1869.] NEW PLANTS OF THE PAST MONTH. 135 



approaching. Particularly is the month of January a season of repose 

 in this respect, as the production of new plants at this season is 

 invariably small. 



Messrs Veitch & Sons have received a first-class certificate for a new 

 Asplenium from Monte Video, supposed to be a new species, but allied 

 to A. erectum. It has a pretty dwarf-tufted habit of growth, and 

 appeared to find great favour among fern-fanciers. The same award 

 was made to Mr Green, gardener to W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., 

 Pieigate, for Agave Besseriana hystrix, a dwarf -growing plant of a very 

 compact habit, the leaves narrow, in length from 4 to 5 inches, and of 

 a glaucous hue, and tipped by a stout black spine an inch long, and 

 bordered by smaller spines, also of the same colour. 



From Mr Baxter, gardener to C. Keiser, Esq., of Broxbourne, came 

 a box of cut Camellias, to one of which a first-class certificate was 

 awarded. It was named Kelvingtonia, and was said to have been 

 obtained from Guernsey. This flower was of remarkable beauty, as 

 well as of unusual size, having immense guard petals and a tufted 

 centre, and measured fully 5 inches across, the colour being of a dark 

 carmine crimson, freely blotched with white. This flower really 

 created some surprise, and did not apjiear to be known to the best 

 Camellia-growers. 



A remarkable Oncidium, shown by Mr Denning, gardener to Lord 

 Londesborough, Grimston Park, Tadcaster, was awarded a second- 

 class certificate. It was nearly allied in character to 0. sphacelatum, 

 though it had been purchased as O. nebulosum. It had a flower- 

 stem some 4 to 5 feet in length, the sepals and petals were pale- 

 greenish yellow, spotted with brown ; the lip of a pale-straw yellow, 

 stained with brown at the base. Mr Denning also sent a very fine 

 coloured variety of Lycaste Skinneri, the whole surface of the flower 

 being deeply sufi'used with rose-colour, the petals mostly so, and the lip 

 dotted with crimson. From Mr B. S. Williams came Lycaste Schil- 

 leriana, a distinct and rather pleasing species, with long recurved 

 olive-green sepals, and smaller white petals and lip. 



In the way of ornamental-foliaged plants, Mr B. S. Williams has 

 exhibited a striking-looking Aralia, named peltata, with leathery- 

 lobate leaves on long slender leaf-stalks, and apparently well suited for 

 indoor decoration, and Chamaerops gracilis, an elegant erect-habited 

 variety of C. humilis. 



From Messrs Veitch & Sons came some forms of the New Zealand 

 Flax, which excited a little discussion among plant-growers. One was 

 under the name of Phormium Cookianum variegatum, which was said 

 to differ from P. tenax in its narrower leaves and more erect habit, 

 but which, according to the ' Gardeners' Chronicle,' was certainly not 



