THE FLORIST. 227 



in view, whilst we shall please the family of Greens or Greys by in- 

 serting their success in our pages, we shall have the larger family of 

 the Smiths and Browns inquiring, " What care we about their win- 

 ning those honours ? let us have the names of all the best varieties 

 of all kinds seen, and that will be enough for us." Let our friends 

 communicate their sentiments on this subject as freely as they please, 

 and we will 2;ive the result in a future Number. 



ERINUS LYCHNIDEA. 



Few plants are better calculated to delight a certain class of ama- 

 teur growers than this simple and somewhat rare Figwort. It is 

 true that many admirers of gaudy flowers might only give it a 

 contemptuous glance in passing, never for a moment imagining that 

 a plant so unassuming in appearance could possess any property or 

 peculiarity by which to recommend itself to individuals of cultivated 

 taste. The best way of settling this point with such persons is to 

 take a walk with them to the greenhouse when the shades of even- 

 ing begin to gather over us, and when such plants as emit their 

 fragrance and display their beauty in the daytime are incapable of 

 imparting pleasure : if Erinus Lychnidea is in flower, it will speak 

 for itself; and instead of having to explain your motives for allow- 

 ing such a simple-looking and apparently uninteresting plant to 

 occupy a place in your collection, you will probably be asked for a 

 small plant or cutting. It may be considered the type of that class 

 of plants which have been kindly supplied to us for our grati- 

 fication and delight at the period when the mantle of night has 

 rendered the great mass of cultivated exotics uninteresting. This 

 Erinus seems to have an inherent dread of the sun ; for the ap- 

 proach of his morning rays causes it to wrap up its fragrance and 

 beauty in closely-folded petals ; and while Sol remains above the 

 horizon, it continues to hide its face and hold back its perfume. 

 It remains in this condition until some time after the sun has de- 

 scended below the horizon ; then it gradually unfolds its petals, and 

 emits its sweetness, until the atmosphere of the house becomes re- 

 dolent with its peculiar and, to me, delicious fragrance. During 

 the chilly and sunless period which we frequently experience in 

 November, it hardly cares to fold its petals, and will remain open 

 for days together ; but under such conditions its fragrance is not 

 near so powerful as during the summer evenings. 



I by no means affirm that this is a showy plant ; its colour is 

 little better than a dingy white, and, save the peculiar cup like form 

 of its petals, there is nothing in the shape of its flower to attract 

 particular notice. If it is to be appreciated as its merits deserve, it 

 must be visited between sunset and sunrise, and I recommend it 

 simply on account of the peculiarity noticed above. I manage to 

 obtain well-grown plants of it in the following manner. 



