280 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
in getting specimens of the tree in fruit, but the seeds were not ripe. 
Another valuable timber-tree with a beautiful grain, called by the 
Cinghalese **Ookbairiye," and which I suspected, from having — 
only a leaf, to be an Eugenia, I found to be a species of Carallia. By 
the way—talking of woods—I shall be in Colombo next month at the 
Agri-Horticultural Show, and shall then get, I trust, the collection of 
woods promised me for Kew last year. Our Kandy Horticultural Ex- 
hibition is to come off in July at these Gardens, but I fear it is too close 
upon the heels of our last show to expect much novelty about it. 
I have received Dr. Hooker’s kind letter, to which I hope to reply 
next mail, or the succeeding one after I return from Colombo. I will 
send in it such of my new species as will go in a letter, together with 
a sketch of a flower of the new Dendrobium. 
Have you heard anything more of Mr. Burke's Plantain-fibre ma- 
chine? I have suggested to the Governor here to order out a few of 
them for trial in these Gardens, but I do not know whether my sug- 
gestion has been acted upon. 
BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
Rice Paper Plant. 
Captain Mellersh, late in command of H.M. Steamer ‘ Ranter,’ which 
conveyed Sir John Bowring and his suite to Siam, has just arrived from 
Hongkong, bringing from J. C. Bowring, Esq., noble flowering racemes 
of the Aralia papyrifera, which have flowered in high perfection in the 
_ Governor's garden at Hongkong, and the plants have attained to , 
great size: while in our European stoves, our plants, imported by Sir 
John Bowring from Formosa at the same time with his, and of the same 
. age, have continued small and shown no disposition to flower: forcing 
upon us the humiliating conviction that, however high our nation may 
stand as successful gardeners, we have yet much to learn in regard to 
the skilful cultivation of tropical plants, which, speaking generally and 
s of the larger and especially the shrubby kinds, so seldom yield flowers, 
.. and infinitely more rarely fruits. 
= Me. J. C. Bowring, whose letter accompanies these flowering speci- 
_ Mens, observes :—'* The two specimens now sent, one in bud, with co- 
