HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOS SIP. 



LS7 



which species the multiplication of petals often goes 

 on to such an extent that the flower becomes in- 

 tensely double,— a variety frequently found in cot- 

 tage gardens in Cheshire, and probably elsewhere. — 

 Robert Holland. 



Ltthkaceje.— In Science-Gossip for April last, 

 Robert Holland describes the rupturing of the 

 capsule of Cuphea, and he concludes by saying, 

 " further observations will be acceptable." Many 

 thousand miles away from Cheshire I have watched 

 with the same interest the opening capsules of 

 another variety of the same genus, which I find 

 thus described in my note-book on the 8th of June 

 last : — "A number of small suffruticose plants may 

 be found in almost every garden at the military can- 

 tonment, Newcastle, Jamaica, 4,000 feet above the 

 level of the sea. In many cases it is used as a 

 boundary or border, and very well adapted it is, 

 being pretty and compact ; it is rather virgate, with 

 small ovate-lanceolate, entire, exstipulate, opposite, 

 almost sessile leaves ; stem round ; inflorescence 

 somewhat racemose. Flowers solitary, on long 

 extra-axillary peduncles, vermilion-red in colour ; 

 monochlamydious ; calyx tubular, about one inch in 

 length, with a blunt spur at the base, six-divided 

 above the throat, two of the lobes being much 

 larger than the other. Stamens 11, viz., 5 long, 4 

 shorter, and 4 short inserted into the calycine tube. 

 Ovary free, and in many flowers bursting through 

 the perianth, the seeds appearing through the semi- 

 transparent pericarp. The figure 19357, Loudon, 

 Cuphea caudata of Peru, best applies to the New- 

 castle shrub. The plant is in flower nearly all the 

 year round, but this is found to be the case with 

 many other flowers growing in equable climates. 

 The derivation of the name Cuphea, viz. Kvcpog, 

 curved, implies that the method of dehiscence, the 

 bending back of the placeuta, is an essential property 

 of the genus, although it is not given as such in the 

 Botanies I have been able to consult. Only for the 

 measurements (calyx 3'", petals 1"') given by Greise- 

 bach, 1 would say the plant I have described was 

 the C. hyssopifolia." The second plant of this family 

 which I noticed in Jamaica, was the elegant Lager- 

 strcemia, the local name of which is Jamaica Crape. 

 I find a note of it on the 25th June last. It belongs 

 to the class and order Polyandria, Monogynia : 

 calyx campanulate, 6-cleft, petals 6, unguiculate, 

 rose-coloured, curved, and very much crumpled, like 

 lace ; a character which contributes greatly to the 

 beauty of the tree. Stamens many, of which the 

 outer 6 are largest. Capsule many-seeded ; height 

 of tree above 12 feet. The terminal branches are 

 tetragonal, with winged angles, the leaves are gla- 

 brous, and the terminal panicle of flowers is made 

 up of axillary peduncles. I believe I am correct in 

 naming this tree L. indica, or the "King of 

 Flowers." The third plant of the family that 



I have examined in the West Indies is the 

 Laicsonia i/iermis, known in Barbadoes as Jamaica 

 mignonette ; but it is better generally known as 

 Henna, or Al Khaana. It is a dwarf shrub, and 

 its powdered leaves are used to dye the hands of 

 Eastern ladies, an accession to their charms which 

 other people regard with the same prejudice that 

 they feel for the Chinese custom of distorting young 

 women's feet. I first saw this shrub in Barbadoes, 

 and it at once reminded me of Lagerstroemia, the 

 petals being of the same crape-like appearance, 

 but white. The inflorescence a terminal panicle, 

 and the branchlets tetragonal and winged. Its sym- 

 metry, however, is tetramerous ; stamens 8. There 

 are a few more Loosestrifes to be found in the West 

 Indies, but I have not seen them. If any of your 

 readers are sufficiently interested in the family, I 

 will be glad to be introduced to the other members. 

 — /. P. II. Boileau, M.B., Bardadoes. 



Local Floras (p. 163).— I quite agree with 

 "F. A. L." that we should not "take on trust from 

 another what a little patience and trouble would 

 ascertain for certain." A very " little trouble " in- 

 deed would, for instance, enable any reader to 

 " ascertain for certain" that the work censured by 

 "F. A. L." is not the " Cybele" at all, which con- 

 tains very few "exact localities," and has been 

 brought by its author nearly up to present date. 

 The work referred to is probably the " New Bota- 

 nists' Guide " of the same author. It is, of course, 

 possible that I may be in error in this supposition, 

 as "it is comparatively difficult to prove a negative;" 

 but the " Cybele " certainly, in no way corresponds 

 with " F. A. L.'s " description. Very few, except 

 " practical working botanists," would undertake the 

 amount of labour which " the production of a local 

 flora" entails; so I would hope that "F. A. L.'s" 

 strictures upon compilers are capable of modification. 

 — James Britten. 



Monstrous Opiiioglossum vttlgatum:. — "W. 

 G., Belfast," has forwarded an interesting frond of 

 this fern, in which there are three fertile spikes ; 

 or more correctly, the spike is divided into three 

 branches. Two of the branches also show an indi- 

 cation of further division. All ferns are prone to 

 become forked, and we have met with similar ex- 

 amples before, both in Ophioglossum and in Botry- 

 chium. 



Pine-apple (p. 139).— I am much obliged to 

 " M. Q. M. C" for the drawing of the crest referred 

 to in his note to Science-Gossip. The " pine- 

 apples " carried in the raven's beak are very con- 

 ventional imitations of nature, and look, perhaps, 

 more like rose-hips than like either fir-cones or the 

 fruit of Ananassa. Still I think that, for the reasons 

 already stated, the cones of some kind of fir-tree are 

 intended. — Robert Holland. 



