Spain, daring the previous century. In 1703 Plumier first 

 gives it the name of Vanilla, that being the name in use in 

 Mexico by the Spaniards ; and he enumerates three species, 

 distinguishing planifolia by its white or green flower and 

 black fruit. At the end of the seventeenth century it was 

 imported into France through Spain, and used for flavour- 

 ing chocolate and scenting tobacco. In 1721 it had a 

 place in the London Pharmacopoeia, but gradually dis- 

 appeared from the druggists' shops, finding a refuge with 

 increasing favour with the confectioners. For many years 

 the principal imports were from Mexico, but latterly the 

 French, Dutch, and English colonies, especially Bourbon, 

 Java, the Mauritius, and Honduras, chiefly meet the 

 European demand. 



Of the numerous published figures of V. planifolia one 

 alone much resembles the one here given, and that is W. 

 Hooker s (not a connection of the former Editor of this 

 Magazine) in Salisbury's Paradisus, and which is excellent. 

 It was taken from the plant first cultivated in this country 

 (m the garden of the Rt. Hon. Charles Greville, at Pad- 

 cnngton). The original figure of Andrews' Repository, 

 taken from the same plant a few years earlier, is represented 

 as having smaller very dark green leaves, and much smaller 

 blueish white flowers with shorter sepals and petals. 

 Loddiges figure resembles that of Andrews'; and what 

 is more strange, so does that given by Bentley and Trimen, 

 which is stated to be drawn from a Kew plant. So great 

 is the difference between Andrews' figure and that here 

 gn en that were it not that Hooker's is said to be drawn 

 trom the same plant as Andrews', I should doubt their 

 specific identity. In colour the flowers evidently vary 

 ±rom greenish-white to yellow, and they may vary con- 



tVnl r V n S]Z f als0 ' The fi §' ure here given was made 

 t om a Kew plant in May, 1890, obtained originally from 

 the Duke of Northumberland's Gardens at, lion House. 

 un numerous occasions, during the last ten years, the Sion 

 Wouse plants as also the Kew plants obtained from them, 

 nave produced mature pods. These are about eight 



or 



nnsaosa f, 



icteristic aroma of true vanilla.— J". D. H. 



nine inches long, somewhat slender, and possess the 

 characteristic nmmn ^f +v,„~ «.~~ni_ r ti tt 1 



iidl 1W rt -° n °i \ and co , lnmn ; 2 ' tQ P of columQ and ™tb.er ; 3, back, 

 all, iiout view of untlw.— all c?ilar>jed. 



