for JJ. Floridanum. They may be also increased readily 


by layers, 


64 


HINTS ON THE CULTURE OF THE IXIA TRIBE. 

In the early part of September, the bulbs which have been preserved since 
flowering in the early part of the summer, should be examined, and the largest and 
best looking ones sejected for fresh potting. 

The best soil for them should consist of a mixture of sand and peat, with a 
very trifling addition of rich open loam well incorporated. 

A few of the bulbs (say four or five) should be planted in thirty-two sized pots 
filled with the above compost, observing to put the bulbs about half an inch deep 
in the soil; when this is completed, they may be placed in the open air, until the 
winter frosts render it advisable to remove them to the green-house, where they 
may remain until the early part of February, when they should be introduced to 
about sixty degrees of heat, giving them from the commencement of their growth 
a regular supply of water. 

In the month of May, if the season is fine, they may be expected to flower, 
during the time they continue in this state, a copious supply of water is requisite 
for them, in fact all bulbous plants, when in bloom, hold their true character better 
if a liberal supply of water is given at the time of flowering. 

After flowering, place them in the open air, where they should be attended to 
with water so long as there exists in any part of them a disposition to generate sap. 

When the roots appear perfectly matured, they should be taken out of the pots, 
cleaned, and carefully put in paper bags, or kept in a drawer where they will be 
secure from moisture, until the return of the planting season in September. 

Few plants repay us with a profusion of more brilliant flowers than the above 
tribe of bulbous plants. The chief object in the successful culture of bulbs seems 
to be, that of keeping them in a perfectly torpid state, until the time it is wished to 
excite them, at which time, and during the whole period of their growth, they 
should be kept in as free a growing state as possible. There is little doubt but the 
generality of the Cape bulbs will produce good flowers under this treatment. 


HINTS ON THE TREATMENT OF THE RHODODENDRON 
ARBOREUM. 
BY A. Z., HORT. REG., VOL. I., 687. 


—_ 


Tus very magnificent species, according to Sir J. E. Smith, in Exotic Botany, 
Chap. VI., was first noticed by Captain Hardwicke, on a tour to Sirinagur, in 
1796, growing in the mountainous tract called the Sewalic Chain, which separates 
the plains of Hindostan, between 75 and 85 degrees east longitude, from the 
Himalaya mountains. It is generally found in elevated situations, in forests of oak ; 
the soil a rich black vegetable earth, on stony beds. The natives use the wood 
for making the stock of matchlocks, or common muskets of Hindostan; the stem is 


columnar, twenty feet or more in height, sixteen to twenty-four inches in diameter. 


From its natural situation, it is irrigated by the melting of the snow above, which 


HINTS ON THUNBERGIA. 65 


eS 


continues to take place most part of the season of flowering and making its shoots ; 
it will, therefore, be readily seen that there exists a necessity for it to have an 


abundant supply of water during its growing and flowering season. It is not 
sufficiently hardy to endure our winters generally, although some plants have stood 
out, planted in an American shrubbery, throughout the whole year, when the 
weather was not very severe, anddid not seem to be affected by it; they certainly 
are, when in flower, very splendid ornaments to our conservatories or green-houses. 
They grow freely in sandy peat, and strike root readily by layers of the young wood. 
They are sometimes grafted upon the &. Ponticum, but never make such handsome 
tree-like plants as when propagated by layers or seeds. ‘They seldom flower until 
they are several years of age, and are then rather capricious, not flowering every year 
in succession, although receiving precisely the same treatment. 

Individuals who have not the convenience of a conservatory or green-house, 
may keep them very well in a cold pit or frame, through our most severe winters. 
They will come beautifully into flower in the beginning of April, and the flowers 
secrete such a quantity of honey, that when they are shaken it falls from them like 
large drops of rain. 

Mr. Knight thinks a spike may yield upwards of a dessert spoonful at a time, 
and, after being exhausted, a fresh supply is secreted. It is, however, considered 
unwholesome, as is all collected from the other species of Rhododendron and 
Azalea, although most.part of the Evicee produce honey free from all deleterious 
qualities. 


HINTS ON THUNBERGIA. 


THE only species of this interesting family which is generally and extensively 
cultivated, isthe Th. alata (from Ala, a wing), so named on account of the curiously 
winged appendage along and on each side of the footstalk of the leaves. This 
species has been figured at No. II., page 2, vol ii., and pretty faithfully ; but the 
winged process is not sufficiently brought out. The figure given is very pleasing, 
but, as a constant grower of this lovely gem, the writer of this article is justified in 
noticing it somewhat critically. The botanical description is faithful, so is the 
natural history of the plant which follows it ; but the soil recommended is not that 
which will produce the richest verdure of the herb, and the greatest breadth of the 
flower. Pure black peat, kept for years exposed to the air (not heath or moor soil, 
but the substance dug out of a moss or turbary, without any traceable sand), caused 
the leaves to be ofa full green, three inches long, two broad, and the flowers (at and 
after midsummer) to attain the diameter of a crown piece, or very nearly so. But 
peat varies much in character, and in its chemical components ; therefore, to recom- 
mend it as a sine gud non would be to mislead, or, perhaps, seriously disappoint the 
reader, who may be solicitous to afford every advantage, as respects aliment and 
situation, to a plant which is so lavish of its beauties. 

Perhaps thoroughly decayed wood-moss, Hypnum, or bog-moss, Sphagnum, 


_ would approach very nearly to that peat which I succeeded with; but, at ali events, 


VOL. III.—-NO. XXVII. K 


66 HINTS ON THUNBERGIA. 


leaf mould, quite blackened, with old and rotten-wood earth, either, or both united, 
to the extent of half the compost; black-heath soil, and the semi-decayed turfy- 
surface of a common, the earth of which is a sandy loam, of each one quarter, the 
whole perfectly blended, and I should say sifted coarsely, the portions retained by 
the sieve to be employed as drainage to the pots; in this compost Thunbergia will 
revel, either in a pot or in parterre. The latter situation suits the plant well after 
midsummer, and in a bed it is perfectly beautiful. Plants raised in pots and trans- 
ferred with entire balls to a bed of soil similar to that described, and kept moderately 
moist, each under a hand-glass, till the growth becomes established, will, in a few 
weeks, run and intertwine into a mass, the effect of which surpasses that of most of 
the beautiful subjects employed in the “ bedding-out ”’ system of gardening. The 
seeds also ripen freely in September and October, at least in the southern counties, 
provided the weather be serene and genial. The autumn of 1835 was singularly 
favourable to the formation of perfect capsules; but the deluges of rain in October, 
and the extremely keen frosts of the third week, prevented their complete maturation. 
Thunbergia will prosper inthe greenhouse, conservatory, or stove, provided it be not, 
in the winter, exposed to a temperature below 45 degrees; it loves pot-room, and 
also to send its roots into a feeder-pan below it, half filled with the soil, and pierced at 
the bottom with three small drainage-holes. Water should be pretty liberally bestowed, 
and with these precautions and cares the cultivator will perceive that the plate at 
No. II. has not done justice either to the colour or to the expansion of the flower. 

The seeds may be sown in deep pans, either as soon as ripe or in January ; there 
are three or four in a capsule, exceedingly curious in structure. Perhaps six weeks 
may elapse, even in a heat of 60 degrees, before they vegetate, but the young plants 
progress rapidly. One of the greatest beauties of the flower is traceable in the 
structure of the four stamina and the sty!e; these claim’ the utmost admiration of 
the botanist. 

There are about eight species of Thunbergia known, but it is rare to meet with 
seven of them; the following list exhibits the dates of introduction and native 


country of each :— 


Thunbergia fragrans; East Indies, 1796; white sweet flowers. 

—_———— grandiflora; idem, 1820; blue. 

———— cordata ; Trinidad, 18205 white. 

anealoel: ; Madagascar, 1823; yellowish. 

— coccinea; Nepal, 1823; reddish—misnamed, for it ought to be ofa brilliant 
crimson, the specific name being derived from coccus, doubtless, which implies 
cochineal, whence the finest scarlet and crimson dyes are extracted. 

Capensis; Cape of Good Hope, 1824; yellowish. 

———-_—— Hawtayneana; Nepal, 1826; scariet. 


— —— 


=~ = 


All these, and many other genera, are grouped by the botanists, who affect the 
natural system, under Acanthacee, from Acanthus, bear’s-breech; it may agree with 
that type in having rather swollen joints near the exsertion of the leaves, but Acanthus 
differs materially in structure, and, in fact, seems wholly unfit to bea type of plants so 
essentially dissimilar. The natural system may be an excellent coadjutor, but till it 
be less thorny, less perplexed with difficulties, and more certain and fixed in its own 


REMARKS ON THE ASTRAP/UA. 67 


principles, it will remain the science of the learned few, but a sealed book to the 
inquiring many. Linnaeus may have promulgated an artificial system, but his 
classification is, with all its imperfections, so simple, so certain, so entirely, and, 
upon the whole, so pre-eminently luminous, that its pupils will remain its faithful 
and grateful supporters. We will not speak evil of the natural system, whose 
“ eclawrcissement’ iS a consummation devoutly to be wished: but, till that be 
accomplished, we will not abandon the great master. 


REMARKS ON THE ASTRAP/HA. 


Tuts noble genus contains only three species, all of rather easy culture, merely 
requiring that heat and atmosphere generally kept in our wet stoves; yet, like all 
plants cultivated under glass, each genus, and frequently almost every individual 
species, require different treatment, or the proportions constituting that treatment 
administered in different degrees. These observations justly apply to the genus 
Astrapea, for while we find in one house plants of it growing in all the vigour of 
their native soil, we find others in another collection, stunted and indicating symptoms 
of weakness ; still, in both instances, the common application of stove culture is 
judiciously observed, of which the surrounding plants bear ample testimony by 
their strong shoots and stiff foliage. From this fact, it is evident that some 
particulars in the administration of the required aliment is indispensable, and apart 
from the general routine of stove management, yet not interfering with the main 
principles (heat and moist atmosphere). We have watched the cultivation of the 
principle features in this genus, viz.. A. Wadllichit, for several years, during which 
time our success with it has been sutfiiciently satisfactory to convince us that the 
result of our experience cannot but be acceptable to our readers, which will be 
found in the following details. 

The first and most beautiful species is the A. Wallichi, named after Dr. 
Wallich, superintendent of the Botanic Garden of Calcutta, a native of Madagascar, 
introduced to this country about fifteen years ago, described in our catalogues as 
growing upwards of thirty feet high. 1t is unquestionably one of the finest plants 
that can occupy a place in our stoves, for even when unassisted by its elegant 
blossoms, the large cordate leaves and long hairy footstalks, with the great dilated 
stipules at their base, render it at all seasons a complete bush of considerable 
magnitude, of pale green verdure. But when in flower, which generally takes place 
about August or September, and sometimes much later, its bright scarlet 
pendulous blossoms, with yellow anthers, are beauties which it is almost impossible 
to conceive unless actually seen on a fine clear day when fully expanded. To 
cultivate it with success, so as to maintain a perfect healthy specimen throughout 
the whole season, the following directions must be attended to :— 

1. The habit of it is to grow rapid and strong, therefore requires much room 
at the roots, which are addicted to ramify toa great extent ; if cramped for pot-room, 
the foliage in that case will always assume a stunted and sickly appearance, much 
inferior to that produced where the roots have plenty of room. No place can 


68 REMARKS ON THE ASTRAPAA. 


suit it better than to be planted in a border of well-prepared compost, yet, as it is 
not always desirable or convenient to have them growing in the borders, pots of 
a sufficient size should be procured, proportioning them, in this respect, to the size 
and health of the plant intended to grow in them. 

2. The most favourable season for potting them is early in the spring, before 
the sap, which is abundant in these plants, begins to be much excited, for, in this 
case, the first effort of their roots is not unfrequently frustrated, and the growth 
thereby diminished. 

3. Previous to potting, nothing is more essential to their growth than good 
drainage, so that the water may pass off without interruption ; for, as they naturally 
delight in a liberal supply of that element, a bad effect will result if it be allowed to 
become stagnant, which, if possible, should be prevented. 3 

4. Rich soil is indispensable for them: this should be composed of two parts 
good loam, to one of well-rotted dung, with a little sandy peat; the whole well 
mixed together with a spade, but not sifted. 

5. Always water liberally when the plant is growing, but, before applying the 
water, it is necessary to examine the soil with the hand, and if it be found very full 
of moisture it should for a time be suspended. In the autumn, as the exertions of 
the plants decline, the quantity of water should be proportionably diminished, and 
in the dead of winter it should be almost wholly witbheld. 

6. A damp situation in the stove, where it can have plenty of light and sun- 
shine, with from 65 to 75 degrees of heat, will suit them admirably. 

7. Their free growth and dense foliage render it necessary to syringe frequently 
and forcibly all over the branches and leaves, at least every alternate morning or 
evening ; this, if properly performed, will have a twofold effect, that of stimulating 
their vegetative powers, and at the same time prevent the attacks of the red spider, 
&c., to which they are very subject. In order to arrest the progress of these 
enemies, it is requisite to examine narrowly for them while in the act of syringing ; 
for as the whole plant is covered with small hairs, these little intruders are liable to 
take advantage of them, and thus elude the action of the water, and after a time they 
become so numerous as to carry their depredations to am injurious extent, which a 
little timely attention will prevent. 

8. If it can be avoided, never, in cleaning off dirt or insects, make use of a 
sponge or any thing else that is likely to damage the leaves, for nothing tends more 
to make the plant unsightly than freckled leaves, which is almost sure to result 
from this; but if due attention be paid in the application of water with the engine 
or syringe, these services will not be called for. | 

9. Propagation is effected by cuttings of the ripened wood, observing, in 
preparing them, to make a clear cut at the joint to be inserted, and, if possible, the 
leaves should not be wounded; pot them in any common sandy soil, bearing in 
mind to press the soil close to the lower part of the cutting; afterwards place them 
under a hand-glass, where a moderate heat is kept, and they will soon strike roots. 

10. After the cuttings have made roots of three or four inches in length, they 
may be potted off into 48 sized pots, using for this purpose a little rich friable soil ; 
let them stand till pretty well established in the cutting frame or pit; during this 


f 


| 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 69 


time only alittle water should be given, and that with caution ; afterwards they may 
be treated as recommended for older plants. 

A, viscosa, a species described as growing upwards of thirty feet high, much 
inferior to the former, but, like it, very easy to cultivate. It is distinguished by its 
large cordate angularly lobed leaves, which abound, as well as the branches, in a 
clammy sticky substance. Madagascar is also its native country, whence it was 
introduced in 1823. The treatment recommended for the above will also apply to 
this. Cuttings will succeed in the same manner. 

A. tiliefolia. Introduced in 1824 from the island of Bourbon, where it is 
described as growing from ten to twenty feet high. Its leaves resemble those of the 
common lime-tree. ‘The whole habit of the plant is much like the other species, 
therefore the treatment required for them will also suit it. 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS 


FIGURED IN THE LEADING BOTANICAL PERIODICALS, AND FLORISTS 
MAGAZINE FOR FEBRUARY. 


BoranicaAL REGISTER. Edited by Dr. Lindley, each number containing 
eight figures; coloured 4s., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

BoranicaL Macazine. Edited by Dr. Hooker, each number containing eight 
plates; coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter- press. 

British FLrower-Garpen. Edited by Mr. David Don. Containing four 
plates ; coloured 3s., plain 2s. 3d.; and corresponding letter-press. 

Frorists’ Macazine. By F. W. Smith. Containing four monthly plates, 
highly coloured ; several plates with two figures; large size 4s., small 2s. 6d.; and 
corresponding letter-press. 

Of the above figures, we have only selected such as are new or very rare; and 
amongst these only such as deserve to be extensively cultivated. For descriptions 
and figures, reference must be made to the works themselves. 


CLASS I.—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONE/). 


THE EVENING PRIMROSE TRIBE (ONAGRARIZ). 

CENoTHERA HUMIFUSA. Pencilled Evening Primrose. A pretty hardy little 
annual, raised by Mrs. Marryatt, who originally received the seeds from Mr. 
Lambert. Its habit is to creep close to the ground, forming a tuft a foot in 
diameter, and sheds its seeds very freely. Dr. Lindley says, “this plant, when 
exposed to much light, has flowers of a very pale delicate flesh colour, but if they 
are made to expand in a cool shady place, such, for instance, as a sitting-room with 
a northern aspect, they acquire a beautiful pink.” Bot. Reg. 1829. 


LOASER. 
Bartonia AuREA. Golden-flowered Bartonia. A very beautiful half-hardy 
annual, discovered by Mr. Douglas, in California, and raised in the Garden of the 


70 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


Horticultural Society. It is only beneath bright sunshine that its splendid flowers 
unfold ; in the early morning, the plant is a shabby bush, with pale greenish grey 
branches and weedy leaves; but, as the sun exercises his influence, the ‘petals 
gradually unroll, as if in acknowledgment of his power, till every branch is radiant 
with gold; and so metallic is the lustre of the inside of the petals, that one would 
really think they must be composed of something more solid and enduring than 
the delicate and tender tissue of a flower. Dr. Lindley recommends for this plant, 
first, a sheltered situation ; secondly, a sunshiny spot; thirdly, a very rich soil, and 
fourthly, a good deal of moisture. Bot. Reg. 1831. 


THE FIG-WORT TRIBE (SCHROPHULARINEZ). 

PENTSTEMON CoB#A. Cobwa-fowered Pentstemon. A very handsome species, 
of which seeds were sent to Europe by Mr. Drummond, in the spring -of the past 
year (1835), from the interior of Taxas, about St. Austin. The specific name ( Cobea) 
was given by Mr. Nuttall, on account of the magnitude and sort of general resem- 
blance in its flowers to the Cop#a scANDENS. Bot. Mag. 3465. 


THE GREEK VALERIAN TRIBE (POLEMONIACER). 

CoLtomia CAVANILLESII. Cavanille’s Collomia. <A beautiful annual, intro- 
duced from Chili by Mr. Cunning, producing its flowers towards the latter end of 
summer. Respecting it, Professor Lindley observes, that, if the seeds are sown in 
March in the open borders, the blossoms will appear in June ; if again sown, shortly 
after that time, a second crop of flowers may be had in September and October. 


Bot. Mag. 3468. 
THE ROSE TRIBE (ROSACEZ). 


POTENTILLA ATRO-SANGUINEA ; hybrid RusseL1ana. Mr. Russel’s hybrid 
variety of the Deep Blood-coloured Cinquefoil. Perhaps no plant, bearing the 
open air in our climate, produces flowers of a richer hue than this, which is a 
hybrid, said to have been first raised by Mr. Russel, of Battersea, between P. atro- 
sanguinea, and P. Nepalensis, but far exceeding, in the size and beauty of its 
blossoms, either of its parents. It is perfectly hardy, bearing the severest winters 
of our island with impunity, and flowering during the summer and autumn. Bot. 


Mag. 3470. 
PEA TRIBE (LEGUMINOS#). 


ADESMIA PENDULA. Pendulous-fruited Adesmia. A curious and interesting 
perennial species, with long white runners, a native of dry sandy pastures, in the 
province of Buenos Ayres; raised by Dr. Neill, in his garden at Canonmills, near 
Edinburgh, in 1834, from seeds transmitted to him by Mr. Tweedie. It is quite 
hardy, and grows well in a sandy soil, where it will flower, and ripen its fruit 


freely. Brit. Fl. Gard. 322. 


THE NIGHT-SHADE TRIBE (SOLANEZ). 
_ SaARACHA viscosa. Clammy Saracha, a singular species, which flowered and 
ripened its fruit in the open border of the Chelsea Botanic Garden, seeds of which 
had, the preceding year, been received by Mr. Anderson, from the Royal Botanic 
Garden at Berlin. The plant is shrubby, and requires to be protected in the 
greenhouse during winter. It is easily multiplied both by seeds and cuttings. Brit. 
Fl. Gard. 323. 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 71 


THE SOLANUM TRIBE (SOLANE#). 

Lycium Arrum. African Box Thorn. A rather desirable species with purple 
flowers, long known in our collections, said to be indigenous to Africa; and, as Mr. 
Don says, “although too tender to grow in the open border unprotected, it will be 
found to succeed admirably, if planted against a wall in a favourable aspect.” It 
may be increased by seeds, and cuttings of it, planted in sand and placed in the 
shade, will root readily. Brit. Fl. Gard. 224. 


TERNSTRO@MIACER. 

CAMELLIA JAPONICA CANDIDISSIMA. White Japan Camellia. One of the 
most beautiful of the white Chinese varieties. The flowers are large, of a milk 
white colour, have their petals arranged with great symmetry, and finely contrasted 
with the dark green and ample foliage. Accompanied with the description of the 
above variety of Camellia, the author has given some excellent practical direc- 
tions for budding, &c., which will be found of great service to those who require 
assistance in this respect. lor. Mag. No. 8. 


THE CHICKWEED TRIBE (CARYOPHYLLEZ). 
oh PINKS. Anne Boleyn and Superb. Both extremely good flowers, the former 
often equalling the size of the carnation, thus forming a bold figure in the pink bed, 
in which it well deserves a place. Wells’ Superb is a flower of much merit ; it has 
a perfect rose leaf, and fills out well in the centre; the lacing, if well grown, is very 
perfect and bright; the colours increase in intensity as they approach the centre. 


Flor. Mag. No. 8. 


CLASS II.—PLANTS WITH ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONES). 
THE CORN FLAG TRIBE (IRIDE#). 

GuapioLus NaATA.ensis. Natal Corn Flag. A most splendid species, a native 
of the coast of Natal, in the eastern part of Southern Africa. It is increased freely 
at the roots; and, if allowed to remain for two or three years undisturbed in a 
favourable situation, it throws up six or seven spikes of flowers, and has a very 
Showy appearance. In this number many useful hints are given, which will be 
found of much value to the lover of Cape bulbs. Flor. Mag. No. 8. 


THE ASPHODEL TRIBE (ASPHODELEZ, 
Hyacintus. Madame Mermone and Helicon. The former is a very choice 
variety, and one of delicacy and beauty ; the latter (Helicon) is a noble flower, with 
the tint of a beautiful mellow purple, and a lighter tinted base to the petals. FV. 


Mag. No. 8. 
THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEZ). 


Oncipium RussELLIANUM. The Duke of Bedford’s Oncidium. An interesting 
plant with peculiarly pretty flowers, obtained from the Gardens of Mrs. Moke, at 
Tejuca, near Rio Janeiro, by the Hon. Captain J. Ross, R.N., who sent it to 
Woburn, with other valuable plants, in 1835. It is named in compliment to His 
Grace the Duke of Bedford. Bot. Reg. 1881. 


THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDE#). 

SARCOCHILUS FALCATUS. Falcate-leaved Sarcochilus. An extremely pretty 
neat little plant, native of New Holland, and near Hunter’s River. Its flowers, 
which it produces freely, are of a dingy white, and, contrasted with its leaves, fill 
the plant with interest. Bot. Reg. 832 


72 


OPERATIONS FOR APRIL. 


ANNUALS (hardy) of all kinds should, in the early part of this month, be sown 
without delay, choosing a dry day for the purpose. Those intended to flower where 
sown, as Mignonette, Catchfly, and Lupins, should be sown in small round patches 
on the borders. The sorts intended for transplanting, as ten week stock, French 
and African Marigolds, may be sown on a border, under a south wall, or on a 
slight hotbed. 

Arpista.—All the species may. now be potted; for this purpose use a mixture 
of loam and peat, water carefully, and they will grow well. Cuttings will take 
readily, if put in sand under a hand-glass, where a moderate heat is kept. 

ARISTOLOCHIA.— The choice species of this genus will flower well towards 
July or August, if potted in soil composed of rich loam and sandy peat ; cuttings will 
strike freely in sand, under a bell glass, in a little heat. 

BRUGMANSIA SUAVEOLENS, &c., early this month should be potted, using good 
rich soil composed of open loam, a little rotten dung, and sandy peat. 

BARRINGTONIA SPECIOSA.—This beautiful plant should be allowed plenty of 
pot-room, a good supply of water, and, placed in about seventy degrees of heat, will 
grow well: cuttings of the ripened wood putin pure sand will root freely. 

CoLUMNEA SCANDENS.—Allow plenty of pot-room, use good rich open loam 
and peat, water sparingly, and it will produce an abundance of good bloom in the 
autumn; cuttings should now be put in, they root readily in sand. 

CoccoLOBAS, so much admired for their fine large leaves, should now be 
potted in light loamy soil ; if inclined to sandy, so much the better. 

CLIVEA NOBILIS will now require attending to; in potting observe to drain 
well, as much water tends to injure and retard its growth: open loam and sandy 
peat suit it best. 

EuGeEnia, Psiprum, &c., will now require potting ; they thrive well in rich loam 
mixed with a little well pulverised rotten dung : syringe occasionally in order to 
keep them clean. 

GARDOQUIA GILLIESII must at this season be particularly attended to: water 
at all times with caution. 

GLyYcINA should now be propagated, either by cuttings or layers: 

MAGNOLIA ODORATISSIMA.—Cuttings of the ripened wood will strike readily 
in sand under a bell or hand glass: a little bottom heat will be advantageous. 

OXALIS FLORIBUNDO, Deprer and RUBELLA should be speedily potted, a rich 
soil will agree with them. 

RHODOCHITON VOLUBILE.—Young plants should be encouraged by giving 
plenty of pot-room. They delight in any rich soil. 


ScHIZANTHUS RETUSUS, potted early in last month, will now require an increase — 


of pot-room : water at all times should be given with great caution. 

VERBENA.—Those intended to flower in pots must not ke cramped of pot- 
room, if this is the case, the plants will not be so large or their bloom so fine ; it is 
therefore advisable to attend to this particularly now. 


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NERIUM THYRSIFLORUM. 


(DENSE-FLOWFRED OLEANDER.) 
CLASS. ORDER. 
PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


APOCYNE/E. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Caly@ five parted, persistent. Corolla salver-shaped, (hypocrateriform). Sur- 
mounted at the orifice with little cut appendages; segments twisted. Stamens five, inserted into 
the middle of the tube. Anthers arrow-shaped (sagittate), fixed by the middle to the stigma. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—Plant an evergreen shrub, from four to five feet high. Stem smooth, of a branch- 
ing habit. Leaves linear, lanceolate, smooth, perfectly opposite, with very conspicuous veins ; upper 
side ofa deep green colour, under somewhat paler. Calyx of a light brown, four parted. Corolla 
a bright rich pink. Flowers produced in loose terminal cymes. 

TuE plant, from which the accompanying figure was taken, produced flowers 
about July last in Mr. Tate’s nursery at Chelsea; by whom it was raised from 
seeds, about six years ago, sent either from Sylhet or Nepal by Lady Amherst. 

We are not aware of its having been previously described in any of the 
Botanical publications of this country, nor of its existing in any collection, except 
that of Mr. Tate, who says upon the authority of several practical Botanists, 
among whom is Mr. Smith at Kew, that it is a distinct species, distinguished from 
the rest of the family, particularly from the Neriwm splendens, to which it approxi- 
mates, by its long lanceolate leaves, which exceed those of that species two or three 
inches, also by the veins being differently dispersed, and much more conspicuous. 

It is certainly a splendid production, and no doubt will prove a valuable acces- 
sion to the green-house, &c.; and, from its habit being in general accordance with 
the whole genus of which it forms a part, we infer that the treatment required for 
them will also suit it. 

The generic name Nerium is from the Greek, in reference to the plant being 


found growing in the Southern parts of Europe upon the verges of rivulets. 


We have retained the specific name under which the seeds were received in this 
country, as being more expressive of the dense collection of flowers produced on a 


single cyme, 


VOL. IIl.—NO. XXVIII. L 


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IXORA GRANDIFLORA. 


(GREAT-FLOWERED SCARLET IXORA. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


TETRANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


RUBIACE/. 


‘Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx ovate, four-parted. Corolla monopetalous, funnel-shaped ; with a four- 
parted spreading limb. Stamens four, somewhat elevated above the throat, exserrated. Style equal 
in length to the tube of the corolla, or sometimes a little longer, two-parted at the point, the lobes of 
the stigma spreading, or rolled back (revolute). 


Speciric Cuaracter.—Plant a shrubby spreading evergreen, from three to four feet high. Leaves 
sessile, cordate, oblong, acute, shining. Calyx four lobed, acute. Limé of the corolla divided into 
four ovate, lanceolate, acute lobes, of lively scarlet colour. #Jowers produced in compact, umbel- 
late terminal corymbs. Berry crowned with the lobes of the calyx. 


Synonyms.—T. coccinea, Lin. Spec. 159, Paretia coccinea ex Bum. bif’di 950. 


THE generic name (Ixora) is said to be the name of a Malabar idol, to which 
were offered the flowers of some of the species. 

The specific name is given in reference to the flowers of this species, being 
larger and handsomer than any of the previously named ones. 

We were favoured with the drawing of this species by John Clowes, Esq. of 
Broughton Hall near Manchester, last autumn, in whose possession, among other 
well-grown plants, it flowered beautifully at that time. It is a native of the East 
Indies at Tanjore, and of China and Ceylon. In various parts of India it is said to 
flower the whole year round, whence Sir Abraham Hume is said to have first 
Introduced it to this country. 

The genus Jvora is extensive, comprehending upwards of forty species, most of 
which when in bloom are truly beautiful, and worthy of extensive cultivation in 
every collection; the flowers, which are produced generally in umbellate corymbs, 
vary in colour from a bright scarlet to a pure white. 

The present species, when well grown, forms a neat shrub, producing its scarlet 
blossoms about the latter end of July or August. 

The whole of the species in this genus thrive well in a stove where rather a 
moist heat is kept, but it is advisable never to plunge the pots in tan, since this 
practice has a bad effect upon the roots; the best soil for them is turfy loam, peat 
that contains a good share of fibre, and clean sand in equal quantities. 

Cuttings strike freely in either mould or sand, but sand is preferable placed in 


a gentle heat under a glass. 


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77 


DENDROBIUM MONILIFORME. 


CLASS. ORDER. 
GYNANDRIA. MONANDRIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


ORCHIDE. 


Generic Cuaracter.—LZzp spurless, jointed with the column. Pollen masses four, parallel. 


Speciric Cuaracten.—Epipuyte. Leaves ovate, lanceolate, obtuse. Stem one foot and a half high, 
shining, pale green, with swelled tumid joints, divided in two lobes at the end (apex); clasping the 
stem at the base. Veins conspicuous both in the stem and the leaves, particularly the lower part 
of the leaf that embraces the stem. Flowers produced in pairs on a common footstalk (peduncle), 
springing mostly from the top of the stem; of a clear rose colour marked with crimson on various 
parts of the flower. 


Synonym.— Epidendrum moniliforme. Linn. Sp. pl. 1352. 


Tuis splendid Epiphyte is a native of China and Japan, from the former of 
which countries it was introduced a few years ago, through the London Horticul- 
tural Society. 

For the opportunity of figuring this fine plant we are obliged to Mr. Wm. Bow 
of Broughton, near Manchester, in whose collection it flowered profusely about 
November last. The success of this gentleman in cultivating this singularly beautiful 
tribe of Plants (Orchidee) is great, as will be seen in the accompanying plate. 
This plant amongst its congeners is very remarkable and easy to be distinguished 
from them, by the tumid joints of the stem, and thread-like veins, so conspicuously 
seen through the exterior transparent membrane of the stem. It must be treated 
as other orchideous plants, for it delights (as most of them do) in a moderately 
humid atmosphere varying in temperature from 65 to 75 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit ; 
but it must be observed that it is especially necessary to be very cautious in giving 
water at the roots at ali times, particularly when the plantis not growing, as a 
superabundance of this element is extremely injurious. 

The generic name is derived from the Greek, in reference to the habit of the 
species being to grow upon trees. In the dense woods of the East Indies they 
entwine themselves about the branches of living trees, where they flower in great 
perfection. 

The specific name is given in reference to the stem, from the alternate swellings 


and contractions resembling a necklace. 


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79 


A SELECTION OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL 
~ STOVE-SHRUBS, 


WITH REMARKS ON THEIR CULTURE, AND THE SEASON OF FLOWERING. 


Our observations on the general culture of stove plants, to which we refer our 
readers, will be found in Volume II., page 53; in addition to what we there stated, 
we have here entered into particulars respecting each separate species. We conceive 
this necessary, because each individual plant has a habit peculiar to itself; and under 
a general mode of treatment one plant will flourish greatly whilst another will 
pine, languish, and scarcely continue to exist. 


‘SELECT LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 


Aphelandra cristata. 
Acacia Houstonia. 

— Lambertiana. 
Astrapea Wallichii. 
Allamanda cathartica. 
gcisia paniculata. 

-pyramidalis. 

— colorata. 
Alstonia venenata. 
Brownea grandiceps. 

— coccinea. 
Beloperone oblongata. 
Bauhinia recurva. 
Bejaria glauca. 
Barringtonia speciosa. 
Butea frondosa., 

— superba. — 
Beaumontia grandiflora. 
Brunsfelsia undulata. 
Carolinea alba. 

— princeps. 

— minor. 

— insignis. 
Cereus speciocissimus. 

— grandiflorus. 

— Jenkinsonii. 
Crossandra undulefolia. 
Careya spherica. 

— arborea. 

Cleome dendroides. 
Cryptophragmium venustum. 
Cassia ligustrina. 

— glandulosa. 

— pulchella. 
Cotyledon decussata. 
Clitoria arborescens. 
Columnea scandens. 

— hirsuta. 
Clerodendron hastatum. 

= paniculatum. 
— viscosum. 
= squamatum, 


Cerbera fruticosa. 
Croton pictum. 
Dracena terminalis. 

—  ferrea. 

— striata. 
Epiphyllum splendidum. 

— speciosum. 
— truncatum. 
Erythrina enneandria 
—  Abyssinica. 
—  arborescens. 
—  crista galli. 
—  incana. 
— horrida. 
—  mitis. 
—  piscidioides. 
—  poianthes. 
—  secundiflora. 
—  rubrinervia. 
— caffra. 
— speciosa. 
Euphorbia splendens. 
Eugenia Malaccensis. 

—  ~ Jambos. 
Gompbhia obtusifolia. 

— nitida. — 
Geissomeria longiflora, 
Gustavia Augusta. 
Grislea tomentosa. 
Gardenia radicans. 

— __ speciosa. 

— latifolia. 
Guettarda speciosa. 
Goldfussia anisophylla. 
Hibiscus tiliaceus. 


— Lindlei. 

— rosa sinensis pleno. 
— _ flava. 
— splendens. 

—  crinitus. 

—  liliiflorus hybridus. 
—  Genevil. 


80 


Hibiscus manihot. 
Hamellia ventricosa. 
Hosta cerulea. 
Ixora crocata. 
— bandhuca. 
— grandiflora. 
— rosea. 
— incarnata. 
Jonesia Asoca. 


LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 


Melodinus monogynus. 


Melastoma heteromalla. 


— granulosa. 
Malpighia glabra. 
Nepenthes distillatoria. 
Plumieria acuminata. 

_ — rubra. 
Osbeckia stellata. 
Poinciana regia. 


Justicia nodosa. —  pulcherrima. 
—  carnea. Plumieria bicolor. 
— speciosa. — . tricolor. 
— venusta. Petrea erecta. 
—  picta. Quassia amara. 
— coccinea. Rhexia holosericea. . 
Jatropha pandurefolia. — viminea. 


Randia Bowieana. 
Rondeletia speciosa. 


Jacaranda mimosifolia. 
Lantana mixta. 


— Seloi. Ruellia persicifolia. 
Luculia gratissima. — Sabini. 
Magnolia odoratissima. Solandra guttata. 
Mimosa asperata. | — grandiflora. 
— latispinosa. Tecoma stans. 
— pudica. Tabernemontana gratissima. 
—  polydactyla. Wrightia coccinea. 
— pigra. In the above list also, most kinds of bite 
— rubicaulis. are desirable. 
—  sensitiva. 
APHELANDRA. 


A. CRISTATA.—This is a most splendid species, bearing a spike of brilliant 
scarlet flowers; it thrives well in equal parts of heath mould and sandy loam, with 
a small portion of very rotten dung. The mode of propagation is by cuttings 
planted in spring, and plunged in a brisk moist heat. This plant ought to be in 
every collection. 

ACACIA. 

A. Houston1a and LAMBERTIANA.—The culture of Acacias is so well known, 
that little need be said on the subject ; but we may just name that both the species, 
named above, flourish the best when placed in a cool and airy part of the stove, 
Half ripened cuttings planted in clear sand, covered with a bell-glass, and plunged 
in a brisk heat, soon strike roots, and are ready to pot off, which operation should 
be done as soon as possible after they are rooted. 


ASTRAPJEA. 


A. Watricuit.—This is a most splendid plant, bearing fine pendent rose- _ 


coloured flowers ; it, however, requires a deal of room. It. is a native of Madagascar, 


and will grow freely in any rich light soil, if sufficient pot room and heat be given. 


It strikes freely from cuttings, planted in pots filled with equal parts of heath mould — 


and sandy loam, and plunged in heat, with a hand-glass over them. 


ALLAMANDA. 
A. CATHARTICA.—This plant is a native of Guiana, found on the sea coasts, 
and is excellent for the rafters of a hothouse, being an evergreen, and bearing a 


—s 


LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 81 


profusion of rich yellow trumpet-shaped flowers. It is of remarkably easy culture 
growing in a mixture of heath mould, sandy loam and very rotten dung. And 
half ripened cuttings grow as easily as those of the pelargonium, if planted in small 
pots, and plunged in a cucumber frame, any time in the spring of the year. 


ARDISIA. 

A. PANICULATA.—This species is a very free flowerer, and, in our judgment, the 
finest of the whole; but both the pyramidalis and colorata are very beautiful, and 
well deserve a place in every collection of stove plants. They all three grow in a 
mixture of two parts loam, one part heath mould, and one part very rotten. dung. 
They often produce seeds, particularly the A. paniculata, which should be sown in 
February, and placed in a brisk moist heat; they will increase with difficulty by 
cuttings of half ripened wood, planted in May, and covered with a bell-glass ; also 
pieces of the root taken off at the time of potting, if planted in pots, and placed in a 
dry heat, will soon grow, but great care is requisite not to destroy them by moisture. 


ALSTONITA. 

A. VENENATA.—This plant is remarkable for the beauty of its leaves, rather 
than for the splendour of its flowers; the latter, however, are far from despicable, 
being a very delicate white. It grows in a mixture of equal parts of loam and 
heath mould, and may be propagated freely by cuttings planted in spring in pots, 
and plunged in a brisk moist heat. 

| BROWNEA. 

B. GRANDICEPS.— All the species of Brownea are splendid plants, but this and 
the coccinea particularly so; they require a strong heat to grow them to perfection, 
and should therefore be placed in the hottest part of the stove. They are also 
very impatient of water during winter, caution is therefore necessary not to over- 
water them. They strike from ripened cuttings, which should be planted in 
autumn in pots of sand, and, after standing in a temperate dry heat till February or 
March, should be plunged in a brisk moist heat, and, if covered with a bell-glass, 
they will strike with great freedom. 

| BELOPERONE. 

B. OBLONGATA.— Very easy of culture, requires a good heat, growing freely 

from half ripened cuttings planted in sand and plunged in a moist heat, and covered 


with a bell-glass. 
BAUHINIA. \ 


B. RECURVA and RACEMOSA are both very splendid specimens of a very 
interesting genus, they are well calculated for rafters, and will grow in a mixture 
of heath mould, loam, and very rotten dung; cuttings of half ripened wood should 
be taken off in May and planted in pots of sand, wu afterwards covered with a 
bell-glass, and plunged in a moist heat. 

BEJARIA. 

B. GLauca.—This splendid plant requires to be set in the coolest part of the 
house, and potted in heath mould. Cuttings of the tender wood will strike if 
planted in pots of sand, plunged in a gentle heat, and covered with a bell-glass. 

VOL. I1I.—NO. XXVIII. M 


82 LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 


BARRINGTONIA. 
B. sPpEcIoSA.—This noble ‘plant, to flourish properly, requires a strong heat 


and plenty of moisture during the season of growth ; and, at the time of watering, it 


should never be exposed to a temperature much below 60° Fahrenheit. Our 
plants, at Chatsworth, grow freely in equal parts of heath mould and good rich 
loam. We have found cuttings strike well, if taken off when the wood is ripe and 


planted in pure sand, and plunged ina brisk moist heat, with a hand-glass over them. 


BUTEA. 

B. FRONDOSA and SUPERBA are two fine stove plants; they grow freely in 
equal parts of heath mould, rich loam, and very rotten dung. They are propagated 
by cuttings of half ripened wood, which should be planted in pots of sand, plunged 
in heat, and covered with a hand-glass, in consequence of the size of the leaves, 
which must, by no means, be mutilated. 


BEAUMONTIA. 

B. GRANDIFLORA.—This is another plant suited for rafters or trellis. It is easily 
cultivated, growing in equal parts of loam and heath mould, and is propagated by 
cuttings of half ripened wood, planted in sand, under a bell-glass, and plunged in 
heat. It is a native of Nepal. 


‘BRUNSFELSIA. 
B. uNDULATA.—The flowers of this plant emit a rather pleasant fragrance. 
A mixture of loam and heath mould suits the plant well; and cuttings planted in 
sand under a glass, and plunged in heat, grow freely. 


CAROLINEA. 

C. aLBA.—This magnificent tree is a native of Brazil. The flowers are white, 
and emit rather an unpleasant smell. The C. princeps and minor are, if any 
thing, more beautiful than the alba; the wnsigms will grow between thirty and 
forty feet high, the flowers are very large, of extraordinary beauty, and have a delicious 
fragrance, but too powerful if closely confined. The fruit will grow nearly as large 
as a child’s head, and has a sweetish taste not unlike Spanish chestnuts. All the 
species are easy of culture, but require plenty of room and heat. The soil that 
suits them best is two parts good loam and one part very rotten dung. They are 
propagated by layers, which should be tongued on the upper side, also by cuttings 
of half ripened wood, planted in sand, under a hand-glass, in heat. 


CEREUS. 
For the general culture of all stove Cactee, see our remarks, Vol. I., p. 49. 


CROSSANDRA. 
C. UNDUL£FOLIA.—This is a splendid species, and remarkably easy of culture. 
Any light rich soil will suit it, and it piopasatcs readily in spring, by cuttings 
planted in sand under a glass, in heat. 


CAREY A. 
C. sPHERICA and ARBOREA are natives of the East Indies ; they grow well in 


LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 83 


a mixture of two parts loam, one part heath mould, and one part very rotten dung. 
They are propagated readily by cuttings planted in sand, under a glass, in heat. 


CLEOME. 
C. DENDROIDES.—This is a Brazilian plant of great beauty, growing in any 
light soil, and readily propagated by seeds and cuttings; the latter may be planted 
in light soil and plunged in a moist heat. 


CRYPTOPHRAGMIUM. 
C. VENUSTUM is well deserving a place in any collection, requires the common 
treatment of most other stove shrubs, and is propagated by half ripened cuttings 
planted in sand under a glass, and plunged in heat. 


CASSIA. 

C. LIGUSTRINA, GLANDULOSA, and PULCHELLA, are all very beautiful. They 
require a soil composed of equal parts of heath mould and Joam ; the foliage of the 
glandulosa is particularly elegant when the plants are large. They are all 
propagated by cuttings and seeds, which must be received from India, as they 
seldom produce any in our stoves. 

COTYLEDON. 

C. pecussaATAa.—This is a succulent of rare beauty; it requires to be potted in 
sandy loam, and placed in a cool part of the stove. The same attention is requisite 
in watering this plant, as other succulents, viz., administering only about twice a 
week in the driest weather, and less in damp weather, and scarcely giving any 
during winter. It is propagated by cuttings, which should be laid on a shelf to dry 
a few days, and afterwards planted in pots of mould, and placed in a dry heat. 


CLITORIA. 

C. ARBORESCENS.—This is a very rare plant in our collections. It is a native 
of Trinidad, and consequently requires a strong heat. The soil should be two parts 
loam, one part peat, and one part very rotten dung. It is propagated by seeds, 
which are produced in pots, and also by cuttings, planted in pots of soil, and plunged 


in a moist heat. 
CLERODENDRON. 


All the Clerodendrons require plenty of pot room, and all the summer season 
often syringing over the leaves, or they become much infested with the red spider. 
They are very handsome, and continue flowering a long time. They propagate 
teadily by cuttings of the young wood planted in pots of soil, and plunged in a 
brisk moist heat. 

CERBERA. 

C. FRUTICOSA is a fine species of very easy culture, and readily propagated by 

cuttings planted in sand, and plunged in a brisk moist heat. 
CROTON. 

C. pictum.—The beautiful blotching of the leaves of this shrub renders it a 
notable ornament to the stove. It strikes readily by ripened cuttings, planted in sand 
in the autumn under a hand-glass ; and in spring, by plunging the pots in a brisk heat. 


$4 LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 


DRACZANA. 
D. TERMINALIS is a most graceful plant, not unlike a species of palm in its 
growth. It grows readily in a mixture of heath mould and loam, and is readily 


increased by pieces of the stem and by seeds. The D. ferreaand striata are both 
very ornamental. 


ERYTHRINA, 

All the Erythrinas are splendid, and are easy of culture. They require to be 
kept rather dry and cold during the time they are without leaves, and, when they 
begin to grow, place them in a strong heat, where they will receive plenty of 
moisture. They are propagated freely by cuttings, which may either be planted in 
sand or light soil, and plunged in a brisk moist heat. 


EUPHORBIA. 

E. sPLENDENS.—The flowers of this species are not large, but they are of an 
extremely rich colour. Any common poor soil suits it, and care is requisite not to 
over-water it. Cuttings strike freely, if left a day or two to dry after separation 
from the plant, and then planted in small pots of poor soil, and plunged in a 
strong heat. 


KUGENTA. 


E. MALACCENSIS and JAMBOS are very ornamental tropical fruit trees ; the. 


flowers themselves have nothing remarkable in them, but the fruit is both orna- 


mental and valuable. They both thrive well in a mixture of two parts sandy loam, 


and one part very rotten dung, and are very easily propagated by cuttings of the 
ripe wood, planted in the autumn, in pots of sand, and placed in a moderately cool 
and dry place; in February, plunge them in a bark or hotbed, where they will 
receive a brisk heat, and give them a moderate supply of water. 


GOMPHIA. 
G. OBTUSIFOLIA and NITIDA require only the common care and treatment of 
hardy stove plants; and are very easily propagated by cuttings, planted in pots of 
sand, and covered with a glass. 


GEISSOMERIA. — | 
G. LONGIFLORA.—This plant well deserves more attention than has hitherto 
been given it. The soil for it should be rich, say two parts light loam, and one 


part very rotten dung. Cuttings of the young and tender wood, planted in light | 


soil, under a glass, and plunged in a brisk heat, will speedily grow. 


GUSTAVIA. 

G. Aucusta.—This splendid plant, to be grown to perfection, should be placed 
in a strong heat. It has been long discovered, but is yet scarcely known in collec- 
tions. A soil composed of one part heath mould, one part light loam from a 
pasture, and one part leaf mould, suits it well. Cuttings of the ripe wood taken off 
in the autumn, planted in sand, and placed in a moderate dry heat, and in February 
plunged in a strong moist heat, under a glass, will strike pretty freely. 


LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 85 


GRISLEA. 

G. TromENTosA.—A lovely plant, and remarkably free flowerer; a mixture of 
one part heath mould, and two parts sandy loam, forms a good soil for it; and 
cuttings of the tender wood, taken off in April, strike freely if planted in sand, 
under a glass, in brisk heat. : 

i 5 GARDENIA. 

For the culture of Gs radicans and florida, see Vol. I., page 226 ; the 
G. speciosa and latifolia, are both very scarce in our collections. They require the 
same treatment as G’. florida. 

GUETTARDA. 


G. speciosA.—This rare plant ought to be in every collection; it requires 
precisely the same treatment as Gardenia florida. 


GOLDFUSSIA. 


G. ANISOPHYLLA.—With this plant | am unacquainted, except from figures, 
and include it in my list merely from report. 


HIBISCUS. 

For the culture of this splendid genus refer to Vol. I., page 77; and Vol. IL., 

page 3. 
he HAMELLIA. 

H. venrricosa.—This plant is very easy of management, thriving in a 
mixture of equal parts of heath mould and sandy loam from a pasture ; and is easily 
propavated by cuttings of the half-ripened wood planted in April, in sand, and 
plunged in a moist heat. 

HOST A. 

H. c#RruLeA.—This species may be treated like Hamellia, only the cuttings 

will do better if planted young, in pots of soil instead of sand. 


IXORA. 


All the species of Ixora require the same kind of treatment ; for which see our 
observations on Lvora bandhuca, Vol. 2, page 265. 


JONESIA. 

J. asocA.—The flowers of this species are rich, and bear a good deal of 
resemblance to those of Ixora. The plant grows to a large size, and should be 
treated like Ixora. Large branches will strike root if planted in sandy soil, and 
plunged in a strong moist heat. 

JUSTICIA. 


All the species named above are most beautiful, and require similar treatment to 
each other, for which refer to Vol I., page 102. 


JATROPHA. 
J. PANDURE&FOLIA.— This is one of the most beautiful plants ever introduced 
to our country. It is a remarkable free flowerer, and continues blooming most part 


86 LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 


of the year. It is, however, scarce, because rather difficult to propagate. Cuttings 
will generally grow if planted singly in thimble pots and plunged in a brisk bottom 
heat. Layers also strike pretty well if an incision is made at a joint on the upper 
side of the branch, and a slight twist be given to bring the end of the tongue nicely 
in contact with the soil. But the best way of propagation is to fertilise the stigmas 
during the time of flowering, and seeds will be produced, which should be sown in 
February and plunged in a strong heat, when they will soon vegetate, and the 
young plants be ready to pot off in thimble pots, in a mixture of two parts loam, 


one part heath mould, and one part very rotten dung. Both whilst young, and 


when grown to a large size, this plant is very impatient of water, care must be 
taken, therefore, not to water it indiscriminately with other stove plants. 


JACARANDA. 

J. MIMOSIFOLIA.—This is a charming plant; the delicate appearance of the 
leaves, and the boldness of its trumpet flowers, form a very fine contrast. It 
thrives in a mixture of one part sandy loam, one part heath mould, and one part 
very rotten dung. In winter it is customary to give all the plants of this genus 
very little water, as the check generally has the tendency of throwing them into 
flower. Cuttings of half ripe wood will grow, planted in sand, and plunged in heat. 


LANTANA. 
L. MIxTA and SELO! are both very pretty, and remarkably easy of culture, grow- 
ing freely in a mixture of two parts sandy loam, one part heath mould, and one 
part very rotten dung. Cuttings of half ripened wood root very frequently in pots of 


soil plunged in heat. 
LUCULIA. 


L. GraTissima.—-This pretty plant should be placed in a cool part of the stove. 
It grows freely from cuttings planted in pots of mould, and plunged in a hotbed. 


MAGNOLIA. 

M. oporaATissimA.—This plant is well known and very deservedly prized in 
our stoves. The delightful fragrance emitted by the flowers when expanded fills 
the surrounding atmosphere to a great distance. It is a native of Java, and was 
introduced a few years ago. ‘The culture is simple; the plant merely requiring to 
be potted in a mixture of loam and sandy heath mould. It may be increased by 
ripe cuttings planted in sand and plunged in a brisk heat under a glass, and by 


budding. 
MIMOSA. 


Of the several species mentioned in the list, the M. asperata, latispinosa, pigra, 
and rubicaulis, grow to good sized shrubs; and, from the delicacy of their foliage, 
form a pleasing contrast to the foliage of most other stove plants. The M. poly- 
dactyla and pudica seldom form large plants. The pudica is the well known 
inhabitant of our stoves called the sensitive plant. It is usually sown as an annual, 
but if properly preserved from over moisture in winter, when it loses its leaves, it 
grows vigorously for three or four years, often producing seed in the second or 
third year. The true sensitive plant (M. sensitiva) is a biennial climbing plant, 
calculated fer a small trellis two or three feet high, They all thrive well in equal 


LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 87 


parts of sandy loam, heath mould, and rotten dung. They all produce seeds, by 
which they are easily propagated, and cuttings of the tender wood, planted in a pot 
of sand under a glass, and plunged in a very brisk moist heat, strike root freely. 


MELODINUS. ~ 
M. monocynus.—This plant is easy to cultivate, growing in equal parts of 
loam and heath mould, to which may be added a little dung ; and cuttings grow in 
sand, under a glass, in a gentle heat. 


MELASTOMA. 

M. HETEROMALLA, now called Pleroma heteromalla, is a very handsome 
species with silvery leaves; both this and granulosa grow freely in heath mould 
alone, and require a strong heat to grow them to perfection. In winter they are 
very impatient of water. Cuttings of the tender wood, planted in either heath 
mould or pure sand under a glass, and plunged in a gentle heat, will strike root 


freely. 
MALPIGHIA. 


M. GLABRA is but a dwarf growing plant, but a very free flowerer; it also 
bears occasionally a fruit about the size of a bird-cherry. It flourishes ina mixture 
ofloam, heath mould, and rotten dung. It is so impatient of being potted, that 
sometimes it will not recover for nearly a whole season after being shifted; the 
best way, therefore, is to pot seldom and with care, so as not to disturb the roots 


much. 
NEPENTHES. 


N. pISTILLATORIA.—For the successful culture of this plant see our remarks in 


Vol. I., page 58. 
PLUMIERIA. 

All the species of Plumieria are very beautiful, and are somewhat of a succulent 
nature, they, therefore, never require much water, and, during the season of their 
hybernation, should have much the same treatment as Cacti, Vol. I., page 49. 
Cuttings are made by taking off a good-sized branch, and either sticking it in the 
bark bed, or planting it in a pot of mould, and plunging it in heat under a glass. 
The most suitable soil is loam, heath mould, and rotten dung. 

OSBECKIA. 
OsBECKIA requires precisely the same treatment as Melastoma. 
POINCIANA. 
_ P. REGIA and PULCHERRIMA are both splendid, and ought to be in every 
collection ; for their culture see page ? of the present volume. 
| PETRA. 

P. erEcTA.—This beautiful plant grows freely in a mixture of loam and heath 
mould, with a little rotten dung added, the cuttings should be planted in sand in 
May, and be plunged in heat under a hand-glass. 

QUASSIA. 

QuASSIA AMARA.—The wood of this shrub is the bitter wood of the shops. 

The plant grows very handsome, and isan exceeding free flowerer. It grows freely 


88 LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 


in a mixture of equal parts of heath mould and loam, with a small portion of rotten 


dung. Cuttings grow slowly ; they must be made of the ripe wood taken off in the — 


autumn, and planted in pots of sand, under a glass, in a gentle dry heat; and in 
February plunged in brisk hotbeds. 


RHEXIA. : 
R. HOLOSERICEA and VIMINEA require precisely the same treatment as Melastoma. 


RANDIA. 

R. Bowrzana.—This plant requires a strong moist heat when in a growing 
state; should be potted in heath mould, with a little loam mixed, and may be 
increased by half ripened cuttings planted in sand in ner and plunged in a very 
brisk moist heat, and covered with a glass. 


RONDELETIA. 

For the successful culture of this genus refer to Vol.I., page 158 ; and Vol. IL, 

page 242. 
| RUELLIA. 

R. PERSICIFOLIA and SABINI are both handsome species, remarkably easy of cul- 
ture; they do not flower freely unless their roots be cramped in the pots ; when ina 
growing state they also require a large supply of water, but im winter scarcely any. 
Cuttings strike root freely in a mixture of sandy loam and leaf mould. This soil 
also suits the plants well. 

SOLANDRA. 
_ §. GuTTATA and GRANDIFLORA partake much of the habit and appearance of 
Brugmansia suaveoleus (Datura arborea). Any light rich soil suits them well ; 
they require much room for the roots, and flower freely when they have plenty of 
roots. They are easily propagated by cuttings, planted in rich soil. See Vol. IL., 
page 108. 
TECOMA. 

T. stans should be treated like Bignonia, for which refer to Vol. IL, 
page 108. 

TABERN/EMONTANA. 

T. GRATISSIMA.—This is a very pretty sweet-scented species, growing freely in 
a mixture of equal parts of sandy loam and heath mould; and cuttings grow in sand 
treated as other stove plants. 

WRIGHTIA. 

W. coccINEA is another very easy growing plant, requiring precisely the same 

treatment as the last. | 


Flowering in January. 


FLOWERS ORANGE. FLOWERS PURPLE. 


Crossandra undulefolia. Justicia speciosa. 
—  picta. 
FLOWERS SCARLET. 
Erythrina poianthes. 
FLOWERS ROSE-COLOURED. 
FLOWERS WHITE, 
Carolinea alba. | Malpighia glabra. 


LIST OF STOVE-SHRUBS. 


Flowering in February. 
FLOWERS RED OR SCARLET. FLOWERS PURPLE 
Petraa erecta. 


Q matum. 
Be ecen sronisquariay Melastoma granulosa. 


Alphelandra cristata. 
Erythrina enneandria. ae FLOWERS ROSE-COLOURED. 
— macrophylla. Hibiscus splendens. 


Flowering in March. 


FLOWERS RED OR SCARLET. FLOWERS YELLOW. 


Erythrina mitis. Cassia glandulosa. 
—  piscidioides. Slandm guttata. 
—  Abyssinica. Rondeletia speciosa. 
— incana. Hamellia ventricosa. 
—  secundiflora. Hibiscus rosa sinensis aurea. 
aa erista gall. 
Jonesia Asoca. FLOWERS ROSE-COLOURED. 
Cotyledon decussata. | Acacia Lambertiana. 
Plumieria tricolor. 
FLOWERS WHITE. Cerbera fruticosa. 
Plumieria bicolor. i  Osbeckia stellata. 


Flowering in April. 
FLOWERS SCARLET. FLOWERS YELLOW, 
Quassia amara. Sesbania picta. 


Jatropha pandureefolia. 
FLOWERS PURPLE, 


FLOWERS WHITE. Mimosa pudica. 
Clerodendron hastatum. Goldfussia anisophylla. 
— viscosum. Ruellia persicifolia. 
Gardenia radicans. —  Sabini. 
Flowering in May. 
FLOWERS SCARLET. | FLOWERS PURPLE, 


Mimosa polydactyla. 
Dracena terminalis. 
Clitoria arborescens. 
Melastoma heteromalla. 
Rhexia viminea. 
Bejaria glauca. 


Wrightia coccinea. 
Epiphyllum speciosum. 
— truncatum. 
Aphelandra cristata. 
Carolinea insignis. 
cine horrida. 


— caffra. FLOWERS WHITE. 
— speciosa. Gustavia Augusta. 
Beaumontia grandiflora. 
FLOWERS YELLOW. Mimosa pigra. 
Mimosa rubicaulis. —,_ asperata. 
Gomphia obtusifolia. Randia Bowieana. 


— nitida. FLOWERS BLUE. 
Brunsfelsia undulata. | Hosta cerulea. 


Flowering in June. 


FLOWERS SCARLET OR CRIMSON. FLOWERS PURPLE AND ROSE. 
Eugenia Malaccensis. Cleome dendroides. 
Cereus speciosissimus. . Ardisia paniculata. 
— Jenkinsonii. —  colorata. 
Barringtonia. —  pyramidalis. 


Butea rondosa: 


E ; 
— superba. FLOWERS YELLOW 


Acacia Houstonia. - Cereus grandiflorus. 

Grislea tomentosa. : Magnolia odoratissima. 
FLOWERS BLUE. FLOWERS WHITE. 
Jacaranda mimosifolia. Bauhinia recurva. 


89 


OF CULTURE OF THE GENUS EDWARDSIA. 


Flowering in July. 


FLOWERS SCARLET OR CRIMSON. Russelia grincea, 
Epiphyllum splendidum. Mibiscus liliiflorus hybridus, 
Geissomeria longiflora.  Ixora coccinea. 

Carolinea princeps. — crocata. 
— minor. Clerodendron paniculatum. 
Careya spherica. 
— arborea. FLOWERS BLUE 


Guettarda speciosa. 
Lantana mixta. 
Poinciana regia. 

—  pulcherrima. 
Euphorbia splendens. : Carolinea alba. 
Brownea grandiceps. | Plumieria acuminata. 


Rhexia holosericea. 


FLOWERS WHITE. 


Flowering in August. 
FLOWERS SCARLET AND RED. FLOWERS YELLOW. 
Cassia ligustrina. 


Erythrina rubrinervia. ae ae 
Ay Hibiscus tiliaceus. 


= arborescens. Teeny een 
Txora bandhuca. 3 
— rTasea. FLOWERS WHITE. 
Justicia carnea. Melodinus monogynus. 
Flowering in September. 
FLOWERS SCARLET AND RED. FLOWEES YELLOW. 
Beloperone oblongata. Hibiscus crinitus. 
Justicia nodosa. Allamanda cathartica. 


FLOWERS WHITE. 


FLOWERS PURPLE AND ROSE. Alstonia venenata 
4 We 
Justicia venusta. | Tabernemontana gratissima. 
Luculia gratissima. Mimosa latispinosa. 


CULTURE OF THE GENUS EDWARDSIA. 


THIs genus is much esteemed, and eagerly sought for by most cultivators of 
ornamental plants, on account of the peculiarly shaped and invariably yellow 
coloured flowers. They are shrubby plants of easy culture, varying in height from 
six to ten feet, branchy, forming, when full and well grown, an agreeable bush. 
In the Linnean system they form a portion of that class and order called Decandria 
Monogynia, and belong to that section of the monogynous plants, recognised by 
the flowers being butterfly-shaped (papilionaceous), characters by which the plants 
_ forming the natural order Leguminose are at once distinguished. The flowers of 
these plants are pretty and curious, but not so handsome as might be expected 
from this tribe, among which exist some of the most beautiful genera of hard- 
wooded plants in the vegetable world. The whole genus comprises six species, 
four of which will survive our winters in the open air, if not very severe. The 
remaining two being natives of a warm climate require the heat of the stove. 
Before treating of each species, which we propose to do separately, it will be better 


to notice the essential characters of the genus; afterwards, in their proper place, the — 


distinctive marks of the species, mingling with the whole every other important 
particular that may appear necessary to render the subject serviceable as a general 


CULTURE OF THE GENUS EDWARDSIA. 9] 


reference. The generic characters are an obliquely five-toothed calyx, with the 
upper side cleft. Corolla papilionaceous, composed of five distinct petals. eel 
long. Stamens ten, inserted into a cup-shaped, many angled, thalamus. laments 
falling off, (deciduous). Legwme (pod) necklace-shaped, (moniliforme), one-celled, 
two-valved, four winged, many seeded. Leaves pair, pinnate, without foot stalks, 
(extipulate), deciduous. £'lowers produced in short axillary racemose spikes. 

E. grandiflora may be regarded as its name imports, the most handsome 
species in the genus, and certainly when in flower it is a splendid ornament, 
exhibiting by its large, and in a healthy plant numerous clusters of pendulous 

yellow blossoms, which are produced before the leaves, a garland of golden hue. 
It is a native of New Zealand, whence it was brought into this country about the 
year 1772. The leaves, which are compound, consist of from seventeen to twenty- 
one oblong, somewhat linear, lanceolate leaflets, hairy beneath, petals of keel bent 
like a sickle (falcate). The season of its flowering generally happens about April 
or May, in which state it continues for a considerable time. It is rather hardy, 
and will do well planted in a good border of open loam and peat, against a south 
wall, when it will flower and perfect its seed, by which it may be increased, or 
cuttings of the young wood put in sand will strike readily under a hand-glass. 

E. microphylla, or small-leaved Kdwardsia. ‘This is a valuable species, with. 
leaves composed of from twelve to fifteen pairs of roundish emarginate ieaflets, 
smooth, sometimes pubescent on the under side. Flowers papilionaceous, petals 
of the keel elliptical, hooked on the back. This species is a native of New 
Zealand, introduced to this country a little more than a century ago. It produces 
its large pendulous branches of golden coloured flowers about May and June, thus 
_ forming an elegant shrub well suited to a warm place in the arboretum, or flower 
garden, whence it can be conveniently moved to a frame or greenhouse, or otherwise 
protected in extreme frost. It delights in a good open loamy soil, blended with a 
little sand, or destitute of the latter, if the loam be open, it will grow well. It 
may be propagated by seeds, which generally ripen, or by cuttings put in sand 
under a hand-glass. 

Ey. chrysophylla, or golden coloured Edwardsia, so called from the young 
leaflets being clothed with smali yellow hairs (pubescent). The compound leaves 
of this species consist of seventeen obovate leaflets; with the petals of the keel 
like the preceding elliptical, and the dorsal (growing on the back) margin straight. 
It is a native of the Sandwich Islands, and not quite so hardy as the former 
species, it therefore must at present be considered to prefer the greenhouse, where 
it will grow and flower well; the flowers are rather small, still their uniform yellow 
colour renders the plant handsome about May and June, which is the general 
season of its flowering. It should be potted in rich loamy open soil, mixed with 
a little peat, carefully watered at all times. Propagation may be easily effected by 
cuttings of the young wood being potted in sand and placed in a little heat under a 
hand-glass. 

E. myriophylla, or many leafletted Edwardsia. This is an interesting and 
desirable species, with its individual leaves formed of twenty pairs o fobovats. entire 
emarginate leaflets, either smooth or pubescent on the under side. This is also a 


99 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. ~ 


native of New Zealand, producing about May or June brilliant yellow flowers, 
which make a conspicuous show. Its habit is much like the other New Zealand 
species, and therefore requires the same attention. 

Fi. nitida, or shining leaved Edwardsia. This is a pretty shrub of about 
eight feet high, native of the Island of Bourbon, introduced to this country about 
fourteen years ago. It requires the heat of the stove, and, if potted in soil com- 
posed of a mixture of loam sand and peat, will grow well. The flowers are yellow. 
The number of leaflets to each leaf varies from twenty to twenty-five, of an elliptic, 
somewhat ovate obtuse shape, with a small notch at the end and silvery on both 
surfaces, wings of the flower oblong, with the dorsal margin straight. Legume 
hairy. Cuttings of the young wood put in sand, under a bell-glass in heat, will pro- 
pagate freely. 

Ei. denudata, or naked Edwardsia, a shrubby plant, also a native of the Island 
of Bourbon, requires the same treatment as the other stove species. Leaves com- 
posed of from seventeen to twenty-one elliptic obtusely-shaped leaflets, under 
surface of a pale colour, clothed with silky hairs; upper surface smooth, clothed 
with rusty shining wool. Legume very thickly covered with small hairs (tomentose). 
The two stove species will do well treated as other stove plants of a similar habit, 
none of them are very liable to be assailed by insects, still it is necessary to keep a 
vigilant eye upon them in case these intruders should make their appearance. 
The hardier sorts growing in the open air, must be objects of attention during the 
winter, that is,if the weather be very severe they will require protection, which will 
be readily rendered, if the plants are growing against a trellis, by nailing a mat or 
two over them. But if planted on the lawn or border, shelter in this case will not 
be so easily afforded. The most available method is to form a covering by wreath- 
ing hoops together of sufficient dimensions, and covering the whole with garden or 
straw mats, observing to give air and light at every opportunity, through the day, 
and cover them at the approach of night; if they are carefully attended to in these 
respects they will stand very well. 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS 


FIGURED IN THE LEADING BOTANICAL PERIODICALS, AND FLORISTS 
MAGAZINE FOR MARCH. 


Boranicat Reaister. Edited by Dr. Lindley, each number containing 
eight figures; coloured 4s., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

British FLowER-GARDEN. . Edited by Mr. David Don. Containing four 
plates ; coloured 3s., plain 2s. 3d.; with corresponding letter-press. 

BoranicaL MaGazine. Edited by Dr. Hooker, each number containing eight 
plates ; coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 


Frorists’ Macazine. By F. W. Smith. Containing four monthly plates, 
highly coloured; several plates with two figures; large size 4s., small 2s. 6d.; and 


corresponding letter-press. 
Of the above figures, we have only selected such as are new and very rare; and 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 93 


amongst these only such as deserve to be extensively cultivated. For descriptions 
and figures, reference must be made to the works themselves. 


CLASS I.—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONE/S). 
VIOLET TRIBE (VIOLACEZ). 

Pansies, Lavinia, AND Joun Buty. An elegantly finished drawing of each 
is given, with pleasing directions for the cultivation of this lively family. Flor. Mag., 
part. 1X. J. Bull is a bold, well-proportioned flower, with brilliant colours, and 
has excited much interest among amateurs. Lavinia, grown by Mr. Hogg, is a 
very interesting flower, though its colours are not so intense as those of John Bull. 


THE PRIMROSE TRIBE (PRIMULACEZ). 

PRIMROSES, DOUBLE CRIMSON AND DOUBLE WHITE. ‘These are by far the most 
pleasing of all the varieties of Primula acaulis, or primrose. If we are to say any 
thing of the figures accompanying the descriptions, we must allow them to be 
superb productions, and reflect much credit onthe work. lor. Mag., part 1X. 

(PRIMULACEZ.) 

AuRIcuLA, PaGce’s WatERLoo. This choice variety was raised by Mr. Page, 
and is at present very highly prized. The flowers are not very large, but very 
perfect ; the eye is of a pale yellow; the paste is very fine and bold; the ground 
colour of a rich violet, margined with a lively yellow. The peduncles being rather 
short, it is advisable not to allow above nine pips to remain for the tress ; the stem 
is firm and erect ; the leaves are of a dark green, nearly plain at their margin, and 
very strongly nerved. It may be produced of the chief growers. lor. Mag., 
part LX. 

(COMPOSITE. ) 

Dautias, Brown’s PURPLE STRIPE, This beautiful new variety of Messrs. 
Brown of Slough, has the advantage of not being subject to those departures from 
character which affect almost all the striped varieties. It maintained its character 
without any deviation, during the whole season, which is a rare character amongst 
dahlias. It rises about three feet in height, ofa good habit, and a profuse flowerer. 
Flor. Mag., part 1X. 

THE NIGHT-SHADE TRIBE (SOLANEZ#). 

MANDRAGORA AUTUMNaALIS. Autumn-flowering Mandrake, This highly inter- 
esting plant was communicated by the Hon. William J. H. Fox Strangways, in 
the early part of December last, who found it in some parts of the south of Italy, also 
in some of the islands of the Archipelago. It is a hardy perennial, requiring a deep 
loamy soil, and it may be increased by seeds, which ripen the following spring after 
flowering. Brit. Flor. Gar., 325. 3 


THE PEA TRIBE (LEGUMINOS#). 

KENNEDIA GLABERATA, or smooth-leaved Kennedia. This very pretty green- 
house climber is a native of New Holland, and flowered at Mr. Knight’s nursery at 
Chelsea, in May, 1835. An elegant species, producing bright scarlet flowers, and 
no doubt will require the sametreatment as the rest of the species. Bot. Reg., 1838. 


(LOBELIACEZ.) 
LoBELIA DECURRENS, or Wing-stemmed Lobelia. This is a handsome 


94 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


perennial, introduced some years since from Chili, but not frequently found in 
collections. It grows vigorously in a moist, partially shaded peat border, and 
increases without much difficulty by cuttings. Like the rest of the genus, it has 
an exceedingly acrid milky juice, which renders it dangerous to those who handle it 
incautiously. Bot. Reg., 1842. | | 


THE WATER-LEAF TRIBE (HYDROPHYLLE#). 


PHACELIA CONGESTA, or tufted-flowered Phacelia. A very pretty and in- | 


teresting hardy annual, with light-blue flowers, native of Texas, where it was gathered 
by the late Mr. Thomas Drummond, and, from seeds transmitted by him, plants were 
raised in the Glasgow Botanic Garden, and likewise in the garden of Dr. Neille at 
Canon Mills, near Edinburgh. It is of a very branching habit, and no doubt will 
make a good border plant. Brit. Flor. Gar., 327. ! 


THE FIG-WORT TRIBE (SCROPHULARINE#). 

PENTSTEMON Murrayanus. Mr. Murray’s Scarlet Pentstemon. An ex- 
tremely beautiful scarlet-flowered species, a native of Texas, where it was dis- 
covered by Mr. Drummond, by whom seeds were transmitted to the Glasgow 
Botanic Garden in the spring of 1835. It is remarkable for its stately growth, its 
singularly glowing and large foliage, and for the number, and size, and rich colour- 
ing of the flowers. On one specimen were counted eleven pairs of floral leaves, 
from the axis of which sprang from two to four flower-buds; and in one of the 
dried native specimens a single raceme had fifty-six blossoms. It will doubtless 
prove quite a hardy herbaceous perennial. Named after Mr. Murray, Curator of the 
Glasgow B otanic Garden. Sot. Mag., 3472. | : | 


(COMPOSIT4. ) 

COREOPSIS DIVERSIFOLIA. Various-leaved Coreopsis, Another of the many 
valuable species sent to this country by the lamented Mr. Drummond. He 
gathered it not only upon the coast at Braganza, but in the interior of the country 
round San Felipe. It produces large bright orange-coloured flowers with a dark 
eye, in the open air, in the month of July. Probably a hardy annual. Bot. Mag., 3474. 


THE ROSE-TRIBE (ROSACEA). 

RosA CENTIFOLIA, MUSCOSA, CRISTATA. Crested var. of the moss-rose. 
This variety of the moss-rose, like many of the more novel sorts, was obtained from 
France. Independently of the curious mode in which the moss springs in tufts 
from the edges of its calyx, giving to the early buds a most remarkable appearance, 
this rose, when fully expanded, is large and of the loveliest hue, vying in beauty 
with any Provence rose. Bot. Mag., 3475. 


THE BORAGE TRIBE (BORAGINEZ). 

ANCHUSA VERSICOLOR. Changeable flowered Alkanet. An exceedingly pretty 
little annual worthy of extensive cultivation. Remarkable for the striking change 
of colour the flowers undergo; being almost red in the state of the bud, then, when 
expanded, reddish purple; at length bright blue with a yellow eye, from which 
diverge several delicate rays of a pale yellowish white colour; it flowers in July, 
and is a native of the Caucasian Alps, about Chinaburg and Kasbek. Bot. 
Mag., 3477. a, 


OPERATIONS FOR MAY. 95 


CLASS II.—PLANTS WITH ONLY ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONESE). 


| THE NARCISSUS TRIBE (AMARYLLIDEZ). 

ZEPHYRANTHES DrumMmonpi. Drummond's Zephyranthes. An elegant 
little bulbous plant, gathered in Texas by Mr. Drummond, after whom it is speci- 
fically named. The flowers are of a pale pink, produced upon a long tube, and must, 
seen naturally, have a gay appearance. Brit. Fil. Garden, 328. 


THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEA). 

STANHOPEA INSIGNIS. Voble Stanhopea. This wonderful plant was originally 
found by Messrs. Humboldt and Bonpland on the trunks of old trees in shady 
woods near Cuenca in Quito, but has since been met with in various districts in 
South America. Dr. Lindley says, “In order to see its curious blossoms in perfec- 
tion, the young spikes should be watched, and, as soon as they appear, they should 
be artificially led over the edge of the pot or basket, otherwise their tendency to 
turn downwards is so great that they are apt to force themselves into the earth and 
to become smothered. Naturally it fixes its pseudo-bulbs upon branches, clinging 
to them with its numerous creeping roots, and suspending in the air its stout zig- 
zag spikes of fleshy wax-like flowers.” Bot. Reg., 1837. 

ORCH IDE. 

CoRYANTHES MACRANTHA. Large flowered Coryanthes.. “ Accustomed as 
we are now become,” says Dr. Lindley, “ to strange forms amongst orchideous plants, 
I doubt whether any species has yet been seen more remarkable for its unusual 
characters than Coryanthes macrantha.” The plant has the habit of a Stanhopea or 
Gongora; and pushes forth from the base of its pseudo-bulbs a pendulous scape,’ 
on which two or three flowers are developed. Each flower is placed at the end of a 
long, stiff, cylindrical furrowed ovary, and when expanded measures something more 
than six inches from the tip of one sepal to that of the opposite one. In colour, the 
sepals are an ochrey yellow, spotted irregularly with dull purple; they have a most 
delicate texture ; the upper sepal falls back from the tip of the ovary ; is narrow, 
and not above one half the length of the two lateral ones, which, instead of apply- 
ing themselves to the tip, as is usually the case, turn directly away from it, placing 
themselves at an acute angle with the upper sepal, and after a while collapsing at 
their sides till they look something like bats’ wing's half at rest. 


OPERATIONS FOR MAY. 


Aut kinds of half hardy plants, that are intended to fill up vacant spaces in the 
flower garden by being disposed singly, or two or three together, in appropriate 
parts of the beds, borders &c., or those that are intended to occupy a whole or a part 
of a bed by several sorts being grouped together with a view ultimately to produce 
a dense mass of varied blossoms, may now safely be placed in those situations where 
they are intended to flower. The above hints embrace the many varieties of 
Salvias, Verbenas, Lobelias, Petunias, Alonsoa, Calceolaria, Mimulus, &c. Also 
the common scarlet and other Geraniums, and any common green-house plants that 
are desired for flower-garden purposes may now be plunged where they are to 


96 | OPERATIONS FOR MAY. 


remain, until frosty nights render it necessary to afford them protection. Tender 
annuals that have been raised in small pots, in the nursing pit or frame, should 
now be gradually exposed to harden them, or they will suffer when planted out, 
which should speedily take place. . 

Attention will now be required amongst alpine plants, &c. ; where these occupy 
places in rock-work, many points should be attended to, such as examining the soil 
about the roots, making them firm, thinning where too thick, introducing new kinds, 
clearing off seedling weeds which will now be showing in abundance, and setting all 
fair and in a manner that will do credit to the whole. 

ANNUALS of various sorts to succeed those sown last month should now be 
put in. 

CAMELLIAS should now be potted, the soil for this purpose should consist of 
equal parts of loam and peat, to which may be added a little well pulverised dung ; 
after potting they should be placed in a peach-house or vinery in order to excite 
the growth of their shoots, bearing in mind to syringe them now and then over the 
leaves and branches. Vol. 1, page 33. 

CiIMBING PLANTS, whether in the green-house, stove, or flower-garden, will 
now require attending to, the superfluous shoots cut out, and the others tied in. 

Dau_tAs (seedlings) should be planted out in some unfrequented place where 
they can be proved when in bloom; old plants may now be turned out into the 
borders, &c. 

GREENHOUSE PLANTS, where it is customary to expose them by forming clumps 
of them in the flower-garden, &c., may in the early part of this month be taken out 
without fear from frosts, &c.; a sheltered situation is preferable for them. 

HERBACEOUS PLANTS (early flowering kinds). If cut down as soon as the 
flowers have faded will very often produce a second time a display of blossoms in 
the autumn. Much advantage would be gained if the attention of practical men 
were turned to this point. 

Nelumbiums, Plumieria, Euryale, Pontederia, and other aquatic plants, should 
now have great attention. Keep them free from insects, and allow plenty of room 
for both roots and leaves; a frequent change of water will be beneficial for them. 
Vol. 2, page 110. 

Propagate Salvias, Verbenas, and any desirable species or variety of plantas 
remembering to shade the cuttings from the influence of the sun, and carefully 
water them. 

Primulas (seedlings), if not potted off, let it now be done without delay, using 
60 sized pots ; if older plants, encourage them to flower; they flower well in 32 sized 
pots, any rich light soil will suit them. Vol. 1, page 181. 

Rhodochiton volubile, Lophospermum erubescens, will do very well, trained — 
against a south wall; provided they are planted in a good border, and the situation 
be sheltered, they may now be put out. 

SuCCULENTS.—Offsets of this curious family may now be taken and “chee 
if not previously done. Give plenty of air to old plants, in short to all dry stove 
plants ; be very guarded in watering them, for they are very tenacious of this ele- 
ment. Vol. 2, page 27. 


we, / Of //) 
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older, del Srrtte, ¥ Zi) ve JUN 


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97 


ZYGOPETALON MACKATI. 


(mR. MACKAY’s ZYGOPETALON.) 


CLASS. ORDER. 
GYNANDRIA. MONANDRIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


ORCHIDEZ. 


Generic Cuaracter.— Petals equal, united atthe base. Lip notched at the apex. Colwmn half round. 


Spxciric Cuaracter.—E piphyte. Root fieshy, twisted (tortuose), not branching. Bulb, ovate, wrinkled, 
marked with the scars of the decayed leaves. Leaves smooth, linear, lanceolate, sheathing, marked 
with small white streaks from the place of insertion to the apex. Scape nearly two feet long, 
compressed, scaly. lowers five or six, large. Petals lanceolate, of a dingy yellow green colour, 
blotched with purple. Lip large, standing horizontally, waved, notched at the extremity, and marked 
with lines and spots of purple and blue. Column half the length of the petals, yellow green, 
marked with spots of purple. Stigma convex. Anther ovate, terminal, compressed. Pollen 
masses two, large, yellow, each with a small lobe, or pollen mass behind. Germen linear, green. 


Tuis beautiful epiphyte was imported by Mr. Mackay, of the Dublin College 
Botanic Garden, from Brazil, sometime about 1827, when it was for the first time 
figured in the Bot. Mag., new series, Vol. 1, page 2748. 

We are obliged to Mr. Bowe, of Manchester, for the opportunity of figuring 
this species, and who kindly permitted our artist to make a drawing from his plant, 
which flowered about October last. 

This plant, which is certainly one of great beauty, may be classed amongst the 
most showy of this highly interesting family (Orchidez). 

It may be grown with success, with the treatment given to other portions of this 
tribe. The plants at Chatsworth, which grow satisfactorily, are kept in an atmos- 
phere imperceptibly humid, averaging in temperature from 60° to 80° Fahrenheit, 
giving them at their growing seasons, spring and autumn, a liberal supply of water 
at the roots, but very rarely any over the leaves, except when the weather continues 
unusually fine for any length of time, and then only a slight sprinkling with the 
syringe early in the morning, or when the house is closed about 3 o'clock in the 
afternoon. 

The soil in which they are potted is turfy peat, broken up into pieces about an 
inch square, mixed with potsherds to ensure a good drainage. 


VOL. If I.——-NO. XXIX. O 


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we 


TPOMQLA RUBRA-CAERULEA. 


(REDDISH-BLUE IPOMa@A.) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


CONVOLVULACE. 


Generic Cuaracter.—See Vol. 3, page 50. 


Speciric Cuaracter.— Plant herbaceous, with smooth, twining, roundish branches. Leaves alternate, 
_ palish green, acuminate, entire, undulated, veined. F'ootstalks the length of the leaves. Flower- 
stalks somewhat racemose, axillary, producing three or four flowers. Calya# five-parted, small, 
erect, of a brownish purple colour, with a pale, nearly white margin. Corolla, before expanded, 
white, with the limb of a rich red, which when fully developed assumes a fine purplish blue, with 

five angles. &t/aments unequal, arising from the base of the tube. Anthers oblong, yellow. 


Germen oblong. Style filiform. Stigma two-lobed. 


Tue seeds of this splendid plant were collected by Mr. Samuel Richardson, 
(an officer in the Anglo-Mexican Mining Association,) in the province of Guanax- 
‘uato in Mexico, by whom they were presented tol. D. Powles, Esq., of Stamford 
Hill. 

In the stove, about the months of July and August, this plant makes a very 
pretty show when trained up the rafters, or other parts of the house where it can 
be clearly seen. It flowers freely, and will grow well in soil composed of equal 
portions of loam and peat, with a little well-rotted dung. 

About the middle of October last, we were favoured with the sample from 
which our drawing was made, by Mr. Cameron, Curator of the Birmingham Botanic 
Garden, where it flowered profusely in the stove. 

Although it has been considered to flower only in the stove, there is no doubt 
but it would produce abundance of blossoms in a sheltered situation, against a 


south wall, in the open air, especially if the wall is flued. 


Die 
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101 


CAMELLIA RETICULATA. 


(CAPTAIN ROWES’ CAMELLIA. ) 


CLASS. } ORDER. 


MONADELPHIA. POLYANDRIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


TERNSTRGEMIACE. 


Genrric Cuaracter.—Calyx imbricated, surrounded by accessory bracteas or sepals. Stamens 
cohering into a tube (monadelphous). Anthers elliptical, two celled, opening lengthwise. Capsule 
furrowed, with a disseptiment (partition) in the middle of each valve, separating from the three 
angled axes when ripe. Cells one or two seeded. 


Speciric Cuaracter.— Plant shrubby, from eight to ten feet high. Leaves stiff, oblong, acuminate, 
serrated, flat, of rather a dull colour, veins deeply sunken (reticulate). Flowers large, axillary, 
solitary, of a clear rose colour. Calyx five-leaved, slightly tinged with purple. Peta/s from 
seventeen to eighteen, somewhat undulated (repand, or wavy), mostly entire, carelessly arranged. 
Siamens a great deal shorter than the petals, often divided into several bundles placed opposite the 
inner petals. Ovarium silky, of a roundish form, four celled. Stigma simple. Style sometimes 
two or three parted. : 
Amone the many splendid species of this genus that annually beautify our 

collections by their rich blossoms, there is no one that has a more just claim to our 

admiration than the present; so imposing are its blossoms when fully expanded, 
that if it were not for the superior colour of its petals, and simple form of the leaves, 
we might say it somewhat approximated in appearance to the well-known tree 

Peonia, (Peonia Moutan). And certainly the loosely arranged and wavy disposi - 

of the petals give the blossoms of this plant a not very distant likeness to those 

of that genus. 
The common culture observed in growing that family of plants will be found to 

suit this very well; but if any difference is necessary to be made, we should say a 

little stronger soil should be given, as it is inclined to grow somewhat stronger than 

many of the other species. For further particulars of culture, see Vol. 1, page 33. 
The generic name is given in honour of George Camellus, or Kamel, a Moravian 

Jesuit and traveller in Asia. The specific name (reticulata) is given in reference 

to the resemblance the nerves of the leaf bear to net work. 

This gaudy species of Camellia produced its blossoms, for the first time in this 
country, in the conservatory of Thomas Carey Palmer, Esq., at Bromley. 
It was brought from China by Captain Rowes, in compliment to whom its 

English name is given, 

Messrs. Lewcomb, Prince, and Co. of Exeter, kindly favoured us with the 


accompanying figure. 


103 


PLAN OF A NEW HOT-WATER BOILER, 
BY J. ROGERS, JUN., STREATHAM COMMON. 


Havine lately had occasion to apply stove-heat to a small pit, and not finding 
any of the ordinary hot-water apparatuses exactly suited to my purpose, I was 
induced to try the following experiment, and the success with which I have met 
leads me to think a knowledge of it may be useful to others, as I believe my 
apparatus to be the most effective, as well as the most economical, both in original 
construction and consumption of fuel, of any hitherto in use. 

The annexed section will afford the best explanation of my plan. 


= —— 
OWEWIT Sa 


B BBB isacylindrical boiler, 114 inches in diameter, enclosing a similar and con- 
centric cylindrical furnace 74 inches in diameter; each sixteen inches high. F is 
the furnace ; G the grate, two inches from the bottom of the boiler ; P the pipe, 24 
inches in diameter, communicating with a cast-iron pipe, 4 inches in diameter, 9 feet 
long. 

The boiler is closed at top, having a steam valve v, and s a filling screw, 
similar to that by which oil is put into a lamp. Both ends of the cast-iron pipe are 
closed by wooden plugs, through one of which is passed the communication pipe, 
Pp, as close to the lower side of the pipe as possible; while through the other a 
small air pipe is passed, as close as possible to the upper side of the pipe; and to 
the air-pipe is attached a funnel, H. The cast-iron pipe is laid at a small inclination, 
about one inch in the nine feet, so that the end farthest from the boiler is highest : 
both the smaller pipes are passed through the backwork of the pit, and the cast-iron 
pipe alone is within. The boiler and iron-pipe being filled with water, either 
through the filling screw or the funnel of the air-pipe, a small fire is lighted in the 
furnace ; the water, heating, rapidly flows off into the cast-iron pipe, and is replaced 
by cold, till the whole boils, when steam escapes at the valve. 

A little coke is required at first lighting, afterwards cinders are the only fuel; 
and so slow is the combustion, that this small furnace has remained burning eleven 
hours without any attention whatever, excepting once, about two hours after it was 
lighted, to clear the furnace-bars and regulate the draught for the night. The 


104 PLAN OF A NEW HOT-WATER BOILER. 


water continued almost boiling the whole time, and of course the temperature of the 
pit was uniform. 

My boiler is made of tin; and the small lsiaker cis a little projection, added 
to prevent the ascending and descending currents from interfering with each other, | 


which might be the case in so narrow a boiler. I prefer, for an apparatus on so small | 


a scale, one pipe to two for the communication between the boiler and heating-pipe, 
as the hottest water will then always remain in the iron pipe, even if the fire go. 
out and the boiler is cool. | 
There is one other point in the action of this boiler too important to be omitted : 
by loading the valve at v, until the water rises through the air pipe into the fn | 
H, an oscillating motion is produced between the column of water in the air pipe | 
and the weight on the valve; the result of which is, that the hottest water in the | 
boiler, and occasionally some portion of steam, is forced into the iron pipe, where the | 
latter is invariably condensed before it can reach the air-pipe, unless the water be too 
low and the fire too strong; in which case it escapes through the funnel, making 
such a noise as cannot fail to attract the attention of the gardener if any where at 
hand. I need hardly observe the economy of heat is thus as complete as possible ; ! 
and indeed so completely is all the heat of the fire absorbed, that although my — 
chimney is not more than three feet long, I can stop the top with my naked hand | 
without inconvenience, at a time when the fire is sufficiently strong to keep the | 
water boiling. This, to those who have not tried the experiment, may seem) 
almost incredible. I could point out several advantages which this method } 
possesses, but they will occur to an intelligent reader. Its superiority, in my view, | 
over all other forms of small boilers, is the time which it will continue to burn with- | 
out attention, and the economy of fuel, where cinders are the most suitable which | 
can be used ;’if applied to a great extent of pipe, of course stronger fuel must be | 
employed. | 
I might mention its power of heating, but those who are spenalorzedl to such | 
apparatuses can calculate more readily than I am able the effect of a four-inch pipe | 
at 212°. It raises my little pit 30° or 32° degrees, and of course I am obliged to 
give air all day long. 
P.S. The whole expense of my apparatus was not 4/. 5s.; if made with OPP 
which it should be to be durable, about 6/. 


4 
{ 
| 


ON THE CULTIVATION OF BRUGMANSIA SUAVEOLENS, 


WITH A FEW HINTS ON RAISING HYBRIDS, BY CROSSING B. SUAVEOLENS WITH 
B. SANGUINEA. 


Amonc the many beautiful plants that now decorate our conservatories and | 
flower gardens, perhaps there is not one that has a more splendid appearance (when — 
properly grown) than Brugmansia suaveolens, or Datura arborea of old gardeners ; | 


for whether we examine a single flower, or consider the effect of the combined 


CULTURE OF THE BRUGMANSIA SUAVEOLENS 105 


dozens jutting from beneath its sombre but majestic foliage, and impregnating the 


nocturnal air with their delicious fragrance, there is a delicacy, an uniformity, nay, 
a grandeur ! that calls forth simultaneous plaudits of admiration from every observer. 
And while we are thus expatiating on the charms of B. suaveolens, we cannot 
allow the opportunity to pass of calling the attention of our readers to another very 
splendid species of this genus, which flowered in the.autumn of 1834, in the garden 
of Miss Trail, at Hase Place, Kent; and from which a figure was published in 
January, 1835, in that, excellent botanical periodical “ The British Flower Garden,” 
conducted by the late enthusiastic and much to be lamented botanist, Mr. Robert 
Sweet. This species is called Brugmansia sanguinea, but from what we can judge 
of the flower from the drawing, we feel inclined to think it would be more appro- 
priately placed among Datura. We possess a plant of this species, and also 
another which we purchased under the name of B. tricolor; and from the appearance 
of the plants we hope to be able to present our subscribers with a figure of each 
before the end of the season. The B. sanguinea was raised from seed collected by 
Mr. Crawley, at Guayaquil in the state of Equador; and as it was found growing 
at a greater elevation than B. suaveolens, it is reasonable to suppose that it will be 
much hardier. 


Although it would appear that some of our scientific botanists, who formerly 
advocated hybridising, or cross-breeding, in the vegetable kingdom, are now veering 
round, and contradicting their former statements, on the supposition that hybridising 
has been the means of introducing many “ mongrel and debased varieties,” yet as 
we cannot see the injury, we feel rather inclined to see what can be done in the way 
of hybridising between B. suaveolens and sanguinea ; and if we should succeed in 
procuring plants with flowers partaking of the habit of both parents, we shall con- 
sider that we have not done any injury, but rather that we have effected some good, 
by introducing another plant to this small but most beautiful genus. We also in- 
tend to graft or inarch B. sanguinea on suaveolens, and should we succeed in form- 


ing a union, we shall not fail to make our subscribers acquainted with our practice 
_ when we publish the figures. 


We shall now proceed to the culture, and we do not know that we can do our 
readers a greater service, or more easily put the tyro aw fait of successful practice, 
than by simply detailing a method by which we have grown B. suaveolens from 


five to eight feet high in one season, and with heads, the diameter of which corre- 


sponded with the height of the stems. 

Early in February we take cuttings of the young wood, at about three or four 
inches long, pot them in sandy soil in small 60-sized pots, plunge them in a 
hotbed frame where there is a brisk bottom heat, and water and shade them as appears 
requisite. After they are rooted, which is generally in about three weeks, we re-pot 
them into 48 sized pots, using a compost composed of the following ingredients :— 


‘Two parts turfy loam; two parts fresh horse droppings; one’ part leaf mould ; and 


one part rotten dung; well mixed and incorporated together for two or three weeks 
previously to using. When they are potted, we replace them in the frame, and 


supply them plentifully with liquid manure at the roots, and with fresh water over the 
VOL IIl.—NO. XXIx. P 


‘106 COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE ON TREES. 


foliage at least once a day; this is particularly necessary, not only to refresh and 
invigorate the plant, but likewise to keep down that troublesome little pest the 
acarus, or red spider. We keep the plants in the frame as long as there is height suffi- 
cient ; but when there is not we remove them to a forcing-house, or pine stove, where 
there is a moist heat of not less than 60 degrees. If they grow properly, they are 
removed into pots one size larger every third week; but perhaps the best criterion is to 
re-pot them as often as the roots protrude through the hole at the bottom of the pot: 
we never give them a pot more than one size larger at a time, until they get into 
No. 4, from which they are removed into their permanent pots No. 1. In raising 
standard plants, it is requisite to divest the plants ofall lateral or side shoots as soon 
as they can be perceived, and to encourage only the main leading shoot; but if we 
want dwarf bushy plants, we cut off the main leader when the plants are about one 
foot high, and train out three or four of the strongest side shoots divergently from 
the centre. After the plants are established in their permanent pots, they are placed 
in the greenhouse or conservatory, where they will send forth their trumpet-like 
flowers in the greatest abundance for several weeks in succession. ‘The above re- 
marks apply more particularly to B. swaveolens ; but we are perfectly satisfied that 
they will apply with equal force to B. sanguinea and tricolor. 


REMARKS, 


SHOWING THE COMPARATIVE DIFFERENCE AND DISPOSITIONS OF TREES 
PLANTED IN EXPOSED AND SHELTERED SITUATIONS. 


From that excellent little scientific work, entitled “ The Alphabet of Gardening, 
by Mr. James Rennie, Professor of Zoology, King’s College, London,” we select 
the following hints, hoping they will not altogether prove unacceptable to our readers 
in general ; and we feel assured that, to those whose study and delight is to inquire 
into and investigate the laws of nature, they will be perused with pleasure and profit. 

“The degree of light and of exposure has a great mechanical effect on plants. 
In the interior of forests and crowded orchards, the wind produces much less effect 
than on solitary trees in a garden or park. When crowded, the tops push up into 
the light above, and, not being agitated by the wind, their trunks do not thicken 
or become stunted, to prevent the blast making a greater pull against the roots. 

‘On the other hand, when standing in an open situation, trees, being freely ex- 
posed to every storm, give every advantage to its violence, by the wide spreading of 
their branches. 

“Tn accordance with this, solitary trees become greatly larger than those which 


are crowded, while their system of root is always proportional to the branches, in | 


order to afford a heavier ballast and a stronger anchorage for counteracting the 
greater spread of sail displayed in the wide expansion of the branches. The same 


is true of all or most garden plants, which extend in proportion to their room. — 


Hence the necessity of wide planting when it is required to have plants with large 


several means for effecting this. 


COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE ON TREES. 107 


spreading heads, as in the instance of New Zealand spinach ; and on the other hand 
of planting closely when plants are required to be tall, and at the same time slender, 


a case which more rarely occurs than the other. 


‘“‘ Recent writers on botany have endeavoured to show 
that the tapering tube of the carrot, the beet, and other 
simpler plants, are not properly roots, or, at least, that 
they have more the characteristics of stems than of roots; 
in other words, as every plant grows in two directions, 


one downwards, the other upwards, the spindle-formed 


tube of the carrot is alleged to belong to the upper or 
ascending portion of the plant, rather than to the down- 
ward or descending portion. Independent of structure, 
however, this would appear to be equally rational as to 
allege that a man’s feet belong to the upper portion of 
his body ; but it appears to be correct enough to say the 
partly horizontal portion of the iris, though underground, 


are not roots but stems; and it must be very obvious 


that the creeping runners of strawberries are not stems. 


“Weak stems, which cannot rise high in a perpendicular direction by their own 


rigidity, are furnished with 


Some straggle up irregularly 
amongst other thick-growing 
plants, as the bramble and little- 
sweet; others, like the hop, the 
kidney-bean, and convolvulus, 
twine closely around others = 
PENS 
Stronger than themselves, and; —“S3425-=32s88 
when they cannot meet with 3 
such, several shoots will twine 
around each other to give 
mutual support. 


\ 
RS 
Ws S 
SSE 


Se 


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aes 
eR 


rN 
SSC ti So 
Swe 
Recers 


sh It is important to remark, that, different Species, in twining for support, follow 
different laws, one going from right to left, of which there are twenty genera; and 
another from left to right, of which there are ten genera. A hop-plant, for instance, 
directs its course round a pole with the sun; but if untwisted and forced to take 
uy Opposite direction, it will injure or perhaps killit. Ifa honeysuckle do not meet 
with support, it twists into a spiral form from right to left. It is of importance to 


attend to these circumstances in training.” 


108 


ON PLANTS SUITABLE FOR GROUPING IN FLOWER 
GARDENS. 


Grouping, or arranging showy plants en masse, has of late years become so 
general in all good gardens, that we are somewhat surprised some efficient person 
has not attempted to give practical instructions, so as to insure a succession of 
beautiful flowering plants for this purpose. Although the system has become almost 
universal, it is, we conceive, but imperfectly understood. The following hints are 
the result of our experience in the management of this style of flower gardening, 
and should they be the means of facilitating or elucidating any thing connected with 
the subject to any of our readers, we shall feel most happy; they apply to flower 
gardens with small detached symmetrical beds, whether formed upon grass (which 
is the newest style) or gravel; and as one or two shabby or declining beds spoil the 
whole effect, the earliest opportunity should be embraced to refil them; to do this 
throughout the season, with the least possible expense and trouble, is the object 
to be attained ; for this purpose, a reserve garden, some frames or pits, practical 
skill, and considerable attention, are requisite; these for the most part depend upon 
the experience and perseverance of the gardener, for although many good practical 
works upon gardening have been published, the rotation of crops for the flower 
garden has generally been but indifferently treated upon, whilst the kitchen garden 
minutize are elaborately explained; in fact, until the last few years, flower gardens 
were for the most part a mere secondary object, as far as regarded management ; 
whilst, if the old works on gardening are examined, it will be found the 
kitchen garden was cropped much the same as at present, and produced vege- 
tables as good and in as great variety (with the exception of a few introductions 
of minor importance). The principal things in the flower garden were such as annual 


lupins, thrift, double-feverfew, bachelors’ buttons, honesty, &c., with some bulbs, 
and those planted almost indiscriminately, without reference to height, colour, or — 


duration ; there were none of the petunias, dahlias, verbenas, calceolarias, eschscholt- 
zias, and dozens of other equally elegant plants that adorn so beautifully our borders 
and beds at the present time; not that we would wish to exclude their less gaudy 
brethren, but the flower garden beds should at all times be as dazzling as_ possible, 
whilst the borders might be occupied with the miscellanies. There are some who 
advocate beds with mixed plants, which, when arranged according to their heights, 
colours, and seasons of flowering, look very well when properly attended to; and to 
those having little room, and desirous of possessing a large collection, they have 
their recommendations ; still they never have that striking effect the same beds would 
have if filled with suitable plants, arranged in groups, and in large flower gardens we 
think them decidedly bad; and as there are continually some shabby or decaying 
plants, the same, or even a greater objection, may be made than that of declining 
beds in the grouping system, as the opening made by cutting down a permanent 


plant cannot be conveniently filled until again occupied by its dormant possessor. 


PLANTS SUITABLE FOR GROUPING 109 


Take for example any of the botanic or physic gardens, where herbaceous and other 
plants are arranged according to their genera or orders, and contrast them with a 
flower garden managed upon the best acknowledged principles of grouping, and we do 
not hesitate to say this will be sufficient to cause many to become converts to what 
we recommend. What we have just stated respecting public gardens was merely given 
as an example of the general effect produced by plants mixed indiscriminately, and 
not to insinuate, as might be supposed, that these arrangements are wrong or in- 
compatible with such institutions ; we know to the contrary ; neither do we suppose 
that botanists would consider a flower garden, managed as we propose, so fraught 
with interest, notwithstanding which they would certainly acknowledge the 
superiority in general effect and beauty ; but these are not the cbjects sought after 
by scientific men, who, with microscopes, examine and admire, with as much satis- 
faction, a new form of lichen or moss, as others would a bed of roses; indeed so 
changeable are the tastes and fancies of human nature in general, that any thing 
called new and beautiful to-day, will probably, ina short time, be termed only pretty. 
The most beautiful plants and colours cease to be interesting or charming to 
the eye when they have become familiar, or, at least, cease to cause the usual 
emotions felt at seeing any new or beautiful form ; in course of time, we view them 
with the same indifference us we do the most common things or colours ; we pro- 
pose to obviate this by grouping the most approved colours in beds, changing their 
position at every re-arrangement, which would in some instances occur thrice 
in the season; and thus the monotony of seeing the same plant spring, flower, 
and die, would, we conceive, be in a great measure remedied. 

We may now mention such plants as we have found most suitable in the earliest 
months of the season. The varieties of crocus, Helleborus niger, or Christmas rose, 
and the blue and white Russian violets, are among the first harbingers of returning” 
spring. Edgings of crocus, particularly where the garden is in the geometrical style, 
are in our opinion preferable to filling any of the beds entirely with them; they 
should be planted in September when taken up, which need not be oftener than 
once in three years. | 

Groups of the following may be had from January until April :— 

Helleborus niger should be planted from the reserve garden, either in the autumn, 
when some of the beds have become vacant, or just before flowering; they should 
be taken up immediately after flowering, which is the time for their propagation 


_ by division of the roots, and planted in good soil until again wanted. 


Russian violets, single white and blue, may be treated in the same manner. 

Hepaticas, blue and peach blossomed; Primula acaulis, the red, white, and 
puce coloured varieties, may be treated as recommended for Helleborus ; a shaded 
part of the reserve garden should be chosen for the last two, or close under a north 
wall in the kitchen garden, which is generally unoccupied. 

Viola tricolor, (as recommended in a former number). 

Draba nivalis makes a beautiful white mass, and may be planted just before 
flowering without injury; it is propagated in May by cuttings, under a north 
aspect. 


110 REMARKS ON THE GENUS TAMARINDUS. 


Aubrietia deltoidea matches the above for height, is lilac, and may be propagated 
the same way, or by division. 

Ajax pumilus should be planted in September, or even when in flower they will 
move exceedingly well without injury. 

Erythronium dens-canis, red and white, makes a beautiful bed, and when the 
flowers are past the leaves are exceedingly handsome; may be managed as Ajar 
pumilus. 

These, with Coronilla glauca and Neapolitan violets, brought forward under 
cover, and planted out in March, giving them slight protection during frost ; early 
tulips, hyacinths of colours, narcissus of sorts, anemonies, and beds of some autumn- 
sown hardy annuals, as Nemophila, Clarkia, Collinsias, will be found sufficient crops. 
to make flower gardens look better and gayer than they generally do at an early 
season of the year. 

Anemonies, if marked the season before, might be made to fill several beds with 
different colours, red, white, blue, &c. 


(To be continued.) 


REMARKS ON, AND CULTURE OF, THE GENUS 
TAMARINDUS. 


THIs genus contains two species, one from the East, and the other from the 
West Indies, which have both been long held in high estimation by many people, 
on account of the acid, yet sweetish taste of the fruit, which, after some preparatory 
processes, is rendered agreeable to the palate, and of much service in medicine. 

T. indica, or Kast Indian Tamarind, is a tree of great magnitude, when full grown 
often exceeding fifty feet in height, with corresponding branches. The season of 
its flowering is generally about June and July, in which state it presents rather 
an interesting appearance, the calyx being of a straw colour, the petals of a clear 
yellow beautifully striped with red, the filaments purple, and the anthers brown. 
In the stoves of this country they seldom or never produce flowers, owing, perhaps, 
to there being too little room allowed them for the extension of their roots and 
branches. P. Miller says, he had several plants twenty years old, and upwards 
of fifteen feet high, which never had shown blossoms. ‘The timber of the 
Tamarind tree is. heavy, firm, and hard; sawn into boards, it is converted into 
many useful purposes in building. ‘The pulp contained in the pods is used both 
in food and medicine. The Tamarinds which are brought from the East Indies 
are darker and drier, but contain more pulp: being preserved without sugar, they are 
fitter to be put into medicines than those from the West Indies, which are much 
redder, but being preserved with sugar are more pleasant to the palate. The use 
of Tamarinds was first learned from the Arabians ; they contain a larger proportion 
of acid, with the saccharine matter, than is usually found in acid fruits. The 


REMARKS ON THE GENUS TAMARINDUS. 111 


epicarp of the pod is thin, and the acid pulp for which they are esteemed is the 
sarcocarp ‘Tamarinds are preserved in two ways; commonly by throwing hot 
water from the boilers on the ripe pulp; but a better method is to put alternate 
layers of Tamarinds and powdered sugar in a'stone jar. By this means the 
Tamarinds preserve their colour, and taste more agreeably. Preserved Tamarinds 
should be fresh and juicy, and should have an agreeable acid taste; they should 
not have a musty smell, the seeds should not be soft and swollen, and the blade of 
a knife should not get a coating of copper by being immersed among them. 
Tamarinds contain sugar, mucilage, citric acid, supertartrate of potass, tartaric 
acid, and malic acid. In medicine, the pulp of Zamarinds taken in the quantity 
of from two to three drachms to an ounce or more, proves gently laxative and 
purgative, and at the same time, by its acidity, quenches thirst and allays immo- 
derate heat. Don’s General System of Gardening and Botany, Vol. 2. 

T. occidentalis, or West Indian 'Tama- i 
rind, is a tree of much magnitude, attaining 
in a full grown specimen the height of from NN \ 
thirty to fifty feet, with branches in propor- GEE 


tion. Its blossoms, which are produced in 


February, so much resemble the 7’. indica, 
that it will be unnecessary to mention them 
here. The difference in the two species is in 
the pods; in the West Indian species they are 
shorter and redder than those of the East 
Indian, but are inferior in quality. 

To grow these plants well, they must 
have the constant heat of the stove; and, 
in their growing season, should have a good f 
supply of water, both at the roots and over 
the branches. The soil for them should be 
rich and strong, composed of peat and loam, 
and a slight mixture of well rotted dung, 
being carefui to incorporate them thoroughly | 
before using. They propagate with great facility by cuttings planted ina pot of 
sand, with a hand-glass placed over them in heat. Butas seeds are annually received 
from abroad, the trouble of propagating them may be dispensed with, as better 
plants may be procured with less trouble from seeds. In sowing the seeds it must 
be observed, that in order to excite vegetation they must be raised in a hotbed, and 
as soon as the young plants have grown the length of two or three inches they 
should be put into separate pots, using the same soil as recommended for older 
plants. ‘ 


112 


REMARKS ON THE BARRINGTONIA SPECIOSA. 


Tue growth of this plant is attended with much difficulty, and has, ever since it 
first became an inmate of our stoves, had much of the attention of practical men 
directed to discover the mode of treatment best adapted for it. After all that has 
been said, and the exertions made, to demonstrate what is essential for its successful 
cultivation, it is still but little understood among many cultivators. This is evident, 
from the many apparently healthy, but in reality, sickly stunted specimens often 
found in the collections of this country. All who have turned their attention to 
the progress made by this plant when growing, must be convinced that the nature 
of it is to grow rapid and luxuriant, and that it requires a steady humid atmosphere, 
varying in temperature from 65° to 70° Fahrenheit, to enable it to accomplish these 
points. To irregularity of treatment is to be attributed the bad success of many 
who possess this plant; and which is seen first, by the temperature of the house 
getting too low; and secondly, by the atmosphere being allowed to become very 
dry ; the ill effects of either are soon visible when persisted in for any length of 
time, by the upper surface of the leaves assuming a pale yellow colour, and becoming 
blotched, as if suffering from drip in various places over their surface, and prema- 
turely falling off. Nor does the bad effect of too low a temperature, which of the 


two is by far the most dangerous, cease here; but it extends itself to the bark of | 


the young wood, which it causes to rot in more than one place, and, if not checked, 
would end in the total destruction of the whole plant. At the usual time of 


shifting stove plants (spring), the B. speciosa requires to be examined also, and if | 
thought advisable to be shifted: this should be done by applying to the roots a | 


mixture of soil, comprising two parts of loam, and one of peat and sand ; these propor- 


tions should be well incorporated but not sifted. In potting, good drainage is — 
indispensable ; as the soil, if this be not observed, is liable to get sour, and thus 
canker the roots. After potting, the temperature of the house should never — 
descend lower than 65°, if it does, and is allowed to continue in this state for 


any length of time, it may be of the worst consequences ; and on the other hand, it 


is not advisable to suffer the thermometer to rise higher than 80°, although in very | 
hot weather a little variation from this will not signify, still the nearer it 1s kept to | 


this the better. In a temperature varying between the above two points with a_ 


moist atmosphere, the plants will grow rapidly and strong, requiring no other 
attention than that of supplying them with water at the roots, and occasionally 
syringing them over to prevent the attacks of insects. ‘Towards the autumn, when | 
their growth begins to decline, less water than usual should be given; and in the _ 


winter very little will be required, and this only when the soil becomes very dry. 


In the autumn and winter months, when it will be requisite to allow the 
atmosphere of the house to become more dry, as much humidity at this season is — 


injurious to most stove plants, the temperature must, by no means, sink below 65 
or 60 degrees. In this state the wood will ripen, and the newly formed buds will 


ON THE ORIGIN OF WEEPING TREES, 113 


become perfectly matured, which will be much in their favour in starting the 
following spring. The Barringtonia is a native of the South of China, Java, 
Sumatra, the Moluccas, and of the Islands in the Pacific Ocean, at the mouths of 
rivers by the sea side. Its flowers are disposed in an erect thyrse of a purple and 
white colour, said to expand at night and fall at sunrise; these are succeeded by a 
reddish brown drupe, the seeds of which, mixed with bait, are said to inebriate fish 
im the same manner as Cocculus indicus. 


AGE OF PLANTS. 


Some plants, such as the minute funguses, termed mould, only live a few hours, 
or at most a few days. Mosses, for the most part, live only one season, as do the 
garden plants called annuals, which die of old age as soon as they ripen their seeds. 
Some again, as the foxglove and the hollyhock, live for two years, occasionally pro- 
longed to three, if their flowering be prevented. 

Trees again, planted in a suitable soil and situation, live for centuries. Thus 
the olive-tree may live three hundred years; the oak double that number; the 
chestnut is said to have lasted for nine hundred and fifty years; the dragon’s blood 
tree of Teneriffe may be two thousand years old ; and Adanson mentions banians 


‘six thousand years old. 


When the wood of the interior ceases to afford room, by the closeness of its texture, 
for the passage of sap or pulp, or the formation of new vessels, it dies, and by all 
its moisture passing off into the younger wood, the fibres shrink, and are ultimately 
reduced to dust. The centre of the tree thus becomes dead, while the outer portion 
continues to live, and in this way trees may exist for many years before they perish. 


ON THE ORIGIN OF WEEPING TREES*. 
BY WILLIAM ANDERSON, CURATOR OF THE BOTANIC GARDEN AT CHELSEA. 


I HAVE never seen a printed report on the manner in which these different 
varieties of trees have been discovered; for example, the weeping oak. The 
cause of this neglect may be, that persons finding such varieties, either do not 
examine their origin, or keep it secret from personal interest. The following observa- 
tions, therefore, may not prove uninteresting. Fascicles, or bundles of shoots, are 
often observed on trees, which resemble a bird’s nest at a distance, but when examined 
they prove to be a cluster of small twigs. | Such bundles are observed on different 
trees, but more frequently on the white or common birch tree, (Betula alba., L.) 
In the year 1808, I observed such a bundle on a Crategus, Mespilus,and Oxyacantha, 
and grafted young thorns with them, which, in two or three years, produced 


beautiful branches. _ About the same time I observed such a bundle on Ulmus cam- 


* Brom ‘“ The Gardener’s Magazine.” 
VOL. III.—NO. XXIX. Q 


114 ON THE TREATMENT OF A FEW GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 


pestris, the eyes of which were budded on healthy young trees, and every one pro- 
duced a long hanging shoot. According to this observation, it would be very easy to 
procure a large collection of drooping, or weeping, trees. Our gardeners, however, 
multiply no species so numerously as the Fraxinus excelsior, var. pendula ; which 
variety often retains its hanging character when raised from seeds. -We possess 
several such trees, of about ten feet in height, which were raised from seed of the 
original tree, obtained in 1780 from a nurseryman, who found ita few years 
previously to that in the neighbourhood of Newmarket, in Cambridgeshire. 


HINTS ON THE TREATMENT NECESSARY FOR A FEW 
VALUABLE GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 


LucuLIA GRATISSIMA is a very handsome plant when in flower, and therefore 
much attention should be paid to the cultivation of it. It is a greenhouse plant, 
and will flower about August or September if properly managed. Give it a great 
deal of light and air, water it with caution at the roots, and occasionally a little 
may be applied over the stems and leaves. In potting, use good light rich soil, and 
drain well previously. Cuttings are difficult to strike; these should be carefully 
prepared from the half-ripened wood, put in a pot of good sand under a handglass 
without heat, but in a close corner of the greenhouse, and sparingly watered. 

Chorizema ilicifolia, C. nana, C. rhombea, C. Baxtert, C. Henchmann. A 
particularly interesting genus of little greenhouse plants, that require to be steadily 
treated, or they will not grow or flower to perfection. They delight in an abundance 


of air and light, and should be potted in a mixture of sand and peat, sparingly yet _ 
attentively watered at all times. Be careful not to over pot any of them, as they — 


seem not to like any unnecessary soi] about their roots. Seeds sown early in the 


spring, potted off when strong enough and judiciously managed, will make hand- — 


some plants. 


Tropeolum pentaphyllum and T. tricolorum. These elegant plants are so : 
well suited for training up long stakes, columns, or any favourable part of the — 
greenhouse, that their neat foliage, and ear-drop-like blossoms, cannot, under any other 
mode, be properly seen. They should, particularly the former, have plenty of soil 
allowed them, which should consist of open loam, a greater quantity of peat, and a 
little sand; if planted in a little prepared border they wil! do well. Copiously 4 
water them when growing. Place a good sized pot in an inverted position over | 
them in the winter, to keep off water, &c.; gather the seed if ripened in the 
autumn, and sow it early in the spring in very light open soil. Cuttings strike 
with little trouble in sand, and, if encouraged, will flower beautifully the same season. 

Kennedia bracteata, K. sericea, K. coccinea, K. Comptoniana, K. mono- i 
phylla, K. ovata. These, like the preceding, are in no place so advantageously | 
seen as when trained up a column six or seven feet high; they are greenhouse | 
plants of the first character, for beauty of foliage and flowers; all of them grow 
well in strongish soil, composed of two parts peat to one of loam, except A. coccinea, — 


which, being more delicate, requires a rather lighter soil, composed of sand and peat. 


ON THE TREATMENT OF A FEW GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 115 


Water them freely, and take care not to let the water at any time stand at the roots. 
K. monophylla does exceedingly well planted in a border in the greenhouse or 
conservatory ; in this situation it will grow strong, and will therefore require more 
water than when growing in a pot. Cuttings of the whole, planted in a pot of sand, 
in a little heat, under a bell-glass, will root freely. 

Burtonia conferta, is a pretty little plant with heath-like foliage, but to 
manage it well is a matter of much difficulty. The most frequent error committed 
in the management of it is over watering, this cannot be too cautiously guarded 
against, as it is extremely tenacious of moisture. In potting, use a little peat and 
sand, with a trifling portion of loam incorporated through the whole, but be careful 
to drain well with reduced potsherds. Let it, at all times, enjoy an unencumbered 
situation in the greenhouse, where light and air can reach it without interruption. 
Cuttings taken when the wood is tolerably fine, and put in sand under a bell-glass, 
will, with care, produce roots. 

Boronia Pinnata. An elegant little greenhouse plant, producing its pink 
flowers early in the spring, which diffuse a scent like that of the hawthorn. This 
species has many admirers, but there are few that can grow it well. It should in 
summer be much attended to, as regards the application of water, which must always 
be given in moderate quantities, otherwise the plant will sustain injury. Pot it 
in sandy peat, observing to drain well, and be mindful not to Jet the pot room be 
over much. It delights in plenty of lght and air, and will therefore do better if 
not much crowded with other plants. Cuttings require particular attention, for they 
are very liable to damp while in the striking pot; they should be potted in sand, 
with a glass put over them, and afterwards set in a cool frame ; the lights of which 
should be occasionally taken off to allow the cuttings to dry, otherwise they are 
very likely to go off from excessive moisture. 

Helichrysum. This genus is amongst the best of our greenhouse plants, and 
is tolerably easy of culture. The species are much esteemed for the brilliancy of 
their flowers, not only when growing, but also when preserved in a dried state. 
The annual species should be raised on a hotbed, and afterwards, if they be trans- 
planted or potted, let them be removed to a warm situation. They are all natives 


ot the Cape of Good Hope, and will do well potted in sandy peat. Care in watering 


is particularly required in all, but perhaps more so in 4. proliferuwm and fulgidum ; 
these we have more than once observed to suffer from a super-abundance of this 
element. They are not easily propagated ; still, cuttings put in sand and placed in 
a moderate heat, not covered with a glass, carefully watered, may, with attention, be 
brought to produce roots. 

 Epacris, Eucalyptus, Pimelea. Most of the species contained in these 
three genera are very valuable plants; and we may add, that the greater part of 
them are natives of New Holland, and therefore form a part of our greenhouse 
collections. They thrive best in a peaty soil, although some of the stronger growing 
species of the Eucalyptus, for instance the 4. pauciflora and perfoliata, require 
a loamy soil. Water may be given freely to all of them while growing. Cuttings 


will strike readily potted in sand, placed under a bell-glass. 


116 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS 


FIGURED IN THE LEADING BOTANICAL PERIODICALS AND FLORISTS’ 
MAGAZINE FOR APRIL. 


BoTaANIcAL Recister. Edited by Dr. Lindley, each number containing 
eight figures; coloured 4s., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

BoranicaL Magazine. Edited by Dr. Hooker, each number containing eight 
plates; coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s.; and corresponding Jetter-press. 

British FLrowErR-GarpEN. Edited by Mr. David Don. Containing four 
plates ; coloured 3s., plain 2s. 8d.; and corresponding letter-press. 


Frorists’ Macazine. By F. W. Smith. Containing four monthly plates, — 
highly coloured ; several plates with two figures; large size 4s., small 2s. 6d.; and 


corresponding letter-press. 

Of the above figures, we have only selected such as are new or very rare; and 
amongst these, only such as deserve to be extensively cultivated. For descriptions 
and figures, reference must be made to the works themselves, 


CLASS I.—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONE). 


THE FLAX TRIBE (LINE). 


| 
} 


Linum BerENDIERI. Jerendier’s yellow-flowered Flax. An exceedingly | 
beautiful and new species of Linum, found by Mr. Drummond at Rio Brazos, and 


San Felipe in the same country, and introduced to the gardens of this country in 
1835. Its flowers, which are a beautiful rich orange yellow, are produced in August. 
It will grow very well in a cold frame, but it is probable it will prove a hardy annual, 
and a most valuable acquisition to our gardens. Bot. Mag., 3480. 


(MELASTOMACEZ.) 


CHETOGASTRA GRACILIS. Slender Chetogastra. An extremely beautiful 
melastomaceous perennial plant, first found by several travellers in Brazil, but | 
afterwards collected by Mr. Tweedie, at Rio Grande de Sul in South Brazil, who 


sent seed to the Glasgow Botanic Garden, from which the present plant in question | 


was raised. Its blossoms, which are of a faded rose colour, are produced abou 


June; it requires the heat of the stove, and from the large handsome character of 
its flowers will, no doubt, prove a desirable but variable object. Bot. Mag. 3481, 


(COMPOSIT#). 


| 
RHopantTe Mancauesir. Captain Mangles’ Rhodante. A beautiful hardy _ 
annual, producing brilliant rose coloured and yellow blossoms early in the summer 


months. In July, Professor Lindley observes, it becomes shabby, and by the 


beginning of August its seeds are ripe, and its life departed. It was introduced by 
Captain Mangles, R.N., who brought seeds from the Swan River Colony, New 
Holland, to the gardens of Robert Mangles, Esq., of Sunning Hill. It is hardy, | 
but plants raised from seeds, and grown in an airy part of the greenhouse in pots, 


for select purposes, will flower beautifully ; but there is no doubt of its doing well | 
and flowering freely in the open air in the flower garden. Bot. Mag., 3483. 


1 
I 
i 


‘| NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 117 


THE WATER-LEAF TRIBE (HYDROPHYLLE#). 

NEMOPHILA INsIGNIs. Showy Nemophila. This is one of the many highly 
ornamental plants of California, for the discovery and introduction of which to our 
gardens, we are indebted to the exertions of the lamented Douglas. The flowers 
are large, and of so bright a blue that no artificial colouring can do justice to them. 
It blossoms in July and August. Bot. Mag., 3485. 


THE HEATH TRIBE (ERICE@). 

ZENOBIA SPECIOSA. Showy Zenobia. An evergreen shrub of very great 
beauty, a native of swamp and boggy grounds in both Carolinas. It was introduced 
to our collections by Messrs. Fraser, about 1800; since which it has become a 
favourite ornament in our flower-gardens. ‘Two varities are met with, differing a 
little in the outline of their leaves, and in the absence or presence of the white bloom 
with which they are frequently covered. Both varieties are readily propagated by 
layers. ‘They should be grown in a soil composed of sandy peat, with the addition 
of about a fifth part of loam, and the plants should be plentifully supplied with 
water during the summer, especially if the season and situation happen to be dry. 
Brit. Fl. Garden, 330. 

(ERICEZ). 

RHODODENDRON FLAVUM; var. coronarium. Garland flowered Rose Bay. 
A bushy deciduous shrub, producing flowers of a rich yellow in large compact 
clusters. This plant was imported from Holland; the gardens of which have been 
long famed for the extent and beauty of their collections of varieties of this genus. 
It may be regarded as the handsomest of the yellow flowered kinds, and will grow 
best in a mixture of sandy peat and loam; the best mode of increasing them is by 
layers. Brit. Fl. Garden, 331. 


THE CAMPANULA TRIBE (CAMPANULACEZ). 

CAMPANULA Loreyl. Lorey’s Bell Flower. An extremely beautiful hardy 
annual, producing blossoms of a deep blue colour. It is of very easy culture, 
thriving in almost any kind of soil, and ripening its seeds freely in the open border, 
where the plant may be occasionally left to sow itself. Grown in patches, or as an 
edging to flower borders ; it is highly ornamental from its dwarf and slender habit ; a 
succession of bloom is maintained throughout the summer and autumn months. 
Brit. Fl. Garden, 332. 

THE PEA TRIBE (LEGUMINOS£#). 

KeENNEDIA STIRLINGI. Sir James Stirling’s Kennedia. A graceful green- 
house trailing plant, native of the Swan River. It was raised by Robert Mangles, 
Esq., of Whitmore Lodge, from seeds given to him by Sir James Stirling, Governor 
of the colony, in compliment to whom it has been named. Its flowers, which are 
seen in April, are of a bright scarlet; it will, doubtless, be easily propagated by 
cuttings. Bot. Reg., 1845. 


THE ROSE-TRIBE (ROSACE#). 
CRATHGUS MICRO CARPA. Small-fruited Thorn. This interesting species of 
Crategus is, according to Elliott, a native of the upper districts of Georgia and 
Carolina. It was also collected by Mr. Drummond in the province of Texas. 


118 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


The flowers, which are white, appear in May or the beginning of June; the fruit 
is red, but does not make much show upon the branches. Bot. Reg., 1846. 
CRAT®GUS HETEROPHYLLA. Various-leaved Hawthorn. This isamongst the 


handsomest species of this genus. When well grown, it forms a dense pyramidal | 


head, produces leaves the first of the genus, and is soon covered with a mantle of 
snow-white blossoms. After the latter have fallen away, the leaves become fully 
developed, and from their shining surface, neat figure and firmness of texture, render 
the tree a beautiful object. Finally, the rich crimson of the numerous leaves, 
which adorn the branches in the last days of Autumn, harmonizes beautifully with 
the fading verdure of the leaves. Bot. Reg., 1847. 


(ONAGRARIZ). 

GODETIA LEPIDA. Smart Godetia. A pretty new annual, found in California 
by Mr. Douglas. It was raised in the gardens of the Horticultural Society in July, 
1835. It is a handsome species, producing blossoms of a rose colour,and the centre of 
each petal is marked with a spot of crimson, which gives it, when in full bloom, a 
very striking appearance. Set. feg., 1849. 


(COMPOSITA: ) 

OxYURA CHRYSANTHEMOIDES. Ox-eye-like Oxyura. A hardy annual, with 
yellow flowers of considerable beauty, resembling in aspect the Chrysanthemum 
coronarium. It was found in California, by Mr. Douglas and produces its flowers 
about the months of August and September, ripening seeds in abundance. Bot. 


Reg., 1850. 


(TERNSTR@MIACE®). 

CAMELLIA ANEMONIFLORA and Rosa munpiI. The -anemoniflora is a hybrid, 
produced between the Red Waratah and Pomponia, or Kew blush; it partakes of 
the free growth and ample foliage of the Waratah, and the form of the flower ; but the 
centre is much improved, by partaking of the delicacy of the Pomponia. It is 
lighter than the surrounding petals, and partially mottled with a more delicate 
salmon-colour. It was raised by Mr. James Dickson, of Acre Lane, Clapham, of 
whom it may be procured. Sosa mundi is one of those beautiful striped varieties 
which does honour to the perseverance of Camellia amateurs. Its centre is not of 
the most perfect’ character. lor. Mag., No. X. 


THE HEATH TRIBE (ERICEZ). 

RHODODENDRON CAMPANULATUM. Bell-flowered Rose bay. This magnificent 
plant is a native of the lofty mountains of the north of Nepal, called Gosaingsthan, 
and was introduced by Dr. Wallich. The flowers are of a very large size, of a pure 
white, delicately tinged with a subdued rose colour towards their extremities; of a 
bell-shape, divided into five nearly equal lobes, the top one is decorated with crimson 
spots nearly to the base, which is generally of a very warm white. The flowers are 
individually about two inches and a quarter across, growing in a corymbose cluster, 
of about twelve or fifteen in number. It is expected, that this species will endure 
more severe weather than many of its congeners from North America, as it was 
found at a much higher elevation, therefore,a much colder; but it has not yet 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. EHS 


been exposed to our winters, and perhaps it may not bear them without the protec- 
tion of a greenhouse or conservatory. Flor. Mag., No. X. 


| THE CHICKWEED TRIBE (CARYOPHYLLE#), 

PicotTres. Miss Miller and Emperor of China. Miss Miller was raised from 
seed by Mr. Pinder, of Croydon. It is a flower of great merit; the colours are 
very brilliant and rich, the crimson markings being so distinct, and the greatest 
quantity being contrasted with the pure white in the centre of each petal, make it 
a flower of great interest. Its form is also good. 

Emperor of China is one of those novel flowers which Mr. Hogg has imported 
from Germany. It is a pleasing flower, full of well disposed petals, which are 
brilliantly marked with stripes of bright scarlet. Highly worthy the attention of 
amateurs. £lor. Mag., No. X. 

(LILIACE). 

Tutiprs. Solon and Esther. Solon is a fine flower, raised from seed, and broke by 
the late W. Clarke, Esq., of Croydon. It is a first or second row flower, of a novel 
and bold appearance; the petals are remarkably broad, and the shape of the 
flowering’ fine. 

Esther is -a very striking flower, the colour is brilliant and rich, and when the 
flower expands, the peculiar manner of its markings forms a complete star. Flor. 


Mag., No. X. 


CLASS II.—PLANTS WITH ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONEAS). 


ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEZ). 

PERISTERIA PENDULA. Pendulous Dove flower. This fine plant was imported, 
with many other varieties, from Demarara, by John Allcard, Esq., in whose stove; 
at Stratford Green, it flowered in January of the present year. ‘The flowers are of 
a pale greenish white without; within, tinged with blush and sprinkled with 
purple dots. “ This, and the species P. elata, are the only species that we are at 
present acquainted with in this country.” Bot. Mag., 3479. 


THE NARCISSUS TRIBE (AMARYLLIDE#). 

CoopERIA CHLOROSOLEN. -Green tubed Cooperia. ‘This interesting little 
plant flowered in the greenhouse a Spofforth, about the beginning of January ; it 
differs from C. Drummondi, in having a much larger limb, the tube green, and the 
sepals lined with green on the outside; the leaves longer and wider, the filaments 
free from the tube one eighth instead of one sixteenth, and the style shorter than 
the tube. Bot. Mag., 3482. 


THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEZ). 

ANGRECUM CAUDATUM. Long-tailed Angrecum. A most remarkable new 
species of Angrzcum, imported from Sierra Leone by Messrs. Loddiges, in whose 
collection it flowered in August last. Professor Lindley says, it is one of the most 
difficult of the tribe to manage successfully. In the nursery at Hackney, it is 
attached to a piece of wood, suspended from the roof of the stove for epiphytes. 
Bot. Reg., 1844. 


120 


OPERATIONS FOR JUNE. 


AGAVE AMERICANA, or American Aloe, now brought out of the greenhouse 
and placed on the lawn or in the flower-garden, will have a good and pretty effect. 


ALONSOA ACUTIFOLIA, and its varieties, will make a pretty show if planted in a — 


small bed or group by themselves; some time this month they may he safely 
put out. 

Buss of all kinds that have done flowering should now be gradually dried off. 
Be cautious to secure the labels proper to the respective pots, or confusion will 
ensue when the plants are grown next season, and cause some trouble to rectify. 

BALSAmMs, Coxcomss, and other tender annuals, now require great attention ; 
to make noble specimens, give water in abundance, use good rich compost, and pot 
as often as required, and they will grow and flower well. 

BouvARDIA TRIPHYLLA, if treated as recommended for March, may now 
be planted out in the flower-garden or other suitable place; if a little sheltered 
the better. 

Cuina AsTERs, and other showy annuals, should now be planted out in their 
respective places. 

Diantuus. The favourite plants of this genus, such as Carnations, Pinks, &c., 
should in this month be propagated. Pipings carefully prepared and potted, and 
plunged in a moderate heat, will make young roots tolerably free; a temporary 
hotbed, made of any coarse fermenting materials, will answer. See Vol. I., page 
68 to 73. 

DautiAs continue to plant, but bear in mind, that the nights at this season are 
sometimes cold, and consequently liable to injure very young or tender plants. A 
slight protection will be necessary and effectual. 

GREENHOUSE PLANTS, particularly those that are growing freely, should now 
have a good supply of water. 

InsECTS.—Greenfly and thrip, so destructive to stove plants, &c., should now 
be carefully watched. 

IMPREGNATION or CROSSING should be carried on, whenever an opportunity 
offers to effect it. 

Lose.ias should now be planted out in beds, and they will make a fine show 
in the autumn. 

LAYERING, INARCHING, &c., performed in the two preceding months, should 
now be attended to, and other operations effected in such species as will admit of 
working at this season. 

ORANGE and LEMON TREES may be removed from the greenhouse to a 
favourable situation in the flower-garden. 


CY cy ; 
‘ we, vniflea 


Wathen teh Sinitlyse. JULY 1530 t 


ipa 
sae 


121 


PHACELIA VINIFOLIA. 


(VINE-LEAVED PHACELIA.) 


CLASS, ORDER. 


PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


BORAGINEZ. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyz persistent. Corolla bell-shaped (campanulate), five cleft. Stamens 
exserted. Style short. Stigma divided at the apex, long. 


Speciric Cuaracter.— Annual, clothed over every part with very minute hairs (pilose) or down (pubes- 
cent). Stem about eighteen inches high, slender, somewhat branching. Calyz# linear five-cleft, 
each about a third shorter than the corolla. Corolla spreading, divided into five ovate, obtuse 
lobes, of a very bright blue colour, the lustre of which gradually diminishes towards the centre, where a 
yellow eye is formed, which gives a remarkably striking effect to the expanded flower. Stamens 
five. Filaments weak, inserted into a kind of sheath near the base of the corolla. Anithers 
yellow. Style the length of the filaments when these are erect, a character they by no means scem 
true to. F lowers produced in loose, lateral, leafless panicles. 

AN extremely pretty little plant, producing flowers which rival in colour that 
elegant annual recently figured in Bot. Mag. 3485, being only surpassed by the 
surperior size of the corolla; it flowers freely, and, unlike its rival, is of a very 
neat-growing habit. The free disposition to flower, and ample, not crowded, foliage, 
combined with its neat growth, render it desirable in a high degree as an autumnal 
ornament for the flower garden. 

This is another of the many contributions so conspicuous in our Magazine, 
communicated by our numerous friends in and about Manchester, whose zeal and 
success in the cultivation of exotic plants is of the highest tone ; the present sample 
was furnished, some time back, by Mr. Campbell, curator of the Botanic Garden at 
that place. 

The seed from which the plant was obtained was imported by the late much 
respected Mr. Drummond, from Texas. 

An open rich loamy garden soil will suit it, and the readiest way, we expect, by 
which it can be increased, is from seeds, and it is very probable that it will ripen 
these in abundance. 

The generic name alludes to the flowers, which are disposed in fascicled spikes. 

The leaves of this pretty little new annual being so much like those of the vine, 
we have been led to adopt for it a specific name “ vinifolia;” although, from the 
little knowledge we have of the plant, we suspect it will not be found to continue 
true to that character. If it should prove that the leaves are liable to vary much in 
form, we suggest “heterophylla” as a specific name, as in that case being more 
descriptive of the plant. 


VOL. III._—NO. XXX. R 


hs 


Ks 
Cy 
yee 
va 
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ara 
oH 
Rents 

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UP, eS 
vi me 


COA P OVAL | 


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123 


AZALEA RAWSONII. 


(C. RAWSON’S AZALEA. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 
PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


RHODORACE. 


Generic Cuaracter.—See Vol. 1, pages 126, 129. 


Sreciric Cuaracter.— Plant a dwarf bushy shrub, two feet high. Leaves ovate, of a dark green colour, 


7 a esau mil 


somewhat paler on the under-side. lowers produced at the extremity of almost every branch, 
invariably three in number, of the most intense tints, surpassing in lustre the coloured figure. 
Anthers varying in number from five to ten. 


WE are indebted to Mr. John Menzies, gardener to Christopher Rawson, Esq., 


F.G.S., of Hope House, near Halifax, for this superb new hybrid Azalea, who 


raised it from seeds collected by himself, and sown in 1832. 

In a letter from Mr. Menzies, he states as his belief that it is produced between 
A. phenicea and Rhododendron dauricum atrovirens, and this we think very pro- 
bable from the existing similarity of appearance in these two plants. If, from this 
circumstance, we may judge of the habit of the one figured, it is very probable that 
it will prove nearly hardy; but whether it does or does not, it is decidedly an 
improved feature in this charming family, from which we are encouraged still 
to look forward with a glowing anticipation for something, if possible, still more 
beautiful. | 

To the example here set by Mr. Menzies, and others who have preceded him in 
the delightful work of hybridisation, we solicitously call the attention of our practical 
brethren, &c. in whose exertions we will gladly and actively co-operate. 

{t is named in compliment to C. Rawson, Esq., F.G.S., with whom Mr. Menzies 
has lived as gardener for many years. The generic name is from the Greek avaneoc, 
dry, arid, in allusion either to the place where the plant is found, or to the dry brittle 
nature of the wood. 

The soil used by Mr. Menzies for his Azaleas is, equal parts of leaf soil and 


heath mould, with a small portion of hazel loam. 


arb: 


A 


BEGONIA PLATANIFOLIA. 


(PLATANUS-LEAVED BEGONIA. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 
MONCECIA. POLY ANDRIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


BEGONIACE. 


Generic Cuaracter.— Male destitute of calyx. Petals four, the opposite two the largest. Stamens 
many. Female also without any calyx. Petals four to six. Capsules inferior, three angled, 
winged, three-celled, many-seeded. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—Plant shrubby, from eight to ten feet high, erect, seldom branched ; producing, 
when well grown, leaves upwards of a foot in diameter. 


Tuts plant is rarely met with ina flowering state in the stoves of this country ; 

a circumstance probably accounting for its limited circulation, and the more 

_ frequent occurrence of other species of this genus, most of which are in many 
: particulars inferior, and very distinct from the one we have figured. 

_ Our drawing was made, about the latter end of last autumn, from a sample 


: kindly furnished by our friend Mr. Cameron, of the Birmingham Botanical Garden, 


_ with whom it flowered beautifully in the stove. It is a plant frequently seen 


: in the collections about Paris, and is stated to flower freely in that country. 

f The plants of this genus partake somewhat of asucculent habit, and are generally 
_ more admired from the circumstance of the neatness of their leaves, which are 
_ oblique at the base, than from any trace of beauty in their flowers; they grow 
_ with little difficulty among other plants in a bark stove, potted in a light loamy 


rich soil. Propagation is readily effected by cuttings, planted in sand in heat; or 


_ by seeds (if such can be obtained), is a ready mode of increasing them. 
f The generic name is given in honour of Michael Begon, whose exertions in the 
_ promotion of Botany were conspicuous in the seventeenth century. 
It is a native of Brazil, introduced from the Berlin Gardens by the late R. 
Barclay, Esq., in the autumn of 1829. 


Soo 
f. : 
Lt} 


4 vi , A as 7, 
GAAP CTEL OC TALE 440 


yy 


4 
4 


/ 
i 


ak 


DICHORIZANDRA THYRSIFLORA. 


(THYRSE-FLOWERED DICHORIZANDRA. ) 


CLASS, ORDER. 


HEX ANDRIA, ' MONOGYNIA, 
NATURAL ORDER. 


COMMELINE/&S. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx of three leaves, concave. Petals three. Stamens six, two of which are 
separated from the rest. Capsules three-sided and three-valved. 


Sreciric Cuaracter.—A shrubby. perennial herbaccous plant, from three to four feet high. Leaves 
smooth, of an oval-lanceolate shape, waved at the edges, and clasping the stem at the base, shining. 


Flowers produced in a dense erect thyrse, of a bright rich blue colour, making, when expanded, a 
lively show. 


‘Tus plant is handsome, and highiy worthy of cultivation,—first, on account of 
its Meine easy to cultivate ; ; secondly, for its free disposition to flower; and lastly, 
on account of the immense number of blossoms produced on a single raceme, 
which not unfrequently exceeds six inches in length, and these of so rich a blue 
as to render 1 ina flowering state very desirable as an autumnal ornament for 


the stove. — 
he 


Our drawing was mane from a plant in the collection of Mr. Clowes, of Man- 
chester, which flowered beautifully in his stove about the middle of last autumn. 

To grow it well, a compost of rich but light soil should be prepared, composed 
of sandy loam, peat, and a little decayed vegetable mould, the two former in equal 


tions ; in this the plant should be potted, allowing a good shift ; afterwards place 


1 in a warm part of the stove, observing to frequently syringe, and when grow- 
5 giving them a liberal supply of water; of this element they delight in a good 


uantity, providing attention has been paid to drainage, which is of the first 


was raised from seed some years ago received from the Brazils, where, 
fr. Milkan informs us, the species is found wild at about thirty miles’ distance 
/ rom Rio Janeiro. : 3 

The generic name is taken from the Greek, and implies the separation of two of 
| the anthers from the rest. 

| The specific name alludes to the panicle or spike bearing the flowers, they 
_ being closely set thereon. 


See ts 


a 


ys 


' 129 


ON THE MYRTLE TRIBE OF PLANTS. 

Ir we except the rose, that universal favourite, the theme of the poet, and the: 
pride of every garden, we are not aware of any plant which is accompanied with — 
more pleasurable associations than the myrtle. It is one of the loveliest of evergreens ; 
elegant in its growth, graceful in its figure; its leaves are not only beautiful, but 
they abound with a fragrant essential oil of peculiar quality; and its flowers, of 
dazzling white, pencilled with light airy stamens, each supporting a beautiful anther, 
are absolutely “redolent of sweets.” 

This charming evergreen is so retentive of its brilliant foliage, that, to borrow 
the expression of Dr. Lindley, it seems as if it ‘“‘ were intended to make us forget 
that winter has power over vegetation.” It is not our intention, however, to make 
the beauties of this species the chief subject of the present article ; we select it as 
the type of an order from which we hope to point out a few of the characteristics of 
what is now, par excellence, designated—THE NATURAL SYSTEM OF BOTANY. 
We do this with the greater pleasure, because the members of the tribe are generally 
plants of great elegance, and moreover possess a peculiarity of structure which may 
very happily be adduced to explain the construction of the new system, and to 
point out in what way it differs from the artificial classification of the great Linnzus. 

The study of botany is enchanting as it is useful; it is a pity, therefore, that 
its pursuit should be hampered by difficulties; but so it is with all that is human, 


-and we must submit. To those, therefore, who have been educated in the Linnzan 


system, we say “Go on, abandon it not, you have proved by experience the 
facilities it affords, the light it communicates; but be not prejudiced against that 
classification which embraces and teaches the knowledge of the physiological struc- 
ture of vegetable organisation.” 

To young students, whose opinions remain unformed, we recommend the im- 
partial investigation of the elements of both systems. In the four numbers on 
botany, already published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, 
andin Dr. Lindley’s “ Ladies ” Botany (Ridgway ), the reader may obtain a sufficient 
insight of the leading principles of the natural system, which, in point of fact, may 
be considered the Science of Physiological Botany. If the student be inclined to 
investigate deeply, we recommend him to make himself acquainted with the prin- 


ciples of this science; but caution him, at the same time, that difficulties and 


perplexities will attend his progress ; if, on the other hand, he wish merely to dis- 
criminate genera, to acquire the art of classing plants, and of assigning them a “ local 
habitation and a name,” we refer him to the classification of Linnwus. Therein is 
light, precision, and arrangement approaching to perfection. Heretofore the natural 
system has been a mass of confusion ; andeven now, improved as it has been by the 
zeal of a Lindley, it is unsettled, unfinished, and subject to perpetual revisals, addi- 
tions, and alterations. 


But not to dwell on the merits and deficiences of that, to which we cordially 
VOL. Il.—NO. XXX. S 


130 ON THE MYRTLE TRIBE OF PLANTS. 


wish success, we come at once to the object we had in view when we commenced 
this article. 

The myrtle tribe is one of the orders of the system. Its title is Myrtacee, and 
it is found in the first Grand Division, in which all the plants are of a vascular 
structure (vasculares), in contradistinction from the subjects of the second grand 
division, whose stems at least are entirely cellular (ced/ulares), and unfurnished with 
tubular vessels and woody fibre. The first division contains two great classes, and 
our Myrtacee is a member of the first of these, inasmuch as its seeds have two 
lobes, whence the term Dicotyledones. ‘This great class is again subdivided ; and 
its first division comprises all those plants which have calyx and corolla (Dichla- 
mydea). Again, this first subdivision has three subclasses, viz., lst. Thalame- 
flore, wherein (as in Ranunculus) the petals and stamens are attached to the re- 
eeptacle. 2nd. Calyciflore, wherein the petals, and frequently the stamens, are 
seated on the sepals, or calyx-leaves, as in the greater number of fruit trees; for 
instance in Pyrus, Prunus, Persica, Amygdalus, cum muitis aliis. 8rd. Corolli- 
flora. Here we find the corolla monopetalous, inferior, or below the germen, and 
the stamens attached to it, and not as in the two preceding subclasses. 

Now, let any one acquainted with botanical structure take a flower of the myrtle, 
and he will, after a short investigation, be convinced that it must be referred to the 
second sub-class of the first sub-division ; because it has a great number of stamens 
not attached either to the petals or receptacles ; that the petals are seated on the 
calyx, and therefore that it has both calyx and corolla; in a word, that it belongs 
to the 12th Linnean class—Jcosandria. 

But the order Myriacee is not founded solely upon the number or ‘opsitten of 
the stamens, and therefore it contains many genera which are not found in the 12th 
class ; this circumstance will be noticed more particularly, but we must previously 
endeavour to find out the number as well as the position of the order ; ands In so 
doing shall detect one of the imperfections of the system. 

When the Encyclopedia of Plants appeared in 1829, Myrtacee formed the 
order lxiii of the sub-class, and the order itself was again subdivided into thvee 
tribes: the Ist. termed Baccata, contained eleven genera, the fruit or seed-vessel 
of which is aberry. The 2nd, Capsulares, comprised nine families having capsular 
seed-vessels. The 3rd, called Lecythidee; .in this, the three genera differed from 
those of the two foregoing tribes, the fruit being either a drupe or vessel enclosed 
within a leathery rind. 

The plants (genera) of distinguished beauty and excellence were seen in the 


first tribe: viz., Myrtus, the tree myrtle, and type of the order, with ten varieties of | 


the common myrtle, hardy tenants of the greenhouse ; the lovely but captious woolly- 
leaved pink-flowered myrtle, native of China; and that most fragrant stove-ever- 
green, the pimenta-leaved myrtle, JZ. pimentoides, formerly termed broad-leaved 
pimenta. 

2. Pimenta vulgaris, or true allspice, pimenta, or Jamaica pepper. 

These two plants are rarely met with in our stoves, and we regret their abseneel 
the former is more fragrant, and as an evergreen is more desirable, inasmuch as it 


ON THE MYRTLE TRIBE OF PLANTS. 131 


is more hardy, or at least more accommodating to the treatment usually bestowed 
on it by our cultivators. 

3. Psidium, the Guava. This is a most interesting family; and the purple- 
fruited, or Cattley’s guava is, perhaps, the most perfect and graceful evergreen that 
an amateur of plants ought to desire, or even can possess; it may be raised from 
seeds, by cuttings, or by layers; grows freely, fruits early, and yields eatable berries 
as large as a prize gooseberry, resembling, with the exception of the colour, a small 
orange. Any climate in greenhouse, vinery, or stove, not reduced below 45 
degrees of Fahrenheit, suits it well; and, in addition to its many excellencies, the 
fruit is calculated to furnish a delicious guava jelly ; in its flowers, it is obviously a 
true member of Myrtacee. 

Punica, the pomegranate, formed one of the eleven genera; but it has gre 
been removed, and now constitutes an order by itself, Granatee. 

In the second tribe, Capsulares, we perceived those ornaments of the conserva- 
tory Metrosideros, Melaleuca, xnd Calothamnus, with their beautiful. tufty 
pencils of gorgeously-tinted stamens; the first of these belongs to Lcosandria 
Monogynia ; the two others to Polyadelphia Polyandria ; the pretty small-leaved 
Leptospermums, hardy conservatory or greenhouse evergreens, are more nearly 
allied to the true Myrii. 

Thus far we have followed the guidance of the Encyclopedia ; but if we turn 
to the catalogue of the Hortus Britannicus of 1832, we perceive that Myrtacee 
has become the lxxxivth natural order, and, therefore, that no fewer than twenty 
three intermediate orders have been added to the list. A great change also has 
been effected in the arrangement ef the order; which no longer consists of three 
tribes, distinguished by the structure of the seed-vessels, but six tribes founded 
upon other bases, thus: 1. Chamelanchiee denotes the dwarfish angular figure of 
the plants; 2. Leptospermie, the similitude of the genera to their type Lepto- 
spermum ; 3. Myrtee, the same, &c. &c. &c. 

Not to be more prolix, we merely add that the list of the orders in the first 
grand division was, in 1832, increased to two hundred and ten; and these are 
divided and sub-divided into tribes, sub-tribes, and the like, to an extent that makes 
the memory to quail. As new plants flow in, new orders must be, and are, 
originated to meet the occasion; till we are almost tempted to exclaim with 
Macbeth, 

«© What! will the line stretch out the crack of doom ? *’ 

These eternal alterations, changes of positions, and new creations, form the 
great blot of the system: a stumbling block is thereby thrown in the way of the 
Inquiring many, who cannot but perceive that the twenty-four simple classes of 
Linnezus, with all their imperfections, furnish a locality for every new introduction, 
almost if not entirely, without exception, to which it can appropriately be referred, 
without violence to the characters of its inflorescence. 

We arrive, then, at the following inevitable conclusion; that the Linnzan 
system is a simple, well regulated whole, perfect in its structure, and easily available; 


132 ORNAMENTAL BASKETS. 


it therefore is, and must remain, the vade mecum of the many. The natural 
classification is, on the contrary, the system of the learned few; it is unfinished, 
unformed, and to this day is composed of disjointed materials, grand in its object, 
comprehensive in its design, but so hampered with difficulties that it is but too 
likely to remain ‘a sealed book, a hidden mystery.” We now arrive at the point 
from which we started; and shall quote the characters which distinguish and 
illustrate the order Myrtacee, as we find them in the Encyclopedia of Plants, and 
Hortus Britannicus. | i 

‘“‘ Dotted leaves, with marginal ribs, and an inferior ovarium and single style, 
are the great features of Myrtacee. ‘They are all fine evergreen shrubs or trees, 
generally bearing white flowers, and in the first section (tribe) “ producing fleshy 
fruit,’ &c. &c. “ The volatile oil contained in the little reservoirs of the bark, the 
leaves, and the floral envelopes, gives these plants a fragrance, which has caused 
them to be celebrated by the poets of old.” “There is also a considerable propor- 
tion of the astringent principle in these plants; in the bark of the pomegranate it 
is very obvious.” ‘The leaves of the Chilian myrtles, Leptospermum scoparium, 
and some other species, have been used as substitutes for tea.” (See farther, En. Pl. 
p- 1068, order ]xiii.) 

Punica has been subsequently removed, and now is referred to Granatee. 
‘This order consists of one genus, the well known pomegranate ; it differs from 
Myrtacee, in the leaves being destitute of pellucid dots, as well as the seeds being 
enveloped in pulp.” (Hort. Brit., p. 513, order 1xx.) 

The reader has now before him, a fair, and one of the most pleasing specimens 
of the plan; he thence can draw a sort of inference on the general arrangement of 
the new classification. We hope soon to resume the subject, to cite other 
examples; and in doing so, to present to the lover of nature some more of those 
exquisite productions which charm the senses, while they instruct the under- 
standing. 


ORNAMENTAL BASKETS FOR PLANTING GREENHOUSE 
PLANTS IN. 


It is only under certain circumstances, that it is thought advisable to expose 
greenhouse plants during the summer season; or, in other words, to turn them out 
of doors during the three months of summer, or perhaps till the middle or latter 
end of September. In cases where the greenhouses are wholly devoted to the 
cultivation of this kind of plants, and the house well and properly constructed, it is 
certainly to be allowed that they will do much better if kept in the whole season; 
receiving, every fine day, a free circulation of air from all the moveable sashes and 
ventilators ; but in places where the number of species of greenhouse plants is small, 
and accomodation scanty—perhaps only one greenhouse, and this a small one—it is 


ORNAMENTAL BASKETS, 138 


commendable to remove, in the summer months, all duplicates, and the hardier or 
coarser kinds, to the out-door situation ; for if they are injured by being exposed to 
the open air, they will, shortly after being re-introduced, recover what they may 
have lost in leaves or branches; and the stage in the greenhouse, previously 
occupied by greenhouse plants, may be filled with tender annuals, which will make 
a very gay appearance when in bleom, besides adding an additional feature of 
interest, an acquisition so very desirable, particularly in small places. Nor would 
we only recommend that duplicates or the coarser kinds be taken out, but that 
every species (making very particular ones exceptions) be removed to a proper 
situation. The principal objections urged in favour of turning greenhouse plants out 
are, that in the greenhouse they are exposed to the direct rays of the sun, and 
consequently the roots being often found at the inside surface of the pots, suffer 
injury from being dried up from the too great, in this instance, degree of heat, 
and what gives much force to this argument is, that it is our best and most choice 
species that suffer most in this case. The result of this is, that a brown and sickly 
aspect is given to the plants, and not unfrequently renders them naked, by the 
premature decay of many of their leaves. These disadvantages, if such they can 
be called, are easily remedied by shading the house slightly with canvass, which is 
easily, and witha trifling cost, effected. In places where a greenhouse solely devoted 
to greenhouse plants is kept, it is most frequently found to be upon a large scale, 
and consequently it would be found no very easy matter to furnish the stage with 
annual or other plants, after the proper greenhouse plants were taken away ; and if 
this were indifferently done, the house, always intended to be a place of interest and 
amusement, would become neglected and unfrequented for the want of something 
to realise the objects it was erected purposely to create. We would say, inferring 
from the little advantage or loss accruing from the practice of either systems, that, 
in places where a large greenhouse is, to turn out of doors all duplicates in the 
summer season is commendable, thus making more room for the remainder to 
grow ; and in the autumn the duplicates may be re-introduced without injury, as 
they will bear to stand much closer in the winter than in the summer: on the 
other hand, where only a small greenhouse is kept, it is commendable to expose all 
during three or four months in the summer, and the greenhouse made up as before 
noticed. The situation best suited for plants of this description, is one rather 
sheltered on all sides, particularly from the wind in the west, and intense sun 
southward; if the situation is bleak, they are liable in windy weather to be blown 
over, which a judiciously selected spot will prevent; too great an exposure to the 
sun is injurious, inasmuch as it is liable to scorch the foliage and give the plants 
a sickly appearance. An east or a north east aspect is to be preferred. 

We have seen a very pleasing effect created by planting the commonest kinds 
of greenhouse plants in beds in the flower-garden, and placing in a novel manner, 
round the margin, a kind of planed lath, of a foot or more in length, so as to allow 
three or more inches to fasten each in the ground; and across the centre of the 
bed a half circular hoop is bent, which, when neatly executed, will represent a wicker 
basket filled with living plants in full bloom. The accompanying diagrams 1 and 2 


134 ORNAMENTAL BASKETS. 


will afford the best idea of the plan. First, form the bed of whatever shape is most 


desirable ; then, after adjusting the soil, select as great a variety of the refuse of the 
greenhouse plants as is practicable, and plunge them in the soil, previously having 
divested them of the pots. In ane 

plunging, observe to let those 
occupying the centre of the bed 
stand higher than the rest, so 
as, when completed, a gradual 
slope may be effected from the 
centre to the border of the 
clump. In working in the laths, 
a small nail will be required at | 
each crossing, in order that 
they may stand fast. When 
this is completed all round, the 
bow should be carried across, 
which will represent the handle of the basket ; and to give an additional interest to 
the whole, a free growing creeper, of any common kind, may be trained over it, 
which will create the most pleasing effect imaginable. ‘The whole may be painted 
of any colour that is thought most neat or desirable,—we should say blue or green 
is preferable. 


135 


AN EXPOSITION OF THE GENUS P/EONIA. 


EXTENSIVE, varied, beautiful, and curious are the countless objects com- 
prised in the collections of plants at present known in this country, blending the 
colours of their flowers into an indefinite variety of hues, and assuming shapes 
and odours to an equally numberless extent. Some from the dazzling colour of their 
petals are almost too gaudy to admit of the mind properly to form an estimate of, 
or conceive precisely the extent of their beauty; others, by their neatness and 
minute growth combine with their more noble brethren, and exhibit in their con- 
formation the traces of a divine hand, which call forth the noblest powers of the 
mind to investigate and admire. What form, what character, or what tint, says an 
eminent but ancient writer, can we not discover in one or other of nature’s flowers ; 
and again, what, except the cheering beams of the sun, that renders the atmosphere 
congenial to our comfort, and stimulates vegetable nature into activity and newness 
of life, is there to render the earth attractive or admirable tothe pleasure-see king 
traveller, or give an impulse to the musing bard, so powerful as that which nature 
displays in the growth of plants, or the development of their leaves and flowers ? In 
the endless variety and sub-variety of plants, and degrees, and sub-degrees of colour 
in their flowers, varying from the most brilliant and intense, to the more simple 
and unassuming, there is no one perhaps that rises higher in the scale of magnifi- 
cence than the genus Peeonia. For beauty and size of the flower, the peony can 
scarcely be said to have a rival, and we find this exquisite property in the most ex- 
tensive degree in the Chinese tree pzeony, or Peony Moutan, and its varieties. 

This plant, and its splendid varieties, are all hardy, and will endure the open air 
of Britain ; although they are in the flowering season occasionally housed, it is not 
done because they cannot stand the cold or frost, but on account of their blossoms 
being liable to be bruised and affected by rough winds. ‘To flower them perfect 
and well, no place can equal a greenhouse, or, in cases where a greenhouse is not at 
hand, they may be brought to produce their magnificent blossoms in a high degree 
of perfection in glass frames, so constructed as to answer the size of the plants 
intended to flower in them. To grow good strong healthy plants that will flower 
well annually, it is necessary to apply the treatment recommended below. 

P. Moutan has given birth to many worthily esteemed: and beautiful varieties, 
all of which in a great degree partake of the habit of the originals, and consequently 
require very similar treatment, as the following brief outline will show :— 

_ Ist. Plants, of whatever size or age, require a loamy soil; still old established 
plants require this in a greater degree of strength than young ones. For young 
plants raised from seed, cuttings, &c., a loamy soil, blended with a little mellow 
sandy peat, we should say, will in general be found to suit them better than if loam 

_alone is used; and we feel persuaded that a little well rotted dung, mixed with the 
soil applied to old plants, will be found of some advantage. 

2d. A situation not too much exposed to the sun, nor too a great degree 
shaded, is to be sought for them. Too much sun is apt to act so powerfully upon 
the branches as to prevent them from freely swelling, or properly forming their 


136 AN EXPOSITION OF THE GENUS PASONIA. 


buds. On the contrary, a densely shaded aspect is objectionable; inasmuch as the 
wood in such situations does not properly ripen. No spot then can answer so well 
for them as one facing the east or inclined to south-east. 

3rd. When in flower, and during the growing season, they require a good supply 
of water, but by no means should they be allowed to become saturated. When 
grown in pots, it is therefore indispensible to attend properly to drainage. 

Ath. Previous to the season cf flowering them, which is from March to the 
latter end of May, or even sometimes as late as June, they shouid be removed to 
the greenhouse, or frame set apart for this purpose; when as much air as possible 
should be given them until the flowers begin to expand, at which time they require 
a good deal ;but in windy, cold weather it is necessary to be careful on this point 
lest injury ensue. 

oth. Propagation. Cuttings of the young wood, with a portion of the preced- 
ing year’s attached, prepared in August or September, and planted in a sheltered 
situation in light soil, will root freely. Also they may be increased by layering, but 
the readiest way is to strike them from cuttings. 

P. Moutan, with its varieties, are very ornamental, and produce beautiful 
blossoms, on which account they are cultivated to a considerable extent in the 
gardens throughout China and Japan. In its growth it forms a shrub from three to 
ten feet high; in China it 1s stated to exceed in height sometimes ten feet, but in 
this country it seldom exceeds half that height. The flowers, which show in the 
spring months, are single, and of a purple colour, generally fragrant. It is a native 
of the North of China, on mount Ho-nan. The leaves consist of a number of oval- 
oblong segments of a greenish-yellow colour underneath; the number of carpels is 
five, each covered with dense hairs. 

Var. papaveracea is a nearly white flower, except a purple spot, which 
occupies the base of each petal; the number of petals are variable, sometimes they 
run from eight to thirteen, and often more, in number. The flower, when well 
opened, is handsome, and with some people much esteemed. ‘The capsules of this 
variety are totally enclosed in the disk. 

Var. humei. The flowers of this variety are double, and have a bunch of long 
petals arising from the middle of the flower of a reddish colour. It is worthy of 


cultivation. 
Var. rosea is a semi-double rose-coloured flower, with leaves having blunted 


segments. 
Var. rosea-plena is a fine double flower of a deep pink colour and nearly 
scentless. 

Var. Banksti. A large and full-blown flower of this and the three following 
varieties we have lately received from Lord Mountnorris’s superb collection of 
moutans at Arley Hall; they were forwarded to us, through his lordship’s per- 
mission, by Mr. Hammond, his Lordship’s present gardener. No where are these 
plants cultivated more successfully than at the place we have mentioned ; neither has 
any one devoted more time, or exercised more zeal in the improvement of them, than 
his lordship, of which the flowers now before us bear ample proof. The present 
variety is a remarkable fine one ; the flowers are bold and very full of petal; and 


AN EXPOSITION OF THE GENUS PAONIA. "137 


what renders them so superior is the rich colouring of reddish pink at the hase of 
each petal reflecting indescribable lustre on the upper part of them, which is also 
slightly tinged with pink. 

Var. albida.plena. A very beautiful and nearly double flower, with large 
petals jagged at the end, mostly of a white colour, except at the base, which is 
marked by a striking spot of purple mixed with pink. 

Var. carnea plena. Double flowers, of a delicate piielicie pink, with a rich 
purple rayed spot at the top of each. 

Var. Annestet. Flowers small, almost single, of a rich purplish pink; petals 
obcordate, usually nine in number, slightly torn at the margins, and of a dark 
colour at the base. 

The merits of the three following varieties were not known until they produced 
their flowers this spring, being seedlings raised by Mr. Hammond, from seed 
obtained by crossing. 

Superb-blush. A double flower, with well disposed petals slightly jagged at the 
top, of a blush colour that deepens towards the base, which is occupied by a lively 
pink ; segments of leaves long and acute. This is a very fine and desirable variety. 

Carnea simplex. Flowers single; petals large, and jagged at the edges, the 
upper part of a flesh colour, and the base of a dark purplish red. Flowers, when 
well expanded, measure in diameter something more than nine inches; segments 
of leaves acute. This is a variety of much merit. 

Variegata is a striking semi-double flower with good qualities. 

We insert the following brief list of the herbaceous species and varieties, in order 
that any of our readers who may desire to possess a small collection, may know which 
kinds are necessary and advisable for them to purchase. But as it does not often 
happen that so great a quantity as are here noticed is wanted, we have given the 
season of flowering of most of them, and colour of their flowers, so that one or twe, 
or more, as may be desired, may with little trouble be selected. 

P. albiflora produces its white flowers about May and June, and its native 
place is from Siberia to China. 

Var. candida has pale flesh-coloured flowers, of frequently eight petals. Flower- 
ing in June. 

Var. fragrans. Double rose-coloured flowers, produced upon an erect stem 
three feet high. 

Var. Humei has very double red flowers. 

Var. Siberica. Pure white flowers, with flesh-coloured stigmas. May and June. 

Var. Tatarica has flesh-coloured flowers of from nine to fourteen petals, with 
flesh-coloured stigmas. 

Var. vestalis has white flowers of eight petals and pale yellow stigmas. May. 

Var. uniflora has white flowers, much like the Vestalis. 

Var. Whitegi. Pale blush flower produced upon a stem three feet high, bearing 
usually five flowers. 

Andersonii produces flowers ofa deep rose-colour, with the petals a little curled. 

Anomata is characterised by its crimson drooping flowers, whichit produces about 
May and June. 

VOL. III.—NO. XXX. 2 


138 ON THE FORMATION OF A ROSARY. © 


Arietina is a good flower, native of the Levant ; flowers about May and June. 

Cretica is a native of Crete, its flowers are white and blush. 

Decora produces deep crimson flowers about May or June. 

Var. Pallasi is a native of the Crimea, a tolerably good flower. 

Officinalis produces red or crimson flowers. 

Festiva is a flower of considerable merit. 

Var. carnescens is a variety of Festiva, its flowers are very double, and of a 
deep rose colour. 

Var. rosea produces flowers of a deep rose colour. 

Var. rubra has very double dark purple flowers. This is the variety most 
common in gardens. 

Var. Sabini produces very dark purple flowers in May or June. 

Paradoxa, var. fimbriata has very double flowers, and has been called the double- 
fringed pzony. 

Var. simplicifiora is a flower of eight petals, of little interest. 

Peregrina, var. compacta is a tolerably good flower, but possesses nothing very 
attractive. 

Pubens. Flowers large, of a dark purple colour, with yellow anthers. 

Villosa produces white flowers from May to July. 

Mollis is a small flower of a dull purplish red. 

Humilis has flowers of a purplish blood colour, the petals a little jagged; if 
flowers about May or June. 

Tenuifolia produces fine dark red flowers, nestled as it were among the finely 
divided leaves. 

Baxteri is a good flower, rather scarce in collections; as is also the splendens, 
but may be obtained of the Messrs. Loddiges at the Hackney Nursery. 


REMARKS ON THE FORMATION OF A ROSARY 
FOR SCOTCH ROSES. 


In Volume I. from pages 138 to 146, and Volume II. at pages 35, 41, 209, 
and 214, will be found a series of remarks, embracing the culture, propagation, and 
general treatment of the genus Rose. The remarks above alluded to are, in all 
respects, calculated to assist in the management of this interesting family, whether 
on an extensive or a limited scale. The true species of this genus have, by the as- 
siduously applied skill of cultivators, given birth to a numberless variety of hybrids, 
many of which surprisingly surpass the original stock, for richness of colour and dispo- 
sition of the flower; and from this quality, hold a prominent rank in the estimation of 
every admirer of this delightful family. These varieties are again improved, by a dis- 
tinct operation to that of multiplying varieties from seed gathered from flowers, which 
had been previously impregnated, by introducing to the stigma the pollen from the 
stamens of other flowers; this is effected by uniting a branch or scion deemed fit 
for the operation, to the trunk or stem of another, for the purpose of causing the 
introduced branch to grow more freely, and thus produce a greater number of 


ON THE FORMATION OF A ROSARY. 139 


blossoms, and these improved ones; or by this unity the object sought is, to form 
a plant of the kind introduced of a peculiar and novel shape, or in the case of them 
being grafted upon standards five or six feet high, to allow other plants to grow 
underneath them. Experience has taught, that certain kinds, brought to unite 
with other specified kinds, will grow and flower better than they would if worked 
indiscriminately upon any stock ; directions for this,and the best way of performing 
it, are given at the pages before quoted. Many systems have been devised, and 
plans laid down, by men of much practice, for the formation of a plot of ground 
intended to be devoted entirely to the cultivation of roses. Two appropriate designs 
are given in that excellent work, the Encyclopedia of Gardening, third edition, 
page 892; still, as these, although excellent designs, are more calculated for the 


Chinese and their innumerable varieties, &c., than for the Scotch rose, we have, there- 
fore, given the outlines of a plan (fig. 3) which, we think, will do well for the latter, 
so far as the filling each bed with this variety of rose goes. We do not wish it 
to be understood that we are of opinionthat a rosary entirely formed of Scotch roses 
would create an improved effect, when executed upon any given system or design, 
but it is our opinion that a rosary consistent with the fig. given, planted with the 
garden varieties of Scotch roses, and amongst these introduced some standards of 
vther valuable kinds, would havea very novel effect. And this novelty would be 
produced in the first place, by the difference in the size of the leaves and contrast in 


140 ON THE FORMATION OF A ROSARY. 


the colour and make of the flower, which, in the standards, would be large and bold, 
and in the dwarf or Scotch small and pretty ; a circumstance which will, undoubtedly, 
fill the whole with interest, and in the flowering season with gaiety. We insert the 
following list as given by Mr. G. Don, in his General System of Gardening and 
Botany, trusting it will be found serviceable to those of our readers who have an 
interest in the cultivation of this species of rose. 


DOUBLE SCOTCH ROSES. 


Anderson’s double lady’s blush. Double dark red. 
Double lady’s blush. — light red. 

— pink blush. — true light red. 

—  Provins blush. Large double two coloured. 

— rose blush. Small double two coloured. 

Dutch double blush. Large double white. 
Princess double blush. — semi-double white. 
Double crimson. Whitley’s double white. 

— crimson marbled. Globe double yellow. 


— dark — Large double yellow. 
— light — Pale double yellow. 
— purple. Small double yellow. 


Small double light purple. 
SINGLE FLOWERED SCOTCH ROSES. 


Aberdeen. Dalrymple. Grampian. Moncrieff. 
Aberfoil. Darnoch. Greenock. Monteith, 
Alba. Douglas. Haddington. Montgomery. 
Alva. Dumbarton. Halkirk. Montrose. 
Ancram. Dumblane. Hamilton. Mount Stuart. 
Arbroath. Dumfernline. Hawick. Mull. 

Argyll. Dun fries. Hawthorndean. Moray. 
Arrachar. Dunbar. Hector. mutabilis. 
Aurora borealis. Dunerief. humilis. Nevis. 
Balloch. Dundee. Huutly. Northumberland. 
Banff. Dunglass. incarnata. Paisley. 
Bannockburn. Dunkeld. Inverary. penicillata, 
Bass. Dunlop. Invermay. Pentiand. 
Bengloe. Dunmore. Janus. perpetual. 
Ben Lomond. Dysart. Jedburgh. picta. 

Ben More. dwarf bicolor. Jura. Proteus. 
Berwick. Eden. Keith. Roberton. 
bicolor. Elgin. Kelso. Rosslyn. 
Biggar. Ktterick. Kilmarnock. Rothsay. 
Birnam. fairy. Kincardine. . rubicunda. 
Blair Athol. Falkirk. Kinnaird. Selkirk. 
Boharm. Falkland. Kinross. Shetland. 
Borrisdale. Falla. Kirealdy. Sky. 
Borthwick. Fife. Kirkwall. Staffa. 
Buchan. flavescens. Lanark. Sterling. 
Bute. Forfar. Laxford. Strathmore. 
Caithness. Forth. Leith. striata. 
Calder. Fort William. . Leslie. Stronsa. 
Callender. fulgens. Lismore. Sutherland. 
Campsie. Furness. Locheber. Teviotdale. 
carnescens. Galloway. Lochaird. Tabert. 
Carron. Glasgow. Lochfyne. Thornhill. 
Cheviot. Glenco. Lochleven. Thurso. 
ciphieri. Glenfallach. -Lochlomond. Tranent. 
Clydesdale. Glengarry. Lothian. variegata. 
Cromarty. Gourock. Maidenkirk. venulosa glabra. 
Dalkeith. Grahamston. Melrose. venulosa hispida. 


ie 


141 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS 
FIGURED IN THE LEADING BOTANICAL PERIODICALS AND FLORISTS’ 
MAGAZINE FOR MAY. 


BoTanicAL Recister. Edited by Dr, Lindley, each number containing 
eight figures; coloured 4s., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

BoranicaL Macazine. Edited by Dr. Hooker, each number containing eight 
plates; coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

British Frower-Garpen. Edited by Mr, David Don. Containing four 
plates ; coloured 3s., plain 2s. 8d.; and corresponding letter-press. 

Frorists’ Macazine. By F. W. Smith. Containing four monthly plates, 
highly coloured ; several plates with two figures; large size 4s., small 2s. 6d.; and 
corresponding letter-press. 

Of the above figures, we have only selected such as are new or very rare; and 
amongst these, only such as deserve to be extensively cultivated. For descriptions 
and figures, reference must be made to the works themselves. 


CLASS I.—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONES), 
THE FIGWORT TRIBE (SCROPHULARINEZ). 

COLLINSIA BICOLOR. Two-coloured Collinsia. A very handsome, hardy, 
erect-growing annual, with flowers arranged in several whorls towards the extremities 
of the branches, large and striking from the contrast of colour between the upper 
and lower lip, which in the upper is white, while the lower is of a pale purple. 
{t was introduced, in 1833, to the London Horticultural Society, from California, . 
by the late lamented Mr. Douglas. In the Glasgow Botanic Garden it flowered 
in August. Bot. Mag., 3488. 


THE NIGHT-SHADE TRIBE (SOLANEZ). 

JABOROSA INTEGRIFOLIA. Entire-leaved Jaborosa. A very singular plant, 
with a subterraneous root, sent to this country, with another species, by Mr. 
Tweedie, from the Pampas of Buenos Ayres; supposed to prove perfectly hardy, 
if planted in the open border in a favourable situation. The flower consists of a 
long campanulated tube, with a limb of five lanceolate spreading segments, exter- 
nally pale yellow and green, internally white. Bot. Mag., 3489. 


THE ROSE TRIBE (ROSACEZ). 

RosA MICROPHYLLA. Small-leaved Chinese Rose. This Rose, so much 
admired by cultivators, cannot be exceeded in delicacy of form, shadow, and colour- 
ing, by any species of this highly-prized genus. It is a native of China, and is 
stated to have blossomed, for the first time, in Mr. Colville’s nursery some years 
ago. Bot. Mag., 3490. ; 

CRATAGUS ORIENTALIS. Oriental Hawthorn. A very handsome tree, with 
large snow-white vernal flowers, and rich purple autumnal leaves. When growing, 
it has a gay appearance, because its leaves are downy; at a more advanced age it 
becomes green, in consequence of the leaves losing their hairyness. It is a native 
of the Crimea, and the parts bordering on the Black Sea. In its growth it forms a 
close-headed tree; the fruit, which is its autumnal beauty, is of a scarlet colour, 


142 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


about the size and form of a common marble. It is propagated by grafting or 
budding upon the common hawthern. Bot. Reg., 1852. 


THE GREEK VALERIAN TRIBE (POLEMONIACEZ),. 

LerrosIPHON ANDROSACEUS. Androsace-like Leptosiphon. A genus of five 
species, established by Mr. Bentham, all of which are remarkable for their graceful 
habit, slender foliage, and exceedingly pretty flowers; and which make a very 
handsome appearance when planted thickly in an open border. Experience has 
shown that these plants will not flourish well in a situation much exposed to the 
sun in summer. It should, therefore, either be sown in the autumn, so as to flower 
early, or in June, so that it may be ready for blossoming in September. Bot. 


Mag., 3491. 
THE PEA TRIBE (LEGUMINOSZ). 


Lupinus Texensis. Texas Lupin. A very beautiful deep blue-flowered 
Lupin, an inhabitant of Texas, closely resembling the Lupinus subcarnosus ; but 
distinguished from that species chiefly by the differently shaped leaves. Bot. 
Mag., 3492. 


LATHYRUS ROTUNDIFOLIUS, var. ELLIPTICUS. Round-leaved Everlasting Pea. 


A climbing perennial herb, extending to the height of three or four feet, of easy 
culture, and is readily increased, both by parting the roots and by seeds. It is a 
very handsome and desirable flower: the corolla is of a rich crimson, rendering it 
very showy, and highly deserving a place in the flower garden. Brit. Fl. 


Garden, 333. 
THE WATER-LEAF TRIBE (HYDROPHYLLEZ). 


Evtoca Menziesi1. Mr. Menzies’ Eutoca. A very beautiful hardy annual, 
with purple flowers, introduced by the Horticultural Society in 1826, from seeds 
transmitted by the late Mr. Douglas, by whom they were collected during his 
botanical researches on the banks of the Columbia, in North-west America; grow- 
ing abundantly in sandy exposed situations. ‘The plant should, therefore, be culti- 
vated in a light soil, and in a sunny situation; for under such circumstances it 
will be most likely to perfect its seeds freely. Brit. Fl. Garden, 334. 


THE CROW-FOOT TRIBE (RANUNCULACEZ). 

CLEMATIS CALycIN&. Minorca Virgin’s Bower. An evergreen scandent 
shrub, with dark brown angular branches, a native of Minorca and Corsica, and 
was introduced from the Paris Garden, in 1783. The plant has finely divided 
leaves, resembling those of some umbelliferous plants; and the flowers are large 
and elegantly spotted with purple. It is a very interesting plant from its peculiar 
habit, and from its producing its blossoms at a season of the year (February), when 
few hardy plants are in flower. It should be trained to a wall, in a sheltered 
situation, and with a southern aspect. It is readily multiplied by layers. Brit. 
Fil. Garden, 335. 

(TERNSTR@MIACEZ). 

CAMELLIA JAPONICA DOoNCKELAERI. Donckelaer’s Japan Camellia. A 

remarkably beautiful variety, said to be a genuine Japanese kind, and to have been 


brought to Holland by Dr. Siebold. The petals of the flower are blotched with | 


white, and the general aspect is good; but somewhat loose. Bot. Reg., 1854. 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 143° 


THE EVENING PRIMROSE TRIBE (ONAGRARIZ). 

GODETIA RUBICUNDA. Ruddy Godetia. A handsome species, found in 
California by the lamented Mr. Douglas. It flowers in July and August, when it 
forms an agreeable contrast with G'. Lindleyana, in consequence of the want of 
spots in the flower, and the peculiar ruddy appearance of its petals. A hardy 


annual. Sot. Feg., 1856. 
(COMPOSITZ). 
Dautia. Levick’s Incomparable. This in form and character is an elegant 


flower, and very beautiful in colour. It attains the height of four feet, and pro- 
duces a very considerable quantity of flowers of a rich scarlet, tipped with white ; 
and though it is apt to become plain or all scarlet, in this state it is by no means an 
inferior flower. Its tipped flowers, however, constitute its principal claim. Flor. 


Mag., No. XI. 
TERNSTREMIACER. 
CAMELLIA JAPONICA, var. IMBRICATA. A plant of good habit and a profuse 


bloomer; the flowers are admirable for brilliancy of colour and symmetry of form. 
It grows two feet high, and often may be seen with upwards of fifty flowers upon 
one plant. Flor. Mag., No. XI. 


THE CAMPANULA TRIBE (CAMPANULACEZ). 

CAMPANULAS. Pumila and Garganica. The C. pumila, or dwarf bell-flower, 
isa native of Switzerland, and flowers in June, July, and August; in height it 
does not exceed three inches, but it produces such a profusion of flowers, that 
the foliage is nearly hid by them. The C. garganica, or Garganian, bell- 
flower, is a plant of great beauty, the blue of its corolla being of a very brilliant 
azure, and it produces a profusion of flowers upon its procumbent panicles. It 
thrives well in a little loam and peat, with a trifling addition of leaf mould, but it 
must by no means be allowed to become wet. Flor. Mag., No. XI. 


THE PRIMULA TRIBE (PRIMULACEZ). 

PotyAntuus. Fletcher's Defiance. An extremely interesting variety, the 
petals of the flower are very beautifully edged with a bright yellow, while the 
ground colour is dark brown and the eye of a brilliant yellow, which renders it, 
upon the whole, very pleasing. ‘The number contains some excellent directions for 
the cultivation of these plants. Flor. Mag., No. XJ. 


CLASS IIl.—PLANTS WITH ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONES). 
THE LILY TRIBE (LILIACEZ). 

ORITHYIA UNIFLORA. Single-flowered Orythyia. This plant is about the 
size, and has entirely the habit, of single-flowered specimens of Tulipa biflora, 
but the bulb is rather larger, of an ovate form, and covered with a dark chestnut 
coat. It is very pretty, and is found frequent on the rocky banks of the river 
Irtysch, and other streams which descend from the Altai mountains, The flowers 
are of a bright yellow, solitary. Brit. Fl. Gard., 336. 

THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEZ.) 

ONcCIDIUM CoRNIGERUM. Horned Oncidium. A very showy species, pro- 

ducing very neat interesting flowers upon a scape of from 11 to 16 inches long. It 


144 OPERATIONS FOR JULY, 


was imported by the Hon. and Rev. W. Herbert, of pee from Brazil. Bot. 

Mag. 3486. 
ONCIDIUM ALTISSIMUM. Tallest Oncidium. An exceedingly beautiful species, 

with nearly round pseudo-bulb, very much compressed, and two edged. Leaves 


acute ; racemes decumbent, nearly simple; colours of the flower very bright ; wings 


of the column rounded, and a little channelled. Bot. Reg. 1851. 


THE LILY TRIBE, (LILIACEZ). 


ORNITHOGALUM CHLOROLEUCUM. Green and White Ornithogalum. A | 
species found in the vicinity of Valparaiso, whence it has been brought by several | 


collectors. Itis a frame bulb, flowering in July. Bot. Reg. 1853. 

ZYGOPETALUM COCHLEARE. Spoon-lipped Zygopetalum. Beautiful as all 
the species of Zygopetalum are, without exception this is perhaps the most 
attractive, not only on account of the delicate wavy surface of the petals and 
sepals, and the peculiarly rich veining of the lapis lazuli blue of its lip, but of its 
delicious fragrance. If lilies of the valley were growing intermingled with the 
plant, the air could not be more perfumed with their pure and delightful odour than 
it is after the curious flowers have unfolded. Like all the other species, this is 
easily cultivated in earth in a damp stove. It is a native of Trinidad. Bot. 
Reg. 1857. 


OPERATIONS FOR JULY. 


' ANNUALS for standing in pots during the winter may now be sown. 


BRUGMANSIA SUAVEOLENS will flower better, and continue in this state 


longer, if plenty of water is given at this season. 

BupDING towards the latter end of this month may be commenced. | 

CALCEOLARIAS. Towards the latter end of this month a few cuttings of par- 
ticular or favourite sorts may be put in. Young shoots strike readiest. 

Cina on GERMAN AsTeRS. A plantation of these, made about the begin- 
ning of this month, will flower well in the autumn; give them plenty of water at 
night in order to counteract the great drought often experienced at this season. 

CAMELLIAS do not require so much water at this season, in consequence of their 
growth being nearly completed. 

GarpoqauiA Hooxeri must be carefully watered at this time. 

GREENHOUSE PLANTS, should be allowed plenty of water. 

HyDRANGEA HORTENSIS will now require a great quantity of water ; if in pots, 
place them in feeders kept regularly filled with this element ; if planted out, water 
them well every night. 

PetuntAs should now be propagated, so as to secure a good stock for next sea- 
son, and to meet any loss in winter from frost, damp, or otherwise. 

PELARGONIUMS continue to propagate, also other soft woody plants. 

Satvias. All desirable kinds should now be propagated ; any common earth 
will suit them. 

SOLLYA HETEROPHYLLA propagate in a ie of sand, and the plants thus raised 
will flower well next season. 


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145 


ACACIA VESTITA. 


(CUNNINGHAM’s acacia.) 


CLASS. ORDER, 
POLYGAMIA. MONGECIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


LEGUMINOS. 


Generic CnaracteR.—F lowers polygamous. Calyx four or five toothed. Corolla of five petals, 
Stamens very numerous, frequently from 10 to 200 in each flower. Legumes dry, two-valved. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—An evergreen greenhouse shrub, from four to six feet high. Stem hispid, as are 
also the leaves, branching. Phyliodia * half elliptic, lanceolate, one-nerved, terminating in a point 
(mucronate). Flowers produced in immense numbers upon loosely racemose spikes, of a bright 
yellow colour. 


THIS species was discovered in the interior of New Holland, by Mr. Cunning- 
~ham, who transmitted seeds to this country some years ago, and plants were brought 
to flower, for the first time, in the conservatory of the Comtesse de Vandes, at 
Bayswater. 

Every one knows how highly ornamental the New Holland species of Acacia 
are in our greenhouses and conservatories, the greater part of them displaying 
their gold, orange, purple and white coloured blossoms, from the middle of winter 
to the latter end of April or May: and, perhaps, in no species is the yellow colour 
more resplendent than in the one we have figured. The flowers, which are set 
in such dense numbers on the peduncles as often totally to conceal the leaves 
and branches, first begin to develope their globular stamen-like heads about the 
middle of April, and continue till June. When fully blown they resemble a mass 
of collected yellow stamens and anthers, from the midst of which, here and there 
peeps forth the whole or a portion of a green leaf, and a short length of the stem or 
stalk, which relieves the dense cluster, and adds a tint. that improves the whole in 
general appearance. 

All who admire beautiful and easy flowering plants, should possess this species ; 


it may be obtained for a trifling cost at any of the London, and most of the country 


* Phyllodia, dilated petiole, with the consistence of a leaf. 
VOL. IIJ.—-NO. XXXI. U 


146 ACACIA VESTITA. 


nurseries. In the greenhouse it may be managed with little trouble being careful 
to supply it with plenty of water at the roots, but before watering it should be 
ascertained whether the soil be in a proper state to receive it or not. The best 
soil is an equal quantity of very sandy loam and peat. Cuttings do not root 
freely ; but these, preferring the young wood taken off at a joint, and planted in a 
pot of sand, under a bell-glass, may, if judiciously managed, be brought to put forth 
roots freely. Another method of increasing acacias is, by taking off pieces of the 
root, planting them in light soil, leaving the top part a little exposed, and plunging 
them in a little heat ; by this method, good plants are frequently obtained. 

The generic name is supposed to be the Greek name of some plant of the 
genus, and taken by Willdenow in his revisal of the genus Mimosa, as the designa- 


tion of one of his new divisions *. 


* Loudon’s Encyclopedia of Plants. 


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147 


HIBISCUS SPLENDENS. 
(SPLENDID HIBISCUS. ) 


CLASS. | ORDER. 
MONADELPHIA. ! POLY ANDRIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


MALVACER, 


Geyeric Cuaracter.—Calyx surrounded by many leaves, rarely by a few-leaved involucrum, occasion- 
ally connected at the base. Stigmas five. Carpels joined into a five-celled, five-valved capsule, 
with a dissepiment in the middle of each valve on the inside. Cells many-seeded, rarely one-seeded. 


_ Speciric Cuaracter.—Plant shrubby, five to twenty feet high. Stem beset with straight prickles and 
tubercles at the base. Corolla expanded, tomentose on the ribs beneath, segments of the calyx 
three-nerved, keeled, leaflets of the involucrum numerous, linear, awl-shaped, a little shorter than 
the calyx. Peduneles axillary, one-flowered, much larger than the petioles. Leaves palmately three, 
five-lobed, lobes lanceolate.— Hook. Bot. Mag. |. 3025. 


Tais splendid feature of the natural order Malvacee was introduced into this 
country about eight years ago, by Mr. Frazer, from New Holland, and in 1830 a 
figure appeared by Dr. Hooker, in that excellent periodical, the Bot. Mag. 1, 3025. 
The plant from which the drawing in the Bot. Mag. was taken, produced its. 
flowers in the stove, and by most of those who possessed it at that time it was 
thought to be dangerous to place it in the greenhouse, or, in other words, that it 
would not produce its blossoms so perfect if brought into the greenhouse and 

__ treated, as far as regards temperature, like other New Holland plants; since that 
time it has become pretty generally diffused through our collections, and cultivators, 
ever on the alert, have ascertained that it will grow better and blossom more freely 
in the greenhouse than in the stove; for instance, Messrs. Fisher and Holmes, of 
. near Sheffield, who have plants of it for sale in a vigorous state, | 


ant lways keep them in the greenhouse, and we have been assured frequently that it 


, 


_ grows and flowers to the greatest perfection with this treatment. About eight 
_ months ago, we obtained a plant of Messrs. Fisher and Co., which has since that 
time been standing with other plants in the greenhouse, and although then only a 
ie small plant, it now promises to make a fine specimen. 

A The species represented in the figure is a plant that no collection should 


Z destitute of; its corolla is of a beautiful rose-colour, the lower part of the fila- 


148 HIBISCUS TRINERVIS. 


ments is pale, the upper rose-coloured like the corolla; the anthers are dark crimson, 
and arranged in a pyramidal form. Style projecting, from around which arise five 
deep red, hairy, round stigmas, all of which parts in the expanded flower produce 
a pleasing effect. Mr. Frazer, its worthy introducer, says, in writing of it: “ This, 
I consider the king of all the known Australian plants. I have seen it twenty-two 
feet and a half high. The flowers, this season, measured nine inches across ; they 
were of the most delicate pink and crimson colour, and literally covered the entire 
plant.” It thrives well in a mixture of loam and peat, and cuttings will strike 
readily in sand or mould under a hand glass in heat. We would advise our friends 
to make a trial of it in the green house, for we believe it will thrive weli. “The 
only objection to this plant as an object of cultivation,” says Dr. Hooker, “is its 
great size.” Our drawing was made from a plant which flowered in one of the 
stoves in Manchester Botanical Garden, and was sent us by our esteemed friend, 
Mr. Campbell, the director of that praiseworthy establishment, some time ago. 
The genus Hibiscus, in that highly useful publication the Hortus Britannicus, by 
Loudon, is divided into eleven sections, these embrace eighty-one species and fifteen 
varieties. The species rosa Sinensis has given rise to five varieties, all of which 
are very handsome: the species Syriacus, so well known as a hardy shrub, is the 
parent of six varieties, all of which are hardy and much esteemed; the species 
mutabilis, noted for the change that takes place in the colour of its flowers, has 
given rise to one beautiful variety, as has also the species digitatus. For further 
particulars see vol. 1, page 77. 
The generic name is taken from hibiscos, a name given by the Greeks to mallow. 
The specific name alludes to the splendour of the plant when in bloom. 


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149 


CHIRONIA TRINERVIS. 


(THREE-NERVED CHIRONIA.) 
CLASS. ORDER. 
PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


GENTIANE. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx divided into five parts. Corolla equal, consisting of a five-parted limb 
with equal ovate segments. Capsule ovate. Seeds, numerous, small. 


Speciric Cuaracter.— Plant an evergreen undershrub, from three to four feet high, dark green, smooth, 
spreading. Leaves three and five-veined, of an ovate lanceolate shape. Flowers axillary. Footstalks 
long, one-flowered. Calyx five-parted, acuminate, tube something shorter than the corolla. 
Corolla, persistent, limb expanded, five-parted, each part of an equal length, and a purple colour. 


In the number of the Botanical Register for October, 1835, Dr. Lindley has 


given a figure of a species of this genus, called Chironia pedunculuris, and which 


1 


we think identical with ours in the accompanying plate ; we have, however, adhered 
to the old specific name, on account of its being more generally known by that 
expression ; and as the leaves are frequently found to be three-nerved, the name 
we have adopted will still be descriptive of the plant. 

It is a very pretty shrub, and Dr. Lindley says “it 1s covered with a succession 


? 


of purple flowers from July to October;” an assertion that our plants at Chats- 
worth last season sufficiently verified. In the greenhouse it makes a conspicuous 
figure, and on the whole is very handsome; but still, as it will endure the cli- 
mate of the flower-garden, its spreading habits rather recommend it to that place, 
where it may be planted several together in a bed, or dispersed singly; either way 
it will, by its rich purple blossoms, have the effect of adding much to the beauty and 
liveliness of that delightful spot. We possess no authentic account as to what 
country it is a native of. 

Itis propagated with much ease from cuttings ; those struck in autumn or spring 
will flower well the succeeding season. At Chatsworth we take off cuttings of the 
young or half-ripened wood, pot them in sand, and, as soon as roots are obtained, 
we pot them off into soil; by this practice we have good flowering plants the fol- 
lowing season, that can be employed for any purpose. The plants will not endure 
the winter, therefore must be protected by keeping them in the greenhouse during 
that season. Any kind of soil will suit them, but that in which a little peat is 
incorporated seems to be their delight. 

“Named in honour of Chiron the Centaur, one of the earliest practitioners whose 
names have been preserved. The intense bitterness of the genus indicates its 


powerful tonic properties.’’—-Botanical Register, 1803. 


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151 


NEMOPHILA INSIGNIS.. 


(SHOWY NEMOPHILA. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 
PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


HYDROPHYLLE. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calye hairy, persistent, ten cleft, five of which are ovate, nearly erect, the 
remainder smaller, lanceolate, alternate, and reflexed. Corolla funnel-shaped, of five equal 
emarginate lobes. Ovary one-celled, many seeded. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—Plant an annual. Stem growing a foot or more in height, hairy, of a straggling 
branching habit. Leaves alternate, upper ones opposite, stalked, hairy, each divided into an 
unequal number of lobes, occasionally one, but frequently two-toothed. Flower-stalk long, hairy, 
one-flowered, arising from the axilla of the leaves. Calya hairy, consisting of ten clefts, the 
smaller of which are reflexed, alternating with the rest, which are of an ovate form and partly erect. 
Corolla campanulate, divided into five obtuse lobes, of a deep blue within, the intensity of which 
diminishes towards the base, where it is nearly white, externally ; it is much paler. Stamens shorter 
than the limb. Anthers of a brownish purple. Germen broadly ovate, hairy. Style as long as 
the stamens. Stigmas small, capitate. 


A TRULY beautiful and desirable little annual, a native of California, which 
found its way into our collections through the unparalleled labours of the lamented 
Douglas over that part of the world. 

Comparing it with NV. phacelioides, we find it in all respects superior, the 
flowers being somewhat larger, and the colour of a more intense and brighter blue. 
In our collections of half-hardy annuals, it is a surpassingly beautiful feature ; and 
if sown as early as the season will permit in the spring on a warm south border, 
observing to transplant when the weather is fine and the plants pretty strong, 
a brilliant display of its rich blue blossoms will be produced, which will con- 
tinue beautiful a great part of the season.” If it be desired, a second lot of 
flowering plants may be obtained by sowing six weeks or two months later ; but 
when sown at this season, we find it necessary to allow the plants to flower where 
sown Good flowering plants may be grown singly in pots in the greenhouse, 
where, when in bloom, they have a most elegant appearance; plants thus grown, 
are much more likely to mature seed than when sown in the open border, especially 
if the season be what is termed a wet one. 


A small bed filled with this plant, another with Verbena melindres, and a 


152 NEMOPHILA INSIGNIS. 


third with Lschscholtzia crocea, &c., according to the size of the garden, alter- 
nating and diversifying the colours of each species, will make a very showy 
appearance until October. 

It seems to prefer a light rich soil, particularly when grown in pots, which 
should contain peat and loam. 

Mr. Nuttall, observing the species WV. phacelioides growing in shady woods 
near Fort Smith on the Arkansas, was in consequence led to adopt the generic 
name Nemophila, from vewos a grove, and giiew to love.—D. Don. 


The specific name alludes to the showy colour of the flowers; hence the English 


appellation. 


pond 
SE 
oo 


ON THE TROP.ZOLUM. 

No genus of plants contributes more willingly to beautify our greenhouses and 
flower-gardens than the present; and when we take into consideration their free 
growth, pleasing habit, and beautiful flowers, which in some of the species, as 
LT. major atrosanguinea, are large, well formed, and of a most brilliant dark scarlet 
colour, and contrast these with their delicate pale green foliage, we feel at once 
satisfied that it is not in the least overrated. In the flower-garden, when unsup- 
ported by stakes, they wander a distance of several feet, flowering in the greatest 
profusion from one end of the branches to the other, thus forming a very pleasing 
appearance. When trained to a trellis against a wall, or supported by stakes on a 
border, or even carried over the projecting portions of rockwork in the rock 
garden, they have a highly ornamental appearance ; and are objects that no garden, 
from that of the nobleman to the humblest cottager, should be without. We have 
been led to mention this genus, principally from a desire to put into the hands of 
our readers a fair account of those two species, which adorn so gracefully the 
columns, rafters, &c., of our greenhouses in the summer season, viz., 7. penta- 
phyllum and T. tricolorum; these two species, beautiful as they are when in 
bloom, still are, in many instances, but indifferently grown ; this must be owing to 
the want of a thorough acquaintance with their general habit ; the former species is 
by far the easiest to manage, it being of a more hardy and vigorous growth than the 
latter, consequently the method of treatment requires to be different for each 
species. The 7. pentaphyllum, after it has done flowering, which will be late in the 
autumn, and the branches have become withered down to the crown of the root or 
tuber, these parts may be cut off, being cautious not to disturb the root. As soon as, 
or even before, indications of withering are perceptible in the plant, watering at the 
roots should be entirely suspended ; for, as the tuber is liable to be injured by much 
water about it, after it has ceased to generate sap for the support of the branches, a 
co ntiuation of the practice may terminate much to the injury of the tuber, and 
consequently tend to limit its exertions the ensuing season. If planted in a border, 
which is the most successful way of treating it, after all decayed portions are cleared 
from the root, place over the tuber a common flower-pot in an inverted position, 
and in this state let it remain till March, taking care to keep it free from water; at 
the expiration of that time, remove the pot and expose the top of the root to the 
sun and air, giving a little water until it commences growing ; when, and during its 
whole progress, it must be watered with the greatest caution. In very dry weather, 
a gentle syringing now and then over the leaves and branches will be of much 
benefit to it, as it will wash off all accumulations of filth, and set the plant growing 
with more freedom. ‘The success of this plant entirely depends on its safe preserva- 
_ tion through the winter ; and we have experienced that to leave the tuber in the 
ground, securing it as we have now detailed, is by far preferable to taking it up 
and moving it to a supposed more secure place in the greenhouse; the latter 

VOL: III.—NO. XXXI. x 


154 ON THE FROPZOLUM. 


method subjecting it to so many probable accidents from over-watering, &c. This 
plant, to show its pendent and ear-drop-like blossoms to the greatest perfection, 
should be trained up a column five or six feet high, or conducted round three or 
four strong stakes made fast at the bottom; or where a place so favourable 
as those mentioned is not at command, one must be chosen that will allow a free 
circulation of air on all sides, for without this it does not seem to do so well. . It 
will propagate with tolerable ease, by cuttings made from the points of the young 
shoots, planted in a pot of sand, and placed in heat ; bearing in mind, not to over- 
water them during the time they are in the striking pot, as they are liable to damp 
off. They may also be increased by seeds, which ripen very freely. | 

In Vol. II., page 123, will be found a figure of ZY. tricolorum, with a few hints 
for its management, &c.; but, as they are too brief to convey every particular 
necessary to be observed in the growing of it, we shall now endeavour to lay down 
the result of our own experience for some time past in the cultivation of this 
desirable plant. . This species is not so well calculated for planting in a border as 
pentaphyllum, because its growth is more delicate, consequently requires to be more 
gently dealt with. The best of all methods for growing it, is in pots; at first, of a 
size just sufficient to retain the root ; after it has advanced a little in growth, and 
the shoots and roots begin to assume a healthy appearance, repot, and continue this 
operation as often as required ; judging from the strength of the plant, the height 
it is likely to grow, what size it will occupy when at its greatest strength ; if 
tolerably strong and branching, a pot ten inches across will suit it, if something 
weaker, one proportionably small must be chosen. As soon as the shoots begin to 


show themseives from the crown of the root, being previously placed in a gentle: 


moist heat, let a little water be applied with caution, and the shoots will progress 
surely but gradually ; and in a short time it will require supporting, which should 
be done by tying it toa temporary stake, which will suffice until it is advanced 
three or four feet in length, when better stakes of a proper length and strength 
should be introduced to the soil, making them as fast as possible at the bottom; 
round these, the branches must be conducted in a manner that will best exhibit 
their pretty blossoms, and when its growth seems to have reached the highest pitch, 
place it in a situation where it is desired to have it bloom, bearing in mind to 
attend regularly to the tying up of the branches. Now, the best place to grow this 
plant to the state we have described, is a greenhouse kept rather clese in this 
place while its energies are in action, syringe it now and then all over; but in this, 
as in all cases, syringing should not be done unless the weather be fine, in order 
that the plant may not remain long in a wet state after the operation has been 
performed; if so, the very worst of consequences may accrue from it. During its 
growth, it is subject to the attacks of the green fly; when these appear, fumigation 
with tobacco should be had recourse to. For soil and other particulars, we refer our 
readers to the page quoted at the commencement. What an addition does the 
interest of our greenhouses receive from these two plants! In the autumn, when 
we naturally look for many other of our greenhouse. plants to cease to be beautiful, 
these, in all the vigour of health and interest, stand forth in their greatest gaiety, 


ON THE GENUS LOBELIA. 155 


every branch teeming with their modest blossoms, as it were in token of a desire to 
excel each other. Some have recommended to place these plants in a warm situa- 
tion in the open air against a south wall, but no place can be so well adapted for 
them as an airy greenhouse, particularly when we consider their liability to be cut 
off by autumnal winds and early frosts. 


ON THE GENUS LOBELIA. 


THIS genus comprises many of our choicest ornamental plants; some requiring 
the stove, others the greenhouse, and a part do best with the protection of frames. 
Scarcely any will bear exposure during the frost in winter, although many of them 
decorate so beautifully our flower-gardens in the summer. The species are natives, 
of the countries within or upon the borders of the tropics; principally ranging in 
‘the West Indies, Brazil, the Cape of Good Hope, the Sandwich Islands, and a few 
are found in Chili and New Holland. They are, for the most part, evergreen 
herbaceous perennial plants ; a portion are deciduous, a few annual, and a very small 
portion are shrubby. 

To give the reader a general idea of the plants brought under this genus, we 
shall, in treating of it, arrange the species under the heads evergreen herbaceous 
perennial, deciduous herbaceous perennial, and annual ; blending the whole with such 
remarks as shall appear to us requisite to furnish a fair table of observations, 
embracing the culture, propagation, time of flowering, colour of the flower, with 
brief hints on the merits, &c. &c. 


EVERGREEN HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS. 


L. macrantha. L. secunda. 
— Simsii. — minima. 

— pedunculata. — illicifolia. 
— dentata. — hirsuta. 

— nicotianefolia. — erinoides. 
— pinifolia. — coronopifolia, 
— umbellata. — triquetra. 
— alata. — tomentosa. 
— assurgens. ; — minuta. 

— Zeylanica. — erinus. 

— pyramidalis. — simplex. 

— linearis. — pubescens. 
— bellidifolia. — Thunbergii. 
— rhizophyta. — cerulea. 

— decumbens. 


All the above species, except eight, produce blue flowers; the rhizophyta, 
secunda, minima, and minuta, have white flowers ; the assurgens, scarlet ; pyrami- 
dalis, purple ; and bellidifoha, pink ; the others, as before stated, are blue. Their 
season of flowering generally commences about the middle of May, or between that 
and the early part of June; in which state they continue till late in the autumn, 
while the more free-flowering ones remain till the frost forbids their longer stay: 


156 ON THE GENUS LOBELIA: 


They all may be employed for ornamenting the flower-garden during the summer, 
season, either by dispersing them singly over various parts of the beds, or by. 
selecting the better and more free-flowering kinds, and forming whole beds with 
them; for this purpose, such as the erinus, bellidifolia, &c., are excellently adapted ; 
the former in particular is a gay and willing contributor, its light blue flowers. 
spring forth in quick succession till very late in the autumn; thus creating one 
continued feature of liveliness and interest the whole season. The latter does not 
willingly flower so well; still it may be made to do so, by placing the plants in 
very barren soil, or even very fine river sand will cause it to flower abundantly. 
Some of the species are increased by dividing the roots, which generally throw suckers 
in great abundance ; the others are propagated by cuttings with the greatest ease in 
either mould or sand. Of those species which most freely propagate by cuttings, 
the best time to strike them is in the autumn, for they may easily be kept through 


the winter in the greenhouse, or in a cold frame protected from frost with garden 


mats ; and when planted out in the spring, they will commence and continue flowering 
until the return of winter. Those species which most readily increase by dividing the 


roots, should be taken up after flowering, and secured by means of a frame or: 


greenhouse ; or if they have the previous season been planted out in beds, they must 
be protected by straw mats or other materials during very wet. or frosty weather, 
and the earliest opportunity taken in the spring to divide the roots, thus to prepare 
the plants for flowering in the summer; but the safest method of preserving them. 
is to take up the plants and put them into the greenhouse, or other place secure 
from the frost, to divide the roots in the spring, and plant each division in a 
separate pot; by this means excellent flowering plants will be obtained. They: 
thrive in almost any kind of soil, but they most delight in very rich earth, mixed 
with a little sandy peat. The dwarf species make a very pretty show when 
employed as decoration for rock-work, &c.; and a few here and there in the 
greenhouse, carefully grown, are very good assistants, on account of their being 
generally in bloom. . 


DECIDUOUS HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS, 


L. Kalmii. L. Claytoniana. 
— Nuttallii. —amena. — 
— tenella. 


The five species above named produce blue flowers, except: tenella, which bears 
flowers of a purplish violet. They are all highly ornamental, and may be treated 
after the manner recommended for the evergreen perennials. 


ANNUALS. 
L. Cliffortiana (Michaux). L. inflata. 
_ — puberula. — bicolor. 
— anceps. — gracilis, 
— Chilensis. ; — serrulata. 
— debilis. — Laurentia. 


The annual species above named have all blue flowers, except L. Chiffortiana, 
a species with red flowers : they require very little trouble; merely sowing the seeds 


IMPROVEMENT OF FORCING HOUSES. 157° 


in small patches, &c., where they are wished to flower, and thinning, if too thick, 
after they come up, is sufficient for them. Most of them ripen their sends: in, 
abundance, which should be collected carefully on a fine dry day. 

The species cardinalis, fulgens, and splendens, require the protection of a 
frame in winter; they are deciduous, and when planted in beds in the flower- 
garden in summer, make a very splendid show with their bright scarlet blossoms, 
which surpass all the other species in the genus. If treated according to the 
directions before given, good flowering plants may be obtained with little trouble. 

The stove species are, £. Cavanillesiana, L. decurrens, L. persifolia, &c., and 
are plants of no great beauty or interest; their flowers, which ave purple or red, 
may be considered ornamental, and that is as much as can be in justice said of 
them; they will thrive well in any light rich soil, and cuttings make roots freely, 
potted in mould or stuck in tan, but not covered i a glass. <A variety, of 
fulgens, viz. propinqua, is figured in Vol. IL., page 52, to which we refer our. 
readers. 


IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF 
FORCING-HOUSES. 


In an age of invention, and when horticulture, in all its branches, is progressing 
with most rapid strides, it appears desirable that no one circumstance which can 
tend to practical improvement or economy should be withheld. The erection of 
structures for the successful culture of the exotics of warmer latitudes is attended 
with considerable expense; but the outlay may be diminished by due attention to 
foresight and calculation; and were persons residing in the country, and who are 
desirous of erecting a greenhouse and. plant stove, well acquainted with the means 
of providing the materials for the work, they would be surprised to perceive at 
how low a rate they might be furnished with the means of indulging themselves 
in one of the most elegant and instructive sources of enjoyment that a well regu- 
lated mind can desire. 

. The writer of this little article has been taught by experience, He is aware of 
the high charges made by builders and masons; and that many a lover of nature is 
and must be deterred, by the serious cost to which he unavoidably subjects himself, 
Profits, and very high ones, are made upon every material—bricks, mortar, timber, 
glass, and paint—but all these are to be purchased without much difficulty ; and 
labour may be commanded upon reasonable terms; with the exercise of a little 
judgment and activity, (especially if it happen that one or more members of the 
family or establishment possess a mechanical turn); and it will be found, (we 
speak experimentally) that twenty or twenty-five pounds will go very far towards 
effecting what regular workmen would carry up to more than double that amount. 

_ In the brickwork of a glass erection, an improvement has been produced which 
ought te be generally known: it combines economy to the extent of about one 


158 IMPROVEMENT OF FORCING-HOUSES. 


third of the materials, great strength of building, and increased security as respects 


equable temperature. The mode of structure was, years ago, described in the: 
Horticultural Transactions, and in Loudon’s Encyclopedia of Gardening; but: 


either prejudice or misconception has operated against its adoption, for we never 
meet with it in any of the gardens. It is therefore to be hoped that the notice now 
taken of it, will excite the attention of many of the readers of the Magazine of 
Botany, and induce some persons to give it a fair trial; in that case its merits 
cannot fail to become apparent. 

In the ordinary way of building walls it is calculated that one hundred bricks 


will form a squaie yard of nine-inch work; but in the structure which it is our: 


object. to recommend, a saving of about one brick in three may be effected. The 


passages to which we refer in the Encyclopedia by Loudon, are to be found at. 


par. 1561, page 305, edit. 4th, 1826. The following is a correct and sufficient 
extract :—“ The cellular wall is a recent invention, (Horticultural Transactions, 


vol. IV.), the essential part of the construction of which is, that the wall is built. 


hollow, or at least with communicating vacuities, equally distributed from the sur- 
face of the ground to the coping. If the height does not exceed ten or twelve feet, 
these walls may be formed of bricks set on edge, each course or layer consisting of 
alternate series of cells, nine inches in the length of the wall, by three inches broad. 
The second course being laid in the same way, but the bricks alternating or breaking 
joints with the first. 

Figs. 1 and 2 exhibit bird’s- 
eye views of two single courses of ; 
the cellular work, looking down 
upon them from above; all the 
bricks are set on edge, the two , 
stretchers being met by an ender, ; 
thus forming the cells c, a succes- 
sion of which is made by every three bricks. Fig. 2 ‘shows the enders, e, e, e, 
which cross the two stretchers of every; inferior course, thus binding the work in a 
way far more secure than that commonly practised in solid walls. 

Ea 2 ES 


Fig. 3 shows the face of the wall, 
eee sor os TRO RTE 


the stretchers and enders lying in 
set yy em 


alternate order, c, b, a—f are the 
foundation solid courses, a and b 6 A Ca 
Boe Se ees Bee ae 


being of fourteen and ¢ of nine-inch ¢ a 
work. In foreing houses their con § = ‘ 
; . s & a = 

struction possesses the peculiar ad- 

vantage of interposing a plate of air throughout its whole surface; and as air is a 
bad conductor of heat, equability of temperature is provided for. In common garden 
walls—one of which the writer has just caused to be erected—every convenience 


of a solid wall is secured ; and it is understood that the structure will act perfectly 


as a flued wall. The bricks and mortar ought, however, to be of the best quality, 
and the workman should lay his bricks with great precision.. Mortar, to be good 


IMPROVEMENT GF FORCING-HOUSES, 159 


and durable, ought to contain a larger proportion of sand than the cupidity of the 
lime-burners usually allows; but this proportion depends greatly upon the quahty 
of the sand ; if it be that of reduced gravel, or such as is dug from a pit, and com- 
monly known by the name of sharp sand, it may safely be considered siliceous, or 
flinty ; and therefore calculated to fix and consolidate a large portion ‘of water 
in the form of hydrate of lime. But if it consist principally of reduced limestone, 
its activity as a chemical agent will be inconsiderable. We however assume, as a 
standard, that the sand employed shall be the screened scrapings or drift of a high 
road, which is repaired with gravel ;. and in that case, from three to four proportions 
of such sand should be admixed with one proportion of the best slaked lime. 
Mortar so prepared will fix an abundance of water (that universal cement) and 
consolidate it in the form of a hydrate of se/ea# and lime, a substance that the wear 
and tear of ages will produce little or no impression upon; witness the solidity of 
those vestiges of Roman structures, which have withstood the pelting of the storm 
for two thousand years. Houses, pits, or walls for every process of horticulture, 
can be erected by the method proposed, which will be superior to those in common 
use, and at a greatly reduced expenditure ; they are lighter and less liable to settle, 
and yet stronger thanif built solid; they afford equal, if not better, protection to 
plants and trees, and may be heated by linings (or flues) permitting the heat of 
fermenting materials to pass through them with considerable freedom; and the 
plate of air within, being once effectually warmed, retains its temperature for a 
considerable time. 

But it is not only in the brickwork of an erection that economy may be prac- 
tised ; timber may be purchased at the wharfs and yards; be sawed and cut to order 
at a price far below that which is imposed by carpenters. Many persons can 
handle the saw, plane, chisel, and other requisite tools, with a good deal of dexte- 
rity; and we have our eye now upon a range of glass structure, where every part 
of the work has been executed by the juniors of the family, with much neatness and 
precision ; butif labour be hired, the work will still be conducted with comparatively 
light expense, provided the materials be purchased with judgment. Glass is of 
great consequence, and till recently the panes of greenhouses, &c., were much too 
large; oblong squares, five and a half inches long, and three and a half wide, or six 
inches long by three broad, can be obtained at the rate of about seven- -pence per 
square foot of the wholesale glass merchants; and if the laps be made not wider 
than from one-twelfth to one- eighth of an inch, the glazing will be efficient, and 
little expensive. 

If persons be deterred by the dread of incurring. a considerable expenditure, 
from an enjoyment of nature’s choicest beauties, these few hints, offered by one who 
is fully acquainted with the truth of the facts he has stated, may prove not only 
interesting, but very acceptable ; at all events, the motives of their writer can 
scarcely be misunderstood. 


160 


REVIEW. 


THe twelfth number of this publication bearing the appropriate name 
“Frorists’ Macazing,” came to-hand on the first of June last, thus concluding 
the first volume. In looking over the numbers before us, and comparing their 
contents with the promises made in the prospectus at the announcement, we feel 
it our duty to say that, in every particular, they have been faithfully fulfilled ; and 
the volume, for simplicity and practicability of matter, for style and faithful 
execution in all its parts, stands unrivalled by any other work extant, confined to 
this particular and fashionable branch of horticulture. With this conviction, we 
recommend it to all lovers of horticultural and floricultural products, with the 
assurance that the work will be found highly useful and extremely interesting. 

Each number comprises four quarto plates, illustrating six or seven different 
plants ; with each representation is given the description, explanatory of the origin, 
merits or demerits, accompanied with the most successful and practical directions 
for their culture, &c. 

The ninth number concludes with an article on Window-Gardening, by Charles 
Mackintosh, gardener to the king of Belgium; and to all who are desirous of 
obtaining information on this novel mode of growing plants, it will be found both 
pleasing and instructive. ‘The article occupies seven full pages. We extract the 
description accompanying the figure of Tigridia pavonia, from the fourth number, 
which will convey an idea of the general style of the whole work. 

“ This very splendid and interesting flower, has long been known in our gardens 
under the name Zerraria pavonia, a genus with which it was formerly confounded. 
It belongs to the natural order Jridee, remarkable for the gaiety of their flowers, 
which are generally brilliant in colours, and interesting in structure and form. The 
name Zigridia has been justly considered inappropriate, as the flower bears no 
resemblance to the striped tyrant of the jungle. Leopard would certainly tell 
better its spotted character. | 

‘“¢ The genus is a native of Mexico, and was cultivated about 1795. It is of com- 
paratively easy culture, and wiil display its beauty in almost any situation, provided 
it is carefully protected from the frost. Though its cultivation has been attended 
with various success, failure hes been caused, in many instances, by too much 
attention. The Jridee generally would do better, if their growth was not 
stimulated by confinement and heat; and this plant, in particular, should not be 
forced into flower, if brilliancy and richness of colour are desired ; though a flower 
of its splendour is often desired as an ornament of the greenhouse, or window, at 
an earlier period than that appointed by nature. Its usual time of flowering is 
towards the end of June, and during July; though a vestige of its former glory 
may be found in the early part of September. If forced, it may be forwarded a 
few weeks in the following way ; about the second week of February, plant some of 
the strongest roots in long thirty-two pots, filled with a light rich fibrous loam, 
with about one third leaf-mould and sand, to about two inches below the surface. 


ON THE DIFFUSION OF SEED. » 161 


Keep them moderately damp, but by no means wef, and place the pots in a hotbed 
or forcing house, till the plants attain the height of six inches. They should then 
be carefully exposed to the weather, in a greenhouse or cold frame, till all fear of 
frost is past; after which, they may be turned out into a warm border to flower, 
or kept in the pots, as taste may dictate. 

“‘ But they thrive better, if planted about the end of March or the beginning of 

April, in a prepared bed or border, which should have a south or south-west 
aspect, that they may receive the benefit of the sun during the hour they blow, and 
that the roots may be properly ripened in the autumn, which should always be 
strictly attended to, as their preservation through the winter, and their strength the 
following year, greatly depend on it. The bed should be about eighteen inches 
| deep, of rich turfy loam, with one third decayed leaves and old horse manure, and 
‘as much sand as the nature of the loam may require. The whole should be chopped 
‘up with the spade, not sifted. Let the surface be raked smooth, and the strong 
flowering bulbs be planted either singly, or three near together ; in rows, (if planted 
singly, which is to be preferred when the room is not too valuable,) about six inches 
asunder, and three inches below the surface. In this situation, they will, without 
further care, display their flowers, and amply repay the little trouble they require. 
Should September prove wet, a covering would be of great benefit, as they do not 
require moisture, when the foliage turns yellow; unless seed is intended to be 
_ preserved, and then a little moisture would facilitate its perfecting. 
“ «This flower may be increased by seed, which should be sown about the first 
week in April, in boxes filled with a rich light soil; place them in a gentle heat till 
the plants appear, after which, they may receive a moderate supply of air when the 
atmosphere is temperate. If the plants are too thick, they may be transplanted 
into a bed formed on the surface of a cooling hotbed. They should then be kept 
closely shut down for a few days; but if the boxes are not one foot deep, they will 
not require this removal, which certainly checks their growth. They should be 
allowed to enjoy the full benefit of air as soon as the weather will permit. When 
they begin to turn yellow keep them dry ; and when the tops are dried, take up the 
roots and put them in paper bags secure from frost, and the following spring treat 
them as the strong ae ane third Sa the strongest plants should be 
selected for flowering. 

“ They are also freely propagated by offsetts, which should not be separated from 
the parent root till the time of planting, but kept tied in bunches in a dry season.’ 


ON THE DIFFUSION OF SEED. 


<=> 


THE economy of Providence in distributing seeds may be remarked in those of 
the dandelion (Leontodon taraxacum), which are everywhere to be seen during 
summer, floating about on the air, supported by its feathery down. It is not to 
be supposed, that half of these seeds ever fall upon spots favourable to germination ; 

VOL. I1I.—NO. XXXI. Y 


162 ON THE DIFFUSION OF SEED. 


but when so great a number of them, and of their congeners of the class Syngenesia, 
are scattered about by the winds, it almost raises the chance to certainty that some 
of them will fall on spots where before there has been none, or only a scanty 
vegetation ; on the tops of walls, for instance, where a thin stratum of soil has 
been formed by the decay of the winter crop of mosses. The process of the form- 
ing of such soil is extremely interesting, and may be observed, in a small scale, 
even in cities, on brick or stone walls. First, there is the green incrustation, called 
Byssus by Linneus ; but recently proved to be the primary germination of several 
mosses, such as Polytricha and Tortula. When this decays, a very thin layer of 
vegetable earth is formed, which affords a scanty support for the roots of the next 
year’s crop of mosses ; and in process of time soil is formed of sufficient depth for 
Draba verna and other wall plants. A singular contrivance is conspicuous in 
one of our wild cresses (Cardamine impatiens), as well as in the balsams and in 
Touch-me-not (Impatiens noli-me-tangere), a native plant of the same genus. In 
all of these, when the seed is ripe, the valves which inclose it are so constructed 
that by the influence of the sun’s heat they open with a sudden jerk, and throw 
the seeds to a considerable distance. The same effect is produced sooner and with 
more force when the ripe seed-vessel is touched by the hand, or by any accidental 
waving of the leaf against it. Were we disposed to refine upon the final cause of 
this, (a subject very ready to mislead,) we might say that this jerking of the seeds 
was contrived, not only for their diffusion, but for their preservation from birds and 
insects; since the instant that these should begin to devour them, the springs of the 
valves would be thrown into action, and the seeds seattered about before a single 
one could be secured for a meal. In the wood sorrel ( Ovalis acetosella), as well as 
the horned sorrel (O. corniculata), the structure of these valves is very beautiful, 
but no description could do justice to it, not even with the aid of figures. The 
first, however, abounds in most woods ; and the latter, where it has been introduced 
as a flower, soon becomes, from the circumstance under consideration, a very 
troublesome weed. 

One of the most beautiful contrivances for the diffusion of seeds occurs in various 
species of violets. The seeds of this order of plants are contained in a capsule of a 
single loculament, consisting, however, of three valves. To the inner part of each 
of these valves the seeds are attached, and remain so for some time after the valves, 
in the process of ripening, have separated and stood open. ‘The influence of the 
sun’s heat, however, causes the sides of each valve to shrink and collapse, and in 
this state the edges press firmly upon the seed, which from being before apparently 
irregular in its arrangement, comes into a straight line. The seeds, it may be said 
are not only extremely smooth, polished, and shining, but regularly egg-shaped ; so 
that when pressed upon the collapsing edge of the valve, it slides gradually down 
the sloping parts of the seeds, and throws it with a jerk to a considerable distance. 
There is another part in the contrivance of Providence for the same purpose, in the 


Violaceze, worthy of remark. Before the seed is ripe, the capsule hangs in a drooping 


position, with the persisting calyx spread over it like an umbrella, to guard it 


from the rain and dews, which would retard the process of ripening ; but no sooner 


REMARKS ON THE POINSETTIA PULCHERRIMA. 163 


is the ripening completed, than the capsule becomes upright, with the calyx for 
asupport. This upright position appears to be intended by nature to give more 
effect to the valvular mechanisms for scattering the seeds, as it thus gains a higher 
elevation (in some cases more than an inch) from which to project them ; and this 
will give it, according to the laws of projectiles, a very considerable increase of 
horizontal extent. Some ripe capsules of Viela tricolor, which I placed in a 
shallow pasteboard box in a drawer, were found to have projected their seeds to the 
distance of nearly two feet. From the elevation of a capsule, therefore, at the top 
of a tall plant, I should think these seeds might be projected twice or thrice that 
distance—From the Mag. of Gardening and Botany, by Professor Rennie, M.A. 


REMARKS ON THE POINSETTIA PULCHERRIMA. 


WE embrace the first opportunity to offer a few remarks on that beautiful new 
exotic, figured by Dr. Hooker, in the number of the Botanical Magazine for June. 
In looking over the account accompanying the plate, and comparing what is there 
said with the coloured figure, we feel satisfied that the P. pulcherrima is fully 
deserving of the most earnest attention and careful management, in order that it 
may be so grown as toproduce its flowers as perfect in our stoves as those grown 
at Philadelphia, where it is stated the beautiful scarlet whorls of bracteze which 
terminate the branches measure as much as twenty inches across, and are equal in 
colour to the finest tints of Rosa Sinensis. 

It is decidedly a splendid feature among our ornamental plants, and, from its 
habit, and our limited acquaintance with it, we feel confident it may be cultivated 
with the application of the common treatment given to stove-plants. The treat- 
ment given at Chatsworth is as follows:—It is kept in rather a close atmosphere 
in the stove, along with other tender plants, all of which are now and then syringed 
over when the weather is fine, in order to prevent the attacks of insects or the 
accumulation of filth. In the day, if fine, a free circulation of air is kept up; 
and at night the temperature of the house averages from 65 to 70 degrees. The 
soil used, and which seems to suit well, is very sandy loam; in potting, care is 
taken to ensure a good drainage, and as soon as the roots reach the inside surface 
of the pot, an additional shift is immediately given, so that the growth is never 
checked and the plant in consequence is kept continually progressing. It requires 
a great supply of water at the roots. The young shoots no doubt may be propa- 
gated with the greatest facility in sand, under a bell-glass, plunged in heat. 


164 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS, | 
FIGURED IN THE THREE LEADING BOTANICAL PERIODICALS AND FLORISTS’ 
MAGAZINE FOR JUNE. 


Boranicat Recister. Edited by Dr. Lindley, each number containing 
eight figures; coloured 4s., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

British FLrower-Garpen. Edited by Dr. Don. Containing four plates ; 
coloured 3s., plain 2s. 3d.; with corresponding letter-press. 

BoTranicaL MaGazine. Edited by Dr. Hooker, each number containing eight 
plates ; coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

Frorists’ MaGazine. By F. W. Smith. Containing four monthly plates, 
highly coloured ; several plates with two figures; large size 4s., small 2s. 6d.; and 
corresponding letter-press. 

Of theabove figures, we have only selected such as are new and rare; and 
amongst these, only such as deserve to be extensively cultivated. For descriptions 
and figures, reference must be made to the works themselves, | 


CLASS I.—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONE/S). 
HYDROPHYLLEE (THE WATER-LEAF TRIBE). 

NEMOPHILA AURITA. Ear-leaved Nemophila. This is a pretty annual with 
dark blue flowers, which, when expanded fully, are about the size of a sixpence. 
It is described as being quite hardy, and Dr. Don says, it requires no particular 
mode of treatment, as it is found to flower and perfect seeds freely in the open 
border, and in the ordinary garden soil. Discovered by Mr. Douglas in California, ’ 
by whom seeds were transmitted to the Horticultural Society. In comparing the 
present species and JV. insignis, figured page 329, together, we decide the latter 
to be by far the best flower; still we think, both of them grown together will have 
a pleasing appearance, and certainly should be in the possession of every lover of 
flowers. Brit. £l. Gard., 338. 


ERICE® (THE HEATH TRIBE). 

RHODODENDRON ARBOREUM, var. ROSEUM. Pink-flowered tree rose bay. A 
plant remarkable for its dwarfness in this country ; and Dr. Don says, the plant from 
which the figure accompanying the description was taken, was no more than two 
feet high, but, in its native state, Dr. Wallich states it as equalling in height the 
arboreum itself. ‘The flowers are produced in a compact globular cluster, in colour 
a rich pink; the corolla is marked within, on the upper side, with numerous deeper 
coloured spots, which look beautiful in the figure, and no doubt are highly so when 
seen on the plant. It was raised at the late Earl of Liverpool’s, Combe House, in’ 
1819. by Mr. W. Smith; the seeds, from Nepal, were communicated by Robert 
Henry Jenkinson, Esq. Brit. Fl. Gard., 339. 


GROSSULARIEZ (THE CURRANT TRIBE). 
Rises MALVACEUM. Mallow-leaved Currant. An upright branching shrub, 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 165 


rising to the height of three feet or more. The calyx, which constitutes the chief 
beauty of the flower, is of a pale purple, copiously hairy on both surfaces, It is a 
Californian species, discovered by our lamented friend Mr. Douglas, by whom it 
was sent to the Horticultural Society. It should be grown in a soil composed of 
peat and loam; and will, doubtless, readily increase by cuttings. Brit. Fil. 
Gard., 340. 


EUPHORBIACER (THE EUPHORBIUM TRIBE). 

POINSETTIA PULCHERRIMA. Shewy Poinsettia. This truly splendid plant 
was discovered by Mr. Poinsette, in Mexico, and sent by him to Charleston in 
1828, and afterwards to Mr. Buist of Philadelphia; from Mr. Buist, it was brought 
by Mr. James M‘Nab to the Botanic Garden Edinburgh, where it flowered twice 
last year, and again in February of the present year. ‘“ Nothing can be more 
ornamental in the stove. The rose-like whorls of bractee which terminate the 
branches, have been seen on the large plants cultivated at Philadelphia as much as 
twenty inches across, and equal in colour to the finest tints of Hibiscus Rosa 
Simensis. The rich scarlet bracte@, represented in the plate accompanying the 
description, measure Us of seven inches across. It is highly deserving a 
place in every collection.” Bot. Mag., 3493. 

A brief account will be found in another part of the present number of our 
Magazine, of the treatment we apply to our plant at Chatsworth. 


LABIATZ& (MINT TRIBE). ae 

PHYSOSTEGIA TRUNCATA. Blunt-calyxed Physostegia. A hardy annual with 

an erect stem, from eight or ten inches to a foot in height, with flowers of a purple 
rose-colour. It was found by Mr. Drummond in 1833 and 1834, about San Felipe 
de Austin, who communicated specimens and seeds to Europe. Bot. Mag., 3494, 


GENTIANEEH (THE GENTIAN TRIBE). 

GENTIANA QUINQUEFLORA. Five-flowered Gentian. A pretty little annual, 
growing from nine to twenty inches high, producing a numerous quantity of pale 
lilac-coloured flowers at the extremity of the stem and branches, generally from 
three to five together. It was raised at the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, from seeds 
sent by Mr. T. Churnside, nurseryman of New York, and flowered in the green- 
house in the end of October. Bot. Mag., 3496. 


ONAGRARIZ (THE EVENING PRIMROSE TRIBE). 
Fucusia piscotor. Port-Famine Fuchsia. This plant produces flowers 
much like the species gracilis, but differs in the colour of the stem. It was found’ 
in Port Famine, in the Straits of Magellan. Bot. Mag., 3498. 


LEGUMINOS& (THE PEA TRIBE). 

KENNEDYA MACROPHYLLA. Large-leaved Kennedya. A_ beautiful green- 
house twining shrub, introduced by Sir James Stirling, from Swan River in New 
Holland, and raised by Robert Mangles, Esq., of Sunning Hill. In the greenhouse, 
it will make a good twiner for columns, &c.; but a preferable mode is, to twine its 


166 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


stems round and round to stakes fixed into the sides of the pots, so that the ra 
compelled to grow round itself. Bot. Reg., 1862. 


CARYOPHYLLE& (THE CHICKWEED TRIBE), 

Lycunis. BuncEana. Bunge’s Lychnis. A very beautiful species with 
scarlet flowers, sent to England last year by Dr. Fischer, of St. Petersburgh. It is 
not quite hardy, suffering both from the dryness and coldness of the open air; but 
thriving well in a cool greenhouse or frame, if fully exposed to light. Bot. Reg. 1864. 


PRIMULACEH® (THE PRIMROSE TRIBE). 

AuricuLa. ‘Taylors Glory. Taylor’s Glory is one of the finest white-edged 
Auriculas. The flowers handsomely formed, and well-proportioned in all its parts. 
The foliage is remarkably ample, and almost as white as snow. This gem of 
florist flowers we can safely recommend to all lovers of these productions. 


Fl. Mag., No. XU. 


VIOLACEE (THE VIOLET TRIBE). 

Pansies. Pomona Superba, Count de Sellis’ Desdemona. Pomona superba, 
is one of the most perfectly formed flowers we have seen, and certainly one of the 
largest. Its colour is remarkably pure and brilliant, the pencilling is rich and 
distinct. 

Count de Sellis is not so large a flower as the former, but its peculiar and novel 
character cannot fail to make it an universal favourite. The pencilling on the 
three lower petals is condensed into a very remarkable rich spot, while the lemon 
colour of the flower is margined with a pure azure, which gives a pleasing appear- 
ance to the flower. 

Desdemona is very rich, and curiously marked with a bright velvet-like purple, 
a colour and character which defies imitation. The blossom is large, well-formed, 


and of bold expression. als Mag., No. XL. 


CLASS II1.—PLANTS WITH ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONES). 


ORCHIDEH (THE ORCHIS TRIBE.) 


RopRIGUEZIA BARKERI. Mr. Barker’s Rodriguezia. One of the orchideous 
family, although possessing no very splendid colours; the flower is, never- 
theless, very interesting. It was imported from Brazil, by G. Barker, Esq., 
of Birmingham, and flowered in January last. It very much resembles the 
Rodriguezia recurva and planifolia, but Dr. Don points out a difference in the 
smooth, not striated, and plaited leaves, and in the very deep division and long 
segments of the lower sepal. The whole flower too is of an uniform pale green 
colour, nearly destitute of fragrance. Bot. Mag., 3497. 

ONcIDIUM CRISPUM. Crisped-flowered Oncidium. A large flowered and very 
handsome species of Oncidium, a native of the Organ Mountains, in the neighbour- 
hood of Rio Brazil, first made known in the Botanical Cabinet. The petals are 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 167 


broadly obovate, obtuse, much waved and crisped, of a rich brown colour; the claw 
is yellow, spotted with red above, beneath, green. Bot. Mag., 3499. 

HaBENARIA PROCERA. Tall Habenaria. A rare feature among the lovely 
and curious family Orchidee. A native of Sierra Leone, where it was found by 
Aifzelius, many years since. It was imported last year by Messrs. Loddiges. It 
is a singular plant, the flower has a remarkably long spur, and the colour of the 
whole flower is white and green mixed. A damp stove will suit it best when in a 
growing state; but, after the leaves begin to perish, the roots should be kept dry 
until the return of the growing season. Bot. Reg., 1858. 

CATTLEYA LABIATA. Crimson-lipped Cattleya. The splendour and high 
character of the colour of the flowers of this plant, surpass anything we ever 
witnessed in the whole family of orchideous plants. It is a native of Brazil, and 
was introduced about eighteen years ago, by Mr. W. Swainson. It does not require 
much heat or dampness ; a temperature varying between 65 and 80 degrees, with 
what we term an imperceptibly moist atmosphere, will suit it well. Bot. 
Reg., 1859. 

MoRMODES ATROPURPUREA. Dark purple Mormodes. A new feature of 
Orchidee, which flowered, for the first time, in John Willmore, Esq.’s collection, at 
Oldford, near Birmingham. It was imported from the Spanish Main in 1834, It 
opens a new genus, differing from Catasetum and Myanthus, in the want of cirrhi 
upon the column, and from Monachanthus, in its lip being membranous and curved 
upwards, with the sides turned downwards like the sides of a saddle, instead of 
being fleshy and helmet-shaped. The leaves are pale green; the flowers are an 
uniform rich purple. It requires the same treatment as Cafasetums, Cychnoches, &c. 
Bot. Reg., 1861. 

TRICHOPILIA TORTILIS. Twisted-petalled Trichopilia. A beautiful and 
highly curious plant, introduced from Mexico in 1835. The flower is handsome, 
the white of the lip, which is very clean and pure, forms a brilliant contrast with 
the rich blotches of deep crimson that ornament the interior of the little funnel, 
formed by the rolling of the lip round the column. From its habit, Dr. Lindley 
thinks it will thrive in the stove, under the same treatment as Mawillarias. Bot. 
Reg., 1863. 

DENDROBIUM MACROSTACHYUM. Long-spiked Dendrobium. A very interesting 
species of Dendrobium, which was discovered in Ceylon by the late Mr. James 
Macrae, some years ago. Its flowers are of a pale yellow, and the whole habit of 
the plant seems to be that of D. Pierardi, cucullatum, and pulchellum, but it is 
rather inferior to any of them in beauty, still requiring precisely the same treat- 
ment as those species. Bot. Reg., 1865. 

EPIDENDRUM ARMENIACUM. Apricot-coloured Epidendrum. A pretty plant 
with small apricot-coloured flowers, a native of Brazil, found in company with 
Grobya Amherstie, and imported by Messrs. Rellisons, of Tooting. It is a stove- 
plant, increasing readily by division of its tufted stem. Bot. Reg., 1867. 

EprIpENDRUM SkinNeERI. Mr. Skinner’s Epidendrum. This is not a pretty 
Species, but it is distinct from any previously described, and is remarkable for its 


168 OPERATIONS FOR AUGUST. 


stems -being dilated at the upper end, like some of the species of Dendrobium. 
Bot. Reg., 1870. . 

MaXILLARIA AROMATICA. Aromatic Maxillaria. A fragrant stove-plant, 
breathing cinnamon and sweet spices, found in Mexico, whence it was brought by 
Lord Napier to the Botanic Garden Edinburgh, previous to the year 1826. Its 
flowers are yellow, peaduecd on a solitary stalk about the month of May. Bot. 
Reg., 1871. 

CRYBE ROSEA. Pink-flowered Crybe. An orchideous plant, a native of 
Mexico, producing pale purple flowers, remarkable for never fully expanding; the 
edges of the lip turning inwards, and forming a sort of disk at the end of the 
flower. It is a stove-plant, requiring the same treatment as the common Bletia 
verecunda, and the like. Bot. Reg., 1872. 


OPERATIONS FOR AUGUST. 


ALLAMANDA CATHARTICA. Cuttings of this fine flowering plant may now be 
put in, they strike readily in sand or mould, under a bell-glass, in a moist heat. 

ANNUALS of choice sorts, for keeping through the winter, may now be sown in 
small pots. 

CLEMATIS. The stove and greenhouse species may be piepazate this month, 
any rich soil will suit them well. 

CLERODENDRON. Plants of this genus, propagated this month, will flower well 
next season. The desirable species are, C. sguamatum, C. paniculatum, C. macro- 
phyllum, all are propagated readily in soil or sand, under a hand-glass, in HOH o 2 
heat. 

CLIMBING-PLANTS of all sorts should now be tied up with care. 

Ix1as. As the tops decay, gradually diminish the supply of water. 

LANTANA SELLOI, &c., may this month be propagated with success. 

MiGNoNETTE, now sown, will flower from March till May. They should be 
preserved through the winter, as noticed, Vol. II. page 6. 

NERINE SARNIENSIS, or GUERNSEY LILY, will flower about October, if the 
bulbs are in the early part of this month potted in loam and peat; give them a 
good supply of air while growing, and they will flower beautifully. 

POLYANTHUS TUBEROSA, var. FLORE PLENO, will now be coming into flower, 
during which time they should have a Bocd supply of water, see Vol. I. pages 
166, 168. 

RussELIA JUNCEA, may now be propagated from cuttings of the half-ripened 
wood. 

SEeps. The kinds desired to be saved should now have unremitting attention ; 
clean, dry, and pack them up, observing to name > each sort accurately. 


Pinte ts Neen 0 


ORS 


elas Oui awed 


i) 
i 


Ao iden, del Sratthese 


' Ay Wi, WA Ye 


y, 4 
SA AVI ThASGID ABI AD 


7 


Jy. 


SIF7 


7 


wa 


PUMXZLDPAME SN MNT 


Vy 


Saal 


169 


| RHODODENDRON CHAM ACISTUS. 


(GROUND-CISTUS RHODODENDRON). 


CLASS. ORDER. 


DECANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


RHODORACEE. 


Generic Craracter.—Calyz five-parted. Corolla funnel or bell-shaped, with a five-parted limb, the 
upper part of which is the broadest, and generally spotted. Stamens various, from five to ten, 
usually longer than the limb, and always curved inwards (declinate). Anthers opening by two 
terminal pores. Capsule in five cells and five valves, rarely more as in R. arboreum. 


Speciric Caracter.—Plant a dwarf shrub. Leaves small, of an oblong-lanceolate shape, somewhat 
attenuated at both ends, and glandularly ciliated; that is, they have eye-lash-like hairs round the 
edges. Flowers usually two together, sometimes three, issuing from the end of the branch. 
a ora clothed with glandular hairs. Calyx of an ovate shape, also beset with glandular 
Tuis humble but pretty little plant in its growth resembles more a species of 

“ Helianthemum” or ** Thymus,” than any of its native family ; and so striking is 

the similarity existing between the leaves of this species and those of the plants 

comprised in the genus ‘“ Thymus,” that in the Encyclopedia of Plants we find it 
designated by the term Thyme-leaved, as conveying the most familiar idea of the 
shape of the leaves. Nor would it be very surprising if a person were to mistake 
it for a species of thyme; its short, partially prostrate, and tufted branches, 
approximate so nearly to that genus. But how great is the contrast when in 
bloom ; instead of small insignificant flowers produced on a short spike, as in 
thymus, we have, at the extremity of the strongest branches, two or three showy 
flowers, consisting of five ovate lobes of a delicate pale pink colour, at the base of 
which, and surrounding the organs of fructitication, is a circle of lively pure pink, 
and immediately from the centre emanate the stamens and pistil; thus by the 
anthers of the former, and the stigma of the latter, a picture of elegance and grace- 
fulness is produced, which suggests the following sublime sentiments : 
‘¢ Infinite God, thou great, unrivalled One, 
Whose glory makes a blot of yonder sun! 


Compared with thine how dim his beauty seems ! 
How quenched the radiance of his golden beams! 


VOL. III.——NO. XXXII. Z 


170 RHODODENDRON CHAMCCISTUS. 


Thou art my life, the light by which I move ; 

In thee alone dwells all that I can love ; 

All darkness flies when thou art pleased to appear, 
A sudden spring renews the fading year ; 

Where’er I turn ! see thy power and grace, 

The watchful guardians of our heedless race ; 

Thy various creatures in one strain agree, 

All in all times and places speak of thee; 

Ev’n I, with trembling heart and stammering tongue, 
Attempt the praise and join the general song.’’ * 


This pretty and interesting production seldom exceeds a few inches in growth ; 
the branches are short, nearly prostrate, and thickly set with leaves ; it was col- 
lected on the mountains of Carniola by Baron von Zois, who transmitted seeds in 
1786, to the Messrs. Loddiges, and was figured in the Bot. Cab., vol. 15, page 1491 ; 
also the Bot. Mag., 488. At Chatsworth it takes up its station among the rest 
of the family in the Arboretum, and appears to bear with the out-door climate 
very well, but we are unable to say whether it will flower freely thus exposed; a 
good method of flowering it we believe is to keep the plants in pots exposed to the 
frost in the winter, and introduced to the greenhouse in the spring, when, if the 
plants are middling strong and well-established, it will produce its charming blos- 
soms about May or June. Messrs. Loddiges direct a shaded situation for it in 
summer, with a moderate supply of water, and to be kept under a cold frame or 
hand-glass during the winter. The soil in which it will thrive very well is peat 
that has a portion of sand intermixed with it, or very sandy loam is not objectionable 
for it. Cuttings of the young wood, planted in sand and placed under a bell-glass, 
will strike roots tolerably free. 

The sample of our drawing was kindly furnished by our esteemed contributor, 
Mr. Bows, with whom the plant grows and flowers well. 

The generic name is taken from Rhodor, a rose, and dendron, a tree, in refer- 


ence to the large clusters of flowers, which are frequently red. 


* Bot. Cab. 1491. 


Ae 
q “a 


My cath 


Rh ff casa 1S 
"0s My ta 
Uy Prae *es 


Wy. 


any 
eae aa ed 


eal 


olden del Smith, sc 


a y, 
Dice 
— ieee ZUM id ge [AMNY i 
7 / 
VA 


“Y Y 


i71 


DRYANDRA LONGIFOLIA. 


(LONG-LEAVED DRYANDRA.) 


CLASS, ORDER. 


TETRANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


PROTHACE/. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx of four parts or clefts. Stamens four, inserted in the ends of the seg- 
ments, which are hollow (concave). Scales four, situated below the ovarium (hypogynous). Ovary 
of two cells, each of which is furnished with one seed. J ollicle woody, consisting of two cells, with 
a loose two-parted dissepiment. Receptacle flat. 


SpEciFic Cuaracter.—Plant an evergreen greenhouse shrub, growing in some instances to the height of 
six feet, but more frequently from two to four, Leaves decurrent, very long, acute, pinnatifid. at 
the base attenuated and entire, upper side smooth, of a bright pea-green, beneath slightly hairy, 
and of anash colour. Lobes of the leaves generally of an alternate triangular shape. lowers of 
an orange brown or yellow. 


THE natural order Proteacez, of which the genus Dryandra presents a distin- 
guished feature, is easily recognised from all other orders in the Jussieuan system, 
first by the hard woody texture of their leaves; secondly, by their irregular tubular 
calyxes, which in the bud state are valvate in estivation, by which is meant, they 
develope or open similar to the opening of valves; thirdly, by the stamens being 
placed upon the lobes, and the fruit dehiscing, or opening. These remarks are at 
once characteristic of this valuable order, so much prized by every lover of plants 
for the beauty of their foliage, and neatness of their flowers. 

ne present coloured representation is a plant of much beauty ; its erect growth, 
lobed and gracefully pendent foliage, render it a valuable acquisition to the green- 
house. These characters, combined with its singular yellow flowers, studding at 
intervals, a stem six feet high, stamp it with an effect at once pleasing and attractive, 
and which recommends it to a place in every collection. 

In Manchester Botanic Garden, from whence we obtained the sample of our 
drawing, the plant flowered profusely in the greenhouse; it stood full six feet high, 
and being well clothed with verdure, a remarkably pleasing effect was produced by 
the contrasted colour of the flowers and foliage. 


New Holland is its native place, as it is likewise of all the other species in the 


72 DRYANDRA LONGIFOLIA. 


genus. It was introduced to this country about thirty years ago, since which it has 
been figured in the Bot. Mag., t. 1582. It has no particular season of flowering 
still it has been stated that December and January are the months most probable 
for it to bloom. 

The soil should be a mixture of equal parts of turfy loam, peat, and sand, the 
more sandy the better. In shifting always do it with moderation, for it is better to 
shift twice than to over-shift once with the view of saving trouble. As over-watering 
isdirectly injurious, it is indispensable, that the pots previous to putting in the 
plants, be well drained with potsherds. While the sap is in circulation, and the plants 
in consequence, making new wood and leaves, they will bear a good supply of water, 
but in autumn and winter it is requisite to give it with great caution. At all times 
they should enjoy an unencumbered and light situation, where plenty of air can reach 
them, for they do not thrive so well if crowded amongst other plants. An occa- 
sional syringing in the summer season will be of much benefit to them. Cuttings 
do not take readily, still they may be brought to produce roots if portions of the 
ripened wood, taken off at a joint, are prepared in August or September, observing 
not to shorten any of the leaves, and potted in sand, but not plunged; as soon as 
they have made young roots pot them into soil, for the sand if they remain long in 
it will injure them ; after they are potted off, and until fresh roots have been made 
in the soil, they should have the uniform atmosphere of a close cold frame, from 
which they must be exposed by degrees. 

The generic name is given after Jonas Dryander, reputed for his high botanical 
acquirements, and catalogue of the Banksian library. 

The specific name alludes to the length of the leaves. 


5 Yi re 
; feo we Fi We ie Uy 


a ee A 
S7ALY SL y 
| 


RHODANTHE MANGLESII. 


(CAPTAIN MANGLES’ RHODANTHE. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 
SYNGENESIA. JEQUALIS, 
NATURAL ORDER. 


COMPOSITE. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Head many-flowered, homogeneous. Pappus piliform, plumose, distinct. Seed 
gnawed, woolly. Receptacle naked. 


Spreciric Cuaracter.—Plant an annual, growing from nine to sixteen inches high. S¢em round, smooth, 
somewhat branching. Branches wavy, inclined to be slender. Leaves oblong-obtuse, clasping 
the stem at the base, upper surface of a dark green colour, something paler beneath. Involucre 
turbinate, much tapering at the base, formed below of many loosely imbricated, purplish grey, ovate, 
lanceolate scales, which, as they proceed upwards, grow longer and stronger, assuming a rose colour 
and toothed. Disc consisting of a great number of yellow tubular flowerets. Pappus feathery. 


Tus very interesting and pleasing little annual, although hardy, has been with 
us, at Chatsworth, kept in the greenhouse, where its delicate foliage, fair rose- 
coloured flowers, and graceful habit, have been a conspicuous object of gaiety 
during the whole summer. 

No plant can be more desirable or worthy of a place in the flower garden than 
the present; for beauty and liveliness of flowers it gives way to none; for 
freedom of disposition to produce them it stands unexcelled; and for general 
appearance, when several are put together, no group of plants can produce an aspect 
more easy and pleasing; and to use the words of Dr. Lindley, “it possesses the 
brilliancy of the Cape Helichrysa, without their stiffness and formality.” 

It may be brought to flower at almost any season, by attending to the time for 
sowing the seeds; say two months or ten weeks before the plants are wanted to 
bloom ; we have had a succession the whole summer, and a few plants raised from 
seeds sown in June are just faded. Beautiful as its flowers are in the flower garden, a 
few plants will always be welcome in the greenhouse, and one that is kept airy and 
cool is the sort of place they much delight in. A loamy soil not over watered 
will do well for them. Seed ripens in abundance, which should be carefully col- 
lected in fine weather. 

For the introduction of this plant we are indebted to the exertions of Captain 


174 RHODANTHE MANGLESII. 


Mangles, R.N., who brought the seed from the Swan River colony, New Holland, 
to the gardens of Robert Mangles, Esq., Sunning Hill. “The genus,” says Dr 
Hooker, “ seems to be very nearly related to Podolepis, but differs in the involucre ;” 
our drawing was made about June last, from a plant which flowered in the green- 
house at Chatsworth. 

The generic name was given by Dr. Lindley, in allusion to the likeness of the 
flower in shape and colour to that of the rose. 

The specific name by the same author is given in compliment to the gentleman 


who introduced it. 


Be 


neon. 
he 


y 


OEY 
eats, 
fe 


ay ay hho PLL cerita ghle 


Tefen? / ; L 


ERYTHRINA CRISTA-GALLI. 


(cock’s-COMB CORAL TREE. ) 


CLASS. ORDER, 
DIADELPHIA. DECANDRIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


LEGUMINOS. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx tubular, two-lipped. Vewillum very long, lanceolate. Legume two- 
valved, many seeded. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—A shrub from twelve to fifteen feet high. Leaves slightly notched, in threes, 
midrib prickly on the underside. Leaf-stalks long, reddish brown, prickly-and glandular. Flowers 
in threes, axillary, very showy. Calyx denticulate, orange brown. Vewillum bright scarlet, broad, 
reflexed, striated. Keel shorter than the vexillum, crimson. 


Tus beautiful plant is a native of Brazil, from whence it was introduced in 


1771; in its native country it is said to grow to a tree forty feet, or more, high, 


. 


f 
£ 


aie 


. but in Britain it seldom exceeds eight feet, being little more than herbaceous. This 


) _ and the &. laurifolia require the same kind of treatment, both flowering finely in 


A Tei 
4 


the stove, and also on a warm border out of doors. 


The compost is made of one part fresh maiden loam fof the top spit of a 


‘pasture field, one part of heath mould (sandy peat), and one part of horse-dung well 
rotted and pulverized. ‘The above should be well incorporated, and chopped very 


small, and also be well exposed during frost in winter. 


As soonas the plants have done growing, which will be by the latter end of 
August, cut them down and set them in a cool greenhouse; keep them quite dry 
till about the end of November, then pot in fresh soil, suiting the size of the pot to 
the size of the plants; they never require one larger than a 16. When potted, 
water, and set them in a house where the heat is about 60 degrees. 

In the spring, that is, about the beginning of March, they will flower in perfec- 
tion. In May, when they are again out of flower, take the plants and cut them 
down as before, to five or six eyes, according to the strength of the stems; re-pot 
them, and place them in the stove until they have taken root, and made shoots from 


nine to twelve inches, when they must be removed to a house, of the temperature 


176 ERYTHRINA CRISTA-GALLI. 


of from 55 to 60 degrees, allowing them plenty of light, or the shoots will be apt 
to draw and become weakly. 

When the shoots are three or four inches high, syringe them frequently with 
pure water, to prevent the attacks of the red spider (acarus) ; unless this is well 
attended to, that destructive insect will soon render the plants very unsightly, if 
not wholly prevent their flowering. 

Continue to treat them thus till they show flower, then allow plenty of air and 
moisture, and they will flower freely again in July. 

When in full bloom they may be removed to the greenhouse cr conservatory, 
where, placed among other exotics, they will greatly add to the gaiety and splendour 
of the house. 

If it is wished to have them flower again, after they have done flowering, again 
re-pot them, cut down the young wood as before, take them back to the stove, and 
treat as before, and they will flower again in the months of October and November ; 
but the best plan is to give them a winter after they have flowered twice. 

In warm situations out of doors, both this and the &. laurifolia will grow and 
flower freely, but only once in the year; and they require cutting down to about 
four inches of the stem on the approach of winter, and to be sheltered by an 
inverted flower-pot, or the roots to be dug up and potted, or kept in a dry cellar 
until the approach of spring. | 

Cuttings of the stems made at the time the plants are cut down strike very 
freely planted singly in small pots, and plunged in a strong moist heat under a 
handglass, and slightly shaded until they have taken root, which will be in three 
weeks or a month; then expose them gradually until they will bear the temperature 
of the stove. 

The plant from which our drawing was made flowered finely in our stove at 
Chatsworth. ; 

The generic name applies to the colour of the flowers, which are a brilliant 


scarlet or red, and sometimes orange ; most of the species partake of these colours 


in a high degree. 


A SELECT LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 


WITH SHORT NOTES ON THEER PECULIAR TREATMENT, 


Aza.EA Indica pheenicea. 

— — Smithii. 

— —  variegata. 

— — lateritia. 

— — alba. 

-- Danielsiana. 
Acacia dealbata. 

—  prensans. 

—  lunata. 
Anthocercis viscosa. 
Bossizea microphylla. 

— heterophylla. 
Bouvardia versicolor. 
Beaufortia decussata. 

— sparsa. 

—_ carinata. 

— _ splendens. 
Brugmansia bicolor. 
Burtonia conferta. 
Boronia denticulata. 
Crowea saligna. 
Chorizema rhombea. 

—_— Henchmanni. 

— nana. 
Camellias of all kinds. 
Callistachys lanceolata. 
Calothamnus quadrifida. 
Correa speciosa. 

—  pulchella. 
Crotalaria purpurea. 
Cassia pulchella. 
Crassula coccinea. 

— versicolor. 
Crategus glabra. 
Callistemon scabra. 
Daviesia cordata. 
Dracena stricta. 
Dillwynia glycinifolia. 

— pungens 
Ericas of all kinds. 
Epacris grandiflora. 

—  inmpressa. 
Elichrysum proliferum. 

— spectabile. 
Escallonia rubra. 
Fuchsia gracilis. 

— multiflora. 
tenella. 
macrostemon. 
venusta: 
Thompsoniana. 
globasa. 

— major. 
-microphylla. 


ee ai 


VOL. III.-—NO. XXXII. 


Fuchsia Waltoniensis. 

— Ssmithii. 

—  conica. 

— coccinea. 

—  arborescens. 
Gompholobium grandiflorum. 

— — setifolium. 

— latifolium. 

—  venustum. 
Gardoquia Hookeri. 
Hovea purpurea. 

— celsii. 

— pannosa. 
— villosa. 

— chorizemifolia. 
Hakea linearis. 

Indigofera incana. 
— australis. 
Kennedya. 

— splendens, and indeed all the species. 
Lalage ornata. 

Lightfootia Loddigesii, 
Linum flavum. 
Lachnea purpurea. 
Lechenaultia formosa. 

— multiflora. 
Liparia spheerica. 

Lupinus Cruckshankii. 
Melaleuca, all the species. 
Metrosideros speciosa. 

— semperflorens. 
Mirbelia dilatata. 
Nierembergia filicaulis. 

— gracilis. 

— calycine. 
Nerium splendens. 

— Oleander. 

— — pleno. 

—_ — alba. 

—  odorum. 
Oxylobium retusum. 

= cordifolium. 

_— arborescens. 
Pimelea decussata. 

Penza squamosa. 

Petunia linearis. 
Prostanthera lasianthos. 
Pelargoniums of any kinds. 
Proteas of all kinds. 
Podolobium trilobata. 
Pultenea stricta. 

— _ paleacea. 
Polygala grandiflora. 
Punica nana. 


AA 


178 LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 


Pyrus floribunda. Salvia splendens. 
Prostanthera violacea. Stenanthera pinifolia. 
Roellia ciliata. | Stenochilus maculatus. 
Rhododendron arboreum. Senecio elegans pleno. 
— — album. Styphelia tubifiora. 
— — fimbriatum. Templetonia retusa. 
Sphenogyne odorata. — glauca. 
—_ pilifera. Tecoma Capensis. 


Salvia fulgens. 


SHORT NOTES ON THE PECULIAR TREATMENT OF EACH. 


AZALEA. 
For the successful culture of these plants, see Vol. I. page 192, 126, and 127. 


ACACIA. 

A. DEALBATA is very ornamental, the foliage is very delicate, the flowers 
lovely, and emit a very pleasant fragrance. A mixture of equal parts of loam and 
heath mould, with a small portion of very rotten dung, or leaf mould, suits it well. 
The best way of increasing it is by seeds, which are produced pretty freely, and 
should be sown as soon as ripe; it also grows readily from cuttings of the young 
and tender wood, planted in pots of fine sand, covered with glass and treated much 
after the manner of Ericas.—A. lunaia. The flowers of this species are of a very 
brilliant yellow, and make a great show in the greenhouse all the spring months. 
It may be propagated by cuttings of the tender wood planted in pots of sand under 
bell-glasses, and plunged in a brisk heat; but it is propagated most readily by 
cuttings of the roots planted in pots of heath mould, and plunged in a cucumber 
frame or bark bed.—A. prensans is another lovely species, with singular but 


very handsome flowers; it should be treated precisely in the same manner as 
A. dealbata. 
ANTHOCERCIS. 
A. viscosa. This beautiful white flowering plant ought to be in every collec- 


tion. It grows'readily in equal parts of heath mould and light loam, and is pro- 
pagated by cuttings of half-ripened wood, planted in fine sand under a bell-glass. 
Great care is necessary during damp weather and winter not to overwater it, as 
perhaps more plants perish from this cause than any other; give a good drainage, 
and only water when the soil in the pots appears dry. 


BOSSLA. 
B. MIcROPHYLLA. This plant always grows best when its roots have plenty 


of room ; it is therefore advisable, if convenient, to plant it out in the open border 
of the conservatory, where it will flourish and blossom in great profusion, but rarely 
produces seed; and cuttings not growing very freely the plant remains scarce. If 
the plant be grown in a pot, it is necessary to give plenty of drainage with potsherds, 
as stagnant water is very injurious to it. B. heterophylla is another beautiful 
species; it also is very shy of propagation by cuttings, but seeds are occasionally 
produced, which should be sown in fine heath mould as soon as ripe. 
BOUVARDIA. 

B. versicotor. This species is very rarely met with in 1 collections, and yet 

scarcely any plant is more beautiful when in full flower. It is usually propagated 


LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 179 


by cuttings of the roots, which should be planted in pots filled with heath mould 
and loam, plunged in a little heat, and covered with a glass; for general culture 
‘see Bouvardia triphylla, Vol. I. page 225. 

BEAUFORTIA. 

B. pecussaTa. All the species of this genus are splendid; they flourish in a 
soil composed of three-parts sandy heath mould and one part light loam; they grow 
very freely in the conservatory, and are increased by cuttings of the ripe wood, 
planted in sand, plunged in heat, and covered with a glass. — 


BRUGMANSIA. 

B. BICOLOR, or SANGUINEA. ‘This splendid species is a native of South 
America, where it is found growing amongst rubbish upwards of 7000 feet above 
the level of the sea. It is a very free-growing plant, and should be placed in a 
warm part of the conservatory, and treated in the same manner as B. suaveolens. 
It is easily propagated by cuttings, planted in pots of soil, and plunged in a brisk 


heat under a glass. 
BURTONIA. 


B. conrerTA. This plant is rather difficult to keep, from its liability to damp 
off ; it requires a dry airy situation in the greenhouse, and to be well drained with 
potsherds, as the least stagnation of water will cause it to perish. The soil most 
suitable is composed of three parts sandy heath mould and one part loam, with a 
little leaf mould. Cuttings of the tender wood planted in pots of sand, under a 
glass, and treated like erica cuttings, will soon strike root. Seeds are also 
occasionally produced, which should be sown as soon as ripe. 


BORONIA. 
B. SERRULATA and DENTICULATA are both very handsome little shrubs; for 


their culture see Vol. I. page 173. 
CROWEA. 


C. sALIGNA. This is a very interesting plant, with fragrant leaves, and a very 
free flowerer, continuing in bloom during the whole summer ; it requires a dry airy 
situation in winter, or it is liable to suffer from damp. It is increased by cuttings, 
treated in the same manner as those of Boronia, and should be potted in peat. 


CHORIZEMA. 
All the species of chorizema are short-lived, but very beautiful ; they require 
a little more heat than the generality of New Holland plants; they also thrive best 
if slightly shaded by other plants, as the full power of the sun is very apt to change 
the bright colour of the leaves. ‘They are increased by cuttings of half ripened 
wood, and by seeds ; for further particulars see Vol. II. page 171. 


CAMELLIAS. 
For the treatment of these see Vol. I. page 32, and Vol. II. pages 25 and 73. 
CALLISTACHYS., 

C. LANCEOLATA. This is a quick growing, very handsome plant, very suitable 
for a large conservatory. It is a native of New Holland, from whence it was 
introduced in 1814. It is easily increased by seeds, which are produced plentifully ; 
also by cuttings planted in either sand or soil, and covered with a glass. A common 
mixture of loam and heath mould suits it well. 


180 LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 


CALOTHAMNUS. 

C. QUADRIFIDA is a beautiful little shrub of delicate growth ; it thrives in sandy 
heath mould, mixed with a little light loam, and requires to be carefully watered, or 
it is very liable to drop off in damp weather. It is increased by cuttings, which 
will require to be treated like those of Erica. See Vol. I. page 237, 238, and 113. 


CORRALA. 

C. SPECIOSA and VERSICOLOR are well known and easily cultivated plants, 
growing readily in heath mould and light loam. They are propagated by cuttings 
of the ripe wood planted in sand, and covered with a glass, but not plunged in a 
hotbed, or they are liable to damp off; the best way is to treat them in the same 
way as Erica cuttings. They grow slowly, and are therefore considered rather 
difficult to strike, but if planted thinly, and allowed plenty of time, they grow very 
freely. 
| CROTALARIA. 

C. puRPUREA. A handsome species of very easy growth, easily propagated by 
both seeds and cuttings of half-ripened wood, which should be covered with a glass. 
CASSIA. | 

C. PULCHELLA grows easily in a mixture of heath mould and loam, and strikes 
freely from cuttings of the ripe wood, also from seeds ; but they seldom ripen in our 
greenhouses unless planted in very favourable situations. 


CRASSULA. 

C. COccINEA and VERSICOLOR are two succulent plants, usually potted in the 
same kind of soil as Cactezee; but we prefer growing them in a mixture of rich loam 
and leaf mould, or very rotten dung. The flowers produced from this compost are 
of a very deep rich colour, and the leaves have not that unhealthy appearance they 
have in a poor soil. All the care requisite is not to overwater them, as the danger 
is greater by this mode of growing them than in the usual one; give a good 
drainage, never water overhead, and let the soil always appear dry before any be 
given in the pot. They increase freely by cuttings, which should be laid a day or 
two on a shelf to dry, afterwards planted close round the edge of a small pot, 
filled with the above soil, and be plunged in a cucumber frame, where they will 
scarcely require any water until after they are potted off. 


CRATZEGUS. 

C. GLABRA, now usually called PHoTINIA SERRULATA, is rather a rare plant, it 
has bright shining leaves, and will grow very freely in any light rich loam; they 
grow beautifully planted out in the border of a conservatory, and also thrive well 
in the open air trained against a wall, or in warm situations in the ecpen border. 
Cuttings of the ripe wood planted in sand about the middle of September, on a 
warm south border, covered with a hand glass, will strike root very freely ; it may 
also be grafted and inarched on the common thorn and other plants of a similar 


habit. 
CALLISTEMON. 


C. scaBra. This beautiful species (usually called metrosideros) is a most 
desirable plant for a conservatory. It is nearly hardy, and thrives well in the open 
borders in warm situations ; heath mould mixed with about a third of light loam 


LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS, 181 


will suit it well. Cuttings of the ripe wood planted in sand, and covered with a 


glass, in heat, will strike very well. 
DAVIESIA. 


D. corpvata. ‘This little plant grows freely in sandy heath mould, mixed with 
a little light loam. Cuttings of half ripened wood will grow very freely if planted 
in sand, covered ,with a bell-glass, and treated in the same way as Ericas. If 
placed in a moist heat the cuttings usually perish with damp. 


DRAC/ENA. 

D. striata. A noble ornament for a warm greenhouse, but rarely flourishes 
in a cold conservatory. It should be potted in a rich light loam, and may be pro- 
pagated by cuttings of half-ripened wood planted in pots of soil, plunged in a good 
hotbed, and very carefully watered. 

DILLWYNIA. 

D. GLYCINIFOLIA and PUNGENS are both very beautiful and delicate plants; 
they should be potted in a soil composed of three parts very sandy heath mould, 
and one part light loam. Cuttings of half-ripened wood planted in sand, covered 
with a bell-glass, and treated after the manner of Ericas, will grow very freely. 


See Vol. I. page 236. 
ERICA. 


For the culture of ERicas see Vol. I. page 236. 


EPACRIS. 
E. GRANDIFLORA and ImpREssa. All the species of Epacris are of easy 


culture. See Vol. I. page 53. 
ELYCHRISUM. 


E. PROLIFERUM and SPECTABILE should be in every collection. The sort of 
soil best suited for them is very sandy heath mould, having a small portion of 
light loam mixed. They require a dry airy situation in the greenhouse, and to be 
watered carefully ; for if they are overwatered, they soon perish, and if allowed to 
become very dry they rarely recover. Cuttings of half-ripened wood planted in 
sand, and covered with a bell-glass, without heat, will strike very readily. 

ESCALLONIA. 
E. RUBRA. For the culture, see Vol. II., page 51. 


FUCHSIA. 

1. This genus of plants are universal favourites, and, being extremely easy of 
culture, are found in the possession of almost every lover of plants; the greater 
part of the species mentioned in the above list are nearly hardy, and make a very 
handsome show planted together in clumps viz.; F. coccinea, gracilis, tenella, 
gracilis multiflora, macrostemon, Thompsoniana, globosa, globosa major, Smithia, 
conica, and virgata. But the &. microphylla, Waltoniensis, venusta, arborescens, 
&c., will scarcely do so well planted in the open ground, but, with the exception of 
Ff. venusta, should be treated as greenhouse-plants generally are; the venusta, 
however, ought to be placed in a brisk moist heat early in spring to push it into 
flower, and afterwards placed amongst the greenhouse plants. 

2. All the species are easily raised from cuttings, and from seed for new 


182 LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 


varieties. The best time for taking off the cuttings is in the month of May; when 
the young shoots have become about an inch and a half long, slip them off and 
plant them in pots filled with a mixture of light sandy soil and leaf mould, either 
with or without being covered with a bell-glass. 

3. After the cuttings are planted, plunge the pots in a cucumber frame or other 
gentle hotbed; in the course of a fortnight they will have struck root, and may be 
potted off. 

4. In potting, place each plant in a 60-sized pot, with as good a sized ball as 
can be obtained, and fill the pots with a soil composed of heath mould, light rich 
loam, and very rotten dung, well mixed together in equal proportions; drain the 
pots well with potsherds, and give the plants a good watering overhead with a rose. 

5. When potted, replace them in a brisk heat for a short time until they have 
begun to form new roots; they may then be gradually exposed to the air, until the 
middle of June, when they may be taken out and placed amongst the greenhouse 
plants; but previous to this, it is advisable to repot them in 48-sized pots, and 
those intended for the borders should now be turned out; it is, however, best to 
keep them in pots for the first year, and plant them in the borders when a year old, 
because they are then fine showy plants and flower very finely. 

6. When the plants have been a summer in the open ground and are cut off by 
frost on the approach of winter, either take them up and pot them, or cut them down 
to about six inches of the ground; turn a pot over them filled with sawdust, and 


draw the earth a little round the pot, then covering the hole securely to prevent 


the entrance of water, the plants will endure the most severe winters without 
injury. 

7. In spring, when the weather becomes fine, remove the covering gradually ; 
first, by drawing away the soil from the side of the pot; then, by taking out the 
sawdust ; and lastly, by removing the pot altogether. 

8. In consequence of the plants being cut down in the autumn they will put up 
many young shoots; these must be thinned to three or four of the strongest, and 
the shoots taken off may be planted for cuttings. 

9. Notwithstanding we have recommended the plants to be headed down on 
the approach of winter, it is only in the event of their first being cut off by severe 
frosts; for, if they will endure the weather, it is best not to mutilate them at all. 
In some situations, both in England and Ireland, they appear to suffer little from 
the most severe winters; we have seen some plants established in the open borders 
in the north of Ireland at the seat of Roger Hall, Esq., Warrenpoint, which appear 
to endure the winter almost as well as any other hardy border plant. 


10. In propagating by seed, take it when well dried, and sow it in pans of light 


soil sifted fine; place the pans in a gentle hotbed, and water carefully until the 
plants appear; when they have attained three or four leaves, transplant them into 
thimble pots, and treat them in the same manner as recommended for rooted 
cuttings. 

11. Several of the species, as gracilis, virgata, microphylla, &c., form excellent 
standards ; in a large and lofty conservatory nothing can surpass the loveliness of 


LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 183 


one of these plants with a fine straight stem upwards of twenty feet high, as some 
of the plants at Chatsworth are, and forming a large spreading head, the branches 
gracefully drooping, and shining with rich pendent scarlet blossoms ; the beauties of 
which are seen to the greatest advantage, from the circumstance of the spectator 
viewing them from beneath. 

12. In training, the following rule must not be lost sight of, viz.; never to 
strip more than two thirds of the leaves from the stem until the plant has risen to 
its intended height and has formed a head; the reasonableness of this will be 
immediately seen, when it is remembered that plants breathe chiefly by means of 
their leaves: the removal of too many at once will check the growth of the plant 
and cause it to sicken, and, if persevered in, certainly die. 


GOMPHOLOBIUM. 

All the species of Gompholobium thrive in sandy heath mould and a little loam ; 
they require similar treatment to Elychrysum and other delicate plants of the same 
habit ; if either overwatered or allowed to become too dry, they quickly perish. 
Cuttings of the tender wood, planted in pots of fine sand, covered with a glass, and 


_ treated like those of Erica, will speedily strike root. 


GARDOQUIA. 

G. Hookeri. This very beautiful little plant is rather scarce, and considered 
somewhat difficult to keep. The best soil for it is a mixture of three parts very 
sandy heath mould and one part hght sandy loam. Whilst the plants are young, 
it is necessary to place them ina brisk heat to keep them growing ; for if, whilst 
small, they are stopped in their growth and prematurely thrown into flower, they 
rarely come to any perfection afterwards. ‘They may be propagated by cuttings of 
the young wood planted in sand, under a glass in heat; but the best way of propa- 
gation is by seeds, which are usually produced, and should be sown early in spring. 


HOVEA. 
All the species named in the abeve list are so beautiful that they ought to be 


_in every collection of plants; they are liable, however, to perish suddenly when 


grown in pots, but they flourish remarkably planted out in the border of a con- 
servatory. They are somewhat difficult to propagate. Cuttings of the young 
wood, planted in sand, and covered with a glass, will strike root, provided they be 


not exposed to a moist heat, which takes them off immediately ; they also produce 
seeds, which should be sown as soon as ripe. 


HAKEA. 

H. tinearis. <A _ beautiful white flowering plant; the sort of soil most 
suitable for it is, equal parts of pure sand, sandy heath mould, and leaf mould; the 
pots must be well drained with potsherds, as the plants (whilst young, particularly) 
are very impatient of wet. Cuttings of the ripe wood, planted in the autumn in 
pots of sand, covered with a glass, and placed in a cool dry part of the greenhouse, 
but by no means be plunged in a bottom heat. 


INDIGOFERA. 
Both the species mentioned in the list are nearly hardy, and may be planted 
out in the open border, where they will fiourish very well during the summer 


184 LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 


months; but they will not endure frost, and therefore require, on the approach of 
winter, to be either taken up and_ potted, or sheltered by a pot being turned over 
them. In the border of a conservatory they grow finely, and do much better than 
in pots; the soil should be sandy heath mould and light loam, in equal proportions. 
They are propagated by cuttings of the tender wood slipped from the old plants when 
about an inch and a half long, and without any other preparation except taking off 
a little at the end of the slips to make them level and smooth; plant them in pots 
of the same kind of soil as that in which the plants grow, plunge them in heat, and 
cover them with a bell-glass. Also seeds are occasionally produced, which should 


be sown early im spring. 
KENNEDY A. 


For the successful culture of these plants, see Vol. II. pages 85, 99, 186, 260; 
‘and page 26, of the present volume. 

LALAGE. 

L. onNATA. No plant ofa similar habit is a more beautiful object than is this 
when in full flower ; it requires an airy situation in the greenhouse, and the common 
treatment of other New Holland plants. It strikes very readily from cuttings of 
half-ripened wood, planted in pots of sand, under a glass. 


LIGHTFOOTIA. 

L. Loppicesii. This plant is of simple culture, growing freely in equal parts 
of heath mould and loam, and cuttings of the tender wood strike root freely if 
planted in May in pots of soil, and covered with a glass, in a gentle hotbed. Seeds 
are occasionally produced, which should be sown as soon as ripe. 


LINUM. 

L. FLAVUM. Though we have arranged this plant amongst greenhouse plants 
it is nearly hardy, growing with the greatest freedom in the open borders in any 
light soil, and is very easily propagated by cuttings, planted under a hand-glass, on 
a warm border, about the beginning of May. 


LACHNAAA. 

L. PURPUREA is a remarkable free flowering plant, continuing in bloom greater 
part of the summer: its roots require to be somewhat cramped to throw it into 
flower, the plant is also liable to perish by overwatering during winter. To avoid 
this, always drain the pots well with potsherds, never water unless the soil in 
the pot appears dry, and then administer it sparingly. The plant should be potted 
in sandy heath mould, and is readily propagated by cuttings of the tender wood, 
planted in pots of sand, plunged in heat, and covered with bell-glasses. 


LECHENAULTIA. 

These are pretty little plants, very suitable for planting out in summer in small 
beds in the open ground; they love a soil about two parts sandy heath mould and 
one part loam. Cuttings of the young wood planted in pots of sand, placed in a 
cucumber frame, and covered with glasses, will grow very freely. 

LIPARIA. 

L. spHm@RicA. This noble plant thrives best if planted out in the conservatory, 

as the roots are very impatient of being cramped in a pot; if, however, it is not 


a 


LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 185 


convenient to plant it out, give the roots as much room as conveniently can be 
spared; pot in light sandy loam and heath mould. Great caution is necessary in 
watering ; perhaps more Liparias are killed by being overwatered, than by any other 
means. Never water unless the soil appears dry, and be very sparing in quantity 
during the winter months ; also, unless the weather be excessively dry, under no 
circumstances water overhead—good drainage with potsherds is indispensable, as any 
stagnation is almost immmediate death. The best way of propagation is to cut off 
the young tops about an inch and a half long, and plant them in fine sand, cover 
them with a bell-glass, and place the pot in a rather dry heat, wipe the glass every 
morning, and water the pots round the outside of the glass when necessary, in 
preference to pouring water amongst the cuttings, which might speedily damp 


them off. 
MELALEUCA. 


All the species of Melaleuca deserve cultivation, and are of easy growth ; they 
should be potted in a mixture of two parts sandy heath mould and one part light 
loam. Cuttings of the ripe wood planted in September in pots of sand, covered 
with a bell-glass, and set in a cool airy place till spring, then plunged in a cucumber 
frame or other moist heat, will grow readily. 


METROSIDEROS. 
The culture of these is precisely the same as for Melaleuca. 


MIRBELIA. 

M. pILATATA. A small shrub of great value in a collection, on account of 
the bluish-purple colour of the flowers. It should be potted in a very sandy loam, 
mixed with equal parts of sandy heath mould; it is propagated by cuttings of the 
tender wood, which should be planted in May in sand, and covered with a glass, and 


plunged in a hotbed. 
NIEREMBERGIA. 


All the species should be treated in the same manner as Petunia linearis, for 


which, see Vol. II., page 219. 
NERIUM. 


N. SPLENDENS and OLEANDER are both very fine plants, and require to be 
potted in very rich soil, say equal parts of heath mould, rich loam, and leaf mould, 
or very rotten dung; the plants should, if convenient, be piaced in a little heat in 
spring to bring them into flower; they are very readily increased by cuttings of 
half-ripened wood, which should be taken off in April, placed in vials of water 
instead of soil, subjected to a brisk moist heat, or hung up in the stove, and after- 
wards be potted in the above soil. The WV. odorum should be kept in a warm part 
of the greenhouse, because it is more liable to be affected by cold than either of the 
other species; but, in other respects, treated the same as splendens and oleander. 


OXYLOBIUM. 
These plants should be treated in the same way as Gompholobium, Hovea, 
and other New Holland plants of similar habit. 


PIMELEA. 
P. DECUSSATA is the handsomest species of the whole genus; it should be kept 
In a very airy situation in the greenhouse, potted in sandy heath mould. The plants 
VOL. IlI.—NO. XXXII. BB 


186 LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS: 


must not be allowed to flag for want of water, neither should they be overwatered, 
either of which are usually fatal. Cuttings of the young wood taken off in April, 
planted in pots of sand covered with a bell-glass, and plunged in a gentle ae 


will strike root very freely. 
PENA. 


P. squAmosa. A remarkable plant with rose-coloured flowers; it is very scarce, 
and is generally considered difficult to keep. The great nicety is in watering ; if 
not well drained, and there is the least stagnation of water, the plant is soon 
seriously injured, if it does not totally perish. A good soil for it is equal parts of 
leaf mould, heath mould, and sandy loam. Cuttings of half-ripened wood planted 
in pots of sand, plunged in a gentle hotbed, and covered with a bell-glass, will 


quickly strike root. 
PETUNIA. 


For the culture of Petunia, see Vol. I. page 7; and Vol. II. pages 173, 


and 219. 
PROSTANTHERA. 


P. tasiantHus. This is very handsome, but the flowers are remarkably 
fugitive ; it should be potted in a mixture of equal parts of sandy loam and heath 
mould, and should stand in an airy part of the greenhouse. Cuttings of half-ripened 
wood planted in pots of soil, and plunged in a gentle heat, will readily strike root. 


PELARGONIUM. 

The beautiful varieties of this extensive genus are so numerous, and the names 
so arbitrary, that any attempt at giving a list would be quite superfluous, they are 
all very beautiful and very easy of culture; the general particulars of which may be 
stated as follows :— 

1, All the species and varieties which are natives of the Cape of Good Hopes 
require the shelter of the greenhouse ; but, with a few exceptions, all will flourish 
in the open borders during the summer months. 

2. The tuberous rooted kinds should all be potted in a mixture of equal parts 
of light turfy loam, heath mould, rotten dung, and sand. They also require 
particularly well draining, and when not in a growing state they must be kept 
perfectly free from water; but at the seasons of growth and flowering they require 
a good supply. 

3. All the tuberous rooted kinds are propagated by a division of the roots 
during the season of their torpidity. 

4, The herbaceous species and varieties will thrive in any light rich soil, and 
are usually propagated by cuttings of both the stems and roots, also by seeds. 

5. The succulent kinds should be potted in the same soil as the tuberous 
rooted ones. They must be well drained, as recommended above, and require but 
utile water at any time, but especially during the winter months. 

. All the shrubby kinds are of the most easy growth. A soil composed of two 
ae of sandy loam, two parts well rotted dung, one part heath mould, and one 
part fine sand. 

7. They are propagated most readily by cuttings of the half-ripened wood 
any time, either in spring or summer. The best way, if convenient, is to prepare a 
gentle hotbed, place a frame over it, and cover it with about six inches of old bark 


LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 187 


from a pine-pit; plant the cuttings in thimble pots or not larger than 60-s, 
placing a cutting in the centre of each pot, using the same soil as recommended for 
the old plants; water them, and afterwards plunge the pots up to the rim in the 
tan, put on the lights, and shade them from the sun for the first day with a mat. 
Afterwards fully expose them to the sun, andgive no air except the sun be very 
powerful ; but keep them well watered, and in little more than a fortnight they will 
have made good roots, and be ready to pot off. 

8. The best time for potting is in February, when the plants are beginning to 
grow, and immediately after they have done flowering. 

9. During the time they stand out of doors in the summer months, never allow 
them to be exposed to the full effects of the sun at mid-day, and never allow them 
to flag for want of water. 

10. Never take the plants out of the house before the second week of May, 
and never allow them to stand out later than the first week of October. And 
previous to their being brought into the house again, take off some of the surface 
soil from each of the pots, and top-dress them with the compost recommended 
above. 

11. Both before the plants are taken out, and after they are brought again into 
the house, give as much air day and night as the weather will permit; but on no 
account expose them to the effects of frost, which would inevitably destroy them. 

12. During the months of April, May, June, July, and August, they require 
abundance of water, and two or three times in a week it is advisable to water them 
overhead. But before April, it is not well to wet the leaves at all; and after 
August they must receive a less quantity of water, and the soil must be allowed 
to become quite dry before any he administered. 

13. The most difficult months to preserve Pelargoniums healthy are November, 
December, and January. During these months, the floor on which they stand 
should be kept dry and clean, and the soil in the pots rather dry than otherwise. 
All dead leaves must be carefully picked off, and as much air given as the season 
will allow; and should the house become very damp, a little fire to dry it up is 
very beneficial. | 
_ 14. From the beginning of May to the beginning of September always water 
the plants in an evening; but, from the beginning of September to the beginning 
of May, water them in the morning after the sun has risen, that the dampness may 
be dried up before night. In winter this rule must be particularly attended to. 

15. Always sow the seeds of Pelargoniums as early as convenient after being 
ripe, by which means a year is gained in the growth. 

16. Many persons who have no greenhouse to preserve these plants in during 
the winter months, are much at a loss how to safely dispose of them till the following 
spring. As there are usually a greater quantity propagated for furnishing the 
borders than can be conveniently placed in the house windows, there are several 
ways of preserving them, of which we give the following :-— 

17. At the end of September, or not later than the first week in October, take 
up the roots of all the Cape species of Pelargoniwms which are growing in the 
borders, shake the earth away from the roots, and cut all tender and succulent 


188 LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 


wood; fix a common frame in a warm situation, fully exposed to the sun, place a 
foot thickness of soil round it to prevent the frost from making an entrance, make 
a dry bottom of broken stone, and lay about a foot thickness of dry sand, in which 
plunge the roots in rows, as thick as they can be conveniently placed, cover them 
with lights, and with mats whenever there is danger of frost. If the cultivator 
possesses no frame a box will answer the purpose, placing the plants close together, 
and setting the box in the window of a shed or other room, where light is admitted, 
giving them no water until the following March ; and, by the second week of May, 
they may again be planted in the open border, where they will grow vigorously and 
flower very finely. 

18. Another way of preserving them is, to take them up from the borders on 
the approach of winter, to shake the soil from the roots, and hang them up in a 
cellar, or other dark room, not affected by changes of weather, until the season of 
planting out again in May. When planted out, let them be sheltered from the 
light and sun for a day or two, and afterwards gradually exposed, as they become 
strong. | 

19. Perhaps as good a way as any is to raise a quantity of young plants, in 
preference to taking the old roots up ; to do this successfully, take off in September 
or October as many cuttings as will be necessary for the next year’s use, and plant 
them in a light soil, under a hand-glass, on a warm south border. Shelter them 
a while until they have begun to grow, which will be in little more than a week; 

“in winter, be careful not to overwater them; keep them clean from dead leaves ; 
cover them safely with a mat in frosty weather; give them air in favourable 
weather; and, when the weather becomes fine in the spring, gradually expose them, 
until they will bear the open air; after which, plant them out in the places appointed 
for them. If it is not convenient to plant them under a hand-glass, use a flower- 
pot for the purpose, giving a good drainage, by half-filling the pot with broken 
potsherds, and afterwards placing it in the window of a house, or any other con- 
venient place, until the following spring. 

20. If the time of taking off the cuttings should chance to be prolonged until 
the frosts have nipped the plants, if not very severely cut, they may still be 
propagated ; it will be observed, that although the plants appear to be killed, there is 
usually at the extremity of each of the branches a piece about an inch or more long 
which appears perfectly fresh and green; let these ends be taken off and planted as 
speedily as possible, or they will quickly perish for want of nourishment. 

PROTEA. 
For the successful culture of this genus, see Vol. I., page 231. 


PODOLOBIUM. 
P. TRILOBATA should be treated precisely in the same manner as Gompho- 
lobium, &c. 
PULTEN ASA. 
These species require the same treatment as the last. 


POLYGALA. 


A very pretty genus of easy growing plants, requiring to be potted in a soil 
composed of two parts heath mould, one part rotten leaves, and one part very light 


LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 189 


loam. The plants should always stand in an airy part of the greehouse. Cuttings 
of the tender wood, slipped off when about two inches long, and planted in pots of 
fine clean sand, under a glass, and placed in a cucumber frame, or other situation 
where they will receive a brisk heat, will very shortly grow. As soon as they are 
rooted pot them off, and place them again in the frame for a short time, until they 


begin to grow. 
PUNICA. 


P. nana. This plant is seldom seen in flower in our collections, although 
under most cultivators’ care it grows very freely ; perhaps this deficiency may be 
accounted for by the plants being constantly kept in the greenhouse. For successful 
management it is indispensable to introduce this species, in the spring months, into 
a good brisk heat, either of a plant stove, pine pit, or cucumber frame, until it has 
made wood; after which, gradually expose it to a cooler air, until it will endure the 
greenhouse, and in general it will flower very freely. The soil most suitable is 
composed of two parts of rich light loam and one part heath mould. The pots 
should be well drained. Cuttings of the ripe wood, planted in pots of soil or sand, 
under a glass in September, if set in a cool dry place in the greenhouse through the 
winter, and in March plunged in a brisk heat, will strike root very freely. 


ROELLIA. 

R. ciziaTa. A very beautiful little plant, of rather short duration, being very 
liable to damp off in winter. It requires to be potted in a mixture of three parts 
sandy heath mould and one part rotten leaves, and set in a very dry and airy part 
of the greenhouse, close to the glass. Cuttings of the tender wood slipped off, and 
planted in pots of fine sand under glass, and placed in a rather dry heat, will strike 


root freely. 
RHODODENDRON. 


R. ARBOREUM with its varieties. See Vol. I. page 101, Vol. II. page 98, and 


Vol. III. page 64. 
SPHENOGYNE. 


S. ODORATA and PILIFERA are both of common culture, growing very freely 
in any light rich soil, and are easily increased by cuttings of half-ripened wood, 


planted in pots of soil. 
SALVIA. 


S. FULGENS is a most beautiful species, usually grown in the open air, in the 
summer months planted out in beds, where it makes a most splendid show. It is 
very easily propagated by cuttings of the half-ripened wood, planted either under a 
hand-glass, or in pots; they grow quicker if placed in a little heat. 

S. SPLENDENS is more tender than the last ; it is apt to become very unsightly 
in winter if overwatered; the best way is to be very sparing of water,—to set the 
plant in a warm, and dry, but very airy part of the house. Early in spring 
introduce the plant into a brisk heat, where it will make fine shoots, and show 
flower finely, when. it may be removed to the greenhouse. Propagation is performed 
by cuttings planted in pots of soil and placed in a cucumber frame. 

STENANTHERA. 

S. PINIFOLIA. A very elegant shrub, flowering from September to January ; 

but the flowers are very fugitive. It is a native of New South Wales. A soil 


190 LIST OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 


composed of very sandy heath mould and light loam suits it well; it is very 
impatient of water, the pots must therefore be well drained with potsherds, the 
general treatment is much the same as that of Cape heaths; exposure to hot sun- 
shine is always injurious. Propagated by cuttings of half ripened wood, planted in 
sand, under a bell-glass, with a dry heat; it also produces seeds, which should be 


SOWN as soon as ripe. 
STENOCHILUS. 


S. macuLatus. This plant should be planted in sandy heath mould, and be 
placed in a very airy part of the greenhouse. It is propagated by cuttings of half- 
ripened wood, planted in sand under glass, and placed in a gentle heat. 

SENECIO. 

S. ELEGANS PLENA should be grown in light rich soil, and cuttings planted in 

pots of soil, and placed in a cucumber frame, strike root very freely. 
STYPHELIA. 
S. TUBIFLORA. This plant belongs to Epacridee, for the culture of which, 


see Vol. I. page 53. 
TEMPLETONIA. 


T. GLAUCA grows to a much finer size if planted out in the pit of a conser- 
vatory, than when in a pot. It grows freely in a mixture of equal parts of loam 
and heath mould. Cuttings of half-ripened wood, planted in pots of sand under a 
glass, and placed in a gentle heat, will grow, although with difficulty. 

T. RETUSA has very slender branches, and though not a climber, is nevertheless 
a beautiful plant to train against a trellis in the greenhouse. It should be planted 
wholly in peat, and cuttings treated as those of the 7. glauca. 


TECOMA. 
T. Capensis. For the culture of this, see Vol. II. page 86, on Bignoma 


Capensis. 


USUAL SEASONS OF FLOWERING. 
Flowering in February. 
FLOWERS YELLOW. FLOWERS SCARLET. 
Acacia dealbata. Epacris grandiflora. 
FLOWERS ROSE-COLOURED. 
E;\pacris impressa. 


Flowering in March. 


FLOWERS SCARLET. FLOWERS WHITE. 
Beaufortia decussata. Anthocercis viscosa. 
— _ carinata. Pyrus floribunda. 

_  — speciosa. : 
Correa speciosa. e FLOWERS BLUE. 

— pulchella. Hovea Celsii. 

‘ ia formosa. 

Lechenaultia formo FLOWERS ROSE-COLOURED. 


pe multiflora. 


Stenochilus maculatus. Helichrysum proliferum. 


— spectabile. 


FLOWERS PURPLE. 


Draceena stricta. 
Hovea pannosa. 

— purpurea. 
Melaleuca squamea. 
Nierembergia filicaulis. 


Mirbelia dilatata. 
Pena squamosa. 
Styphelia tubiflora. 
FLOWERS YELLOW. 
Daviesia cordata. 


LIST 


FLOWERS YELLOW. 


Gompholobium venustum. 
latifolium. 
erandiflorum. 
setifolium. 
Pultzenea stricta. 

= __—palacea. 
Cassia pulchella. 
Acacia preensans. 
Bossie microphylla. 
Lalage ornata. 
Liparia spheerica. 
Sphenogyne odorata. 
Oxylobium arborescens. 


es 
oe 


FLOWERS BLUE. 
Hovea villosa.. 
Prostanthera violacea. 


FLOWERS ORANGE AND YELLOW. 


Chorizema nana. 

— rhombea. 
Linum flavum. 
Oxylobium retusum. 


FLOWERS PURPLE 


Petunia linearis. 


FLOWERS SCAKLET. 


Bouvardia versicolor. 
Brugmansia bicolor. 
Calothamnus quadrifida. 


FLOWERS BLUE. 
Roellia ciliata. 


FLOWERS 
Prostanthera lasianthos. 


WHITE. 


FLOWERS SCARLET. 
Crassula coccinea. 
. versicolor. 
Fuchsia macrostemon. 
Callistemon scabra. 


— 


FLOWERS ROSE-COLOURED,. 
Pimelea decussata. 


FLOWERS SCARLET AND RED. 
Stenochilus. maculatus. 
Gardoquia Hookeri. 
FLOWERS WHITE. 
Hakea linearis. 


FLOWERS YELLOW. 
ecoma Capensis. 


OF GREENHOUSE SHRUBS. 


Flowering in April. 
FLOWERS PURPLE, 
Boronia serrulata. 


denticulata. 
Polygala grandiflora. 


FLOWEKS SCARLET OR RED. 


Templetonia glauca. 
Metrosideros speciosa. 

— semperflorens. 
Dillwynia glycinifolia. 
pungens. 


FLOWERS ROSE-COLOURED. 


Chorizema Henchmanni. 
Indigofera incana. 

— australis. 
Lachnea purpurea. 


Flowering in May. 
FLOWERS WHITE. 


Rhododendron album. 
— arboreum fimbriatum. 


FLOWERS SCARLET AND RED. 
Fuchsia gracilis multiflora. 
tenella. 
— __ globosa. 
major. 


Salvia fulgens. 
splendens. 
Rhododendron arboreum. 


Flowering in June. 
FLOWERS YELLOW. 
Callistachys lanceolata. 
Podolobium trilobatum. 
FLOWERS PURPLE, 
Senecio elegans plena. 
Crotalaria purpurea. 
Jacaranda tomentosa. 
FLOWERS ROSE-COLOURED. 
Stenanthera pinifolia. 
Flowering in July. 


FLOWERS. PURPLE. 


Burtonia conferta. 


FLOWERS BLUE. 


Lightfootia Loddigesii. 
Lupinus Cruckshankii. 


Flowering in August. 
FLOWERS ROSE-COLOURED. 
Crowea saligna. 
Fuchsia arborescens. 
Nerium splendens. 
oleander. 
odorum. 
Salvia involucrata. 


om 


—— 


191 


192 OPERATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER. 


Flowering in September. 


FLOWERS PURPLE. FLOWERS WHITE. 
Fuchsia venusta. Crategus glabra. 

FLOWERS YELLOW. FLOWERS SCARLET AND RED. 
Bosse heterophylla. Escallonia rubra. 
Sphenogyne pilifera. Punica nana. 


OPERATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER. 


Acacias, &c., may now be increased. 

Boronia PINNATA may still be propagated in a pot of sand, under a hand- 
glass. ‘They must be watered and shaded with great caution, or the cuttings will 
damp off. 

CLIANTHUS PUNICEUS now propagated, will make good plants for next sea- 
son ; the flowering shoots should be rejected in selecting the cuttings. 

COLUMNEA SCANDENS, &c., cuttings will now succeed if put in sand, under a 
bell-glass, in a moderate cool part of the propagating house. 

Fucusias. Cuttings of these plants may now be put in. They wiil require 
air occasionally while in the striking pot, on account of the young members being 
liable to damp off, if the glass be not sometimes removed. 

HYDRANGEA HORTENSIS now in full bloom, should have a good supply of water, 
to enable it to support and retain its colours. ) 

ILLICIUM FLORIDANUM, ANISATUM, &c., may now be propagated from cuttings 
with success. 

KENNEDYA DILATATA, &c., may now be put in. 

MANETTIA CORDIFOLIA may, with success, be propagated any time this 
month. See Vol. II. pages 85, 87. 267. 

NERINE SARNIENSIS, or GUERNSEY LILY, should early this. month (if not done 
as recommended last month) be potted, observing, while growing, to give them a 
good supply of air and water; other autumnal bulbs may now be planted. 

Portutaca Gititersi. Young plants of this handsome species should be 
raised this month; they strike freely from the leaf, or a small portion of the stem 
in a pot, with a very little heat under a hand-glass. Obtain a good stock before 
winter sets in, for they are apt to go off during that season. 

PRIMULA, AURICULA, &c., now sown, and the young plants kept through the 
winter, will next season make strong plants for flowering the succeeding spring. 

SCOTTIA DENTATA. Cuttings of this plant may now be propagated. See 
Boronia. 

TREVIRANA COCCINEA should now be supplied with plenty of water. 

TROPHOLUM PENTAPHYLLUM, &c., now propagated, will make pretty plants 
for next season’s use. They will strike tolerably free in a pot of sand, carefully 
watered under a hand-glass. 


195 


HELICONIA BRAZILIENSIS. 


(BRAZILIAN HELICONIA.) 


CLASS. ORDER. 
-PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA, 
NATURAL ORDER. 


MUSACEZ:. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Spathe universal and partial. Calyx none. Corolla three petals, superior. 
Neciary two-leaved, Stigma one. Capsule three-celled, with one-seeded cells. —Encyclopedia 
of Plants. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—An evergreen stove perennial, from seven to eight feet high, smooth. Stem 
clothed with the sheathing bases of the leafstalks. Leafstalks cylinder-shaped, shiny, two feet 
long. Leaves from ten inches to two feet in length, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, acute, marked with 
parallel and oblique nerves ; upper surface approaching a velvety green, beneath paler. Flower stem 
something shorter than the leaves, furnished at the end with five or six spreading boat-shaped and 
taper-pointed deep reddish spatha, attached toa zigzag rachis. Perianth of six linear lanceolate 
acute segments. Stamens perfect, rather longer than the perianth, and inserted at the base of its 
inner segment. Pisti/ germen inferior tapering downwards, three-celled. Style the length of the 

filaments, slender, swollen in the middle. Stigma obtuse. 


Py 


In the natural order Musacee, to which the genus Heliconia belongs, is found 
plants which, for their rich and noble foliage, gigantic stature, and surpassingly 
splendid flowers, may be classed amongst the noblest and most useful objects in the 
vegetable world; for, while in point of ornament it embraces the genus Strehtzia, 
esteemed for the resplendent orange, scarlet, and white blossoms its different species 
display, it possesses, in point of usefulness, the genus Musa,so much prized in 
the tropics for the wholesome food some species produce. 

The species represented in the accompanying plate, is one of extraordinary 
veauty, and when seen in a state of nature, presents one of the richest ornaments 
known to our collections, the brilliant scarlet being so admirably blended and 
distinct ; and when viewed in contrast with the green of the leaves, is seen in its 
highest perfection ; and what, in addition to the above, recommends this species to 
the notice of all lovers of exotic plants, is the length of time the flowers remain 
perfect ; upwards of a fortnight the detached specimen from which our drawing was 
made remained, with a slight exception, unimpaired, being only now and then during 
that time supplied with fresh water. 

VOL, III.—NO. XXXIII. cc 


194 HELICONIA BRAZILIENSIS. 


It is a native of Brazil, and was added to our collections some years ago. In 
Dr. Hooker’s Ex. Fl. t. 190, a figure and accurate description of it is given. 

To our much valued friend 2 
Mr, Cooper, of Wentworth, 
our warmest acknowledge- 
ments are due for his kind- 
ness in putting into our 
hands so handsome a species. \ — 
In the rich assemblage of 
exotic plants cultivated 
there, it produced its flowers | \ 
about April last. 

All the species of Helico- 
ma require a strong stove- 
heat, and to grow them well, 
a good rich loamy soil with a 
little sand must be used; | 
good drainage is indispensi- 
ble ia potting the plants; 
when growing, they consume 
a good deal of water, still, at 
all times, it is well to-adminis- 


ter it with caution. Young 


plants are obtained by divi- 
sions at the roots. 

The generic name indi- 
cates theaffinity of this genus 
to the genus Musa. 


195 


COLLINSIA BICOLOR. 


(TWO-COLOURED COLLINSIA. ) 
CLASS. ORDER, 
DIDYNAMIA. ANGIOSPERMIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


SCROPHULARIN &. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyz five-lobed, persistent, inferior. Corolla monopetalous, five-parted. Capsule 
two-valved, bifid. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—A hardy annual, growing about eighteen inches high. Leaves lanceolate, sinuated, 
and smooth, of a dark green colour. Flowers numerous, in whorls. Corolla of four lobes, the 
two upper ones nearly white, the two lowermost of a fine deep blue, throat white. Stamens four, 
united, equal. Style filiform. 

Tuis is another of the many beautiful hardy annuals sent to the Horticultural 
Society of London, by the late Mr. David Douglas, 
from California. 

The drawing was taken from a plant which flowered 
beautifully in His Grace the Duke of Devonshire’s 
collection, at Chiswick, about May last. 

In the Botanical Register, page 1734, Dr. Lindley 
gives the following accurate hints on this very hand- 
some plant. ‘It grows from a foot to a foot and a half 
high, and produces its pretty two-coloured blossoms most 


copiously in May and June, when it has been sown the 


pa 


ey e) Ae, 
(33 ! msl “Ap 


previous autumn; if sown in May, it will flower in 


Mh 


August and September.” 


i} 


Was 
ND 


We are enabled to give the fellowing hints from 
our own observation. When sown in the autumn, 


where the plants are intended to produce their flowers 


the succeeding spring, nothing can surpass the richness a. 
its masses of cheerful blue flowers present; we have VAS Ps 
observed it to be almost universally the case with annuals A 4 

coming from this part of the world (North America), 
that if allowed to shed their seeds where they are to re- qs — 


main, or be sown very thick in autumn, the effect is very 


196 COLLINSIA BICOLOR. 


imposing in comparison with transplanted beds or groups; they also commence 
flowering as the early bulbs are fading, a season when there very generally exists a 
scarcity of flowers out of doors for a month. When sown in summer, they do not 
last long, the generality of their roots being small and fibrous; they are, in conse- 
quence, apt to get scorched by the sun ; but when sown in autumn or very early in 
the spring, they allow the season to get sufficiently advanced for substituting in 
their stead Geraniums, Petunias, &c.; these, if well selected, will last the whole 
season. We kept some plants of Colhnsia bicolor in pots during the winter, and 
they looked exceedingly lively through the months of February and March, a 
desirable addition at that season. 

The genus is dedicated, by Dr. Lindley, to the name of Mr. Zaccheus Collins of 
Philadelphia, a gentleman of talent as a Botanist and Mineralogist. ‘The specific 
name bicolor alludes to the two distinct colours in the flower, viz., the dark blue of 


the lower lobes of the corolla, and white of the upper. 


/ 


/ A 
VX PR VLEPDDV ILA 


A, 


16 


4) 


pth thd 


Synathe, 8c 


Holdman ded 


197 


MIMULUS CARDINALIS. | 


(SCARLET-FLOWERED MIMULUS.) 


CLASS, ORDER, 


DIDYNAMIA. ANGIOSPERMIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


SCROPHULARIN/E. 


Generic Cuaracter.—See Vol. I. page 29. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—A hardy herbaceous plant, growing from four to six feet high. Stem erect, 
breaking into many loose, partially upright, axillary branches, the strongest from the four or five 
lowermost buds, covered with long delicate glutinous hairs. Leaves opposite, of a yellowish green 
colour, and of an oblong-ovate figure, irregularly toothed from a little more than the middle of each 
to the point at the base, connate, somewhat attenuated and quite simple, also covered on both sides 
with hairs less glutinous than those on the stem, and shorter. Flowers produced on long, nearly 
erect, solitary, axillary footstalks, hairy like the stem. Calyz alike hairy, strongly ribbed, terminated 
by five acute regular teeth, covered on the outside with dark velvety markings towards the base. 
Corolla consisting of four oblong reflexed lobes, each of which is notched at the end and feathered 
with marginal hairs, the two side ones bent back so as to press not unfrequently on the sides of the 
calyx; the lowermost lobes the broadest, and likewise reflexed, internally, of a bright scarlet, and 
externally of a reddish yellow colour. Throaé streaked and mottled with dark pink upon a yellow 
ground, opposite the front lobe are two rows of glandular hairs which extend from the orifice nearly 
to the base of the tube. Stamens four, two of which are the longest, erect, springing from near the 
base of the corolla. Filaments pale yellow. Anthers yellow and hairy. Style erect, concave,. 
terminated by.a kind of two-valved stigma; each valve, when the flower is sufficiently matured, opens 

_ apparently for the reception of the pollen. The whole plant emits a slight smell of musk. 


Description or cut.—l. Corolla laid open; 2. The Calyx laid open to show the pistil and seed-vessel ; 
3. Section of the seed-vessel; 4. Anthers magnified. 


SEEDS of this fine plant were forwarded from California to the London Horti- 
cultural Society twelve or eighteen months ago, by our friend Mr. Douglas, to 
whose unwearied exertions in the cause of botanical science we are indebted for 
many choice and beautiful plants now so conspicuous in our collections. 

In the autumn of 1835, we obtained a plant and a little seed from the above society ; 


and having succeeded in raising a few seedling plants, it became our chief object to 


198 MIMULUS CARDINALIS. 


preserve them safe until the following spring. To our satisfaction, the plants grew 
rapidly, and shortly sent out four or five strong branches from the axils of the lower- 
most leaves; perceiving them to be luxuriant growers, attention was paid to potting 
and to the selection of soil, so that nothing was wanting to render them healthy 
and strong. Thus progressing, they continued without intermission from the early 
part of February until the beginning of June, when the plants had reached the height 
of seven feet from the base of the stem to the extreme point of the leading shoot; 
and in diameter, the lowermost branches measured six 
feet, and the whole was from top to bottom thickly deco- 
rated with their singularly formed and pretty bright 
scarlet blossoms; these elegantly contrast with the pale 
yellowish-green leaves, which produce an effect that 
cannot but prove a valuable accession to our flower- 
garden ornaments. 

Plants plunged in a border in the flower-garden about 
May last, are now upwards of five feet high, and being 
in full bloom, make a good show; still we may expect 
them to depart on the approach of winter, and their 
place to be supplied with newly raised seedlings. Such 
as are supplied with plenty of pot room and soil com- 


posed of loam and leaf-mould, and the pots allowed 


to stand in feeders constantly full of water, besides 
supplying them well in the usual way on the surface of the soil, will grow and 
flower beautifully and make noble ornaments ; or young plants, raised in the autumn 
or early in the spring, will, if planted in the flower-garden, make a gay appearance 
in the autumn. 

We observe the colours of the flowers to vary on different plants; the flowers 
of some being of a rich bright scarlet, while others assume a more dull and yellow 
aspect ; also, in an instance or two, have we met with flowers having a very dark 
eye: from these minor differences, the attentive amateur may expect to raise some 
handsome hybrids, by crossing with J. roseus, variegatus, &c. It is most probable 
that in the winter, it will require a dry part of the greenhouse, possibly a cold frame 


may be too lowa temperature for it to be safe in. 


The generic name will be found explained at page 30, Vol. I. The specific. 


name cardinalis was given by its lamented discoverer, on account of the brilliant 
scarlet of its flowers. | 
Our drawing was made from a plant that flowered in the greenhouse at Chats- 


worth about July last. 


- roots are produced, ‘The leaves 


/ 


| 
( 


! 
) 


} 
i 


i} 
| 
| 


199 


ON ESCULENT ROOTS *. 


THE Sweet Potato, (fig. 1,) was introduced into England, by Sir Francis Drake 
and Sir John Hawkins, in the middle of the fifteenth century. Attempts were made 
to naturalise it in this country, but it was found too tender to thrive in the open 
air through an English winter. Gerarde cultivated it in his garden in 1597, where 
it flourished during the warm season; but as soon as it was assailed by the cold 
weather it drooped, and perished in the ground. The roots were, at that time, 
imported into England in considerable quantities from Spain and the Canaries, and 
were prized as a confection rather than as a nourishing vegetable. A more abundant 
supply of fruit of home growth has caused the batafa gradually to decline in favour, 
and for many years it has ceased to be an article of importation into this country. 

This plant is an herbaceous 


perennial, which sends out many 
trailing stalks, extending six or 
eight feet every way; these are fy 
round and of a pale green colour ; > 
at each joint roots are put forth, Se -¢ 


which, in a genial climate, grow to eS 
Ss 


be very large tubers, so that from 
a single plant forty or fifty large 


are angular, and stand on long 
petioles. The flowers are purple. 
Several varieties of this plant are 
to be found in the different coun- 
tries where it is cultivated, and , 
which differ from each other in Z& 
size, shape, and the flavour of the 
roots. The batata is propagated 
by laying down the young shoots 
in the spring ; indeed, in its native Sweet Potato.—Convolvulus batata. 

climate, it multiplies itself almost spontaneously ; for, if the branches of roots that 
have been pulled up are suffered to remain on the ground, and a shower of rain falls 
soon after they have been broken off, their vegetation will recommence. The roots 
are sweet, nourishing, and though rather insipid, of no unpleasant flavour. In 
warm climates the batata is of very abundant growth and easy of propagation ; and, 
therefore, it is matter of surprise that, in Brazil, the mandioc should be cultivated 
in preference as food for the negroes, the batata being raised more as a luxury for 
the planter’s table. In the national garden at Paris, this plant is raised in a hotbed, 
whence it is transplanted at the latter end of the spring into the open ground, and 


* Extracted from the volume of the ‘ Library of Entertaining Knowledge,” devoted to vegetable 
substances used for the food of man. 


200 ON ESCULENT ROOTS. 


treated like the common potato. In favourable seasons a tolerable crop is pro- 
duced ; and hopes are entertained that, in the course of some years the batata will be 
so far acclimatised as to be the object of successful field culture in the south of France. 

The Yam, Dioscorea sativa, is a native | Fig. 2. 
of the east; and is supposed to have been 
transplanted thence to the West Indies, as 
it has never been found growing wild in 
any part of America; while in the island 
of Ceylon, and on the coast of Malabar, it 
flourishes in the woods with spontaneous 
and luxuriant growth. It is very exten- 
sively cultivated in Africa, Asia, and 
America, for its root, which is nutritious 
and of good flavour, and is used either 
roasted or boiled as a substitute for bread. 
This root is farinaceous, and resembles the 
potato, but is of a closer texture. 

Some yams were first brought into this 
country from the West Indies, in 1733; and 
they are now occasionally imported, more, 
however, as an article of curiosity than of 


commerce. , Yam.—Dioscorea sativa. 

The yam is a climbing plant with tender stalks, of from eighteen to twenty feet in 
length ; it has smooth, sharp-pointed leaves, on long footstalks, from the base of which | 
arise spikes of small flowers. The root is flat and palmated, about a foot in breadth, — 
white within, and externally of a dark brown colour, almost approaching to black. 


The WincEep YAm, Dios- Hg. 3 
corea alata, is another species 
very generally cultivated: its 
roots attain to a larger size, 
being frequently about three 
feet long, and weighing about 
thirty pounds. Both these kinds 
are cultivated like the common 
potato. They are usually 
planted in August, and are fit 
for use in the November and 
December following. Brown * 
directs that the roots for plant- 
ing should be cut so as to leave 
a small portion of skin to each 
piece ; “for by that alone,” he 
affirms, “ they germinate, the Different sorts of Yam root. 
roots having no apparent buds or eyes, but casting out their weakly stems from 
every part of the surface alike.” 


Sp, QQ 


* History of Jamaica. 


ON THE RELATION OF VEGETATION TO SEASONS. 201 


When dug out of the earth, the roots are placed in the sun to dry, and are then 
put into sand or casks, where, if guarded from moisture, they may be preserved a 
considerable length of time, without being in any way injured in their quality. 


oa 


ON THE RELATION OF VEGETATION TO SEASONS*. 


Repose from growth seems periodically necessary to most plants, and accord- 
ingly we find there is no country without a season of growth and a season of rest, 
whether they are called by the name of winter and summer, or rainy season and dry 
season. ‘This fact is connected with several considerations, to which it may be 
necessary to advert. What is about to be said has reference to the seasons of the 
north of Europe ; it is left to the reader to apply the observations to the climate of 
other parts of the world. In the winter we commonly say that all vegetation is at 
rest ;—that the sap ceases to flow, new parts to be developed, and old parts to 
enlarge; but this is not exactly true. It appears, from experiment, that vegeta- 
tion is at all times more or less active, and that we ought to say, that it is languid 
in winter, and energetic in the spring and summer. The fact of many plants re- 
taining their leaves, of others swelling their buds, and of all forming an addition 
more or less considerable, to the points of their roots during winter, sufficiently 
attest the movement of the fluids, and the existence of vegetation even at that 
season. This is further proved by the well-known fact, that trees planted in the 
autumn become turgid with the fluid absorbed by their roots during winter; and 
M. Biot has succeeded in obtaining a flow of sap from certain trees, even in the 
midst of that dreary season. But whatever power of attracting sap by its roots 
a plant may possess during winter, it is obvious that it has little means of parting 
with any part of it again by evaporation at that period of the year; so that during 
the winter the whole of the tissue must acquire a state of turgidity, which will go on 
increasing till the leaves and new branches are developed to carry off the sap, or 
decompose and assimilate it. 

This turgid state is eminently favourable to rapid growth when vegetation once 
resumes its activity ; for it acts as a force from behind, which continually presses 
on the new born tissue and causes it to expand. It is well known that, after very 
long winters, or when a plant has been prevented, by artificial means, from shooting 
at its usual season, its branches and leaves are developed with extraordinary vigour ; 
a circumstance which has been ascribed to accumulated irritability, but which is, in 
fact, owing to the turgid state of the tissue. It is when the temperature of the 


* Extracted from the part Botany, published under the SHIPS RUCL ele of the Society for the Diffusion 
of Useful Knowledge, attributed to the pen of Dr. Lindley. 
VOL. IIlI.——-NO. XXXIII. DD 


902 ON THE RELATION OF VEGETATION TO SEASONS. 


air is raised sufficiently high, that the vital energy of a plant is excited, and buds 
are developed with their leaves. Light has certainly nothing to do with this phe- 
nomenon, although it afterwards colours and consolidates the young parts; for ifa 
plant be exposed to an elevated temperature in total darkness, its growth takes 
place as if in the light. The common experiment of introducing into a hothouse 
the branch of a vine growing in the open air is another familiar illustration of this 
fact; the temperature of the hothouse excites the buds into action, they immediately 
attract fluid from beneath them, and thus the whole system is put in motion, 
although the vine-plant may be exposed beyond the house to the inclemency of the 
winter. De Candolle has proved, by a simple experiment, that in such a case as 
this the fluid consumed by the:young leaves is really attracted out of the earth, 
and not absorbed from the atmosphere of the hothouse. If you select a tree with 
two principal branches, and two principal roots to correspond with them, and adapt 
to each root in the earth a bottle of water, you will find that the bottle which cor- 
responds with the branch in the hothouse will be quickly emptied, while that which 
is connected with the branch in the open air remains nearly full. It may be supposed 
that in a natural state of things, a corresponding effect is produced upon the roots 
by the warmth of the surface of the soil, and that they also are stimulated into 
activity ; but it is doubtful whether this amounts to much, if, indeed, it is of any, 
importance whatever ; for provided only the earth is not frozen, it appears from 
experiments that heat applied to the branches alone, is quite sufficient to determine 
and maintain all the phenomena of growth. Once set in action, the branches of a 
tree go on growing according to the laws which have now been explained. They 
and their leaves, by degrees, gain their full growth: bark and wood separate, and 
cambium is deposited between them; the leaves decompose the fluid they receive, 
send their fibres down within the substance of the branches, gradually secrete the 
substance peculiar to each peculiar species, and transfer them to the bark; and, 
finally, becoming clogged at every pore, by the earthly and carbonaceous matters 
that are deposited during the process of digestion and evaporation, cease to act 
efficiently as leaves. 

In this state they are principally protectors of the young buds in their axils. If the 
latter have been formed very early, they are so far advanced in their growth by the 
middle of summer, that they have already arrived at the same state as later formed 
buds will be in at the commencement of another spring. Acted upon by the tem- 
perature of the season, they develope and call into play the same class of pheno- 
mena as took place in the beginning of the spring; the sap which had become 
languid as the leaves had become impotent, is again stimulated by a rapid movement, 
and is secreted anew in increased quantity. This is indicated by what gardeners 
call the running of the bark, that is to say, the bark and wood of exogens separate 
spontaneously as in the spring, depositing a layer of cambium between them. 
Thus are formed what are called midsummer shoots, which only occur in plants 
which bud very early in the spring. 

In the course of the autumn, the increased and prolonged heat and drought 
complete the destruction of the leaves, which had already begun to languish ; and 
their vital actions are destroyed by the quantity of foreign matter with which their 


ON THE RELATION OF VEGETATION TO SEASONS. 203 


cells, their stomates, their vessels, and their intercellular passages are filled, and they 
drop off. At this time a plant is nearly exhausted of its fluid sap, the watery 
portion of which it had exhaled during the summer and autumn, all the parts are 
dry and solidified, so as to suffer little from evaporation ; and the roots themselves, 
having for some time been but feebly in action, are firm and not liable to be easily 
broken ; every thing isin a state of languor, and prepared to renovate the enfeebled 
powers of the plant by the slow and gradual absorption of fluid during the winter. 

It is in the autumn, then, that both theory and practice direct us to transplant 
trees. At that season every circumstance concurs to render the operation practica- 
ble; but if we wait till the spring, the spongelets, which form during the winter, 
are likely to be destroyed, and many causes may call the already turgid plant into 
growth before the roots have had time to form new spongelets. 

The seasons of growth and repose are so essential to vegetation, that, as is 
familiar to all gardeners, it is scarcely possible to prevent plants preparing themselves 
for their annual changes, whatever artificial means may be employed to maintain 
them in a uniform atmosphere, and to protect them from those causes which usually 
bring about repose : and this is certain, that if we succeed in preventing the cessa- 
tion of growth, the plants which are the subject of the experiment uniformly, in 
the end, fall victims to the forced and unnatural condition in which they are 
maintained. 

If annual changes in their condition be requisite to the well-being of plants, so 
in like manner are the diurnal changes of light and darkness. If plants were kept 
incessantly growing in light, they would be perpetually decomposing carbonic acid, 
and would, in consequence, become so stunted that there would be no such thing as 
a tree, as is actually the case in the polar regions. If, on the contrary, they grow in 
constant darkness, their tissue becomes excessively lengthened and weak, no decom- 
position of carbonic acid takes place, none of the parts acquire solidity and vigour, 


and, consequently perish. But under natural circumstances, plants, which in the 


day become exhausted by the decomposition of carbonic acid, and by the emptying 
of their tissue by evaporation, repair their forces at night by inhaling oxygen 
copiously, and so forming a new supply of carbonic acid, and by absorbing moisture 
from the earth and air, without the loss of any portion of it. Such being the case, 
we must conclude that plants grow chiefly by day, and this is conformable to the 
few observations that have been made on the subject. Oneyer found the stem of a 
Belladonna lily, and plants of wheat and barley, grow by day nearly twice as fast as 
at night ; and Mulder states that he has arrived at a similar result in watching the 
development of other plants. 


204. 


GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. 


Tue tools (implements) used in the application of art to the practice of cultiva- 
tion in the various branches of gardening are so numerous, and with many, 
comparatively speaking, little understood, that we have thought a page now and 
then of our Magazine devoted to an explanation of them, with their application, 
could not prove otherwise than useful to many of our readers. Not to say but every 
one who has noticed the routine operations in the kitchen garden, and the less 
uniform performances in the flower garden, must be well aware of the purposes to 
which the spade, the rake, and the dibble are appropriated, and that the hand-shears 
and slashing-hook are justly necessary to keep the thorn hedge bordering the park, 
and bex-edging encircling the flower-clump, within due limits; but there are others 
less generally known, whose uses are not so frequently called for, still all are 
essential to the efficient accomplishment of the purposes to which they apply. 
Nor does it appear more necessary to point them out by letter-press explanations, 
and wood-cut illustrations, in order that each may be properly understood, than to 
bring before a numerous body of readers (friends to horticulture) the many and 
great improvements that have been effected, in many instances, in the design and 
make of tools, by which the labour of the operative has been lessened, and the work 
carried on with proportionately increased facility. , 

In the early or primary age of gardening, when looked upon solely as an art of 
culture, and that of the simplest character, we necessarily conclude that the number 
and character of the required implements would be very limited and simple; merely 
consisting of a few tools.for breaking and regulating the surface of the ground for 
the reception of the seed, and a few implements for thinning and otherwise dressing 
the trees or storing their produce. 

How different is the present state of the art! how infinite in size and shape are 
the agents employed ! how equally diversified are the shades of culture to which they 
apply, ali tributary assistants tending to advance that noble end—improvement in 
horticulture and its sister agriculture ; pursuits which every day are absorbing more 
and more of the attention and study of the British population. 


The following diagrams representing implements in common use for horticul- - 


? 


tural purposes, may be classed under the head “ Tools ;” which also comprises the 
hoe, rake, &c. Diagrams of the latter will afterwards be given. 

Fig. 1. The spade, as will be seen in the diagram, consists of two parts, viz., 
the blade, which is made of plate iron and which is riveted on the upper part; the 
handle, which is usually made of ash-timber, for which purpose choice is made of the 
reot-cut, as being more tough and durable. They are employed little or more in 


almost every performance in the garden, but their chief use is to break up the soil — 


previous to planting or sowing it; they are also indispensable agents in making up 
edgings, as well as for many purposes of husbandry, &c. They are manufactured of 
different sizes, generally with a flat blade, although semicircular and perforated 
blades are sometimes prized, on account of the soil, if adhesive, freeing from them 


HIBISCUS ROSA SINENSIS. 205 


better; and are known amongst gardeners, &c., by their numbers, which run from 
2 to 6, but 3 and 4 are the common sizes used in gardening. 


Fig. 2 varies in nothing from the preceding, except the part at the top, which is 
invariably occupied by the hand. Instead of being one piece of wood, as fig. 1., the 
cross piece at the top is mortised on the upright, and is by some people much 
preferred to the former, being considered more ready and easy. 

Figures 3 and4 are in shape and material the same as the former, size excepted. 
This sized spade is proper for using in digging flower borders, the size of the blade 
and proportionate smallness of the handle rendering them more adapted for using 
among the plants, &c. in the flower-garden. 

Figures 5 & 6 are two species of shovel, both useful in gathering up loose soil, 
&c., in the flower or kitchen-garden. The heart-shaped or pointed-mouthed one 
(fig. 5) is most frequently used for lifting earth out of trenches, &c. The square- 
mouthed one (fig. 6) is best adapted for the ordinary purposes in gardening. 

Figures 7 and 8 are two species of fork used chiefly for moving the earth where 
roots are very thick, or taking up roots; such as potatoes, &c., or for stirring up the 
earth about the roots of fruit trees, or in the flower-borders where flowering bulbs, 
&e., are concealed under ground, also very useful where couch-grass, &c., prevail. 
The bottom part or prongs are made of wrought iron, and may be either made round 
or flat, both ways will be found useful for different purposes. The handles are 
made as before noticed for the spades. 


HIBISCUS ROSA SINENSIS. 
CHINESE ROSE HIBISCUS. 


Tury who know this charming plant, and particularly they who possess it, or 
any of the varieties, must, we conceive, congratulate themselves and acknowledge 
that it is almost, without exception, one of the most beautiful of nature’s produc- 
tions. We meet with it but very rarely, and some consider that its delicate and 
tender foliage (so we have read, however) render it liable to be defaced by the 
“aphis,” ‘True it is that the shrub is subject to the green fly, which seizes upon 
the extremities of the young shoots ; but we never saw a plant that with us sustained 
less injury from its assailants ; and these indeed are readily displaced by fumigating 
with tobacco, or by the application ofa little Scotch snuff. 


206 HIBISCUS ROSA SINENSIS. 


The catalogue in the Encyclopedia of Gardening, p. 586, enumerates one 
species, and four varieties, namely, 


H. Rosa Srvensis, single rich red ; from East Indies in 1731. 


rubro plenus—double red : : ditto — 
flavo plenus—double buffed 5 : ditto = 
variegatus plenus—double striped : ditto —- 
luteus—double yellow : 5 : ditto 1823 


and there we read that, “‘although its native country is unknown, it is spontaneous, 
as well as cultivated, both in China and Cochin China, and that it is so common in the 
latter that they have entire hedges of it in their gardens.’’ “ The variety with double 
flowers is most frequently cultivated, both in the east, and in European hothouses ; 
the plant is indeed rarely seen with single flowers.” 

The latter is a circumstance much to be lamented, for the single greatly surpasses 
any of the varieties with ful/ flowers (double is an incorrect mode of expression). 
The blossom is large, mallow-shaped ; the petals, while not fully expanded, folding 
over one another in rather a spiral direction, of a gorgeous deep scarlet colour, 
approaching to crimson, each having a large spot or patch of a deeper hue near its 
base. The figure and splendour of the flower, the tubular column supporting the 
stamens, and the five velvety stigmas, altogether present a structure of fascinating 
beauty. The only defect which we have to complain of is the fugitive nature of 
the blossoms; they seldom continue open more than thirty-six hours, even in the 
shade; but then the succession is numerous during the three summer months, and 
the rich glossy foliage is durable, and elegantly disposed. 

The reader who can refer to the first volume of this work, page 77, will find, in 
the figure given of Mibiscus Lindlei, a faint resemblance of Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis ; 
but the former, though a handsome plant, is much inferior to the latter. 

All the varieties are of ready culture, easily raised by cuttings, either of the 
younggreen wood of the spring, or of the half-ripened wood of the summer; but 
that which renders the plant extremely estimable is its hardihood of constitution. 
It was long believed that the temperature of the stove during winter (from55 to 
65 degrees) was indispensable to its safety ; but our experience during the very 
severe and fitful winter of last year (1835), taught us a useful and gratifying lesson. 


We possessed six or seven plants of the single red and full-flowered buff; our house — 


underwent an alteration, which required the absence of all the stove plants during 
several weeks. They were exposed, unavoidably, to severe attacks of sudden frost, 
and finally were deposited in a cellar. Some perished; but although the /rbiseus 
lost their leaves, we perceived a firmness of the wood, and a healthy hue on the 
bark, which led us to entertain hope. At the turn of the year the plants were 
taken into the vinery, and after remaining torpid a few weeks, evinced signs of 
vegetation. The leaves gradually expanded, and have subsequently attained a size 
and richness of verdure far surpassing those of former seasons. 

Pure loam is recommended for the shrubby Hibiscus ; but loam is an ill-applied 
term. Our treatment consists in striking some young plants, by cuttings of rather 
young wood, taken off a little below a leaf, and inserting two buds in the soil com- 
posed of a light sandy loam and heath mould, in equal portions, having first formed 


CULTURE OF THE CAMPANULA PYRAMIDALIS. 207 


holes in the soil close to the side of the pot, and poured a little of the best white 
sand into the hole. The cutting being thrust into this prepared hole, and its 
lower extremity made tight and secure, the hole is filled with sand and the earth 
pressed around the plant as compactly as possible. Water is given directly, and 
subsequently from time to time ; and if a little bottom heat be applied, and the pot 
be covered with a striking glass, roots will, in most instances, be produced in a 
month or six weeks. If only one cutting be placed in a small sixty, enclosed in 
another deeper pot, a flat piece of glass may be used to cover the top; and as soon 
as roots are formed, and the plant begins to grow, it may be removed to a larger 
sixty, containing a soil composed of two parts of the loam from couch-grass roots 
decayed, and one part of black heath or moor soil. In this mixed soil the plants 
grow and bloom freely, and may be cut back just before the period of growth in the 
following year. 

During winter, a heat of 45 degrees affords ample security ; and the torpidity, or 
state of repose thus induced, tends to add vigour and beauty to the future develop- 
ment of foliage and flower. 


ON THE CULTURE OF THE CAMPANULA 
PYRAMIDALIS. 


Tuts species of Campanula is deserving of the attention of every admirer of 
free flowering plants, and, if well grown, will amply repay, when in bloom, by the 
brilliancy of its colours and the long period it continues to display them, for all time 
and trouble spent upon it. The following directions, adduced from experience, if 
attended to, will not fail to realise the most sanguine expectations. In the spring of 
the year, offsets or cuttings are taken off the large plants intended for flowering, 
and planted in any shady part of the garden till they have struck root; they are 
then taken up and planted in rows in a very fine shady situation, where they should 
remain twelve months from the following March. Some are taken up in the first 
March after this planting, but are seldom strong enough to flower very large; if 
they are not planted in a shady place, they generally flower the first year; they are 
then taken up with good balls and put into pots from ten to twelve inches in 
diameter ; and those who have the advantage of a green-house, should occupy the 
coolest part of it with them, exposed, however, to as much light and air as possible ; 
but where there is not the convenience of a green-house, the windows of the 
dwelling-house would answer very well, or the most sheltered part of the garden, 
until the month of May, when the plants cught to be put under cover. ‘The soil 
most suitable for them is good rich loam and rotten dung, well pulverised; they are 
not only greatly aided in strength, but also in the brilliancy of their colours, by the 
richness of the compost they grow in. It is to be regretted that this plant has 
long been in a measure neglected ; by the above treatment it will commonly attain 
seven, and occasionally eight, feet high, and be equally strong in proportion. A 
leading stem eight feet high, with a mass of laterals, when in flower, forms a most 
beautiful pyramid, in some. instances measuring twelve feet in circumference. 


208 


REMARKS ON THE NATURAL ORDER COMBRETACEX. 


od 


In noticing this natural order we except the genus Combretum, having in Vol. I. 
page 14, treated of it at some length. We proceed to make a few remarks on the 
remaining genera, in doing which we shall also endeavour to point out the merits 
and other necessaries peculiar to each genus, in a manner that we trust the readers 
of the Magazine of Botany will at once see, without further reference, every 
particular connected with the subjects brought within the limits of this the 
Myrobaian tribe. The order Combretacee is called the Myrobalan tribe. To 
attempt an improvement of the definitions of this order, further than that already 
given hy Dr. Lindley in his excellent introduction to the natural arrangement, 
would be vain indeed; we therefore borrow a copy of the essential characters as 
found in the above work, page 66, which may be read as follows. Calya superior, 
with a four or five-lobed deciduous limb. Petals, arising from the orifice of the 
calyx alternate with the lobes, sometimes wanting. Stamens, arising from the 
same part, twice as many as the segments of the calyx, very rarely equal to them in 
number, or three times as many; filaments distinct, subulate ; anthers, two-celled, 
bursting longitudinally. Ovarium one-celled, with from two to four ovules, 
hanging from the apex of the cavity; style one; stigma simple. Fruit drupaceous, 
baccate, or nut-like, one-celled, by abortion, one-seeded, indehiscent, often winged. 
Seed pendulous, without albumen; embryo with the radicle turned towards the 
hilum ; plwmula inconspicuous ; cotyledons leafy ; usually convolute, occasionally 
plaited. Here ends the definitions as given by Dr. Lindley; and in this place it may 
not be amiss to notice the situation of this order in the natural arrangement, for the 
assistance of the reader; and moreover, that we may not deviate from our promise 
made at the commencement, viz. to give a fair representation of it. The order 
Combretacee, then, belongs to the first grand division or class of the vegetable world, 
called vasculares, from vas, a vessel, which in its general meaning may be understood 
to embrace all flowering plants, at the same time is meant all plants with spiral 
vessels. But, in order that we may arrive at a right understanding of this (at first 
sight) perplexing subject, it will be necessary to show that this grand division, or 
first class, is divided into two subclasses ; to the first of which, Hxogene, in allusion 
to such plants the seeds of which have two cotyledons, better known by the com- 
pounded terms, Dicotyledonous plants, from dis, two, and Kotuledon, (two Coty- 
ledons), belongs the natural order Combretacee. Here we are informed, without 
extending our inquiries, that the plants in the order under consideration produce 
flowers furnished with perfect sexes; from this it follows as a sure result that they 
will, if left to the rule of nature, mature seed. Each perfect seed when ripe, will be 
capable of separation into halves (similar to peas when dried and split for 
cookery). Each of these halves, in the language of the Botanist, is called a cotyledon ; 
so that we understand, in consequence of the seed thus naturally dividing, that the 
plant producing it must be dicotyledonous : and being dicotyledonous, a question 
arises whether the seed before separation from the plant was inclosed in a pericarp 
or whether it was destitute of such; and finding it furnished with one, we ascertain 


REMARKS ON THE ORDER COMBRETACE. 269 


that it belongs to the first tribe, Angiospermee, this term being used to designate 
all plants whose seeds are provided with a covering or seed-vessel, this covering or 
seed-vessel being called a pericarpium. If the seed had not been so enclosed, the 
order would have been placed by the side of those brought under the second tribe, 
Gymnospermie. Here another perplexity is presented to the inquiring mind, for 
as yet it appears that we have adduced nothing that can lead toa ready acquaintance 
with the situation of this order in the natural arrangement—the truth is, after what 
has been said, the inquirer who has attentively followed in the track we have 
so indifferently beaten out, must see much encouragement to persevere in the 
acquirement of an extended acquaintance with this amusing and profitable pursuit— 
but to stop here would be unkind indeed ; our next aim is to come more close and 
direct to the subject. After what we have advanced to show that this order makes 
one of the many in the first great class Vasculares, or flowering plants, and belongs 
to the first subclass Hvogene, or dicotyledonous plants; and by its seed being 
enclosed in a pericarpium, to the first tribe Angiospermie ; we shall be able to trace 
the remaining portion of our task by the simple dissection of a single flower. The 
first question is, whether the flower has distinct petals ; and finding it to be the case, 
we learn that it is polypetalous, and placed under the head Polypetalee. Next we 
turn our attention to the stamens, for the purpose of observing the situation of 
these parts; are they hypogynous ?—that is, situated below or adhering to the 
ovarium—and finding they do not accord with either of these, we satisfy ourselves 
that we cannot find this order under the head Thalamiflora. Our next step then 
will be whether the stamens are perigynous, that is to say, are they inserted in the 
calyx, or in the disk of the calyx; finding them according to the latter, leads us 
with certainty to look for the term Calyciflora, (referring to the stamens being 
placed on the calyx, and compounded from calyx and flos). We might add more 
still: from what has been advanced, it is hoped the anxious reader will be able, 
upon procuring and examining a flower and afterwards the fruit of any of the species 
in this order, to ascertain correctly to what portion of the natural arrangement it 
belongs, and not only the constituents of this one order, but any other bearing the 
same essential differences. Having acquired thus much, he will at once see the grand 
aim and noble object of the natural system, which will create a thirst for a more 
minute acquaintance, that can only be satiated by frequent investigation and the 
application of the different parts of a flower to the characters given of them in the 
work noticed at the commencement of this article, and another by the same author, 
viz. Ladies’ Botany. These works are at once instructive and pleasing, and possess 
many advantages, particularly to those desirous of making the natural system of 
botany their study. 

Having given, we hope, such a view of the situation of the order as will enable 
our readers to know its proper place, we shall next endeavour to advance something 
we trust equally profitable on the plants contained in it. The order contains, 
excepting Combretum, upwards of twelve genera; these comprise a good number of 
species, some of which, as the Quisqualis Indica, are among the most splendid of our 
climbing plants, and in the tropics are said to adorn the trees from which their 
twiningly disposed branches hang, with garlands of white, crimson, and yellow 

VOL. IlI.—NO. XXXIIIL. EE 


210 REMARKS ON THE ORDER COMBRETACEA. 


flowers ; they are mostly, if not all, natives of the tropical parts of India, Africa, 
and America. ‘The medicinal properties are, for the most part, astringent. Bucida 
Buceras yields a bark that possesses a good portion of the tanning principle, for 
which purpose it is sometimes used. The expressed juice of Terminalia venix is 
used by the Chinese as a substitute for varnish ; its principle is caustic, and its 
exhalations are said to be dangerous, but whether it is or is not may be doubted. 
In Brazil one of the plants called mangroves (Conocarpus racemosus) yields bark 
which is in good use at Rio Janeiro for tanning. Terminalia Benzoin produces 
the medical resin of that name, viz., Benzoin. Several species produce eatable 
nuts, the expressed oil of which has the unusual property of not becoming rancid. 
The genera are divided into two tribes, viz.. Terminaliee, Combretee, and are thus 
arranged, 


Tribe 1. Terminaliee includes those plants whose flowers are destitute of 
petals (Apetalous). 


BucipA.—Flowers furnished with both stamens and pistils, but destitute of 
petals. Calyx with a pitcher-shaped five-toothed limb. 

TERMINALIA. Flowers usually from abortion, some male, some female, and 
others hermaphrodite (Polygamous). Calyx bell-shaped, five-cleft. Apetalous. 

AGASITHANSES. Flowers males on one plant and females on another plant of 
the same species (Dicecious). Calyx five-parted. 

PENTAPTERA. As in TFerminalia, except the fruit which is furnished with 
five or more projecting perpendicular wings. 

Conocarpus. Flowers same as Bucida, except in the number of stamens, 
which vary from five to ten, while the other is invariably provided with ten, 

Tribe 2. Combretacee includes those flowers which have only from four to five 
petals. 

QuisquaLis. Flowers same as Bucida. Calyx five-cleft, tubular. 

Bucipa. The species of this genus may be grown in a mixture of loam and 
peat in the stove; there is nothing remarkable in any except the Buceras before 
spoken of, and in addition to what has been there said, we may notice the derivation 
of the genus, which is taken from (ove, an ox, referring to the ripened fruit which 
bears some resemblance to the horns of that animal. Naturally it grows in low wet 
places in Jamaica, where it is remarkable for its crooked slender branches, and the 
densely-tufted disposition ofits leaves. The timber is reckoned good, and the bark 
is used as before noticed. 

TERMINALIA. Whether all the species at present referred to this genus 
properly belong to it is doubtful, on account of its being divisible by the fruit, 
and this in many being totally unknown. They are trees and shrubs, with 
alternate leaves usually crowded at the top of the branches, which is the most 
remarkable feature the plant has, and perhaps in no one is it seen more conspicuously 
than in the species Angustifolia. The genus is called Terminalia on account of the 
leaves growing in bunches at the ends of the branches. They require the heat of 
the stove, and may be grown in loam and peat. Cuttings will strike freely, if not 
deprived of their leaves, in sand, under a hand-glass, plunged in a moderate heat. 

AGATHISANTHES. Javanica is the only described species of this genus, and 
may be grown as recommended for Zerminalia. In Java, it is found on the 


REMARKS ON THE ORDER COMBRETACE/E. 211 


highest mountains, and is termed by the natives Hirung. In growth, it exceeds 
100 feet, and is crowded with oblong, entire, coriaceous leaves; the solitary or 
twin-stalked flowers, spring from their axes. The generic name refers to the 
flowers being disposed in pedunculate heads. 

PENTAPTERA. This genus is so named from penta, five, and pteron, a wing, 
in consequence of the fruit being furnished with five wings. ‘This is a doubtful 
genus, and it is very probable that many of the species, when better known, will be 
found referable to the genus Yerminalia. ‘They are large trees, growing in the 
East Indies from forty to fifty feet high, and produce flowers of a whitish-green 
colour. For culture, &c., see Bucida. 

Conocarrus. The fruit produced by the plants of this genus are said to 
resemble the cone of an alder; hence the generic name. Of the species said to 
belong to it, four are mentioned by Mr. Loudon, in his Hortus Britannicus ; two 
in the Encyclopedia of Plants, by the same author; while the author of the 
“ General System of Gardening and Botany” enumerates seven, one of which, he 
says, 1s doubtful, not being sufficiently known. They are plants of no particular 
interest or beauty. C. erecta isa timber tree in Jamaica, growing nearly thirty feet 
high, and producing pale yellow flowers: the remainder are shrubby, varying in 
height from six to eight feet. They require stove heat, and will grow well in sandy 
loam or loam and peat; cuttings planted in sand will root with freedom if they be 
covered with a glass, and the pot plunged in a moderate bottom heat. 

QuISQUALIS. We have in this genus some species which for elegant flowers 
and graceful appearance are equal to the best species of Combretum. The best 
are @. Indica and pubescens ; these plants, in short the whole genus, are great 
favourites with the admirers of stove plants. Few plants are grown with less 
difficulty, and few repay more liberally; their flowers are of a delicate changeable 
colour, varying from white to red. <A plant of the Q. Indica continued in a free 
state of flowering upwards of two months in the stove at Chatsworth last season ; 
and being trained to a trellis on the back wall, a good opportunity was afforded it 
for displaying its almost numberless pretty blossoms, which were so delightfully 
fragrant, that every one, on approaching it, was so pleased with the agreeable 
scent the flowers exhaled, as to render it the object most frequented in the house 
while in this state. 

Good loam, mixed with a small quantity of peat, will suit them well; in the 
stove, they require a great deal of light, and to be frequently syringed all over to 
keep off insects, &c.; in a growing state they consume a good deal of water, but 
when they are not in a growing state this element must be given with much 
caution. Strong and well-established plants grow and flower well if planted in a 
good border in the stove, and the branches conducted up the rafters or other con- 
venient and suitable place. Cuttings put in a pot of fine sand, and covered with a 
hand-glass, will root freely, if they have a little heat. 

The genus takes its name from the Latin words quis, who, and qualis, what 
kind, in consequence ef its being uncertain to what class and order the genus 
belonged when the name was assigned it. 

There are a few more genera placed in this order, but as we judged they would 
be of little interest or profit to the readers of the magazine we omit to notice them. 


212 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS, 


“FIGURED IN THE THREE LEADING BOTANICAL PERIODICALS AND FLORISTS’ 
MAGAZINE FOR AUGUST. 


Botanicat Magazine. Edited by Sir William Jackson Hooker, LL.D., &c., each 
number containing eight figures ; beautifully coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s.; and correspond- 
ing letter-press. ! 

Boranicat Register. Edited by Dr. Lindley, each number containing eight figures ; 
beautifully coloured 4s., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

British Frower-Garpen. Edited by David Don, Esq., Professor of Botany in King’s 
College, each number containing four plates ; beautifully coloured 3s., plain 2s. 3d. 

Frorist’s Macazine. Edited by Mr. F. W. Smith, each number containing four 
elegantly coloured plates, with occasionally two or more plants on each plate. Large 
Quarto, 4s., Octavo 2s. 6d. The letter-press is pleasing, and the hints on culture very 
correct. 

Of the above plates, we have only selected such plants as are new or very rare ; iy 
only such new ones, as are handsome and deserve to be extensively cultivated. For 
descriptions and figures, reference must be made to the works themselves. 


CLASS I.—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONE#). 


PROTEACER. 

DRYANDRA PTERIDIFOLIA. Fern-leaved Dryandra. This remarkable and 
variable plant was raised from seeds, collected by the late very indefatigable botanic 
veyager, Mr. W. Baxter, during his first visit to the south-western shores of 
Australia in 1823. The plant flowered for the first time in Britain last spring, in 
the Royal Gardens at Kew, and it is believed to be the only living species in 
Europe. It exhibits a dwarf bushy shrub, with short flexuous branches, clothed 
with a whitish wool. The leaves crowded and pinnatifid. Flowers in terminal 
heads surrounded by coloured leaves of a faint honey-scent, and the colour may be 
said to be a mixture of white and orange. The soil recommended for proteaceous 
plants is good fresh loam, with which, if stiff, must be added a portion of sand, so as 
not to admit of its being retentive of water; they require to be potted and watered 


with great care, and at no time allow any ey of soil to lay on the top roots. 
Bot. Mog, » 5900, 


COMPOSITE. 

CoOREOPSIS FILIFOLIA. Thread-leaved Coreopsis. An interesting species of 
this somewhat handsome genus, with very narrow foliage, most like that of 
C’.. tenuifolia. Seeds of it were sent to this country by Mr. Drummond, from 
Texas, in the spring of 1835. It is an annual, and quite hardy, producing its 
yellow flowers about August and September. Bot. Mag. 3505. 


ERICEH (THE HEATH TRIBE). 


RHODOPENDRON ARBOREUM, var. UNDULATUM. Wavy-leaved Tree Rose-bay. 
A bushy evergreen shrub, with purple branches, raised by Mr. William Smith some 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. ° 213 


years ago, from seeds of a hybrid of R. arboreum that had been fertilised by some 
other species, most probably A. Ponticum. It surpasses all the other varieties in 
the deep-toned purple of its blossoms, which are also remarkable for their singularly 
waved appearance. It flowered in the beginning of May, and is probably quite 


hardy ; sandy peat and loam will suit it best. Brit. Fl. Gard., 341. 


COMPOSITEZ. 

IsmeL1A Mapberrensis. Madeira Ismelia. A rather pretty shrubby species 
with yellow flowers, recently introduced by Mr. Webb, from Madeira. It is not 
quite hardy, therefore requires to be protected in a frame or in the greenhouse in 
winter; it is increased by cuttings, and established plants should be grown in a 
light sandy soil. Brit. Fl. Gard., 342. 


THE PEA TRIBE (LEGUMINOS#). 

Latuyrus MaGeLitanicus. Cape Horn, or Lord Anson’s Pea. An extremely 
beautiful perennial plant, producing fine light blue flowers in great abundance. It 
is quite hardy, and well worthy of a place in every flower-garden; in such a 
situation it produces its flowers about the month of June. Its original introducer 
was Cook, of His Majesty’s Ship Centurion, commanded by Lord Anson, in 1747, 
since which time, native specimens have been found by Sir Joseph Banks and Dr. 
Solander, at Port Desire, in the Straits of Magellan. It being a maritime plant, a 
little common salt may be beneficial asa stimulant. Increased both by cuttings 
and seeds. Brit. Fl. Gard., 344. 


THE ROSE FRIBE (ROSACEZ). 

CRATHGUS PLATYPHYLLA. Broad-leaved Thorn. A European hawthorn, 
elegant in foliage and handsome in general appearance ; in its growth it spreads its 
graceful bending arms on all sides, the leaves are a deep rich green, and, after the 
common hawthorn, is flowerless; it is loaded with large masses of snow-white 
blossoms, retaining its vigour till late in the autumn, so that the rich colour of its 
blackish purple fruit is not impaired in effect by the fading tints of the foliage. 
Bot. Reg., 1874. 

CRATAGUS PYRIFOLIA. Pear-leaved ‘Thorn. A native of rocky woods in 
North America, from Pennsylvania to Carolina, flowering in June. It is one of the 
largest leaved species of the genus, with a good deal of beauty in the spring, when 
the leaves are green and the branches loaded with flowers, but less valuable as an 
ornament of autumn scenery, because, although the tints of the orange-coloured 
fruit and of the foliage are pleasing, yet the tree has an open inelegant head, and 
the leaves drop off, while the fruit remains behind adhering to the branches: it is 
known from the other species by the strong plaits which give the leaves something 


the appearance of being furrowed from the midribs towards the margin. Bot. 
Reg., 1877. 


THE EVENING PRIMROSE TRIBE (ONAGRARIEZ). 
GoDETIA VINOSA. Wine-stained Godetia. An extremely pretty species with 
pale pink flowers, introduced by the Horticultural Society from California. It is 


quite hardy, and, among other annuals about July and August, it makes a pretty 
show. Bot. Reg., 1880. 


214 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


THE FIG-WORT TRIBE (SCROPHULARINE#). 

CALCEOLARIAS, VicToRIA and PotyepHemus. Both these varieties are new 
and desirable flowers; those of the former are of an orange brown, having the 
under petal freckled with small spots; the flowers of the latter are of a deep 
transparent blood-colour, very beautiful. Accompanying this, and the other plates, 
are some pleasing directions for culture, &c. Fl. Mag., 13. 


THE CHICKWEED TRIBE (CARYOPHYLLEZ.) 

CARNATIONS. BERTRAND, PRINCE pE NAssAu, Bisou DE CLERMONT. 
The first, a bizarre rose, is a flower of great brilliancy, the petals are not crowded 
but are admirably arranged, of a fine texture, and very broad. ‘The centre is well 
filled out ; in short, few flowers of this class have more claims upon the attention 
of the amateur. 

The Prince de Nassau, a purple flake, is a free flowering plant; the white of 
the flower is very remarkably pure, and the purple flakes are exceedingly rich and 
brilliant, and equally disposed through the flower. 

Bijou de Clermont, a scarlet bizarre, is another flower of exceeding merit. 
The colour is fine, rich, and vivid, and the chocolate colour with which it is bizarred 


is remarkably decided and bold. Fl. Mag., 13. 


THE FIG-WORT TRIBE (SCROPHULARINES). 

Mimutus WHEELERI. Wheeler's Monkey-flower. This is a bold flower ; and 
by the rich colour by which every lobe to the base of the limb is covered, and the 
bright yellow of the throat, and the small glands and bright spots therein, a fine 
contrast is created, which places the flower very high among the many Mimuluses 
that now decorate our flower gardens. Fl. Mag., 13. 


CLASS I1.—PLANTS WITH ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONE). 
SPIDER-WORT TRIBE (COMMELINEZ). | 
TRADESCANTIA VirGINicA, fl. albo.. VIRGINIAN SPIDER-worT. White- 
flowered variety. A variety of the old species with purple flowers, so common in 
our gardens. The present variety, which has nearly white flowers, is far from being 
so common, still it is quite as hardy, and is deserving a place in all collections. 


Bot. Mag., 3501. 
THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDE#). 


RopRIGUEZIA PLANIFOLIA. This deliciously fragrant plant is distinguished 
from Gomeza (Rodriguezia recurva), by Professor Lindley, on account of the even 
(not striated) surface of its leaves, and the entire (not emarginate) lip. It flowers 
freely, in which state it remains a long time, and is in the orchideous house a very 
interesting plant. It is a native of Brazil, and flowers in February. Bot. Mag., 3504. 


THE LILY TRIBE (LILIACEZ#). 

FRITILLARIA RUTHENICA. Russian Fritillary. A very singular species, 
producing flowers of a purple and yellow colour mixed. It was received from the 
Berlin garden in August 1835, and flowered this spring in the greenhouse, at 
Cannonmills, near Edinburgh. It no doubt is quite hardy. Brit. Fl. Gard. 343. 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 215 


THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEZ®). 

BifRENARIA AURANTIACA. Orange-coloured Bifrenaria. This pretty epiphyte 
is a native of Demerara, where it is found in great quantities. In its growth and 
whole habit it much resembles the Oncrdiums, but differs in the structure of the 
flower ; in which particular it agrees with the genus Bifrenaria, which before only 
consisted of one species, viz. B. atropurpurea. The colours of the flowers are a 
deep orange, mottled with deep brown spots. The treatment usually appléed to 
Oncidiums and Mawillarios seem to suit it. Flowers of it were first produced from 
a plant in His Grace the Duke of Devonshire’s stove at Chiswick, about the month 
of October, 1835.—Bot. Reg. 1875. : 


THE CORN-FLAG TRIBE (IRIDEZ). 

Iris ALATA. Small-winged Iris. This species was found by Desfontaines in 
moist places near Algiers, flowering in the winter. According to Bivonia, a native 
of sterile meadows and rocks in Sicily ; Clusius speaks of it as a common plant in 
Portugal and Spain, at the foot of hills, especially about Antequera and Cordova, 
flowering in January and February. In this country it flowers a little later; to 
this state it may be brought by planting it in an open border, and affording a slight 
protection in bad weather with a mat or other material. Its flowers have a pleasant 
smell, between that of the hyacinth and the elder.—Bof. Reg. 1876. 


THE LILY TRIBE (LILIACE#). 

ScrLLA CUPANIANA. Cupani’sSquill. The bulbs of this plant were sent by 
the Hon. William Strangways, from Sicily, where they are found wild near 
Villafrata, Ogliastro, and Castrogiovanni. It is quite hardy, and in this country is 
rather scarce. It flowers about June, in which state the dull purple of the petals 
contrasted with the bright blue pistils produce a pretty appearance.— Bot. Reg. 1878. 


THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEZ). 

EPIDENDRUM BIFIDUM. Hare-lipped Epidendrum. This remarkable and 
dictinct species of Orchidez is described as found upon branches of trees in the 
West India Islands, especially St. Christopher’s, St. Bartholomew’s, and Santa 
Cruz. Messrs. Loddiges, with whom it flowered in 1835, obtained it from Tortola, 
The flower is quite pretty ; the sepals are a light green, slightly blotched near the 
extremity with pink; the column is white, except at the point, which is yellow: 
these, contrasted with the bright yellow of the petals, and flesh colour of the lip, 
rendered the flower rather remarkable. The slit in the lip is a peculiarity which 
will at all times distinguish this species from all at present known. ‘The general 
treatment observed in the growth of the other species of this genus will also apply 
to this— Bot. Reg. 1879. | 

THE LILY TRIBE (LILIACE). 

TULIP, DUTCH CATAFALQUE. This is a flower of much merit, having retained 
its original and present value, while many others of great merit have excited much 
interest for a time, and then fallen into the common file. It is of Dutch origin, 
and is pretty frequent in the collections of this country ; still it is rare to witness 
so fine a specimen as that just figured in the Florists’ Mag. for July, No. 18. 


OPERATIONS FOR OCTOBER. 


ATTEND to climbers in the greenhouse, stove, &c.; regulate the greenhouse in 
other respects; take care not to overwater stove plants; withhold water from 
dormant bulbs ; nourish growing ones by carefully watering, potting, &c. Syringe 
with due caution, and water with particular care, all newly propagated plants ; 
guard against damp, &c., where propagation is going on. Remove from the flower- 
garden all unsightly herbaceous plants, but retain all that remain green, remember-= 
ing that the succession of flowers at this season is not so great as in the summer 
months. Make preparations, if not already done, for securing a good show in the 
flower-garden, &c. next spring ; this is of the first importance to gardeners ; attend 


to trenching and manuring flower borders when required. 


ANEMONES, Ranuncutuses, &c. Seeds of these may now be sown, if not 
previously done. 

AURICULAS, Stocks, MigNonetTeE, &c., should now have the protection of a 
cold frame for preservation through the winter, observing to secure a good drainage 
at the bottom of the pot for the escape of water, by placing them on coal ashes or 
other efficient material ; expose them at all times when the thermometer is above 
the freezing point and the weather fine, but keep them close at all times on rainy 
or very muggy days. 

CatceoLarias. ‘The propagation of these may still be carried on. 


GERANIUMS (PELARGONIUMS). Desirable kinds of these may still be pro- 
pagated. 

GREENHOUSE PLANTS require now to be attended to, as recommended, Vol. I. 
pages 138,219. The quantity of water requisite for them at this season is not so 
great as has been required for the preceding four months, their exertions being’ now 
on the decline. 

HyacInTHs, &c. may now be looked over, and the most promising bulbs potted 
and plunged in a little bottom heat; when they are a little excited take out the 
pots and place them in a moderately warm but light situation ; where the novelty of 
using water-glasses is practised this is the season for bringing them into use. 

ScCHIZANTHUS RETUSUS just established in small pots, and intended to stand 
through the winter ; for next season’s flowering must be cautiously watered at this 
season. It is also particularly advisable to water all plants of a similar habit with 
the utmost caution during the succeeding three months. A little seed of the other 
species and varieties, such as pinnatus, and pinnatus humilis, may be now sown, 
and if carefully attended to during winter, and liberally potted and watered in the 
spring, they will make a good show. 


SwEET WILLIAMS, &c., sown in the spring, may now be planted out. 


aa 


CLERODENDRUM SPECIOSISSIMUM. 


(BEAUTIFUL SCARLET CLERODENDRUM ‘) 


CLASS. ORDER. 
DIDYNAMIA. ANGIOSPERMIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


VERBENACES. 


Generic Caaracter.—Calyzx five-toothed, bell-shaped. Corolla cylindrical. Limb five-parted, spread- 
ing. Stamens four, very long, shooting from between the lobes of the limb. . Fruit drupaceous, 
four seeded, with a one-seeded nut. 


Seeciric Cuaracter.—Plant, a branching shrub, about four feet high. Stem erect, compressed nearly 
square, slightly furrowed, covered with very minute pubescence : leaf-stalk long, also pubescent, some- 
thing swollen at the base. Leaves cordate and pointed, margin crenate, upper surface of a dark green, 
under much paler, clothed on both sides with minute hairs; veining conspicuous. Flowers produced ~ 
in large spreading terminal panicles, of a vivid scarlet colour, each averaging two inches in length. 


Tuts is one of the finest plants we have had the good fortune to figure ; it is far 
superior in beauty to any of the fine family to which it belongs. The colours 
are so brilliant that the representation here made falls considerably short of doing 
it justice ; indeed it is beyond the reach of the artist to give a faithful likeness of 
its colours. Being a plant of easy culture, no collection, however small, ought to 
be without it. 

Messrs. Leucombe, Pince, and Co., of the Exeter Nursery, received the plant from 
Belgium last year ; it flowered profusely in their nursery in August and September. 
To these gentlemen we are indebted for the opportunity of giving publicity to one 
of the finest plants we have seen for a considerable time. 

A plant received at Chatsworth in September, from Messrs. Leucombe, Pince, 
and Co., is now, Oct. 20, coming beautifully into flower. 

The following particulars respecting this species, we received, some days back, 
from Messrs. Leucombe, Pince, and Co. “ The Clerodendrum speciosissimum may 
be looked upon as one of the greatest acquisitions to our ornamental conservatory, 
and summer border plants, that has yet been introduced. The plant which furnished 
the sample of your drawing, is in the house, but we have also a very fine one 
planted out in the open border: the plant in the house we have treated with a tem- 
perature of from sixty-five to seventy-five degrees, with a plentiful supply of water: 


VOL. III.—NO. XXXIV. FF 


218 CLERODENDRUM SPECIOSISSIMUM. 


it has grown amazingly, and is now a fine plant, four feet high, covered with beauti- 
ful luxuriant foliage, and each shoot terminated with large spreading panicles of rich 
scarlet flowers, each flower two inches long ; and the whole plant having open, all at 
once, several hundred blossoms. It has now been in this splendid state for more 
than six weeks, and promises to continue quite as long again. It thrives in equal 
parts of heath-mould, loam, and vegetable soil, and delights in being frequently 
washed with the syringe.” 

Established plants may be obtained of the above nurserymen. Cuttings of 
the young wood will root freely, if planted in sand or mould, in a moderate 
heat, under a bell or hand-glass. 

The generic name is from xAnpos, accident, and derdpor, a tree, in reference to 
the varied effects in medicine by its various species. 

The specific name, under which this species was received in this country, is 


retained, and alludes to the beauty of the blossoms. 


i 


AN 


| 


Lpteaiphon Liple hae | 


7 ] 
WIA eet 
Lnufttva” a 
QAVAVOPFALILAAA . a a 


al den thth Grill st. tO 


219 


LEPTOSIPHON ANDROSACEUS.—1. 


( ANDROSACE-LIKE LEPTOSIPHON ») 


CLASS. ORDER, 


PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA, 
NATURAL ORDER. 


POLEMONIACE/:. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx campanulate of five equal linear acute teeth. Corolla funnel-shaped, 
limb rotate, consisting of five ovate obtuse lobes. Stamens five, alternate with the lobes of the limb. 
Anthers oblong. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—A hardy annual, growing from ten inches to a foot high. Stem taper, round. 
Leaves opposite, sessile, divided near the base into a number of linear, nearly round, segments, 
assuming the appearance of whorls. J*Jowers terminal, collected into heads; at their base 
surrounded by a number of floral leaves, resembling in appearance the linear segments of the stem- 
leaves, from the midst of which arises the tube of the corolla, displaying at top five spreading, oval- 
shaped lobes, in colour varying from white to pale blue and pink. 


THIs pretty annual is a native of California, whence it was introduced to our 
collections about three years ago by Mr. Douglas. 

In the Botanical Register for October, 1834, Professor Lindley makes the 
following remarks on this plant :—“ Althcugh it is perfectly hardy, yet it cannot 
bear our summer heats, and only flourishes in the spring, or more particularly the 
autumn, when the sun has lost his power, and the nights are cool with heavy dews. 
It should therefore either be sown in the autumn, so as to flower early, or in June, 
in order that it may be ready for blossoming in September.” 

It thrives in almost any kind of soil, and in point of situation we find one 
partially shaded the best. 

It flowers very freely, and continues to display them a great length of time, so 
that it is a desirable feature in our collections of hardy annuals. It does not 
seed very freely, therefore great care is required in collecting it, which should, if 
possible, be done on a fine dry day. A few plants raised in a sunny situation would 
be more likely to produce good seed than when sown in one partially shaded. 

Both species flowered beautifully at Chatsworth this summer, about the month 
of June, when our drawing was made. 


220 


LEPTOSIPHON DENSIFLORUS.— 2. 


(THICK-FLOWERED LEPTOSIPHON. ) 


In its general appearance, before flowering, this is very like ZL. androsaceus, 
only it is somewhat gayer in consequence of its leaves being more glandular. When 
in flower it is very different; its corolla is three times as large, with broader and 
blunter segments, and with a short, thickish tube, instead of a long and slender 
one. Its colours vary in the same manner from purple to blue and white, but they 
are less lively, and are not produced in the same abundance; and it must be 
considered decidedly inferior in point of beauty *. 

The treatment recommended for the preceding species will also suit this. 


The generic name alludes to the structure of the corolla, and literally signifies a 


slender tube. 
* Bot. Reg. 125. 


SARRACENIA PURPUREA. 


(PURPLE SIDE-SADDLE FLOWER.) 


CLASS. ORDER, 
POLYANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


SARRACENIE/. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyz of five sepals, at their base concave. Corolla of five petals, contracted at 
the base. Stamens, many hypogynous. -Anthers oblong, two-celled. Ovary one, globose, furrowed. 
Style in the form of columns, (columnar,) surmounted by a broad, leafy, circular, five-angled 
stigma. Capsule globose, crowned by the remaining style and stigma. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—Plant, a frame perennial growing only a few inches high, with very short leaves, 
contracted at the top, with the tube protuberant and inflated, and the covering, or wing, or helmet-like 
appendage, erect, broadly cordate, and now and then emarginate. 


A SINGULAR, yet handsome plant, found inhabiting the swamps of North 
America, whence it was introduced to our gardens many years ago. 

The singularity of it consists in the novel form of the leaves, which are of a 
tubular shape, very similar to the body of a common pitcher, and like it are capable 
of holding water ; and, as has been alleged to prevent the exhalation of the water, 
each leaf is furnished with a lid or cover, which shrinks and fits quite close over the 
mouth of the tube in dry weather; thus making a resort in time of drought for 
birds to drink. Notwithstanding these singularities, which, to the admirer of 
nature, are of peculiar interest, the plant in the flowering state is very handsome; 
the flower-stalk rises a foot or more high from the centre of the leaves, surmounted 
at the top with the flower, which, by a curve near the extremity of the tlower-stalk, 
is reversed, so as to turn the top part of it to face the leaves, seemingly proud of 
its peculiar formation and gay purple colour. 

Although found inhabiting the low swamps in North America about Quebec, 
Lake Horn, and probably common throughout Canada, and as far north as Bear 
Lake, and as far south as Carolina, they have not been found to endure the open 
air in Britain: they are found to do best in a frame in a shaded situation, or in a 
stove, planted in pots filled with pieces of peat at the bottom, and sphagnum or 


water-moss at the top, and the pots placed in pans of water; they also do very well 


999 SARRACENIA PURPUREA. 


planted in moss, without pots, in a frame ; but either way they must be kept rather 
moist and quite shaded. At Chatsworth they are planted in small 48-sized pots, 
filled with the Hypnum proliferum moss, and plunged in a large deep flat filled 
with the same kind of moss, which is kept quite wet; thus treated, and enjoying a 
shaded situation in one corner of the stove, they thrive and flower well. A plant 
treated after this manner produced the sample from which our drawing was made in 
the stove at Chatsworth about June last. 

The generic name is given by Tournefort, in honour of Dr. Sarrazin, a French 
physician resident in Quebec: it is called Side-saddle Flower, in allusion to the 


resemblance of the style and stigma to a woman’s pillion. 


223 


ON THE CLIMATE OF HOT-HOUSES. 


BY PROFESSOR DANIELL, KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON. 


THE principal considerations which generally guide the management of gar- 
deners in this delicate department, are those of temperature; but there are others, 
regarding moisture, which are, I conceive, of at least equal importance. The in- 
habitants of the hot-house are all natives of the torrid zone ; and the climate of that 
region is not only distinguished by an unvarying high degree of heat, but also by a 
very vaporous atmosphere. Captain Sabine, in his meteorological researches be- 
tween the tropics, rarely found, at the hottest period of the day, so great a differ- 
ence as ten degrees between the temperature of the air and the dew point; making 
the degree of saturation about seven hundred and thirty, but most frequently five 
degrees, or eight hundred and fifty; and the mean saturation of the air could not 
have been below nine hundred and ten. Now I believe that if the hygrometer were 
consulted, it would be no uncommon thing to find in hot-houses, as at present 
managed, a difference of twenty degrees between the point of condensation and the 
air, a degree of moisture falling short of five hundred. The danger of over-watering 
most of the plants, especially at particular periods of their growth, is, in general, 
very justly appreciated ; and, in consequence, the earth at their roots is kept in a 
state comparatively dry ; the only supply of moisture being commonly derived from 
the pots. The exhalation of the leaves is not enough to saturate the air; and the 
consequence is, a prodigious power of evaporation. ‘This is injurious to the plants 
in two ways: in the first place, if the pots be at all moist, and not protected by tan, 
or any other litter, it produces a considerable degree of cold upon their surface, and 
communicates a chill to the tender fibres with which they are lined. The danger 
of such a chill is carefully guarded against in the case of watering; for it is one of 
the commonest precautions, not to use any water of a temperature at all inferior to 
that of the air of the house: inattention to this point is quickly followed by dis- 
astrous consequences. The danger is quite as great from a moist flower pot, placed 
in a very dry atmosphere. 

The custom of lowering the temperature of fluids in hot climates, by placing 
them in coolers of wet porous earthenware, is well known; and the common garden 
pot is as good a cooler for this purpose as can be made. Under the common cir- 
cumstances of the atmosphere of a hot-house, a depression of temperature, amount- 
ing to fifteen or twenty degrees, may easily be produced upon such an evaporating 
surface. But the greatest mischief will arise from the increased exhalations of the 
plants so circumstanced, and the consequent exhaustion of the powers of vegetation. 
The flowers of the torrid zone are, many of them, of a very succulent nature, 
largely supplied with cuticular pores; and their tender buds are unprovided with 


* Horticultural Transactions. 


224 ON THE CLIMATE OF HOT-HOUSES. 


those integuments, and other wonderful provisions, by which nature guards her 
first embryo in more uncertain climates. Comparatively speaking, they shoot 
naked into the world; and are suited only to that enchanting mildness of the 
atmosphere, for which the whole system of their organisation is adapted. In the 
tropical climates the sap never ceases to flow; and sudden checks or accelerations of 
its progress are as injurious to its healthy functions, as they are necessary in the 
plants of more variable climates, to the formation of those hybernacula which are 
provided for the preservation of the shoots in the winter season. Some idea may 
be formed of the prodigiously increased drain upon the functions of a plant, arising 
from an increase of dryness in the air, from the following consideration. If we sup- 
pose the amount of its perspiration, in a given time, to be fifty-seven grains, the 
temperature of the air being seventy-five degrees, and the dew point seventy ; or 
the saturation of the air being eight hundred and forty-nine, the amount would be 
increased to one hundred and twenty grains in the same time, if the dew point were 
to remain stationary, and the temperature were to rise to eighty degrees; or, in 
other words, if the saturation of the air were to fall to seven hundred and twenty- 
six. Besides this power of transpiration, the leaves of vegetables exercise also an 
absorbent function, which must be no less disarranged by any deficiency of moisture. 
Some plants derive the greatest portion of their nutriment from the vaporous atmo- 
sphere; and all are more or less dependent on the same source. The Nepenthes 
distillatoria lays up a store of water in the cup formed at the ends of its leaves, 
which is probably secreted from the air, and applied to the exigencies of the plant, 
when exposed to drought; and the quantity, which is known to vary in the hot- 
house, is no doubt connected with the state of moisture of the atmosphere. 

These considerations must be sufficient, I imagine, to place in a strong light the 
necessity of a strict attention to the atmosphere of vapour in our artificial climates, 
and to enforce as absolute an imitation as possible of the example of nature. The 
means of effecting this, is our next object of inquiry. Tropical plants require to be 
watered at the root with great caution ; and it is impossible that a sufficient supply 
of moisture can be kept up from this source alone. There can, however, be no dif- 
ficulty in keeping the floor of the house and the flues continually wet ; and an 
atmosphere of great elasticity may thus be obtained, in a way perfectly analogous to 
natural process. | Where steam is employed, as the means of communicating heat, 
an occasional injection of it into the air may also be had recourse to; but this 
method would require much attention on the part of the superintendent, whereas 
the first cannot easily be carried to excess. It is true, that damp air, or floating 
moisture, of long continuance, would also be detrimental to the health of the plants ; 
for it is absolutely necessary that the process of transpiration should proceed ; but 
there is no danger that the high temperature of the hot-house should ever attain the 
point of saturation by spontaneous evaporation. The temperature of the external 
air will always keep down the force of the vapour; for, as in the natural atmosphere, 
the dew point at the surface of the earth is regulated by the cold of the upper 
regions, so in a house the point of deposition is governed by the temperature of the 


ON THE CLIMATE OF HOT-HOUSES. 295 


fal 


glass with which it is in contact. In a well ventilated hot-house, by watering the 
floor in summer, we may bring the dew point within four or five degrees of the tem- 
perature of the air, and the glass will be perfectly free from moisture: by closing 
the ventilators, we shall probably raise the heat ten or fifteen degrees; but the 
degree of saturation will remain nearly the same, and a copious dew will quickly 
form upon the glass, and will shortly run down in streams. <A process of distillation 
is thus established, which prevents the vapour from attaining the full elasticity of 
the temperature. 

This action is beneficial within certain limits, and at particular seasons of the 
year ; but when the external air is very cold, or radiation proceeds very rapidly, it 
may become excessive and prejudicial. It isa well known fact, but one which, I 
believe, has never yet been properly explained, that, by attempting to keep up in a 
hot-house the same degree of heat at night as during the day, the plants become 
scorched. From what has been premised, it will be evident that this 1s owing to 
the low temperature of the glass, and the consequent low dew point in the house, 
which occasions a degree of dryness, which quickly exhausts the juices. Much of 
this evil might be prevented by such simple and cheap means as an external cover- 
ing of mat or canvass. : 

The heat of the glass of a hot-house at night, does not probably exceed the 
mean of the external and internal air; and, taking these at eighty degrees and forty 
degrees, twenty degrees of dryness are kept up in the interior, or a degree of satu- 
ration not exceeding five hundred and twenty-eight. To this, in a clear night, we 
may add at least six degrees, for the effects of radiation to which the glass is par- 
ticularly exposed, which would reduce the saturation to four hundred and thirty-four 
degrees, and this is a degree of drought which must be nearly destructive. It will 
be allowed, that the case which I have selected is by no means extreme ; and it Is 
one which is liable to occur, even in the summer months. Now, by an extcrnal 
covering of mats, &c., the effects of radiation would be at once annihilated, and a 
thin stratum of air would be kept in contact with the glass, which would become 


- warmed, and consequently tend to prevent the dissipation of the heat. But no 


means would, of course, be so effective as double glass, including a stream of air: 
indeed, such a precaution in winter seems almost essential to any degree of perfec- 
tion in this branch of horticulture. When it is considered that a temperature at 
night of twenty degrees is no very unfrequent occurrence in this country, the satu- 
ration of the air may, upon such occasions, fall toone hundred and twenty degrees ; 
and such an evil can only be guarded against, by diminishing the interior heat in 
proportion. 

By materially lowering the temperature, we communicate a check, which is 
totally inconsistent with the welfare of tropical vegetation. The chill which is in- 
stantaneously communicated to the glass by a fall of rain or snow, and the conse- 
quent evaporation from its surface, must also precipitate the internal vapour, and 
dry the included air to a very considerable amount, and the effect should be closely 
watched. Ido not conceive that the diminution of light which would be occasioned 

VOL. I[J.—NO. XXXIV. ere) 


226 ON THE CLIMATE OF HOT-HOUSES. 


by the double panes, would be sufficient to occasion any very serious objection to 
the plan. The difference would not probably amount to as much as that between 
hot-houses with wooden rafters and lights, and those constructed with curvilinear 
iron bars, two of which have been erected in the Horticultural Society. It might 
also possibly occasion a greater expansion of the foliage; for it is known, that, in 
houses with a northern aspect, the leaves grow to a larger size than in houses 
which front the south. Nature thus makes an effort to counteract the deficiency of 
light, by increasing the surface upon which it is destined to act. 

The present method of ventilating hot-houses is also objectionable, upon the 
same principles which I have been endeavouring to explain. A communication is 
at once opened with the external air, while the hot and vaporous atmosphere is 
allowed to escape at the roof; the consequence is, that the dry external air rushes 
in with considerable velocity, and, becoming heated in its course, rapidly abstracts 
the moisture from the pots and foliage. This is the more dangerous, inasmuch as 
it acts with a rapidity proportioned, in a very high degree, to its motion. I would 
suggest, as a matter of easy experiment, whether great benefit might not arise from 
warming the air to a certain extent, and making it traverse a wet surface, before it 
is allowed to enter the house. 

There is one practice universally adopted by gardeners, which is confirmatory of 
these theoretical speculations; namely, that of planting tender cuttings of plants in 
a hot-bed, and covering them with a double glass. Experience has shown them that 
many kinds will not succeed under any other treatment. The end of this is obvi- 
ously to preserve a saturated atmosphere; and it affords a parallel case to that of 
Dr. Wells, of the anticipation of theory by practice. 

The effect of keeping the floor of the hot-house continually wet, has been already 
tried at the Society’s garden, at my own suggestion ; and it has been found that the 
plants have grown with unprecedented vigour ; indeed their luxuriance must strike 
the most superficial observer. To the human feelings, the impression of an atmo- 
sphere so saturated with moisture, is very different from one heated to the same 
degree, without this precaution ; and any one coming out of a house, heated in the 
common way, into one wel] charged with vapour, cannot fail to be struck with the 
difference. Those who are used to hot climates, have declared that the feel and 
smell of the latter exactly assimilate to those of the tropical regions. But there isa 
danger attending the very success of this experiment, which cannot be too carefully 
guarded against. The trial has been made in the summer months, when the tem- 
perature of the external air has not been low, nor the change from day to night very 
great. In proportion to the luxuriance of the vegetation, will be the danger of any 
sudden check ; and it is much to be feared, that, unless proper precautions are 
adopted, the cold long nights of winter may produce irreparable mischief. I am 
aware that a great objection attaches to my plan of the double glass, on account of 
the expense; but I think that this may appear greater at first sight, than it may 
afterwards be found to be in practice. It is, however, at all events, I submit, a 
point worthy of the Horticultural Society to determine ; and, if the suggestion should 
be found te be effective, the lights of many frames, which are not wanted in the 


ON THE CLIMATE OF HOT-HOUSES. 997 


winter, might, without much trouble, be fitted to slide over the hot-houses during 
the severe season ; and in the spring, when they are wanted for other purposes, their 
places might be supplied at night by mats or canvass. 

The principles which I have been endeavouring to illustrate, should be, doubt- 
less, extended to the pinery and the melon-frame, in the latter of which a saturated 
moisture might be maintained by shallow pans of water. An increase in the size of 
the fruit might be anticipated from this treatment, without the loss of flavour, which 
would attend the communication of water to the roots of the plants. I have but few 
additional observations to offer upon the artificial climate of a greenhouse. The 
remarks which have been made upon the atmosphere of the hot-house are applicable 
to it, though not to the same extent. ‘The plants which are subject to this culture 
seldom require an artificial temperature of more than forty or fifty degrees ; and few 
of them would receive injury from a temperature as low as thirty-five degrees. 
When in the house, they are effectually sheltered from the effects of direct radiation, 
which cannot take place through glass; but the glass itself radiates very freely, and 
thus communicates a chill to the air, which might effectually be prevented by rolling 
mats. With this precaution, fire would be but rarely wanted, in a good situation to 
communicate warmth; but in this damp climate it may be required to dissipate 
moisture. The state of the air should be as carefully watched with this view, as 
where a high temperature is necessary to guard against the contrary extreme. Free 
transpiration, as I have before remarked, is necessary to the healthy progress of 
vegetation ; and when any mouldiness or damp appears upon the plants, the tempera- 
ture of the air should be moderately raised, and free ventilation allowed. When the 
pots, in the proper season, are moved into the open air, it would contribute greatly 
to their health, and preserve them from the effects of too great evaporation, to em- 
bed them well in moss, or litter: as a substitute for this precaution, the plants are 
generally exposed to a northern or eastern aspect, where the influence of the sun 
but rarely reaches them; but which would be very beneficial, if their roots were 
properly protected. The advantage of such a protection may be seen, when the pots 
are plunged into the soil; a method which communicates the greatest luxuriance to 
the plants, but unfits them to resume their winter stations. 

When a greenhouse is made use of, as it often is after the removal of the pots, 
to force the vine, the same precaution should be attended to as in the management 
of the hot-house ; and the elasticity of the vapour should be maintained by wetting 
the floor ; but after a certain period, a greater degree of dryness should be allowed to 
prevail, to enable the tree to ripen its wood, and form the winter productions for its 
buds. In this its treatment differs from that of the tropical plants, which require 
no such change, and to which, on the contrary, it would be highly detrimental. The 
same observation applies to forcing-houses for peaches and other similar kinds of 
trees. As soon as the fruit is all matured, they should be freely exposed to the 
changes of the weather. 


228 


HINTS ON THE COMMON GARDEN BALSAM. 


BALSAMINA HORTENSIS. 


Tuere are few who have any taste or convenience for the cultivation of 
ornamental flowering plants, that do not bestow some pains, and in many instances 
much labour on the growth of the balsam; and it cannot be said but in every 
instance, where any thing worthy of the name of treatment is resorted to in its 
growth, that the produce of bloom is an ample compensation for the time wasted 
therein; although with one grower the show of bloom doubly surpasses that of 
another, yet it is well known that this degree of superiority can only be in exact 
proportion to the application of the improved modes discovered in cultivation. The 
balsam when brought to bloom under ordinary treatment is a beautiful object, but 
when grown in that superior manner as exhibited at some of our leading Horti- 
cultural shows, with the leading stem wreathed in blossoms of various beautiful 
hues, often to the height of four or five feet, with proportionate branches thickly 
set from one end to the other, with large full-blown flowers, so as to form a conical 
figure of considerable circumference, and which on the stage amongst the exhibited 
treasures, for a grand display of bloom is not outvied by any of its neighbours, 
although by many of them in real value. From the many modes of cultivating 
it we select one, which we have proved to be successful. The balsam is a native 
of the East Indies, consequently must have a degree of heat above the out-door 
temperature; when the plants are young this is particularly necessary, for they 
seldom or never attain any size, if they are not brought while young into a tolerably 
brisk heat. Sow the seed some time in the early part of March, in a wide-mouthed 
pot, observing to divide it thinly over the surface of the soil, after which cover it 
lightly with mould, to the depth of an inch, then plunge it about half way in a 
free-heating hotbed, and in a short time the young plants will have made their 
appearance ; and when they have fully developed their seed leaves, by which time 
they will have made young roots, they should be transplanted singly into large 
sixties, and the pot replunged into the dung; in the course of a week the roots 
will have reached the sides of the pot, when they should be immediately repotted 
into forty-eight sized pots, and again replunged. In a week's time again examine 
the roots, and if they have penetrated the new soil, repeat the operation of shifting, 
and so continue until they finally reach a size measuring no less than ten inches 
across. During their whole progress they require a liberal supply of water, and to 
be kept constantly in the hotbed, or a warm damp stove. The soil for them should 
be equal parts of loam and leaf mould, with a trifling addition of dung; these 
portions well incorporated, but not sifted. Plants thus treated attain the height of 
three and a half or four feet, measuring twelve or fourteen feet in circumference, 
with branches from top to bottom, and these covered with fine well-blown double 
flowers. One thing tending to weaken the plants and render them unsightly is 
their liability to be overdrawn in so humid an atmosphere, which can only be 
obviated by placing them at all stages of their growth as near as possible to the 
glass; if this is attended to the plants will not only be fine, but the flowers much 


HINTS ON THE COMMON GARDEN BALSAM. : 229 


better. A method of propagating balsams from cuttings is given by G. J. Towers, 
Esq., in the first volume of the Horticultural Register, page 397, as follows :— 
«In the month of April I received a packet of seeds of the balsam from a friend, 
whose son had produced them in the preceding year, at Madras, and forwarded to 
his father. ‘The seeds were to all appearance most perfect in their texture, and 
state of maturation ; and, I believe, that of all I sowed scarcely one failed to produce 
a lively and healthy plant. I sowed the seeds in a pot of light sandy earth; I 
plunged this pot in the earth of a melonry, which was a glazed pit, containing a bed 
of leaves, chiefly oak and beech. The pit was constructed, on three of its sides, of 
nine inch brick work ; the fourth, that to the south-west, having a glazed sloping 
light. The bottom heat of the leaves, at the depth of twelve inches might be 
about eighty degrees; but as a stratum of melon earth, full fourteen inches thick, 
was placed on the leaves, the heat at the bottom of the pot scarcely exceeded 
sixty-four degrees. - 

‘‘ The voung plants rose, were potted out, repotted, kept near the glass, and 
finally kept in the open air, according to the customary routine ; still, however, they 
evinced (with one exception only) not the slightest indication of producing blossom, 
although some had attained the height of three feet or more. At the close of the 
month of August I became impatient, and as I felt interested in the final result of 
my exertions, I determined to try how far I might be successful in an endeavour to 
extend the period of the growth of my plants into a second year, by attempting to 
propagate them by cuttings. My direct object was, as it is stated, to convert one 
of the members of the plant into a perfect vegetable body, possessed of roots and 
capable, under auspicious circumstances, of exerting its various vital functions 
throughout the winter; and finally, as I hoped, of producing perfect flowers and 
seeds in the ensuing spring. On referring to my diary I find, that on the 28th of 
August, 1831, one cutting was placed under a glass, such as a tumbler or small bell- 
glass. This cutting was about three inches long ; it was taken off at the axilla of 
a leaf, that is, at the angle formed between the foot-stalk of the leaf and the main, 
or other principal stem of the plant. The soil in the pot was composed of very 
light sandy loam and peat earth, and the pot was immersed in the mould of the 
melonry. This cutting evinced certain signs of the formation of perfect roots, on 
the 12th of September, and on the 18th four other cuttings were placed in a similar 
situation ; all of them succeeded, and each became covered with blossoms, though 
it was scarcely four inches in height. On the 12th of October the cutting of 
August 28th was eleven inches high; the stem was somewhat slender, and drawn 
up, owing to the absence of sunlight, but it was furnished with nine perfect semi- 
double flowers, the ground colour of which was a pale French white, and this was 
beautifully striped with a deep pinkish scarlet. When I witnessed the unexpected 
result of my experiment, I communicated it in a paper addressed to the Horticul- 
tural Society, without delay. 

“It remains only to remark, that balsams may be forced into flower at the close 
of the autumn; that the cuttings of the young shoots at the axilla, or angles of the 
leaves, of the length of two, three, or four inches, will almost invariably produce 
rooted, flowering plants, provided they be placed singly, an inch deep, in small pots 


230 SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES OF GARDENING. 


of light rich earth, and then plunged in a very gentle bottom heat, under glass. 
These are horticultural facts, which I believe to be decidedly established ; and I also 
consider, that in all probability such plants, if every flower-bud be timely removed, 
can be preserved through the winter, in a dry stove, or well-aired and warm green- 
house. I am not, however, enabled to speak unhesitatingly on the latter particular, 
because I was not prepared to afford the desired shelter during November and the 
early part of December, as my house was in an unfinished state, and the pit in 
which the young plants were placed, was far too much exposed to early damps and 
hoar frosts. I have fully succeeded, however, in securing a succession of other 
tender, herbaceous, and annual plants, by cuttings taken off in September or 
October, among which I may mention particularly, one of the Coreopsis tinctoria ; 
this is now as fine and healthy a young plant as I ever beheld. I only wait for a 
favourable opportunity of prosecuting my inquiries, in order to furnish that infor- 
mation which may enable other horticulturalists to extend their researches, which if 
pursued with patience, and in a spirit of true philosophical investigation, may at no 
remote period of time lead to discoveries as interesting to the lovers of science, as 
they will be gratifying to those whose chief object it is to add to or extend the 
beauties of the greenhouse and flower garden. 


SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES OF GRAFTING. 


WHEN the finger is cut with a knife the blood-vessels soon after contract 
their cut extremities into an opening so narrow, that the thicker and red-coloured 
part of the blood cannot pass, and the bleeding therefore ceases, but even then there 
oozes out the thinner watery part of the blood consisting chiefly of matter the same, 
or similar to the white of an egg, which being thus separated from the rest of the 
blood thickens by the heat of the body, as the white of an egg does by boiling. If 
the lips of the finger cut, accordingly, be kept close together by sticking-plaster they 
will become united by means of this natural glue, as it may be termed, in little 
more than a day, upon the same principle. When I was a student of medicine I 
once succeeded, as others have done, in managing to unite the whole top-joint of a 
finger which a boy had chopped off by machinery ; and experiments have been 
successful in causing the spur of a cock to unite and to grow upon his comb. It is 
upon similar principles that the science of grafting is founded; for if a young 
branch, like the boy’s finger, be chopped off by a clean cut, and the cut extremities 
immediately joined, the descending pulp will thicken like the watery part of the 
blood, and while it remains soft the sap from the cut ends of the sap-vessels will 
force its way through to their continuation above in the cut slip, which, if the process 
be successfully managed, will grow as well, or nearly as well, as if it had never been cut. 
Ifagain, instead of applying the same cut slip to the part it was cut from, a slip from 
another tree be applied, as if I had applied to the boy’s finger the tip of another 
boy’s chopped off by the same accident, there seems no good reason to doubt that a 
similar healthy joining might by care be effected; in the case of animals, indeed, 
such joinings are rare, because rarely tried; but in garden plants they are exceed- 


SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES OF GARDENING. 931 


ingly common, for the purpose of continuing esteemed varieties of fruits and flowers, 
accidentally produced by cultivation; as well as for forwarding the fruiting of young 
trees, since seedlings require years to arrive at the bearing state. On examining 
the joining of a graft about a fortnight after it has been made, I have found, as 
in a healing finger cut, a number of small roundish grains, in form of a thin layer, 
produced from the thickening of the pulp, and destined to form the hard substance, 
which in general projects a little externally, and the scar differs in appearance 
from the other parts of the bark. Itis however only in the space between the pulp- 
wood and the bark that the uniting substance is formed, and, therefore it is evident 
the slip to be grafted must have this part applied to the same part of the stock, and, 
if these differ in thickness, at least on one side. Nothing can be more erroneous than 
the doctrine, that the buds of the graft send woody matter downwards, which 
passes through the cellular substance into the stock, and covers the wood of the 
stock with new wood; for every gardener knows that the graft never changes the 
wood of the stock ; this is beautifully shown in the following figures after M. Turpin. 
Fig. 1. a, a black heart cherry Fig. 1. 
tree, naturally of soft texture, and Gex 


of large diameter, grafted on a bird i ; 
cherry, 6, naturally hard, and of 

smali diameter, ¢ the scar much  ie4e-f  — eeiietnie 
bulged, from the pulp being inter- 

rupted in its descent. d, a paper f 


birch, with a smooth bark, grafted 
on the white birch, e, with rough 
thick bark. f, the scar where there 
is no bulging, because the descent 


of the pulp is not interrupted. 


ey 
6 A Se < 
One of the most obvious prin- BN ee 


ciples of this process is, that the ““"Es cS a 

sorts to be grafted should be alike, or nearly alike, because in rae case, the arrange- 
ment of the sap and pulp vessels being similar their cut ends will more readily apply 
mouth to mouth, and less obstruction or interruption of the circulating juices will 
take place. The ash may however be grafted on the olive. 

Fig. 2. a, the Pavia lutea, a 
shrub, which never attains the size 
of a tree, cleft-grafted on the horse- 
chestnut, b, a tree of great size. 
It is remarkable that the Pavia is 
much enlarged near the junction 


kif 
ay) 


i 


c, like a tree near the ground, a 


So 


circumstance which would not 


Se 
== 


have occurred but for the graft ; 
the bark of which remains distinct. 
d, the white lime-tree grafted on 
the European lime tree, e; each growing in diameter according to its particular 


——— 


= 


232 REMARKS ON THE GENUS NERIUM. 


nature, without any intermixture at the line of graft, c. A vertical section, f, 9, of 
an almond tree f, cleft-grafted on a prunus g, showing that not one of the charac- 
teristics of the two individuals ever passes the line of junction, c, ¢, any more than 
a spur grafted on the comb of a cock ever changes its hard horny nature for the 
soft fleshy nature of the comb. 

To this principle there is an exception, arising from the peculiar design which 
the graft is intended to fulfil. When the design is to increase fruit-bearing the stock 
may be of firmer texture than the cutting, as in the preceding figure of the black 
heart and bird cherry; or when a peach cutting is grafted on a plum stock, which 
having narrow vessels, a part of the descending pulp is stopped short, and serves to 
strengthen the branch. If it be intended to increase the branches, and leaves, on 
the other hand, a plum cutting grafted on a peach stock might probably do so, by 
allowing the ascent of more sap. I refer for illustration to the figures on the pre- 


ceding page from M. Turpin.—Alphabet of Scientific Gardening. 


REMARKS ON THE GENUS NERIUM. 


Every one who is familiar with the culture of stove and greenhouse plants, 
must be acquainted with the beautiful oleander, and its single, double (or full- 
flowered), and sweet-scented varieties; but yet we seldom see it in collections. 
There is no difficulty in purchasing the plant, nevertheless a person may visit 
fifty gardens and not meet with one plant in fine flower. It is our intention to 
direct the reader’s attention to two methods by which we have successfully brought 
very small plants into a flowering state ; and we recommend one of them in particular, 
as affording the means to secure a certain succession, of a size which is not only 
very ornamental, but perfectly convenient ; taking up but little space, and being well 
adapted to decorate the parlour, hall, or sitting-room. 

This shrub is propagated with great facility; cuttings of the half-ripened wood 
will strike freely, during the spring and summer, in a phial of rain or soft water, 
plunged into a bed of dung, tan, or leaves; or even, if placed, during warm weather, 
in the window of an apartment. White roots are emitted at the heel of the cutting, 
and when three or four of these become half an inch long, the plant may be safely 
transferred to a pot containing light sandy earth. To secure success, it should be 
placed cautiously on the soil, an inch below the rim of a very small pot; a little 
clear white sand, or sandy heath-soil, should then be laid over, and about the roots, 
pressing it equally and firmly around and among them ; and, finally, over this half an 
inch of the compost should be placed and pressed down closely, and then the soil 
should be thoroughly soaked with rain water. It will be advisable to set the pot in 
a close frame, to shade it from the sun, for three or four days; and when the 
growth becomes established, to admit air freely, and thus harden the plant to green- 
house treatment by degrees. When the small pot shall become filled with roots, 
the soil to be used for a second, and all subsequent pottings, may be a free but 
unctuous loam; ofthis three or four parts, and one part of perfectly mellow reduced 


REMARKS ON THE GENUS NERIUM. 235 


manure, or, in preference, the black vegetable soil produced by the decomposition of 
leaves and stable manure, used for linings and hot-beds. 

We have, by this treatment, succeeded in striking a cutting eight inches long, 
with the cluster of flower-buds fully formed. It was cut off from a plant in the 
open air in August, and struck in water. In three weeks or less the rooted cutting 
was transferred to soil, and being well watered, and plunged for a day or two into a 
shady part of a bed of leaves, it did not flag for a moment. The flower-buds 
enlarged, and soon became perfect. This mode of procuring very small plants may 
be considered as more amusing than profitable, or even desirable, yet it proves what 
may be effected. 

The other method, and that which we recommend as by far the most likely 
to obtain handsome and early blowing plants in the spring, is the following :—Take 
cuttings of two or three joints from an old and strong plant, at any time during 
September and October; and, after removing the lower leaves, make the heel of 
each, immediately below the joint, perfectly smooth. We will suppose that a dozen 
cuttings are thus prepared, and that the mother shrub has stood exposed among 
greenhouse plants in the open air. Some of these will, in all probability, have the 
heads of the future bloom formed and enclosed in the heart of the upper leaves. 
Place plenty of drainage at the bottom of a 32-sized pot and cover it with a little 
moss. Upon the moss put the soil, consisting of five parts sandy heath-mould, and 
one part of rich loam, thoroughly incorporated; press it firmly into the pot, to 
within an inch of the rim; then make holes close to the edge of the pot, put half 
an inch of sand into each, and press it down with the setting-stick. Each hole is 
to receive one cutting, and this is to be inserted exactly one joint deep, the hole 
being then filled with sand, and that pressed as compactly as possible about the heel 
and wood. A good watering is finally to be given, and the pot placed in a pine pit 
or other warm and close frame. Water ought to be given occasionally, so as to keep 
the soil in free and gently moist condition. 

From a pot of cuttings thus prepared, and kept at a temperature frequently 
below fifty degrees, we have acquired above two-thirds of their number of well- 
rooted plants in March ; and these, potted off into sixties, in a moderately enriched 
loam, and placed in a temperate stove, have given us three or four little shrubs, 
which have supported perfect bunches of fine large flowers in April and May. It 
is extremely gratifying to obtain, by means so easy of adoption, a garland of the 
most beautiful rosy blossoms on plants hardly one foot in height. 

Nerium-oleander, or Rose-bay, belongs to the fifth class, first order of the 
Linnzan System ; it comprises plants of surprising beauty, with erect, straight stems, 
long rigid leaves, produced, as are the branches, usually in threes; the flowers are 
white, pale pink, or full rose-colour, supported on terminal open spikes, or corym- 
bose bunches. There are three species and five varieties in the catalogue of the 
Hortus Britannicus, of which the most desirable are, 


Nerium SPLENDENS ; from South of Europe in 1814. 
—— opoRruM ; sweet-scented, and full-flowers, a native of the East 
Indies, known here for above a hundred and fifty years. 


These shrubs are hardy, or nearly so, but small plants will not perfect their 
VOL. III.—-NO. XXXIV. HH 


234 ON THE SCIENCE OF BOTANY, 


bloom freely, unless excited in a stove during the spring months. They will bear 
extremes, either of moisture or aridity, owing to the peculiar organisation of the 
vascular system of the foliage. 

The natural system refers the family to the order Apocynee, the juices of which 
furnish poison of very fatal character, acting chiefly on the nervous system. Caution 
ought, therefore, to be observed in tasting the fluids, which are yielded in abundance 
when the plants are cut or pruned. 

The odour of the sweet-scented oleander discovers the presence of vegetable 
Prussic acid. It appears by the test of any of the neutral salts of iron, that the 
elaborated sap contains the gallic acid, for ink is immediately formed, and with it a 
faint shade of blue is discernible, which seems to indicate the existence of an 
extremely small portion of free Prussiate. 


ON THE SCIENCE OF BOTANY, 


AS A NECESSARY STUDY FOR THE YOUNG GARDENER. 


THE study of the vegetable kingdom is one of the most pleasing employments 
the mind of man is capable of enjoying; contemplating nature in all the various 
seasons of the year, climbing the mountain or descending the vale, in the forest or 
in the mead, from the oak, whose majestic boughs tower toward the skies, to the 
moss, whose minute stem sports beneath its shade, everywhere there 1 is something 
to amuse, in every thing something to instruct, something to aid us 


To look through nature up to nature’s God. 


Surely he must be an unconscious observer who does not discover 
The work of an Almighty hand! 


The study of botany being a great acquisition to the scientific knowledge of the 
young gardener, we hope in this and future communications to give the juvenile 
reader a succinct review of the Linnzan and natural systems of botany. It is natural 
to suppose the first questions that may arise in the mind of the young Tyro are 
these :—‘‘ What is botany, and what does it treat, of 2” The answer is short. Botany 
is that science which arranges and distinguishes all plants or vegetables, and teaches 
us their peculiar properties and uses. | 

The vegetable kingdom is extremely numerous. Naturalists enumerate upwards 
of 30,000 species of plants, nor will this number be so very surprising when we con- 
sider that the whole surface of the earth is covered with them. About 2,000 of these 
are natives of our own isle, of which one third are mosses, ferns, sea-weeds, &c., 
but more botanically speaking Cryptogamic plants. 

The honour of having first suggested the true sexual distinction in plants appears 
to be due to our own countryman Sir Thomas Millington, from whose hints Dr. 


ON THE SCIENCE OF BOTANY. 235 


Grew, as he himself acknowledges, was led to the observations he has given on this 
subject in his Anatomy of Plants, page 171, published in the year 1682. After 
this, Camararius, Moreland, Geotfroy, Vaillant, Blair, Jussieu, and Bradley, pursued 
their inquiries and experiments, so far as to remove all doubt concerning these dis- 
coveries ; and lastly, though not least, Dr. Linnaeus, the professor of physic and 
botany at Upsal (a considerable town in Sweden, and noted for its university), 
founded his immortal system. 

As it has justly been observed by the best writers, that every person who wishes 
to become a professed botanist should preserve and form into a collection the plants 
which he has examined ; therefore, it is our aim; before proceeding with the science 
under consideration, to offer a few instructions to the young botanical researchers 
concerning the forming and arranging an Hortus Siccus (Hortus, a garden; Siccus, 
to dry.—Lat.) or Herbarium. 

The first thing required is a betanical press, made of two small boards of hard 
wood, about eighteen inches long, twelve inches broad, and two inches thick, with 
screws fixed to each corner by nuts. Next, some sheets of brown and unsized blot- 
ting paper must be provided for drying. The specimens must be gathered when 
quite dry ; and, if collected at a distance, they must be carefully carried home in a 
tin box, with their names affixed to them, to assist the memory. The specimens must 
be taken out of the box as soon as possible, and carefully spread on a sheet of brown 
paper, with the leaves and petals laid out regular, and another sheet of paper laid 
over them, and so on till the press is full; then screw them down, increasing the 
pressure every day; they must remain till quite dry, supplying them with dry paper 
daily. The best way for drying succulent and mucilaginous plants, such as 
Cactus, Epiphyllum, Cereus, Melocactus, &c., is with a hot smoothing iron, the 
specimens being placed between sheets of the blotting-paper, and ironed till they 
become sufficiently dry. 

When properly dried, the specimens should be arranged into genera, classes and 
orders (which will be hereafter explained), and fastened in a book, provided for the 
purpose, with small slips of green paper; then at the base of the specimen should be 
written down the name of the genus and species, its native country, time of intro- 
duction (if of foreign produce), nature of the soil, colour of the flower, and time of 
flowering. 


236 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS, 


FIGURED IN THE LEADING PERIODICALS AND FLORISTS MAGAZINE FOR 
AUGUST. 


Boranicat Reeister. Edited by Dr. Lindley, each number containing eight figures ; 
coloured 4s., plain 3s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

BotanicaL Macazine. Edited by Sir William Jackson Hooker, LL.D., &c., each 
number containing eight plates; beautifully coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s.; and correspond- 
ing letter-press. : 

British Frower-Garpen. Edited by David Don, Esq., Professor of Botany in King’s 
College, London, &c., each number containing four plates ; coloured 3s., plain 2s. 3d., with 
corresponding letter-press. . 

Frorists’ Magazine. By Mr. F. W. Smith, each number containing four monthly 
plates, highly coloured ; several plates with two figures, large size 4s., small 2s. 6d., and 
corresponding letter-press. 

Of the above figures, we have only selected such as are very new and rare; and 
amongst these only such as deserve to be extensively cultivated. For descriptions and 
figures, reference must be made to the works themselves. 


CLASS I.—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONEZ), 
THE ROSE TRIBE (ROSACE#). 

CRATHGUS TANACETIFOLIA. ‘Tansy-leaved Hawthorn. A fine species of 
hawthorn, known from Crategus odoratissima and orientalis by its yellow 
solitary sessile fruit, to which a small number of leafy bracts adhere irregularly ; 
but also by its regularly pinnatifid leaves, the fine toothings of which are all tipped 
with a gland. Like those species, this is hardy and very handsome; it is 
multiplied by grafting on the common hedge hawthorn. Bot. Reg., 1884. 

Crategus odoratissima. Sweet-scented Hawthorn. This species forms a 
common bush on the hills adjoining the Black Sea, and elsewhere in the Crimea. 
It is described by Bieberstein as growing to the size of the common hawthorn; in 
this country when grafted upon that species it acquires a dense round-headed habit, 
which diminishes its beauty in some degree; this is, however, compensated by its 
multitude of deliciously perfumed flowers, and the rich clusters of red fruit with 
which it is loaded in the autumn. Sot. Reg., 1885. 


THE PRIMROSE TRIBE (PRIMULACEZ.) 

DovucLasia NIVALIS. Snow-Douglasia. This elegant little plant was dis- 
covered by Mr. Douglas, when crossing the Rocky Mountains in April 1827, in 
latitude 52 degrees north, and longitude 118 degrees west; at an estimated 
elevation of 12,000 feet above the level of the sea. The plant forms a thick tuft, 
consisting of numerous perennial branched stems; which are round, of a bright 
purptish brown, covered with rigid branched hairs. eaves are opposite, linear, 
glaucous green, covered with hairs. Flowers proceeding from the axils of the upper 
leaves, from three to six on each little branch ; at first sessile, but the footstalks 
lengthen by degrees until the fruit is ripe, when they are three quarters or a full 
inch in length, also covered with hairs. The corolla is of a vivid purple, funnel- 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 237 


shaped, wholly destitute of pubescence. The plant is herbaceous, growing freely in 
peat and sand, and ripening its seed in small quantities. Dr. Lindley thinks it 
probable that it will thrive well under the treatment suited to alpine plants. Bot. 
Reg., 1886. 

THE CROW-FOOT TRIBE (RANUNCULACEZ). 

PmONIA TERNIFOLIA; var. PLENA. ‘This lovely variety was introduced some 
years ago by Mr. Goldie, Nurseryman at Ayr, trom the Imperial Botanic Garden at 
St. Petersburgh. The single-flowered variety has been long cultivated in our gardens, 
and although an extremely elegant flower is surpassed by the double-flowered 
variety in the size and splendour of its blossoms. The plant should be grown in a 
light loamy soil. Brit. Fl. Gard., 345. 


THE VERVAIN TRIBE (VERBENACE#). 

VERBENA ERINOIDES ; var. SABINI. A dwarf-tufted herbaceous perennial, with 
numerous angular, prostrate, leafy, branched stems, clothed with short, bristly, reversed 
hairs, producing flowers on a short crowded spike of a bright purple colour. It was 
introduced about two years ago, and is now generally cultivated in our collections under 
the name of V. Sabini. It is quite hardy, and continues to flower throughout the 
summer and autumn. It is readily multiplied by cuttings. Brit. Ll. Gard., 347. 

PENTSTEMON Cosma. Cobcea-flowered Pentstemon. At page 70 of the 
present volume of the Magazine of Botany, we noticed a figure of this species given 
by Dr. Hooker in the Botanical Magazine. Mr. Don has figured the same species 
at 348 of the British Flower Garden ; and on comparing the two figures, we find 
the flowers vary in size and colour, a circumstance that Mr. Don accounts for in the 
following manner. “It will be seen that the flowers in our specimen were larger 
and of a different colour from those represented in the ‘Botanical Magazine,’ 
circumstances attributable in a great measure to the different seasons of the year in 
which the plants bloomed.” Mr. J. Macnab says, that the flowers vary in the 
shade of colour. The red streaks in some are more visible exteriorly, in others 
they are confined to the inside of the tube, or extend along the lobes. It is readily 
multiplied by cuttings, and will probably turn out hardy. Brit. Fl. Gard, 348. 


THE HOUSE-LEEK TRIBE (CRASSULACES). 

KALOSANTHOS SPLENDENS. Showy Kalosanthos. An hybrid, produced by 
Mr. Miller, of Bristol Nursery, between Kalosanthos coccinea and K. versicolor, 
and is certainly an improved variety of this beautiful and interesting genus. The 
specimen figured represents a plant with a single stem, from the base of which two 
off-sets arise; the main stem is crowned with a dense and beautiful cluster of flowers, 
with white and scarlet petals elegantly blended, making a rich and desirable acquisi- 
tion to our collections of succulents. They strike freely, if planted in a little 
sandy soil, under a glass, in the front of a greenhouse. 7. Mag., No. 14. 


THE ROSE TRIBE (ROSACE#). 
Roses. Rouge pe Luxempoure, Rosa Damas Leva. The Rouge de 
Luxembourg is a brilliant and highly coloured moss-rose, of a beautiful form, and 


well filled up in the centre; the colour is carmine, and may be considered a rose of 
much merit. 


238 Le NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


Rosa Damas Leda is a flower that cannot fail to excite the admiration of all 
that are fond of roses. Its novelty alone will recommend it, but it is also a hand- 
somely formed flower composed of regularly disposed petals, of a beautiful white ; 
the outer rows are pleasingly decorated with blotches of bright purple, which give a 
very pleasing appearance. Fl. Mag., No. 14. 


CLASS IIL—PLANTS WITH ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONES), 
THE CORN-FLAG TRIBE (IRIDEZ). 

GLADIOLI CANDIDUS and INCARNATUS. Candidus produces a pure white 
flower of a good size and bold appearance. 

Incarnatus produces flowers of a pale pink colour, large and well-formed. In 
a word, both are extremely rich and beautiful, and to be desired in every collection. 
They are both hybrids, produced by Mr. Miller, of Bristol Nursery, between 
Gladiolus blandus and Gladiolus cardinalis. Fl. Mag., No. 14. 


THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEZ). 

_ Eprpenprum Skinneri. Mr. Skinner’s Epidendrum. This beautiful species 
of epiphytal orchidee flowered in James Bateman, Esq.’s, hothouse at Kny- 
persley, in January last. It was sent to him in the summer of 1835, from the 
neighbourhood of Guatimala, by his most excellent friend, G. U. Skinner, Esq. 
Ep. Skinneri is among the most free flowering of its tribe, every one of its shoots, 
both great and small, having been invariably succeeded by a spike of flowers. 
Dr. Lindley says, “‘ this species is in the way of &. elongatum, and, I presume, 
requires the same management as that species.” Bot. Reg., 1881. 

Oncipium Lanceanum. Mr. Lance’s Oncidium. This remarkable plant has 
lately been published in the Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London, 
whence the following account is extracted :— 

«In the year 1834, John Henry Lance, Esq., upon his return to England from 
Surinam, where he had been residing several years, brought with him a considerable 
collection of orchideous epiphytes, which he presented to the society. Among 
other interesting species was the subject of the following memorandum; a plant 
than which a more acceptable addition to the hothouses of this country has seldom 
been made. 

‘The genus oncidium already includes several very beautiful species, in par- 
ticular O. fleauosum, bifolium, ampliatum, and crispum ; but all these have flowers 
in which yellow or brown are the only colours; they owe their beauty to the 
graceful arrangement of their branches, and to the singular form of their petals, 
rather than to their colour; and moreover, their blossoms are destitute of fragrance. 
When, therefore, it was ascertained that among Mr. Lance’s plants there existed an 
oncidium with violet-coloured sweet-scented flowers, great interest was excited, and 
no pains were spared to ensure its successful cultivation. Many plants were soon 
distributed by Mr. Lance’s orders, one of which blossomed in the hothouse of the 
Messrs. Loddiges, and another shortly after in that of the society. The plant was 
found by no means difficult to manage, and in point of beauty and fragrance it more 
than answered all the expectations that had been entertained of it. 

“The roots are flexuose, slender, simple elongations of the base of the stem, 


—. —____ _—______ ane 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 939 


evidently intended to grow upon places where the quantity of mould is insufficient 
to cover them; they lengthen, independently of their growth, at the point, hke the 
aérial roots of other epiphytal Orchidec, and differ from those of other oncidiums, 
only in being of a greenish yellow colour. The leaves spread from a very short, 
woody, annulated root-stock, and are about a foot in length on the average; they 
are of a broadly oblong figure, of a leathery consistence, are nearly flat, a little 
curved back at the point, and have a light green colour, faintly mottled with purple. 
The flowers are disposed in a short-branched rigid panicle, elevated on a stalk not 
quite so long as the longest leaves; it is about six or nine inches long, and densely 
covered with flowers, which sometimes assume a corymbose, sometimes a racemose 
arrangement. ‘The flowers when expanded measure an inch and three quarters 
from the tip of their back sepal to the point of their lip; they emit a delicious 
fragrance, resembling that of the garden pink. The sepals are oblong, concave, 
obtuse, a little waved and greenish yellow at the edge, bright yellow in the middle, 
and regularly marked with broad blotches of crimson, which run together near the 
base. The two petals are similar to the sepals. The lip is bright violet, darkest at 
the lower half; at the base it is prolonged on each side into a triangular tooth, and 
in the middle of the base there are three nearly equal tubercles, which towards the 
column terminate a ridge that gradually lowers, and then diappears at the expanded 
portion of the lip; above the base it is narrow, it then expands again into a broad, 
thin, light purple, somewhat truncated and toothed extremity. The column has an 
oblique, rounded ear-like appendage on each side, and it is capped by a rich 
crimson anther. Such was the specimen from which the drawing was taken ; 
but it was far inferior to the one which I have just seen (June 29th, 1836,) in 
the rich collection of epiphytes, belonging to the Messrs. Rollisson, of Tooting. 
This plant, which I regard as the most perfect instance of successful cultivation I 
have yet witnessed among epiphytes, had leaves eighteen inches long, and upwards 
of thirty flowers two inches and a quarter in expansion, with all the markings of 
the sepals and petals of the richest chocolate brown, and of the lip of the deepest 
violet. In fragrance there was a resemblance to the spicy odour of that sweetest of 
all flowers, Aérides cornutum. 

“‘In the Society’s garden this plant.is cultivated along with other epiphytes ina 
damp hothouse, facing the north; it is planted in a mixture of sandy peat, pot- 
sherds, and decayed wood, and under these circumstances it thrives very well. 

«¢ Mr. Lance has favoured me with the following account of the discovery and 
subsequent management of this remarkable plant in its native country. The first 
specimen of this splendid epiphyte I discovered, was growing on the trunk of a 
large tamarind tree, in a noble avenue of those trees close to the Government 
House in Surinam. I took it home with me, and planted it in a pot filled with 
rotten pieces of wood and a little light earth; but though it remained alive, and 
flowered once or twice, it did not thrive, but wasted away and became less. I 
afterwards found a great number of the plants in different parts of the colony; they 
were generally attached to the stems or branches of the tamarind, the sapodilla, or 
the calabash trees, appearing to prefer those to any other; however, on being tied 
to the branches of the orange, the soursop, the mammee, and even the Brugmansia 


240 OPERATIONS FOR NOVEMBER. 


arborea, it grew well upon them all, and produced vigorous stems, with upwards 
of twenty blossoms on each stem. The scent is extremely fragrant, and is retained 
after the flower is dried, only becoming fainter and more of a spicy flavour than 
when fresh. ‘The plant remains in full beauty ten or twelve days, a long period in 
that climate; and I found that it aiways required a shady situation, and a living stem 
to grow upon, without which it would not produce its flowers in the highest per- 
fection.” Bot Feg., 1887. 


OPERATIONS FOR NOVEMBER. 


Frosty nights being now prevalent, the safety of all tender or half-hardy 
plants is consequently endangered: it is therefore advisable to put all such in 
places of security. Dry up any superabundance of moisture that may show itself 
in the greenhouse, &c., by occasionally warming the flues a little when the house is 
liberally ventilated; this is particularly necessary at this season, on account of the 
want of the assistance of the sun’s influence, which before maintained a medium 
between the two extremes—excessive dryness and excessive moisture. Plants 
stationed in cold frames for the winter should be hourly watched, as they perhaps 
now, more than any other time, are liable to damp; this hint extends particularly to 
Mignonette, Violets, and others well known to suffer much from prevailing 
moisture. Prepare canvas and other necessaries for protecting tender, creeping, 
and climbing plants trained to the south wall, or other tender plants in the flower- 
garden or onthe lawn. Seeds of different kinds, newly gathered, should be carefully 
dried and looked over, and each sort neatly packed, named, and stored till wanted, in 
some secure place. 

Buss of sorts, beds for, if not already in progress, should immediately be 
commenced with, as the roots should not be put in later than the latter end of this 
month, such as the Tulip, Ranunculus, Hyacinth, and Anemone. 

Dau .ias, if not already injured by the frost, may soon be expected to become 
so; seedlings, and others desirable to be preserved, should therefore, without delay, 
be covered by placing a temporary awning around them. 

CHRYSANTHEMUMS, if not already housed, should be in the early part of this 
month; an idle vinery or a well-ventilated greenhouse will do well for them. 

DeEcIDUOUS SHRUBS will now be hastily casting their leaves: when the most 
of them have fallen, pruning may be commenced on those kinds where the wood 
appears ripe and likely to bear the knife. 

GREENHOUSE PLANTS. Such as have been plunged in the borders during 
summer should now immediately be taken up and placed in the back part of the 
house ; they will probably be found useful for propagation in the spring, and not 
unlikely for planting out again in the summer; we allude to Scarlet Geraniums, 
fuchsias, Shrubby Calceolarias, &c. &¢. 

Soizs. It will be of much advantage to the grower of plants in potting of 
the different kinds in the spring, if a selection of the different composts be made 
this autumn that are most likely to be called for; and afterwards placed in a con- 
venient spot where the frost and air can act freely upon them. 


HN ‘ 
y iS 
ut ch Hi 


Halden. deb Smithese . 


241 


HOVEA CELSI. 


(CELS’s HOvEA). 


CLASs. ORDER. 
- DIADELPHIA. DECANDRIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


LEGUMINOS i, 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx two-lipped, the upper lip half cleft, retuse, lower lip three-parted. Kee 
blunt. Stamens all connected. Legume sessile, rounded, inflated, two-seeded. Seeds covered 
with protuberances. 


Speciric Cuaracter.— Plant a greenhouse shrub from two to four feet high. Leaves lanceolate, some- 
what rhomboid, blunt, mucronate. Footstalks axillary many-flowered ; the branches, bracts, and 
calyxes, rather hairy. 


One of a genus of excellent greenhouse plants, all natives of New Holland, and 
furnished with alternate simple leaves, and axillary purple or blue flowers, sur- 
mounting short pedicles or footstalks. 

The accompanying coloured figure represents a species of much heauty, first 
known to our collections through Mr. Allen, nurseryman in the King’s Road, who 
imported it from Monsieur Cels, of Paris; since that it has become quite a favourite 
in our greenhouses, and is justly an esteemed and beautiful feature among the 
Australian species. 

In a flowering state it has an elegant appearance: the blue, which is the pre- 
dominating colour of the flower, being of so bright a hue, which is rendered very 
conspicuous by the lighter portion in the centre; and even when out of flower if 
well grown it has a neat character, certainly a recommendation at all seasons. It 
flowers in general between March and July, but most frequently about the latter 
end of June. 

This species cannot be said to be easy of cultivation, but like many more of 
equal beauty from the same quarter, it requires much and well-directed care in 
potting and watering, suffering materially from both if indifferently performed. 
The soil used for them, with the greatest success, is rather sandy loam and peat 
that has a fair portion of vegetable matter and sand in it. In potting employ good 
drainage ; the best for the purpose is broken pots: after potting, let the plants 


VOL. III.—-NO. XXXV. Jy 


949 HOVEA CELSI. 


stand in a light airy situation in the greenhouse, and they will grow and flower 
well with due attention to watering, &c. Cuttings taken when the wood is mid- 
dling firm, root freely in a pot of sand under a bell-glass. All who are accustomed 
to propagate New Holland plants, are well aware how necessary it is to guard 
against damp ; it is of importance then to water them with much pains, and when 
any quantity of vapour has condensed on the inner surface of the glass placed over 
them, to wipe it quite dry with a clean linen cloth. As seeds frequently mature 
in the greenhouse, they are much more easily increased by them than by cut- 
tings : the seed should be sown early in the spring, or immediately after it is ripe. 
The generic name is given in honour of Mr. Antony Pantaleon Hove, a Polish 


botanist, and traveller in Crimea and Persia. 


Hold. del Srrpthe,se 


o 


iS aS 2 
LOD ALA” OA LO0stET U4 


7, 


GARDOQUIA HOOKERL. 


(CAROLINA GARDOQUIA). 


CLASS. ORDER» 
DIDYNAMIA. GY MNOSPERMIA, 
NATURAL ORDER. 


LABIAT ZK. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Calyx tubular, five lobed, exterior marked with thirteen nerves. Corolla long, 
erect, or a little crooked; Zimb two-lipped, upper two-lobed, the lower three-lobed ; lobes short aad 
even. Stamens four, two of which are longest. Filaments erect. Anthers two-celled. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—A smail upright shrub about a foot anda half high, branched. Branches weak, 
upright, scarcely pubescent. Leaves obovate, terminating with a point, dotted on both sides; of a 
glaucous green colour, and something attenuated at the base. SF ootsialks very short. Flowers 
arising from the axilla of the leaves, in general solitary. FJowerstalks short, furnished at the base 
with two lanceolate bracts. Calya tubular, nearly smooth, throat hairy. Corolla of a rich scarlet 
colour, nearly three times longer than the calyx, the exterior covered with hairs; limb two-parted, 
tips equally extended, upper two-lobed, lower three-lobed ; lobes short and rounded. Stamens four. 
Filaments white, smooth. Anthers two-celled, purple. Style filiform. Stigma two-celled, awl- 
shaped, recurved. 


Synonymes.—Gardoquia Hookeri, Bentham, J. c. p. 401. Cunila Coccinea, Hocker, Exot. Flor. 3, t. 

163. Melissa coccinea, Sprengel, Syst. 2, p. 224. 

‘Tuts striking little plant was gathered—says Professor Don, in the British 
Flower Garden for January 1836, where a faithful figure and accurate description 
of it is given—on the mountains of South Carolina, by Mr. Alexander Gordon, 
a collector sent out by Mr. Charlwood. 

It is a deserving and certainly a pretty little ornamental shrub, delicate in its 
growth, but the blossoms are large and of a rich scarlet colonr, nearly equal to the 
flowers of that beautiful species of Salvia, viz. S. splendens. It continues in flower 
a long time, and with seasonable management a considerable number are open at 
one time, which, if the plant be of a good size, look exceedingly handsome. 

No person is more successful in the cultivation of this plant than our friendly 
contributor Mr. Bows, of Broughton, near Manchester, who, some time back, kindly 


permitted our artist to make a drawing from a fine plant in lis collection at that 


244 GARDOQUIA HOOKERI. 


time in flower. Mr. Bows’ gardener calling at Chatsworth, about twelve months 
ago, informed us that to ensure a good growth and a free state of flowering, it is 
necessary to keep the plant almost constantly excited, and to do this no place is 
better adapted than a greenhouse kept rather close. A plant at Chatsworth kept in 
the stove, assumes a delicate and drawn appearance, while others in a small house, 
intermediate between that and the greenhouse, look healthy, form handsome plants, 
flowering abundantly and richly from the latter part of May until late in October. 

It grows well in a mixture of loam and peat, but of the latter only a small 
quantity is required, if the former be open and contain a little sand; watering 
appears to be a point calling for particular attention, this should never be adminis- 
tered with an immoderate hand, but at all times given with much care and caution ; 
equal attention is necessary in draining the pots, which should be done with reduced 
potsherds, not broken too small, but left sufficiently large to take off freely any 
superabundant moisture. Cuttings planted in sand make roots with little trouble, 
if a hand or bellglass be placed over them and the pot receive a gentle bottom heat. 

The genns* was dedicated by Ruiz and Pavon to Don Diego Gardoqui, Minister 
of Finance under Charles the Fourth of Spain, who greatly promoted the publication 
of the Flora Peruviana. 

| * D. Don. 


Eee 


its ie 
Ba 
et? 
A 


eres 


fo 


NA Al | 
Cu XAD “LA tP 
DAL Nae MERE CPLA . 
~ pee Hes | 


Holden, acts mille £0, 


245 


EUTAXIA PUNGENS. 


(PUN GENT-LEAVED EUTAXIA. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 
DECANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 
LEGUMINOS i. 
Generic Cnaracter.— Calyx two-lipped, upper somewhat emarginate, lower trifid. Vexillum (standard ) 


broader than long. Ovary two-seeded. Style hooded. Stigma capitate. Leguma moderately 
ventricose Seeds with an appendage. 


Spreciric Cuaracter.—Plant a greenhouse shrub from two to four feet high. eaves either scattered 
or whorled, something recurved, terminating in a pungent sharp point, smooth, with the margins 
turned back. Peduncles few-flowered, axillary much crowded. Ovary hairy, the branches and 
footstalks of the flowers clothed with hoary down. 


Synonyme.—Dillwynia pungens, Cunningham’s MSS. 

TuHeE genus Kutaxia comprises two species, namely, &. myrtifolia and &. pungens, 
both peculiar to New Holland. The former has been long known to our collections, 
where it still remains a favourite; the latter has been more recently introduced, 
and, of the two, is the most handsome ; still both, in a state of flowering, are truly 
elegant. 

The subject at present under consideration, produces an immense number of yellow 
flowers near the extremity of the branches, each marked with a dull orange circle 
round the base of the vexillum, which greatly enlivens the dense cluster, and 
renders the whole extremely pleasing. The plant from which our drawing was © 
taken, flowered in the manner represented, in the collection of Mr. Bows, about 
June last. 

Both species grow freely in a compost of loam and peat, with the addition of a 
little sand, and the whole well incorporated, but not sifted. In shifting, the pots 
should be well and carefully drained with potsherds, for the escape of water, which 
should at all times be given with a degree of caution. Cuttings root with facility 
in a pot of sand under a glass; if a moderate bottom heat could be applied the 
success would be more certain. 

The generic name is taken from evraéia, signifying modesty, and alludes to the 
delicate and easy appearance of the plants when in flower. The specific name 


(pungens), implies pricking, and alludes to the sharp point at the end of the leaves. 


ra, os 

Aisne 

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Var ae 


CZ WZ j 


oe CG 
UY fSiPl iy G72. WE 
/ JZ pec 18 2 


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247 


CYPRIPEDIUM CALCEOLUS. 


(common LADIES’ SLIPPER. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 
GYNANDRIA. DIANDRIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 


ORCHIDEZ:. 


Generic Cuaracter.—Lip inflated, sometimes saccate. Column terminated at the back by a petaloid 
(petal-like) lobe, ropresenting a barren siamen, and dividing the anthers. The interior sepal often 
united. &. Brown. 


Speciric Cuaractrr.— Siem leafy. Appendage to the column elliptical, obtuse, channelled. Lip some- 
what compressed, shorter than the petals. Smith. 


Ir is a circumstance rather to be regretted, that so beautiful a feature in the 
Flora of Britain as the present species, should be rendered so scarce, and suffer so 
much from the rapacity of the curious, &c., who no sooner ascertain the place where 
it grows, than immediately they extract the roots from the soil, either with a view 
to profit, or to plant them in their flower-garden for the purpose of augmenting its 
riches, delighting it may be presumed, to see it aiding the beauties of the latter, 
rather than growing naturally as it does in the mountainous thickets about the 
North of England, where, in consequence, it is seldom met with, and the anxious, 
noble-aiming tourist, is often obliged in vain to prosecute his Botanical research in 
quest of a native soil specimen, whereby to effect a satisfactory investigation. 
_ Thus Joseph Woods, Esq., F.L.S. in his relation of a Botanical excursion in the 
North of England, observes. “I had been directed to seek for the C. calceolus, on 
the top ofa steep rocky bank, opposite to an insulated rock, on each side of which the 
road passed, but we could find no such rock, and our search for the Cypripedium 
was vain. The plant suffers from the unceasing rapacity of gardeners; yet it does 
not bear a high price, and I suppose, from this circumstance, it is propagated 
without much difficulty ; but at least in the gardens about London, it rarely flowers. 
I believe that in some places in the North of England, it is not only increased 
without difficulty, but also blooms freely ;” and again he adds, “at Helmesly we heard 


again of Cypripedium calceolus, and a gardener who confessed that he had taken 


248 CYPRIPEDIUM CALCEOLUS. 


up all the roots he could see, conducted us to the spot where it used to grow, which 
is a limestone bank near the head of the western branch of the little valley which 
penetrates the hills just behind Helmesly ; no trace of the Cypripedium remained, 
except the hole from which the last specimen was dug on the 15th of May, 1828, when 
it was in full bloom, and he had taken up five roots. We threatened him with an act of 
Parliament made expressly to hang him, but he did not appear so much alarmed as 
we could have wished*.’”’ It is certainly one of the most beautiful and interesting of 
the British Orchidez, as will be seen in the accompanying drawing, which is a 
faithful representation ; although a native, it is attended with some trouble in 
cultivation. Sweet observes that they thrive best in a frame in peat soil, or in a 
shady border. 

The generic name is taken from Kumpvs, Venus, and zod.oy a slipper, alluding to 
the slipper-like form of the labellum. 

The genus contains ten species, most of which except the C. calceolus, are 


natives of North America and Nepal. 


* Companion to Curtis’s Botanical Magazine for May, 1836. 


249 


ON THE CULTIVATION OF VIOLA ODORATA, 


Var. PALLIDA-PLENA, FOR WINTER AND SPRING FLOWERING. 


Or Viola odorata there are eight varieties, none of which are considered equal 
to the Neapolitan for fragrance, or for the facility with which it may be forced, 


during the winter months. As we have heen very successful in obtaining abundance 
of unusually fine flowers, perhaps our mode ‘of culture may not be unacceptable to 
some of our readers, and as the same remarks are applicable to the other varieties 
of Viola odorata, it will be unnecessary to mention any other than the Neapolitan. 

We take off cuttings as soon as they have done flowering in May, and plant 
them under hand-glasses,in light garden mould at the foot of a south wall, where 
with gentle waterings and shading, they soon strike root; after they have been 
hardened by leaving the glasses off during the nights for a short time, they are 
removed to any part of the kitchen garden where the soil is light, and planted nine 
inches asunder ; they must be watered during dry weather, and the soil frequently 
loosened with the hoe. 

The first week in August we prepare a bed for their reception, of the size of the 
frame intended to place over them, in the following manner :—a layer of broken 
pots or brick rubbish about nine inches thick, for drainage, upon this a compost of 
the following proportions, one foot thick ;—two barrow loads of leaf mould, one 
barrow of free loam, one barrow of well-rotted manure, and a half barrow of clear 
sand; these must be thoroughly mixed by frequent turnings, if mixed twelve 
months before using, so much the better. After the bed has been allowed a few 
days to settle, the plants are carefully taken up, trimmed of their runners, and 
planted four inches asunder. They should not be more than fifteen inches off the 
glass if possible ; we prefer a western exposure, as gentle watering before sunset is 
very beneficial in making the plants throw up their blooms vigorously ; the lights 
should be allowed to remain off during the autumn, except in very wet or cold 
weather, a lining of dry litter should be placed round the frame to exclude frost ; 
when they are in flower we never give them any air, except to dry the plants 
occasionally should the weather prove wet, by which means we obtain much longer 
stalks to the flowers, and the moisture in the frame caused by evaporation induces 
the buds to expand more freely. 

To insure a succession of flowers during the spring, we always transfer some 
plants to another bed about six weeks after the first; more hand-glasses may be 
filled with cuttings than are required for the frames, and if they are allowed to 
remain under them without protection, they will flower exceedingly well after those 
in the frames are over, never removing the glasses except for the purposes of 
watering or gathering the flowers. We also make it a rule to pot some plants of 
the Neapolitan and double blue in shallow thirty-two sized pots, and introduce them 
into any convenient place, where the heat will not be more than 65° of Fahrenheit, 
by which means they may be had from the latter end of October to April. 

If the frames are exposed to a southern aspect they will require shading from the 
mid-day sun in March and April. 

VOL. IlIl—=NO. XXXV. KK 


250 


ON THE CULTIVATION OF CACTI IN MOSS. 


To offer any observations on the management of Cacti will almost appear 
superfluous, after what we have advanced on the same subject, Vol. I. page 49, in 
the article appended to the figure of Epiphyllum splendidum; but as we purpose 
in this essay to detail a rather novel way of growing these plants, we trust 
it will be a sufficient apology for what otherwise might be taken for a recapitulation 
of our former paper. It is notorious, that a great many plants, especially those 
belonging to the natural order Orchidiacee grow admirably when planted in moss, 
and being cognisant of the fact, that in their native country some of the cactus 
tribe are sometimes found growing on rotten wood and other decomposed vegetable 
matter, induced us to try whether some of them would not grow in moss. Pro- 
curing a quantity of sphagnum (bogmoss,) we proceeded to put in strong year old 
plants of the following kinds ;—Hpiphyllum speciosum, truncatum, Ackermani, 
and splendidum; Cereus speciosissimus, and flagelliformis ; Rhipsalis Cassutha, 
salicornioides, fasciculata, and grandiflora ; and Pereskia aculeata and longispinus. 
The plants were turned out of their pots, and all the loose earth removed from 
them, a small quantity of turfy peat was placed round each root, the whole covered 
with moss about two inches thick, and then neatly tied up with small tar-twine, 
The plants were then suspended in an inverted position from the rafters of a plant 
stove, and they were syringed twice a day through the growing season; they grew 
admirably ; in three months the roots had protruded through the moss, so much 
as to require a second coat of moss. ‘This experiment was commenced in February, 
and in the course of the season the whole of the plants, with the exception of the 
Pereskias produced bloom; some of them two or three times. Since then we have 
practised this system rather extensively, and we have now several dozen of strong 
plants, which flower abundantly. Eipiphyllum truncatum thus treated is a most 
beautiful object, and may be had in flower throughout the whole year. 

With regard to temperature it is our practice to keep the plants in a house 
heated from 55° to 65° during the time they are growing, but when the young 
shoots are matured, we remove them into a lower temperature—say from 40° to 50° 
until they are wanted to flower, when they are taken back to their former 
habitation. 

To enhance the novelty of this system we have resorted to the expedient of 
grafting, and have now got them so amalgamated, that a stranger would scarcely 
recognise the original. We have one plant of &. truncatum, with all the Rhep- 
salises, Ei. splendidum, and Ackermani, and Cereus flagelliformis grafted on it, and 
we have others with all the other kinds growing on them. Grafting is a very 
simple operation, it only being necessary to fit the scion and stock together, and 
then tie them with a little matting, and cover the whole with clay or moss to keep 
the air out, and indeed this is not required with some, for we stuck a small piece of 
Cereus flagelliformis on one of the young spines of Pereskia aculeata, and it has 
grown and formed a fine plant. Grafting on these plants may be performed at any 
time. We have two plants of ZB. truncatwm grafted on stocks of Pereskia acleata 


ON THE CULTIVATION OF CACTI IN MOSS. 95] 


about three feet high, with heads nearly two feet in diameter, and which produce 
from two to three hundred flowers every time they bloom, which they generally do 
about three times a year. These plants are grown in pots in the usual way. 

Mr. Green, gardener to Sir E. Antrobus, Bart., one of the best cultivators of 
the cactus in the vicinity of London, has a most excellent article on this subject in 
Vol. I. Part V., second series of the Transactions of the Horticultural Society, 
which for the benefit of those who do not possess the Transactions, we shall 
transcribe. 

“ The compost that I use,” observes Mr. Green, “is an equal quantity of light 

turfy loam, and pigeon’s dung, and one third sheep’s dung, exposing the mixture 
one year to the influence of the summer’s sun and winter frost to mellow. When 
wanted for use, I add one third of sandy peat, in both cases mixing them well 
together. 
«7 grow the young plants from February to July, in the forcing flower-house 
kept from 55° to 60° Fahrenheit. I afterwards remove them to a shelf in an airy 
situation in the greenhouse, exposed to the mid-day sun, giving them plenty of air 
and little water. ‘The plants that I want to flower the following September, are 
placed in the forcing house the first week in December, giving them very little 
water for the first ten days, and gradually increasing the water as the plants advance 
in growth. About the Ist of February I stop all the young shoots, which soon 
become well ripened ; from this time I decrease the quantity of water until they 
become quite dry, in order to throw the plants into a state of rest. In the 
beginning of March I replace them in a cold shady situation in the greenhouse, 
treating them as before. For plants to flower in August, I place a quantity more 
in the forcing house the first week in January, treating them the same as those for 
September; only they are put to rest in the greenhouse a fortnight later, and 
replaced in the forcing house one week sooner. 

“The first flowering plants are put in the forcing house the end of January, and 
will come in flower about the middle of March. When these plants have done 
flowering, and are removed from the drawing-room, or greenhouse, I prune out 
most of the old shoots that have flowered, so that the plants are furnished regularly 
with young shoots for flowering the ensuing year ; these plants are also placed in 

the forcing house for ten days, to ripen the young wood and dry up the moisture, 
and are then put to rest in the greenbouse as usual: such plants will flower a 
second time in October. Others put in the forcing house the middle of February 
will flower about the end of April; if then pruned, and dried, and put to rest as 
before, they will flower a second time in November, and so on in proportion. I 
repot them at all seasons whenever the plants may require it, always observing to 
keep the pots well drained with potsherds, that the moisture may pass off readily. 
This process may be considered troublesome, but superior growth, and abundance of 
flowers, amply repay the care bestowed. By the above treatment, C. speciosus and 
Jenkinsoni have generally produced from ninety to a hundred fine expanded 
flowers, at one year old. ‘The plants that I brought tothe Society (May 21, 1833,) 
were about two years old; the C. speciosus bore two hundred flowers, C. specio- 


959 DIONEA MUSCIPULA. 


sissimus seventy-two, C. Jenkinsoni one hundred and ninety-four. I prefer growing 
them in wooden tubs, with nice stakes fixed to the tub, to the usual mode of sup- 
porting them by sticks driven into the ball of the plant, which I consider injures 
the fibre, and makes the plant appear unsightly.” 

By the above treatment, Mr. Green grows most beautiful specimens; indeed 
the plants that he has at different times exhibited at the Horticultural Society's 
Gardens, and in Regent Street, are the most splendid we ever remember to have 
seen. 


DIONAZZA MUSCIPULA, or VENUS’S FLY TRAP. 


For a woodcut figure of this singular plant, we refer to the first volume, page 
61, of our Magazine of Botany, where an interesting account of its peculiar pro- 
perties will be found; the following is selected from the August number of the 
Companion to Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, edited by Professor Hooker, and which 
will be found to contain some very pleasing remarks on this very remarkable feature 
of vegetation. ? 

« This interesting plant, now common in all the gardens of the curious, but 
long supposed to be confined in its native country to almost a single habitat, is thus 
mentioned by Mr. M. A. Curtis, in his ‘ Enumeration of the plants growing 
spontaneously around Wilmington, in North Carolina.’ The Dionea muscipula 
is found as far north as Newbern, North Carolina, and from the mouth of Cape 
Fear River nearly to Fayetteville. Elliot says, on the authority of General 
Pinckney, that it grows along the lower branches of the Santec, in South Carolina, 
and I think it is not improbable that it inhabits the savannahs more or less 
abundantly from the latter place to Newbern. It is found in great plenty for many 
miles around Wiimington, in every direction. 

“I venture a short notice of this interesting and curious plant, not being aware 
that auy popular description of it has been published in this country. The leaf, 
which is the only remarkable part, springs frem the root, spreading upon the 
ground, or at a little elevation above it. It is composed of a petiole, or stem, with 
broad margins, like the leaf of the orange tree, two to four inches long, which at 
the end suddenly expands into a thick and somewhat rigid leaf, the two sides of 
which are semicircular, about two thirds of an inch across, and fringed around their 
edges, with somewhat rigid cilia, or long hairs, like eye-lashes. The leaf, indeed, 
may be very aptly compared to two upper eye-lids, joined at their bases. Each 
portion of the leaf is a little concave on the inner side, where are placed three 
delicate, hair-like organs, in such an order that. an insect can hardly traverse it, 
without interfering with one of them, when the two sides collapse and inclose the 
prey, with a force surpassing an insect’s attempts to escape. ‘The fringe, or hairs, 
of the opposite sides of the leaf interlace like the fingers of the two hands clasped 
together. 


“The sensitiveness resides only in these hair-lke processes on the inside, 


ON THE CULTURE OF PEPPER AND RICE. 953 


as the leaf may be touched or pressed in any other part without sensible effects. 
The little prisoner is not crushed and suddenly destroyed, as is sometimes supposed, 
for I have often liberated captive flies and spiders, which sped away as fast as fear 
or joy could hasten them. At other times I have found them enveloped in a fluid 
of mucilaginous consistence, which seems to act as a solvent, the insects being 
more or less consumed in it. This circumstance has suggested the possibility of 
the insects being made subservient to the nourishment of the plant, through an 
apparatus of absorbent vessels in the leaves. But as I have not examined suffi- 
ciently to pronounce on the universality of this result, it will require further 
observation and experiment on the spot, to ascertain its nature and importance. 
It is not to be supposed, however, that such food is necessary to the existence of 
the plant, though like compost, it may increase its growth and vigour. But how- 
ever obscure and uncertain may be the final purpose of such asingular organisation, 
if it were a problem to construct a plant with reference to entrapping insects, I 
cannot conceive of a form and organisation better adapted to secure that end than 
are found in the Dionea muscipula. I therefore deem it no credulous inference 
that its leaves are constructed for that specific object, whether insects subserve the 
purpose of nourishment to the plant or not. It is no objection to this view, that 
they are subject to blind accident, and sometimes close upon straws as well as 
insects. It would be a curious vegetable indeed, that had a faculty of distinguishing 
bodies, and recoiled at the touch of one, while it quietly submitted to violence from 
another. Such capricious sensitiveness is not a property of the vegetable kingdom. 
The spider’s net is spread to ensnare flies, yet it catches whatever falls upon it, and 
the ant-lion is roused from his hiding place by the fall of a pebble; so much are 
inseets also subject to the blindness of accident.” 


ON THE CULTURE OF PEPPER AND OF RICE. 


Brack pepper thrives luxuriantly in most soils, and when once reared requires 
comparatively little care and labour. The preference in choosing a situation is 
usually given to level grounds along the banks of rivers (provided they are not so 
low as to be inundated,) on account of the rich vegetable mould found in those locali- 
ties, and for the advantages of water carriage. Plantations of this tree are seldom 
made on rising ground, unless the ascent be very gentle, otherwise the soil is likely 
to be loosened and washed away from the roots of the vines. The goodness of 
pepper is considered to depend more upon the natural qualities of the soil than the 
care bestowed upon its cultivation. It is a hardy tropical plant, and grows readily 
from cuttings, or layers, rising in several knotted stems, which cling round any 
neighbouring support, and adhere to it by means of fibres, that shoot from every 
joint at intervals, of from six to ten inches, and through which it probably imbibes 
its nourishment. If left without any means of climbing upwards, the stalk unable 
to support itself, creeps along the ground; the fibres at the joints then become 
roots, but in this situation the plant would never exhibit signs of fructification. 


954 ON THE CULTURE OF PEPPER AND RICE. 


Like ivy, it is encouraged by support to throw out bearing shoots. If left in 
its natural state, it climbs to twenty or twenty-five feet high; but it is more 
fruitful when not allowed to attain this height. Restrained in its growth to from 
twelve to fifteen feet high, it bears both foliage and flowers within a foot of the 
ground; but in the former case the lower part of the stem is entirely devoid of 
these. | 
In order to give to the pepper vines ms support they require, it is usual to plant 
some other trees with them for that purpose. 

The Iaca tree (Artocarpus integrifolia) is selected in Malabar thus to ee 
its support, since the same soil is equally adapted to the growth of both plants. In 
Sumatra a thorny tree, called by the natives ching-kariang (Lrythriora corallo- 
dendron) is employed. In Borneo the vines are supported like hops, by poles; but 
there is a great disadvantage attendant on this method, as the poles thus exposed 
decay at the end of two or three years, while the plants last many years, and they 
are much injured in the removal of the old poles, and the placing of the new ones. 
Besides this, the use of poles has another disadvantage in the absence of foliage, 
which during the dry season is of service in sheltering from the too ardent rays of 
the sun. 

When a piece of ground is to be converted into a pepper plantation it is marked 
out by means of a line into regular squares, having their sides about six feet, the 
intervals at which the plants are intended to be placed from each other. The 
points of intersection are noted by slight stakes, and at each of these points a tree 
intended for the prop, is planted ; for this purpose, cuttings of about two feet long 
are put into the ground a span deep; sometimes cuttings six feet long are used, 
but these often fail, are not so vigorous as the shorter ones, and generally grow 
crooked. 

When the shoots of the ching-kariang are twelve or fifteen feet high—a height 
they generally attain during the second year of their growth—they are lopped, and 
not allowed to grow much above this altitude. The branches are lopped annually 
at the commencement of the rainy season in November, leaving little more than the 
stem, or otherwise the droppings from the leaves might injure the vines. 

The usual mode of propagating the pepper plant is by cuttings of a foot or two 
in length, taken from the horizontal shoots which spring forth from the foot of the 


old vines. One or two of these cuttings are planted close to the ching-kariang tree, 


sometimes as soon as the latter has taken root, but oftener after a lapse of six 
months from its being first planted. A few cultivators allow an interval of twelve 
months, fearful lest the growing vine should overpower its support; but in general, 
if this be a healthy and vigorous shoot, so long a priority is unnecessary for its 
thriving, as it advances its sustaining power. The vine rises about two feet in the 
first year, and four or five more in the second; at this time, or between the second 
and third year of its growth, it first begins to put forth blossoms. 

Sir Joseph Banks made several experiments on the cultivation of mountain 
rice in England, and as it flourishes under some circumstances through much cold, 
it was supposed that these attempts would have been followed with success. The 


ON THE CULTURE OF PEPPER AND RICE. 955 


result, however, proved otherwise. Six different samples of this rice were sown in 
separate compartments in the most favourable situations. The grains were sown 
very thin in the middle of May, and they soon put forth a most luxuriant vegeta- 
tion, each root tillering so much that the ground was entirely covered with the 
grassy verdure of the plants. The blades grew vigorously, attaining to the length 
of two feet ; but the stalks showed no disposition to rise; and unless the ground 
was kept constantly moist, either by natural or artificial watering, the plants 
drooped. They continued to vegetate thus, until an early night frost in September 
entirely destroyed them. Some few of the plants had been transplanted into pots, 
and placed in a hothouse, but in this situation they soon died. Other plants which 
had been originally reared in a hothouse succeeded in sending forth flowering 
stalks, which bloomed, but the blossoms never fructified. These experiments led 
Sir Joseph Banks to conclude, that though rice would not succeed in this country 
as a grain-bearing plant, it might, perhaps, be advantageously cultivated- as fodder 
for cattle, because it furnished such an abundance of blades. Since the above- 
named unsuccessful experiment, a crop of rice has been obtained in England, on the 
banks of the Thames, near Windsor. 

The Chinese conduct this cultivation with great care, endeavouring in this, as in 
all the offices of husbandry in which they engage, to draw from the soil the greatest 
possible produce. 

The care of the cultivator begins before the seeds are placed intheearth. The 
grains destined for that purpose are put in baskets, and immersed in water, in which 
situation they remain for some days; this softens them, and tends to hasten their 
germination. ‘The land which is to be sown with this crop is previously saturated 
with water, until the surface is hke soft mud. In this state it is stirred up with a 
plough of very simple construction, to which is yoked a single buffalo. A rude 
kind of hurdle, drawn also by one buffalo, succeeds the plough, the driver sitting 
upon the hurdle to increase its weight, by which means the clods are broken down 
and the ground made smooth. All stones are carefully removed, and as far as 
possible, every weed is extirpated. Water is then again let in upon the land, in 
just sufficient quantity to cover its surface, and a harrow, with several rows of great 
iron teeth, still further smooths and completes the preparation of the ground. 
Only those grains which have sprouted in the water are selected for sowing, since 
as they have begun to germinate, their goodness is ascertained ; all the rest are 
rejected. 

The seed is sown thickly and evenly on only part of the ground ; this serving 
as a nursery for the rest. A day after the seeds have been sown the points of the 
plants appear above the surface of the ground. As soon as the plants have acquired 
a little strength they are sprinkled with lime-water, for the purpose of destroying 
insects, which might otherwise prey upon the young shoots. ‘This operation is 
performed with a small basket attached to a long handle, the basket being filled by 
immersion from another vessel; it is moved over the plants, and the fluid runs 
through, and is thus equally distributed over them. 

When the young plants begin to appear in thick vegetation they are thinned ; 


256 ON THE CULTURE OF PEPPER AND RICE. 


the superfluous plants being carefully taken up with their rootlets, and transplanted 
into a quincunx order in the unoccupied portion of the land which has been pre- 
pared for their reception. No delay must take place in this work, so that the 
plants may be as short a time as possible out of the ground; a calm day is usually 
selected for the purpose. As soon as completed the water is admitted to overflow 
the plants. For the advantage of irrigation the rice fields are usually situated near 
to a rivulet, pond, or other water, from which they are separated only by a bank, 
and through this a communication is readily made. Sometimes, however, it 
happens that the water is below the level of the fields; in this dilemma, the 
moisture so essential to the success of the crop is supplied by means of buckets, 
which is a most tedious and laborious operation. The grounds are kept perfectly 
clean from weeds, which are taken up by the root with the hand, although the soil 
is in such a swampy state that the labourers employed in this task cannot step 
upon the ground without sinking knee deep. ‘The maturity of the grain is known 
by its turning yellow in the same manner as wheat; it is then cut with a sickle, 
tied in sheaves, and conveyed into sheds or barns, where it is thrashed with flails 
very similar to those used in England. 

The manner of cultivating rice in North America differs somewhat from the 
methods practised in the East. For this purpose the ground is trenched in about 
the middle of March, the ridges being about a foot and a half from each other from 
centre to centre. Atthe bottom of the trenches the seed is put in by hand, and 
not scattered ; this office is generally performed by women. Water is then, by 
means of flood-gates, let into the fields, over which it flows several inches deep. 
It remains thus for five days and is then drawn off, leaving the ground dry till the 
young plants spring up three or four inches high. In about a month after sowing 
it will have arrived at this state. The land is then again overflowed, and the water 
suffered to remain in this situation for a fortnight, that, while it nourishes the rice, 
it may destroy the weeds. For two months after this period the land is left dry, 
during that period it is repeatedly hoed for the double purpose of destroying the 
weeds and loosening the soil. At the end of this time water is again admitted, and 
the rice comes to maturity in this situation. The gathering in of the crop 
commences at the end of August, and usually continues to Octoker. It is cut 
with sickles by men, the task of making it into bundles devolves on women. 

This branch of agriculture, thus conducted, is most prejudicial to the health of 
the cultivators. The alternate flooding and drying of the land in a hot climate, 
where evaporation is rapidly going on, is extremely insalubrious. The care of the 
rice grounds is therefore left entirely to negro cultivators, none of the white 
population caring to expose themselves to so unwholesome an atmosphere. The 
hospitals are filied in the autumn with the victims to this unhealthy occupation ; 
the destruction of life consequent on it is very great; and fresh supplies of negro 
slaves from the more northern slave states are constantly required, to make up the 
numbers of those who are unfortunately destined to shorten their days amid the 
marshy exhalations of a rice ground.— Porter, in the Oriental Agriculturist. 


ENS) 
Gr 
XQ] 


AN ORNAMENTAL CAST-IRON GARDEN-CHAIR. 


THE accompanying design of an ornamental garden chair was communicated 
some time back by our worthy correspondent, Mr. Saul, of Lancaster, who it will 
be recollected, designed and communicated the flower-stand figured at page 30 of 
the present volume of the Magazine of Botany. The chair represented in the 
woodcut below is made of cast-iron, and the whole is so contrived, that the back, 
seat, feet, &c., may be detached at pleasure, and conveniently packed in a box, and 
transferred to any part of the country at a moderate cost. When complete, as 
shown in the drawing, it forms an agreeable object, and if painted so as to agree 
with the natural objects surrounding the situation where it is intended to stand, it 
will have a very pleasing effect, and will not, as is the case with chairs of this 
description made of wood, be liable to become unsightly by rot, &c., but may after 
a long series of years be repainted and brought to reassume its former clean and 
respectable appearance, with the least trouble, and if needed less expense. We 
have frequently noticed the root part of 
oak, ash, and other trees cut level on the 
top, so as to admit of being sat upon, 
and ornamental chairs and stools made 
of wood and well painted occupying the 
recesses in retired parts of the pleasure- 
ground, &c., where the drip of trees 
and constant humidity of the atmos- 
phere in such situations have not only 
in time rotted the latter, and clothed the 
former in loathsome and_ unsightly 
fungi, but both have been at times for 
want of repair, &c., rendered unfit for 
use. In such situations we think Mr. 
Saul’s ornamental cast-iron chair pre- 
ferable to wood, as it will at all times 
and seasons be found in good order, and 
if painted once in two or three years 
always neat and tidy. To private re- 
treats in the more immediate neighbour- 
hood of the mansicn, where chairs are in 
constant use Mr. S.’s chair is’ well 
adapted. As an ornament it is agree- 
able and pleasing, and answering the 
accommodation of a chair, besides pos- 
sessing the advantages of durability, it recommends itself to almost any situation 
in the pleasure-grounds or flower garden. 

VOL. III].—NO. XXXV. iii 


258 


WOODEN RUSTIC ORNAMENTAL VASES 
FOR THE FLOWER GARDEN OR PLEASURE-GROUND. 


For the following novel and interesting specimens of wooden rustic ornamental 
vases, we are obliged to the kindness of Mr. Clowes, of Broughton, near Man- 
chester, who has them placed in his pleasure-ground on the lawn, constructed on 
the simple economical scheme detailed below. 

The principal supports of these ornaments, are strong portions of firwood, cut 
to the required length, and roughly though securely fastened together, so as to 
present a rude outline of the more perfect effect intended ultimately to be pro- 
duced, leaving in the centre a cavity for soil, &c. This rude outline is afterwards 
cased over with the outside portion of old larch trees, cut thin—say two and a half 
or three inches thick, including the bark which is left on each piece is nailed on, 
leaving the bark face to form the outer surface. After the whole is covered in the 
manner described, it has the appearance exteriorly of an uniform coating of rough 
bark, which is relieved by having lengths of old, otherwise useless cable-rope nailed 
on in different ways, sometimes in a spiral direction, sometimes perpendicular, some- 
times horizontal; and in any central part, a heart or a diamond figure is formed, and 
now and then the cords cross in different 
ways : thus embellished, and neatly finished, 
the effect is very pleasing. And when the 
sides are hung over in graceful festoons, 
formed by the pendulous character of the 
plants suitable for such purposes, and en- 
riched by the striking colours of their 
flowers, the whole exhibits at once an 
agreeable and elegant object. 

In thus usefully disposing of these 
simple materials, Mr. Clowes has evinced 
a taste, and effected an improvement in the 
construction of rustic ornaments for the 
flower garden, &c., that has not been in practice before, and one which is, undoubt- 
edly, calculated to do good and become very useful by being generally adopted in 
such place, as have convenience for it. Any gentleman having a small. flower 
garden or pleasure-ground, and desirous of giving it a picturesque appearance, 
may resort to the ready and novel way of doing it here laid down, without incur- 
ring a great expense. The mode above adverted to, of embellishing either flower. 
baskets or vases, is decidedly preferable to the common plan of nailing split sticks, 
of different lengths, with various coloured bark, to a flat surface, for the reason that 


ORNAMENTAL VASES FOR THE FLOWER GARDEN. 


259 


the disposal of the rope, as an ornament, may be made to assume almost any shape 
or form, and always maintain an easy elegant appearance, while the other must 
necessarily at best be stiff and formal. 


One or two differing in shape may be 
situated round or even brought within the 
boundary of the flower garden with good 
Others constructed on a some- 
what larger scale, may be placed in suit- 
able situations at a more distant part of 
the pleasure-ground ; and here and there 
one judiciously disposed in terrace walks, 
&e. &c., would greatly aid the interest of 
The open space formed in 


effect. 


these places. 


the centre should be made up with good compost, in order that the plants intended 
ultimately to decorate the whole by their long drooping branches and pretty flowers, 
may receive support sufficient to enable them to complete a vigorous growth: any 


loamy soil will answer the purpose well. 
proper for planting in ornamental baskets, vases, &c. 


Scientific Name. 


Adonis vernalis. 
Alyssum saxatile. 
Campanula Carpatica. 
— nitida. 

Cobeea scandens. 
Dianthus Hispanicus. 
Eecremocarpus scaber. 
Gentiana acaulis. 

—  asclepiadea. 


— cruciata. 
— _ pneumonanthe. 
Lophospermum scandens. 
= erubescens. 
Mamandia Barclayana. | 
— semperflorens. 


Mimulus moschatus, 

— _irivularis. 

— = smithii. 
/Enothera rosea. 
Pentstemon campanulatus. 


— pubescens. 
Potentilla atrosanguinea. 
— formosa. 
= recta. 


Rhodochiton volubile.. 
Scutellaria Alpina. 
Sollya heterophylla. 
Tropzolum majus. 

= peregrinum. 
Verbena melindres. 


English Name. 


Vernal Adonis. 

Alysson Rock-flower. 
Bell-flowered Carpathian. 
Shining Campanula. 
Climbing Cobea. 
Broad-leaved. 

Rough Eccremocarpus. 
Stemless Gentian. 
Swallow-wort-like. 
Crossed Gentian. 
Wind-flower. 

Climbing Lophos. 


Smaller blush-flowered. 


Barclay’s Mam. 
Ever-flowering. 
Musk-scented. 
River 

Smith’s. 
Rose-coloured. 
Bell-flowered. 
Downy. 
Dark-red Cinquefoil. 
Beautiful. 
Upright. 
Climbing. 
Skull-cap Alpine. 
Various-leaved. 
Tall Nasturtium. 
Fringe-flowered. 
Scarlet Vervain. 


Colour. 


Yellow. 
Yellow. 
Blue. 
Blue. 
Blue. 


Yellow. 
Blue. 

Blue. 
Double blue. 
Blue. 

Blush. 


Blue 
Rose. 
Yellow. 
Yellow. 
“potted. 
Rose. 
Purple. 
Lilac. 


Purple. 
Yellow. 


Rich dark purpl 


Blue. 

Orange. 
Yellow. 
Scarlet. 


The following plants may be regarded as 


Time of Flowering. 
May. 


June. 
June. 
June. 
July. 


June. 


ens July. 


260 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS, 


FIGURED IN THE THREE LEADING BOTANICAL PERIODICALS AND FLORISTS’ 
MAGAZINE FOR SEPTEMBER. 


BotranicaL Magazine. Edited by Sir William Jackson Hooker, LL.D., &c., each 
number containing eight figures ; beautifully coloured 3s. 6d., plain 3s.; and correspond- 
ing letter-press. 

BotantcaL Reerster. Edited by Dr. Lindley, each number containing eight figures ; 
beautifully coloured 4s., plain 8s.; and corresponding letter-press. 

British Frower-Garven. Edited by David Don, Esq., Professor of Botany in Kiie’s 


College, each number containing four plates ; beautifully coloured 3s., plain 2s. 3d., and 
corresponding letter-press. 


Frorists’ Macazine. By Mr. F. W. Smith, each number containing four elegantly 
coloured plates, with occasionally two or more plants on one plate ; large quarto 4s., octavo 
2s. 6d. The letter-press is pleasing, and the hints on culture very correct. 

Of the above plates, we have only selected such plants as are new or very rare ; 
and only such new ones as are handsome and deserve to be extensively cultivated. For 
descriptions and figures, reference must be made to the works themselves. 


CLASS I.—PLANTS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS (DICOTYLEDONE/®). 


THE GREEK VALE RIANTRIBE (POLEMONIACEZ). 

GILIA TENUIFLORA. Slender-flowered Gilia. A hardy annual, sent by Mr. 
Douglas from California to the London Horticultural Society, under the name of 
Gilia Splendens. The outside of the corolla is of a pale rose colour, while the 
inside is of a uniform violet: for the flower garden, Dr. Lindley says, it is not 
worth cultivating, but it is very pretty in nosegays, or as an ornament to rooms. 
Bot. Reg., 1888. 

THE ROSE TRIBE (ROSACEZ). 

CRATHGUS SPATHULATEA. Spathula-leaved Thorn. ‘This species possesses 
but little attraction, although it is somewhat singular on account of the fruit even 
when ripe remaining green. It grows about four feet high, and retains its leaves 
late in the autumn. Bot. Reg., 1890. 


THE PEA TRIBE (LEGUMINOSZ). 

LupINUS LATIFOLIUS. Broad-leaved Lupin. A hardy perennial, collected in 
California by Mr. Douglas ; it, like the other species of this genus, flowers freely ;_ 
in the present instance, the flowers are of a purple violet-colour, and are produced 
from July to September. Bot. Reg., 1891. 


MYRSINEE. 
ARDISIA ODONTOPHYLLA. Tooth-leaved Ardisia. A very desirable species 
not only on account of its being a handsome evergreen, but more particularly for 
its delicious fragrance ; the flowers are of a pale salmon-colour, slightly streaked 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 261 


with red. It was introduced by Thomas Carey Palmer, Esq. of Bromley, and 
flowered, for the first time, in Mr. Knight’s nursery of the King’s Road, in 1834. 
It is a stove shrub and native of Bengal, towards the Sylhet borders, and about. 
Gualpara. Bot. Reg., 1892. 


THE FIGWORT TRIBE (SCROPHULARINEZ). 

ANTIRRHINUM GLANDULOSUM. Glandular Snapdragon. A pretty plant, and 
certainly a geographical curiosity on account of it being the first species of this 
genus found wild in the New World: specimens of A. orontium have been met 
with in the United States, but they are believed to have been introduced from 
Europe. It is quite hardy, and produces its pinkish white flowers about August 
and September, which continue to open till the frosts come; any soil will suit it, 
it ripens seed in abundance. Bot. Heg., 1893. 


SARRACENIA RUBRA. RED SIDE-SADDLE FLOWER (SARRACENIEZ). 

A truly beautiful species, and as Dr. Hooker says, rarely met with in this 
country, owing, most probably, to its being difficult to cultivate, and shy of flower- 
ing. The most striking feature in the flower is, the rich colour of the petals, 
which is of a deep red, except a little green at the base; they are five in number 
of a broadly-ovate figure, spreading at the base, the other portion suddenly decurved 
and flaccid. Many roots were sent from New Orleans by Mr. Drummond, one of 


which flowered in the Glasgow Botanic Garden in the spring of the present year 
1836. Bot. Mag., 3515. 


THE JUSTICIA TRIBE (ACANTHACEZ). 

STROBILANTHES SABINIANA. Mr. Sabine’s Strobilanthes. A very beautiful 
stove plant, a native of Nepal, whence it was introduced to our gardens by Dr. 
Wallich, who named it in compliment to Joseph Sabine Esq., to whom horticul- 
ture, no less than natural history in general, is most deeply indebted. Its flowering 
season is the latter end of winter, when several of the numerous purple spikes (the 
flowers are a bluish purple) have a succession of flowers; two on each, never more, 
being open at one time. In many collections this species is called Ruellia Sabiniana, 
and was thus named in Bot. Reg., t. 1238. Bot. Mag., 3517. 


BEGONIACEX. 

BEGONIA SANGUINEA. Blood-red Begonia. This plant, more remarkable for 
the colour and texture of its leaves than elegant in its form, was raised at the 
Botanic Garden of Berlin, from seed transmitted by M. Sello, from Brazil, in 1823, 
and communicated to the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, in 1832. It flowers in the 
stove in April. Bot. Mag, 3520. 


THE BERBERRY TRIBE (BERBERIDEZ). 
BeERBERIS EMPETRIFOLIA. Crow-berry-leaved Barberry. This species forms 
a low procumbent shrub, with slender, twiggy, angular branches, covered with a 
chesnut coloured bark. The flowers are solitary, or in pairs of an orange yellow 
colour, rather large and spreading. It is found in the straits of Magellan, 


262 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 


whence it was introduced to the Clapton nurseries by Mr. Anderson. Its habit 
is extremely delicate, but is said to be readily increased by layers. Brit. Flo. 
Gard., 350. 

THE CROWFOOT TRIBE (RANUNCULACEZ). 

P#ONIA ALBIFLORA ; var. Pottsii. Potts’s Chinese Peony. This is certainly 
the most splendid of the five varieties of Albiflora now cultivated in our gardens. 
It was introduced by Mr. John Potts from China, in 1822, and named by Mr. 
Sabine, in compliment to that zealous collector who had been sent out by the 
Horticultural Society, and who died shortly after his return to this country. The 
flowers, Mr. Don says, are mostly solitary, erect, double. Petals obovate, concave, 
lobed and toothed, of a rich crimson. It is quite hardy ; flowers very freely, and 
requires the same treatment as the other kinds. Brit. Flor. Gard., 351. 

THE CHICKWEED TRIBE (CARYOPHYLLEZ). 

CARNATIONS. Pugh’s Lady Hill, and Hogg’s Colonel of the Blues. These 
two flowers are new, and as beautiful as any of their classes. Lady Hill was raised 
by Mr. Pugh, about three years since, who says, “ It produces invariably a very 
large, handsome, and well-formed flower, strongly and definitely marked or ribboned 
with a most brilliant scarlet on a clear white; the edges of the petals are perfectly 
entire ; it is remarkably constant for so high-coloured a flower, it scarcely ever runs 
in colour; the petals are even and fleshy.” 

Hogg’s Colonel of the Blues is a most striking flower, each bloom is large and 
well flaked, with a most brilliant blue purple, the white is very pure, and the 
flower has a beautiful chaste appearance. lor. Mag.—No. 15. 


THE EVENING PRIMROSE TRIBE (ONAGRARIEZE. FUCHSIEZ). 
Fucusi1a Groomiana. Mr. Groom’s Fuchsia. This variety is one of un- 
common beauty; the flowers are large and profuse, and the general habit of the 
plant is strong and elegant. It appears to be a free grower, and much larger in all 
its parts than any other; but is a strict greenhouse variety. Flor. Mag., 13. 


THE CHICKWEED TRIBE (CARYOPHYLLEZ). 

Pinks. Middlesex Beauty, Warden, and Omega. These three beautiful 
varieties are from specimens grown by Mr. Hogg, and may be considered by every 
Pink-grower to be indispensable. 

Hogg’s Middlesex Beauty, is a very brilliant and attracting subject, perfect in 
its form and free in its growth. 

White's Warden is a sparkling flower ; the dark colour contrasted with its pure 
white ground gives it a peculiar prominency in the pink-bed. 

Unsworth’s Omega is a iarge and well-filled flower ; the colour of the lacing is 
pure and bright; it is certainly a noble and valuable variety. Flor. Mag., 13. 


CLASS IL.—PLANTS WITH ONE COTYLEDON (MONOCOTYLEDONE). 
THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDE) 
CIRRH#A TRISTIS. Sad-coloured Cirrhea. A deliciously scented species, 
native of Mexico, whence it was obtained by Messrs. Loddiges. It is an interesting 
species, the flowers are of a dark purple colour, and on the scape represented are no 


SS 


NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 263 


fewer than thirteen flowers. Like its other botanical allies it grows upon the 
branches of trees, and most likely in a pendulous manner. Bot. Reg., 1889. 


THE LILY TRIBE (LILIACEZ). 


Yucca DRACONIS. Dragon-tree-leaved Adam’s Needle. A most beautiful 
and stately species, found growing along the sea-shore of Carolina, frequently inter- 
mixed with Yucca gloriosa, and flowers from May to August: it sometimes grows 
as much as nine or ten feet high. Bot. Reg., 1895. 


(YUCCA FLACCIDA) WEAK-LEAVED ADAM’S NEEDLE. 

This species was first noticed in the garden of Mr. Vere, of Kensington 
Grove, where it had probably been raised from North American seed. It is a 
pretty, and, apparently, distinct species, well marked by its thread-edged scabrous 
leaves, pallid flowers, and stemless habit. It is readily multiplied by offsets, and 
like the rest of the genus, thrives most in sandy soil, resembling that of the sea- 
shore, along which so many of the species are found wild in North America. 
“ Nothing,” says Dr. Lindley, “ can be better adapted than these plants for orna- 
menting, either artificial or natural masses of rock-work, precipitous banks, or other 
situations, where the singular stems can be so much above the eye, as to form a 
bold and prominent object, standing out in strong relief against the sky. They are 
hardy perennials, and easily procured in the nurseries. Bot. Reg., 1893 and 1894. 


THE ASPHODEL TRIBE (ASPHODELEZ). 


Avuiium Sicutum. Sicilian Garlic. A remarkable species of this genus found 
growing abundantly in the shady valleys of Madonia, a mountain 35 miles S. E. of 
Palermo. The flowers, as represented, are variously marked with purple and white ; 
and in the whole, form an umbel of twenty-seven blossoms. The scent is more 
powerful than that of any other species in the genus. Brit. Flor. Gard., 349. 


THE CORN-FLAG TRIBE (IRIDEX) 

CROCUS SUAVEOLENS. Fragrant Crocus. This very pretty vernal crocus is 
found wild about Rome, and in other parts of Italy; and was first recognised as a 
distinct species, by Professor Bertoloni. The leaves are narrow and erect, of a deep 
green colour, and the flowers being of a rather pale'purple, give the plant an air of 
attractiveness and gaiety, when the latter are expanded under the early dawnings 
of the sun in spring. Brit. Flor. Gard., 352. 


THE ORCHIS TRIBE (ORCHIDEZ). 

BLETIA PATULA. Spreading-Flowered Bletia. A very handsome species 
received at the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, from Dr. Fischer, St. Petersburgh, 
in 1830, and said to be a native of Hayti. The flowers, which are large, are 
extremely handsome, being of a reddish-lilac colour except about the base of the 
labellum where they are white, and form a raceme of above twenty blooms upon a 
scape of three feet high. Bot. Mag., 3518. 


264 OPERATIONS FOR DECEMBER. 


THE LILY TRIBE (LILIACE). 

Turip. Duchess of Kent. This is a good flower, quite pure at the base and of 
very firm texture; grows sufficiently high for a third row flower, and in size, 
certainly is rather above the general dimensions of the family. The prevailing 
colour of the petals is white, except the margins which are prettily feathered with 
dark purple; and the centre is, as it were by accident, yet with regularity blotched 
with a something paler purple colour. Flor. Mag., 13. 


OPERATIONS FOR DECEMBER. 


AT this season of the year it appears necessary, perhaps something more than 
at any other, to call the attention of those having the management of plants, to a 
few particular points, essential to be observed by them in the discharge of that 
duty ; such embrace the medium of temperature most advisable to be kept in the 
different houses appropriated to the growth of plants, and which must be regulated 
according as the plants therein require. ‘The greenhouse in fine weather—that is 
to say when there is no frost—should have a free admission of air by means of the 
back ventilators, and the thermometer kept about 45°; and in the night, even when 
fire is required to expel frost, not more than 40° Fahrenheit. 

The Dry Stove, or House, containing succulents, &c., should now be kept 
unusually dry, and the thermometer in the day from 45° to 50°, and in the night 
should not be permitted to fall below the former point. 

The moist stove, containing Orchidee and other tropical plants, should now 
have less water, and consequently less air, than usual; in the day the thermometer 
should average 65°, and the night from 55° to 60°, but not lower. 


CHRYSANTHEMUMS now in full flower, should be freely supplied with water and 
air when the weather will allow. 


DAHLIA roots taken up, and undergoing the necessary preliminaries before 
storing, should be cleaned. that is, all large balls of soil should be taken from 


amongst the tubers, and well dried ; the latter process must be gradual, or they will 
be likely to rot. 


FRAME PLANTs give air to when the weather will allow, but safely secure 
from frost. 


HyYAcIntTHus, &c., in the forcing house, should now be well attended to; give 


them plenty of water and light, introduce fresh ones, in order to maintain a 


succession. Me 


Pinks, Carnations, Roses, RHODODENDRON, &c., should, if desmed to 
flower early, be introduced to the forcing-house. 


PoLYANTHUSEs, &c., must be well secured from frost; still on fine days have 
plenty of air. 


aa , 


ot Nats 
sets 


Miss Mortch del ?- Smith se 


265 


PENTSTEMON MURRAYANUS. 


(MR. MURRAY’S SCARLET PENTSTEMON. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


DIDYNAMIA. ANGIOSPERMIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


SCROPHULARINE/E. 


Grneric Cuaracter.—Calys five-parted. Corolla two-lipped, inflated. Filaments five, one of which, 
the fifth, is longer than the rest, and bearded at its upper end. Capsule two-valved and two-seeded. 
Seeds very numerous, of a sub-globose shape. 


Speciric Cnaracter.—Plant perennial, growing from four to five feet high. Stem round, erect. 
Leaves quite glaucous, entire, opposite. Root leaves oblong, from seven to eight inches in length, 
amplexicaul. Stem leaves perfoliate and cup-shaped. Flowers arising from the axils of the stem 
leaves, and forming a kind of paniculated raceme, each pair of leaves producing two, four, and even 
six, slightly drooping flowers, each flower terminating a lengthened peduncle. Calyz of five, uearly 
equal, somewhat spreading, oblong segments. Corolla nearly two inches long, enlarging upwards, 
of a splendid, bright, scarlet colour. Limb two-parted, upper part small and divided ; lower, large, 
striking into three oval lobes. The fifth and imperfect filament, red and curved at the end. Germen 
egg-shaped, of agreen colour. Style red, filiform. Stigma obtuse.— Botanical Magazine, t. 3472. 


SEEDS of this very beautiful herbaceous perennial were sent to the Glasgow 
Botanic Garden in the spring of 1835, by the late Mr. Drummond, who found it 
at San Felipe in Texas; a more splendid addition to our hardy plants has not 
been introduced for a long period, and what makes it doubly valuable, is its 
flowering at the latter part of summer and autumn. The late lamented Mr. 
Douglas sent home some new species of this genus from the north-west coast of 
North America. Pentstemon speciosa is nearest in beauty to the present species, 
but is a difficult plant to keep and cultivate; from what we know of the present 
species, it requires no extra care in its cultivation, flourishing in sandy peat, in the 
open border, where it attains the height of from four to five feet, and produces 
great abundance of its rich, glossy, scarlet blossoms; on a dried native specimen 
Sir W. Jackson Hooker counted fifty-six flowers on one raceme: in a state of high 
cultivation, there is no doubt it will be much finer. 


266 PENTSTEMON MURRAYANUS. 
We recommend this plant to the attention of all our readers, as one of the 
most desirable now cultivated. Messrs. Leucombe, Pince & Co., of Exeter, have 


now (the 20th of November) plants in full flower in the’open border. The accom- 
panying beautiful drawing was made by Miss S. Morrish, of that city. 


At the very moment we received Messrs. Leucombe and Pince’s drawing, our 


artist was engaged in figuring a fine plant in flower in the Clapton nursery, 
belonging to Mr. Lowe. 


The generic character is taken from Pente, five, and Stemon, a stamen, on 


account of there being four perfect and one imperfect stamen peculiar to the genus. 


The specific name is given by Sir W. Jackson Hooker, in compliment to 
Mr, Murray, the Curator of the Botanic Garden at Glasgow. 


PENTSTEMON MURRAYANUS. 


i Shia) te 
ae 


Se oer 


pe 
| 
uy 18 


oe 


267 


ISMENE AMANCAES. 


(NARCISSUS-FLOWERED ISMENE.) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


HEXANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


AMARY LLIDE/:. 


Generic Cuaracter.— Corolla funnel-shaped, with a long tube; limd six-parted. Nectary twelve- 
parted, membraneous. Stamens inserted on the edge of the nectary. 


Speciric Cuaracter.— Plant a bulbous perennial, growing upwards of two feet high. ulb egg-shaped. 
Leaves three or more, of a bright green colour. Scape from two to three feet high, compressed, two- 
edged. Spathe tapering to a sharp point (cuspidate). Flowers from three to six, of a deep 
yellow colour, in length about six inches, occasionally sessile, and sometimes pedunculated. T'ube 
upright, three-cornered, green, fleshy; /imb nodding, six-parted ; segments linear-lanceolate, sharp- 
pointed. Crown a little shorter than the limb, twelve-parted, every alternate one narrower, the six 
broadest bearing the stamens, which are abruptly bent inwards, every stamen marked with a green 
streak at the base. Filaments rather higher than the parts on which they stand, short. Anthers 
incumbent. Germen green, three-cornered. Style filiform, three-cornered, something thicker than 
the filaments. S'tigmas three, very short. 


Synonyme.—Pancratium Amancaes.—Bot. Reg. 600. Bot. Mag. 1224. 


Tuts rare and beautiful species was imported from the Brazils by Messrs. 
Middlemist and Wood in 1808, and was afterwards figured in the Bot. Reg., and 
Bot. Mag., under the above synonyme. 

It is a native of Peru, said to be found in abundance on the hills called 
Amancaes or Hamanchaes, in the neighbourhood of Lima. Along with Begonia 
tuberosa, the beautiful and delightfully fragrant blossoms are said to be used by the 
South American females as an ornament for their hair. The plant grows about two 
feet high, and produces its rich yellow blossoms about June and July ; from a fine 
plant, in the possession of the Messrs. Rollison and Sons, our drawing was made 
about June last. 

The genus was named Ismene, by the Hon. and Rey. Wm. Herbert, from Ismene, 


a daughter of Cidipus. 


268 ISMENE AMANCAES. 


The following treatment is recommended in Bot. Cult. 108, for the genus 
Pancratium, to which the above is nearly allied. 

Pancratium.—“ Several of the species are very handsome and fragrant, and are 
met with in most collections of stove plants. A mixture of light turfy loam, with 
nearly one third fine sand, and a little turfy peat to keep it open, is the best soil to 
grow them in. If peat cannot be easily procured, half rotten leaves will answer 
the same purpose. To grow them very fast, it is best to place them in a hot-bed — 
frame or pit in summer, were they will grow to double the size they would in the 
house. When they are growing freely they require a good supply of water, and as 
the pots are filled with roots to be shifted into larger ones ; by that means they will 
flower two or three times in the season, but care must be taken not to give them 
too much water, when they are not in a growing state. They are to be increased 
by suckers, or from seeds, which often ripen freely. If any plant happen to lose 
its heart, if it be kept dry it will throw out abundance of suckers, which is the 


readiest way of propagating it.” 


Whe sah 


Mh 
EU 


w aA 
a, 
pratay yu 


‘f, 
a 


Ke 


a Wath 
Wit NOs 
gain 


——_ 


NG Va Pa 
Yi Crrtet ee PCOFA 
J : JANY 1826 


Holden del. Smith se. 4g 
C 


WITSENIA CORYMBOSA. 


(CORYMBOSE WITSENIA. ) 


CLASS. ORDER. 


TRIANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 


NATURAL ORDER. 


IRIDEZ, 
Generic Cuaracter.—Corolla tubular; limb six-parted. Stigma marginate, or slightly trifid. Capsule 
three-celled, many-seeded. 


Speciric Cuaracter.—Plant an evergreen greenhouse perennial, growing more than a foot high, with 
corymbose smooth flowers. 


Tuis, although long known to our collections, is by no means a despicable 
plant; on the contrary, when in flower, in which state it is generally seen about 
August or September, it makes a conspicuous figure in the greenhouse, with its 
rather small, lively bright blue flowers, produced in dense corymbs at the extremity 
of the principal shoots, which, contrasted with the green lance-shaped leaves at 
their base, render it at all times worthy of a place in every collection. 

It was introduced some years ago from the Cape of Good Hope, and although 
found in many of the collections of this country, it is, comparatively speaking, rare 
to meet with plants in a free growing state; the fact is, it may be looked upon 
as one of the many that require particularly steady attention in cultivation. Plants 
at Chatsworth are treated after the following manner :—The plants, in the first place, 
are allowed plenty of room in the pots, which are well drained; after which, rather 
sandy peat soil is used, and when growing, a good supply of water is given; but 
in the winter they require scarcely any. In the greenhouse they require to have 
plenty of light, and stand free of other plants, but they do not like to be exposed to 
a direct current of air, so that they never should stand very near the place where 
air is admitted. 


270 WITSENIA CORYMBOSA. 


Our drawing was made from a plant which flowered in the greenhouse at 
Chatsworth about September last. 


The generic name is given in honour of Mr. Witsen, a Dutch consul in India, 
a lover and patron of botanical science. 
The specific name implies that the flowers are produced in corymbs, that is, a 


kind of raceme or panicle, in which the lower flowers have stalks longer than those 


of the upper, by which all the flowers are brought nearly on the same level. 


i) 
ae 


Nite 
ny 


271 


CLERODENDRUM SPECIOSISSIMUM. 


(BEAUTIFUL SCARLET CLERODENDRUM ) 


WuEN we figured this plant in the November number of the magazine, we had 
unfortunately seen only a few flowers sent in a box from Exeter, accompanying the 
drawing ; these flowers were no doubt much disfigured in the carriage, for on our 
plant blooming, we were so much struck with the brilliancy of the colours, and the 
beauty of the plant, that we determined to make our subscribers a present of an 
extra plate, to enable them to appreciate more fully the beauty of this lovely 
exotic. We have not much to add respecting its culture or management, except 
that to have it fine, we think it should be shifted into a larger sized pot about 
every month; and well supplied with water while growing. It is also our opinion 
that it will never flower in the open air in this country; and in this we are partly 
borne out by the following remarks communicated and extracted from a letter lately 
received from Messrs. Leucombe, Pince & Co., Exeter. 

“ Our plant, which was the first to flower in England, and from which the 
drawing of the November number was taken, is still in full flower in our warm 
conservatory, 65°: it however grows best in a temperature of from 65° to 75° Fah. 
The plant we planted in the open border was cut with the frost on the 20th of 
October; strong plants should be tried in warm sheltered situations, planted out 
early in May, it would then perhaps flower finely: at all events the Belgian 


nurserymen assert that they have flowered it thus.” 


Ci Li. an’, \ 
B oe aay i yaN \\ WSK \ A \¥ 
fie yi i ae ‘ 
eG c aN 
Ps ve AX We ‘ 


CLERODENDRUM SPECIOSISSIMUM. 


The above engraving represents the character of our plant at Chatsworth, from which the accompanying | 
coloured figure was taken. 


273 


CULTURE OF TELOPEA SPECIOSISSIMA. 


Peruaps this plant may be set down as one of the most lovely that was ever 
introduced into our greenhouses, whether we take into account its splendid scarlet 
blossoms, or its fine upright growth; like most of the Proteacee it is very liable 


to perish from many causes, and is therefore remarkably scarce, being found in 
very few collections, and in those few seldom growing in perfection, This 
deficiency probably arises from too cold an atmosphere in winter, or too much or 
too little water at any time. To cultivate it successfully, attend to the following 
rules :-— 

First. Pot the plant in a mixture of equal parts, very sandy, heath mould, light 
loam, and leaf mould ; if the heath mould cannot be obtained very sandy, a portion 
of sand must be added to it. 3 

Second. Always be careful to fill about one-third of each pot with broken 
potsherds, to prevent the soil from ever becoming too sodden. 

Third. Drought is as injurious to this plant as too much moisture, therefore by 
no means ever allow it to flag for want of water; during summer, a good deal of 
attention is required, particularly as it always locates in an airy situation ; a good 
plan to prevent any evil effects is, at the time of potting, to mix some pieces of 
coarse soft freestone, broken to about an inch diameter, with the soil; after Mr. 
M<Nab’s plan, these stones retain the moisture longer than the earth, and when 
the roots have once grown about them, they will derive sufficient nourishment to 
prevent the plant drooping much longer than it otherwise would; and in winter 
they keep the passage through the soil more open, for the escape of the water. 

Fourth. Never water at the roots, except the soil in the pot appears dry, for if 
overwatered in winter, it is inevitably destroyed, and in summer is almost sure to 
be seriously injured. 

Fifth. Always place the plant in a dry airy part of the greenhouse, where it will 
not be smothered by other plants, as nothing spoils the foliage more than too close 
confinement of this kind. | 

Sixth: Propagation.—It is propagated by cuttings, which should be made of the 
ripe wood taken off from the extremities of the branches, just at the close of winter, 
and planted in sand and covered with a glass. 

Seventh. Make no cutting of less length than an inch and a half, take them off at a 
joint, cut the bottom smooth with a very sharp knife, and take off the leaves form 
that part to be inserted in the sand, but leave every other leaf entire. 

Eighth. In preparing the cutting pots, fill them nearly three parts full of 
potsherds, the upper ones broken fine; on this bed of drainage lay as much fine 
sand as will fill the pot level, insert the cuttings deep enough to reach just through 
the sand, and rest upon the fine potsherds. This system is advantageous for three 
reasons : first, because there can be no possible stagnation of water, which, to a 
cutting, would be immediate death ; secondly, because the bottoms of the cuttings 
coming in contact with the broken potsherds, they derive a degree of moisture in so 

VOL. IIIl.—NO. XXXVI. NN 


274 OPERATIONS FOR JANUARY. 


gradual a manner, as to greatly facilitate their striking, just by the same rule that a 
cutting planted close to the edge of a pot strikes root much sooner than another 
planted in the middle of the same pot and subjected precisely to the same treat- 
ment; and thirdly, because at the time of potting, the tender roots are more 
readily taken up without breaking, than they would be if allowed to enter into soil, 
and go to the bottom of the pot. 

Ninth. Plant the cuttings an inch apart, gently water them, but not over the 
leaves, and when the water has a little dried up, place on the glasses and set them 
in a warm but dry place, and never plunge them, or you are sure to lose them. 
The nearer they stand to the glass, the more perfect will be the success. 

‘Tenth. Take off the glasses every day, to allow all damp to dry up, and always 
be careful, after wiping the glasses dry, to place them on perfectly air-tight. 

Eleventh. Shade, during sunshine for the firs$ fortnight, by placing a sheet of 
paper over the glasses, but afterwards they will require no shading, except the sun 
be very warm. 

Twelfth. As soon as they have made good roots, pot them off into small pots; 
if this is not speedily done, they will lose their leaves by being so long confined, 
and may probably all die. 

Thirteenth. When potted, place them in the stove for a week or two, until 
they begin to grow again, when they may be gradually exposed, until they will 
bear to be removed to the greenhouse, where they may be treated as old plants. 

Fourteenth. To grow seedlings, sow the seed in spring in light soil, and as soon 
as they are up, pot them into small pots, and treat them as cuttings. 


OPERATIONS FOR JANUARY. 


AURICULAS will be much improved in flowering, if they be top-dressed about 
the end of this month, or the beginning of February, being careful during this 
month not to overwater them, as they thrive best if not overwatered during 
winter. 

CAMELLIAS brought into a little heat, either in the window of a warm room, 
where they will be exposed to the sun, or any other convenient situation, will soon 
come into flower. 

Continue to take plants into the forcing house, such as Lilacs, Pinks, Carna- 
tions, &C. 

MiGNonETTE and Ten-Week Stocks sown in pots about the middle of thie 
month, and placed on a slight hot-bed, will come into flower in May, mai 
succeeding those sown in the Autumn. 

PLants in the forcing house, in, or showing flower, should have a free supply 
of water. 

RANUNCULUSES now planted in frames, will, if the weather be fine, come into 
flower about April. 

Roses now brought into the forcing house will flower about March. 


INDEX: 


A. 


ACACIA, 192; A. vestita, 145 

Achania mollis, propagation of, 47 

Achemius coccinea, 14 

Adesma pendula, 70 

f®nothera humifusa, 69 

African Box Thorn, 71 

Agave Americana, 120 

Age of Plants, 113 

Agrostemma Bungeana, 45 

Allamanda cathartica, 168 

Aliium siculum, 263 

Aloes, watering of, 47 

Aloe-leaved Yacca, 25 

Alonsoa acutifolia, 120 

Alstroemerias, potting of, 47 

Amaryllidea, culture of, 21 

Anchusa versicolor, 94 

Andromeda, propagation of, 47 

Androsace-like Leptosiphen, 142, 219 

Anemones, 216 

Angrecum caudatum, 119 

Annuals, 23, 48, 72, 96, 144, 168 

Antirrhinum glandulosum, 261 

Apricot, coloured Epidendrum, 167 

Ardisia, propagation of, 72 

odontophylia, 260 

Aristolochia trilobata, 2 

A. serpentaria, 2 

A. fatens, 44; propagation of, 72 

Aromatic maxillaria, 168 

Artocarpus integrifolia, 244 

Asclepiadez, remarks on, 46 

Aster argophyllus, compostproper for striking, 
23 


Astrapzea, remarks on the genus, 67 
Aucuba Japonica, compost for, 23 
Auricula, Page’s Waterloo, 93 

— Taylor’s Glory, 166 

——— Stocks, Mignonette, &c., 216 
Autumn- flowering Mandrake, 93 
Azalea, greenhouse kinds for forcing, 23 
——— Rawsonii, 123 


—_— 


B. 
BALSAM, hints on the common garden, 228, 
120 
Balsamia hortensis, 228 
Barker’s Rodriguezia, 166 


Barringtonia speciosa, treatment of, 72, 112 

Bartonia aurea, 69 

Beautiful Scarlet Clerodendrum, 217, 271 

Begonia platanifolia, 125 

sanguinea, 261 

Bell-flowered Rose Bay, 118 

Berberris empetrifolia, 261 

Berendier’s yellow-flowered Flax, 116 

Bifrenaria aurentiaca, 215 

Bladder-wrack noticed, 42 

Bletia patula, 263 

Blood-red Sanguinea, 261 

Blunt-calyxed Physostegia, 165 

Boronia pinnata, 115, 192 

Bouvardia triphylla, the mode of propagation, 
48, 120 

Bramble, striped-leaved, compost for, 23 

Brazilian Heliconia, 193 

Broad-leaved Lupine, 260 

- Thorn, 213 

Brugmansia suaveolens, 72, 104, 144 

Brunsvigia, notice of, 24 

Budding, 144 

Bulbs, proper for drying, 120, 240- 

Bunge’s Lychnis, 166 

Burtonia conferta, 115 


— 


C. 


C. Rawson’s Azalia, 123 

Cacti, on the cultivation of, 250 

Caladium bicolor, to be excited, 24 

Caiceolaria corymbosa, var. Talisman, 27, 144 

C. Victoria and Polyphemus, 214, 216 

Camellia Japonica candidissima, 71 

C. reticulata, 101 

C. anemonifilora and Rosa mundi, 118 

C. Japonica Denckelaeri, 142 

C. Japonica, var. imbricata, 96, 143, 144 

Campanula Loreyi, 117 

C. Pumila and garganica, 143 

C. pyramidalis, 207 

Captain Mangle’s Rhodanthe, 116,173 

Rowe’s Camellia, 101 

Carnations, Bertrand, Prince de Nassau, Bijou 
de Clermont, 214 

Carnations, Pugh’s Lady Hill, and Hogg’s 
Colonel of the Blues, 262 

Carolina gardoquia, 243 

Cattleya labiata, 167 


276 


Cavanilles, Collomia, 70 

Cels’s Hovea, 241 

Cereus Napoleonis, 44 

Chetogastra gracilis, 116 

Changeable-flowered Alkanet, 94 

China Asters, 120, 144 

Chinese Rose Hibiscus, 205 

Chironia trinervis, 149 

Chorizema illicifolia, 14 

C. rombea, 114 

C. Baxteri, 114 

C. Henchmannii, noticed, 114 

Chrysanthemums, 240, 264 

Cirrhea tristis, 262 

Clammy Eutoca, J7 

Saracha, 70 

Clemates, 31, 168 

Cleome, annual kinds to be sown, 24 

Clerodendrum speciosissimum, 168, 217, 271 

Climbing plants, to be attended to, 96, 168, 
216 

Clivea nobilis, 72 

Clyanthus puniceus, 192 

Cobcea-flowered Pentstemon, 70, 237 

Coca, uses and propagation of, 34 

Coccoloba, soil for, 72 

Cockscomb coral-tree, 175 

Collinsia bicolor, 141, 195 

Collomia Cavanillesii, 70 

Columnea scandens, treatment of, 72; 192 

Combretacez, remarks on, 208 

Common Ladies’ Slipper, 247 

Convolvulus batata, 199 

Cooperia, chlorosolen, 199 

Coreopsis coronata, 44 

C. diversifolia, 94 

C. filifolia, 212 

Coryanthus macrantha, 95 

Corymbose Witsenia, 269 

Cosmelia rubra, 44 

Cowitch, culture of, 20 

Crategus Douglassii, 17 

. microcarpa, 117 

. heterophylla, 118 

. orientalis, 141 

. platyphylla, 213 

. pyrifolia, 213 

. odoratissima, 236 

. Spatulata, 260 

. tanacetifolia, 256 

Crested maxillaria, 19 

Crimson-lipped Cattleya, 167 

Crisped-flowered Oncidium, 166 

Crocus suaveolens, 263 

Crowberry-leaved Berberry, 261 

Crowned Coreopsis, 44 

Crybe rosea, 168 

Cultivation of Viola tricolor, 5 

Culture of the genus Papaver, 11 

Hydrangea hortensis, 13 

Cunningham’s Acacia, 145 

Cupani’s Squill, 215 

Curled Nightshade, 1 

Cushion-lipped Oncidium, 4 

Cypripedium calceolus, 247 

Cyrilla pulchella, 14 


— 


QO Ole C206 


INDEX. 


D. 


Dau tas, 93, 96, 120, 143 ; to be propagated, 
24 

Dahlia roots to be dried, 264 

Daphne odorata, var. rubra, 45 

Daubenya aurea, 19 

Deciduous shrubs, 240 

Delphinium cheilanthum multiplex, 16 

D. densiflorum, 45 

D. moniliforme, 77 

D. macrostachyum, !67 

Dense-flowered Dendrobium, 45 

— Oleander, 73 

Dianthus caryophyllus, var. Emmeline, 18. 

SS Frederica, 18, 120 

Dichorizandra thyrsiflora, 127 

Diffusion of seed, 161 

Digitalis, hints on the genus, 43 

Dionza muscipula, 252 

Dioscorea sativa, noticed, 290 

D. alata, 200 

Donckelaer’s Japan Camellia, 142 

Double-lipped Larkspur, 16 

Douglas Thorn, 17 

Douglasia nivalis, 236 

Dr. Bunges’ Scarlet Campion, 45 

Dr. Gillies’s Flower Fence, [7 _ 

Dragon-tree-leaved Adam’s Needle, 263 

Drummond’s Zephyranthes, 95 

Dryandra tongifolia, 171 

D. pteridifolia, 212 

Duke of Bedford’s Oncidium, 7} 

Dyckia rariflora, 19 


—— 


K. 


KAR-LEAVED Nemophila, 164 

Early planting, the importance of this spring, 9 
Edwardsia, culture of, noticed, 90 

K. grandiflora, 90 

K. microphylla, 91 

E. chrysophylla, 91 

K. myrtifolia, 91 

K. nitida, 92 

EK. denudata, 92 

Emmeline Picotee, 18 

Entire-leaved Siberian Primrose, 18 

— Jaborosa, 141 

Epacris, &c., noticed, 115 

Kpidendrum armeniacum, 167 

E. Skinneri, 167 

E. bifidum, 215 

Ericas, propagation of greenhouse kinds, 48 
Erythrina Crista-galli, 175 

Krythroxylon coca, uses and properties of, 34 
Escallonia pulverulenta, 17 

Eschscholtzia crocea, 49 

Esculent roots, 199 

Eugenia, Psidium, &c., to be potted, 72 
Eutaxia pungens, 245 

Eutoca viscida, 17 

EK. Menziesii, 142 

Evelyn, John, his taste for gardening, 40 


INDEX. 


F. 


FaLCATE-LEAVED Sarcochilus, 71 

Ferns, hints on the management of, 40 

Fern-leaved Dryandra, 212 

Few-flawered Dyckia, 19 

Five. flowered Gentian, 165 

Flower stand, designed by Mr. 
pillar of roses, 30 

Fragrant Crocus, 263 

Frame Plants, 264 

Fritillaria Ruthenica, 214 

Frosty nights, &c., guarded against, 249 

Fuchsias, 192 

Fuchsia Groomiana, 262 

F. discolor, 165 

Fucus vesiculosus, 42 


Saul to form a 


G. 


GARDEN Implements, 204 

Gardoquia Gillesii, watering guarded against, 
72; 18 

Garland-flowered Rose Bay, 117 

G. Hookerii, 144, 243 

Gentian quinqueflora, 165 

Geraniums noticed, 216 

Gilia tenuifolia, 260 

Gillies’ Gardoquia, 18 

Gladioli candidus and incarnatus, 238 

Gladiolus natalensis, 71 

Glandular Snapdragon, 261 

Gloriosa superba, necessary to repot, 24 

Glycine, propagation of, 72 

Godetia lepida, 118 

G. rubicunda, 143 

G. vinosa, 213 

Golden Daubenya, 19 

Golden-flowered Bartonia, 69 

Grafting, scientific principles of, 230 

Great-flowered Ixora, 75 

Green-tubed Cooperia, 119 

Green and White Ornithogalum, 144 

Greenhouse Plants, 96, 240, 216, 120; hints 
on a few valuable ones, 114, 144 

Ground cistus rhododendron, 169 

Guernsey lily, 192 


H. 


HABENARIA procera, 167 ~ 

Hare-lipped Epidendrum, 215 

Helichrysum, the genus noticed, 115 

Heliotropium Peruvianum, culture of, 29 

Herbaceous plants cut down, 96 

Hibiscus splendens, 147 

H. Rosa Sinensis, 205 

Horned Oncidium, 143 

Hothouses, on the climate of, 223 

temperature of, 264 

Hot water boiler, plan of a new one, 103 

Hovea Celsi, 241 

Hyacinths, &c., 264 

Hyacinthus, Madame Mermone, “il Helicon, 
71; to be looked over, 216 

Hydrangea hortensis, culture of, 13, 144, 192 


277 


L. 


Inuicrum Floridanum, hints on, 63 

I. anisatum, 63 

I. parviflorum, 63, 192 

Importance of early planting this spring, 9 

Impregnation, 120 

Improvement in the construction of forcing- 
houses, 157 

Insects, 120 

Tpomeea rubra coerulea, 99 

I. Horsfalliz, 50 

Iris alata, 215 

Ismelia Madeirensis, 213 

Ismene Amancaes, 267 

Isotoma axillaris, 48 

Ixia tribe, hints on the culture of, 64 

examination of the bulbs, 48, 168 
Ixora grandiflora, 75 


J. 


JABorROSA integrifolia, 141 
Jaca Tree, 254 


K. 


KALMIA, propagation of, 47, 24 
Kalosanthos splendens, 237 
Kennedia splendens, 26 

. glaberata, 93 

. bracteata, 114 

. sericea, 114 

coccinea, 114 
Comptoniana, 114 

- monophylla, 114 

. ovata, 114 

. Stirlingi, 117 

- macrophylla, 165 

. dilatata, 192 


‘alalalalalelalelata 


L. 


LantTANna Selloi, 168 
Large-flowered Coryanthus, 95 
Large-leaved Kennedia, 165 
Lathyrus Magellanicus, 213 
Layering, 120 

Leptosiphon androsaceus, 142, 219 
L. densiflorus, 220 

Lily of the valley, for forcing, 24 
Linum Berendieri, 116 

Lobelia, culture of the genus, 120, 155 
decurrens, 93 

Long-tailed Angreecum, 119 
Long-spiked Dendrobium, 167 
Long-leaved Dryandra, 171 

Lord Anson’s Pea, 213 

Lorey’s Bell- Flower, 117 

Luculia gratissima, noticed, 114 
Lupinus Texensis, 142 

— latifolius, 260 

Lychnis Bungeana, 166 

Lycium Afrum, 7i 


278 


M. 

Mapa, hardy Rose, 17 
Maderia Ismelia, 213 
Magnolia odoratissima, noticed, 72 
Mandragora autumnalis, 93 
Mannettia cordifolia, 192 
Marcellus Tulip, 19 
Massonia lutea, 19 
Maxillaria aromatica, 168 
M. cristata, 19 
Mignonette, to be sown, 24, 168 
Mimulus Wheeleri, 214 

cardinalis, 197 
— culture of, 14 
Minorca Virgin’s Bower, 142 
Mormodes atropurpurea, 167 
Mr. Skinner’s i‘pidendrum, 167 
Mr. Menzies’ Eutoca, 142 
Mr. Murray’s Pentstemon, 94 
Mr. Russell’s Cinquefoil, 70 
Mr. Mackay’s Zygopetalum, 97 
Mr. Groom’s Fuchsia, 262 
Mr. Sabine’s Strobilanthes, 261 
Mrs. Horsfall’s Ipomea, 50 
Mucuna, culture of the genus, 20 
Musa Cavendishii, 51 
M. coccinea, 61 
M. rosacea, 59 
M. sapientum, 57 
M. paradisiaca, 56 

remarks on the genus, 53 

Myrtles, 23 


N. 


Narcissus-flowered Ismene, 267 
Natal Corn Flag, 71 
Nelumbiums, 96 
Nemophila insignis, 117, 151 
- auriata, 164 
Nerine Sarniensis, 192 
Nerium thyrsiflorum, 73 
remarks on the genus, 232 
Noble Stanhopea, 95 


O. 


On the Myrtle tribe of plants, 129 
On the cultivation of Cacti in moss, 250 
Viola odorata, var. 


——— 


lida-plena, 249 
ao oe a ep pen and: or mice 1253 

Oncidium crispum, 166 

O. Lanceanum, 238 

O. divaricatum, 4 

O. Russellianum, 71 

O. altissimum, 144 

O. cornigerum, 143 

Operaticns for January, 274 


pal- 


— February, 23 
= March, 47 
— April, 72 

= May, 95 

— June, 120 


<= July, 144 


INDEX. 


Operations for August, 168 
— September, 192 
— October, 216 
— November, 240 
— December, 264 
Orange-coloured Bifrenaria, 215 
—-—-— trees to be taken out of the Orangery, 
120 
Oriental Hawthorn, 141 
Origin of weeping trees, 113 
Orithyia uniflora, 143 
Ornamental Cast-Iron Garden-Chair, 257 
Ornamental Basket, for planting greenhouse 
plants in, 132 
Ornithogalum chlroaleucum, 144 
Oxalis floribunda, 72 
rubella, 72 
Ox-eye-like Oxyura, 118 
Oxyura chrysanthemoides, 118 


Pi 


P#onr< albiflora, var. Pottsii, 262 

——-—- notice of the genus, 135, 237 

Pansies, Lavinia, John Bull, 93, 166 

Papaver orientalis bracteatum, 12 

P. crocea nudicaule, 12 

P. floribunda, 12 

P. somniferum, 11 

P. Rheeas, 11; culture of the genus, 11 

Passifloras, for training, 31 

Pear-leaved Thorn, 213 

Pelargoniums, to propagate for autuma flower- 
ing, 48, 144 

Pencilled evening Primrose, 69 

Pendulous-fruited Adesmia, 70 

— Dove-flower, 119 

Pentstemon Murrayanus, 94, 265 

P. cobea, 70, 237 

Pepper, on the cultivation of, 253 

Pergularia odoratissima, directions for growing, 
46 

Peristeria pendula, 119 

Petunias, 48, 144 

Phacelia congesta, 94 

P. vinifolia, 121: 

Physotogia truncata, 165 

Picotees, Miss Miller, and Emperor of China, 
119 

Pinks, Ann Boleyn, and Superb, 71, 24 

———- Middlesex Beauty, 262 

——- Warden and Omega, 262 

——- Carnations, Roses, &c. for early fiow- 

ering, 264 
Pink-flowered Crybe, 168 
——— Tree Rose Bay, 164 

Plan of a Rosery for Scotch Roses, 139 

Plants suitable, for grouping in the Flower 
Garden, 108 

Plantain, the Cavendish, 51 

Platanus-leaved Begonia, 125 

Poinciania pulcherrima, 3 

Poinsettia pulcherrima, 163, 165 

Polyanthus, Fletcher’s Defiance, 143 

—-— tuberosa, var. fiora eee 264 

Port Famine Fuchsia, 165 


INDEX, 


Portulaca Gilliesii, 192 ; 

eae atro-sanguinea, hybrid Russelliana, 
7 

Pott’s Chinese Pony, 262 

Primroses, double crimson, double white, 93 

Primulas to be potted, 96 

— Sibirica integerrima, 18 

auricula, var. Achilles, 18, 192 

Propagation of certain plants by cuttings, 22 

Purple-sided Saddle-flower, 221 

ae Japonica, compost proper for striking, 


R. 


RANUNCULACE, 16 
Red Cosmelia, 44 
Reddish-blue Ipomeea, 99 
Red-flowered fragrant Daphne, 45 
Red-side Saddle-flower, 261 
Relation of Vegetation to Seasons, 201 
Remarks on the Genus Nerium, 232 
Remarks on the formation of a Rosery for 
Scotch Roses, 138 
Review of Florists’ Magazine, 160 
ore of Companion to Botanical Register, 
Review of Florigraphia Britannica, 39 
Ribes malvaceum, 164 
Rice, on the cultivation of, 253 
Rhodanthe Manglesi, 116, 173 
Rhodochiton volubile, 72 
— and Lophospermum erubescens, 
for a south wall, 96 
Rhododendron campanulatum, 118 
R. arboreum, hints on, 64 
R., to flower early, 24 
R. chamoecistus, 169 
R. arboreum, var. roseum, 164 
—————.- var. undulatum, 212 
R. flavum, var. coronarium, 117 
Rodriguezia Barkeri, 166 
R. planifolia, 214 
Rosa centifolia, 94 
R. muscosa, 94 
R. cristata, 94 
R. microphylla, 141 
Rose trees introduced to the forcing house, 24 
Roses, Village Maid, 17 
R. Rouge de Luxembourg, 237, 238 
Ruddy Godetia, 143 
Russelia juncea, 168 
Russian Fritillary, 214 


S. 


SAD-COLOURED Cirrheea, 262 
Saffron-coloured Eschscholtzia, 49 
Salvias, 96, 144 

Saracha viscosa, 70 

Sarcochilus falcatus, 71 

Sarracenia rubra, 261 

—-— purpurea, 221 
Scarlet-flowered Mimulus, 198 
Scarlet Pentstemon, 265 


279 


Schizanthus retusus, noticed, 48, 72, 216 

Science of Botany, as a necessary study for 
the young gardener, 234 

Scilla cupaniana, 215 

Scotch Roses, list of double kinds, 140 

Scottia dentata, 192 

Seeds, 168 

Showy Nemophila, 151, 117 

Poinsettia, 165 

—— Kalosanthos, 237 

Zenobia, 117 

Shrubs, a select list of, with hints on the pecu- 
liar culture of each, 177 

Single Scotch Roses, 140 

flowered Orythia, 143 

Sir James Stirling’s Kennedia, 117 

Slender Chetogastra, 116 

Slender-flowered Gilia, 260 

Small-leaved Chinese Rose, 141 

Small-fruited Thorn, 117 

Small-winged Iris, 215 

Smart Godetia, 118 

Smooth-leaved Kennedia, 93 

Snow Douglasia, 236 

Soils, 240 

Solanum crispum, 1 

Sollya heterophylla, 144 

Spatula-leaved Thorn, 260 

Splendid Crimson Kennedia, 26 

—-- Hibiscus, 147 

Spoon-lipped Zygopetalum, 144 

Spreading-flowered Bletia, 263 

Stanhopea insignis, 95 

Stinking Birth-wort, 44 

Stove shrubs, a selection of the most beautiful, 
with remarks on their culture, season of 
flowering, &c., 79 

Strobilanthes Sabiniana, 261 

Succulents, 96 

Sweet Potato, 199 

Sweet William, 216 

Sweet-scented Hawthorn, 236 


aE: 


TarismANn Calceolaria, or Slipper Wort, 27 

Tall Habenaria, 167 

Tallest Oncidium, 144 

Tamarindus, remarks on, and culture of the 
genus, 110 

Tansy-leaved Hawthorn, 236 

Taper-leaved Vanda, 19 

Telopea speciosissima, 273 

Temperature of Hot-houses, 264 

Texas Lupin, 142 

Thick-flowered Leptosiphon, 220 

Thread-leaved Coreopsis, 212 

Three-nerved Chironia, 149 

Thunbergia alata, var. alba, 28; culture of 
the genus, with particulars on the species 
alata, 7 

Thunbergia fragrans, 8 

T. grandiflora, 65 

Thyrse-flowered Dichorizandra, 127 

Tooth-leaved Ardisia, 260 


880 INDEX. 


Tradescantia Virginica, fl. albo, 214 

Trees, disposition of, &c., 106 

Treverania coccinea, culture of, 14, 192, 24 
Trichopilia tortilis, 167 

Tropeolum pentaphyllum, &c., 114, 192, 153 
Tufted-flowered Phacelia, 94 

Tulip, Duchess of Kent, 264 

Tulips, 19, 24, 45, 119, 215 

Twisted-petalled Trichopilia, 167 
Two-coloured Collinsia, 195 


Vi; 


VANDA teres, 19 

Various-leaved Hawthorn, 118 
Coreopsis, 94 
Venus’s Fly-Trap, 252 

Verbena, encouragement of, 72 
-— rugosa, 45; 237 

— culture of the genus, 32 
Vine-leaved Phacelia, 121 

Viola odorata, on the cultivation of, 249 
tricolor, remarks on, 5 
Virginian Spider Wort, 214 


W. 


WAvyY-LEAVED Tree Rose Bay, 212 
Weak-leaved Adam’s Needle, 263 


Wheeler’s Monkey Flower, 214 
White Japan Camellia, 7] 
Wine-stained Godetia, 213 
Winged Yam, 200 
Wing-stemmed Lobelia, 93 


~Winged-leaved Vervain, 45 


Witsenia corymbosa, 269 
Wooden Stands, for training creepers to, 31 
- Rustic Ornamental Vases, 258 


XG 


Yam noticed, 200 

Yucca aloifolia, 25 

Y. Draconis, 263 

Y. flaccida, 263 

Y. gloriosa, 25 

Y. filamentosa, suitable for planting out in 
the flower garden, 25 


Z. 


ZENOBIA speciosa, 117 
Zephyranthes Drummondi, 95 
Zygopetalum cochleare, 144 
Z. Mackai, 97. 


END OF THE THIRD VOLUME. 


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