250 THE FLORIST. 



NOTES FROM KEW. 



Drtmonia villosa. a pretty flowering Gesneraceous plant, of which there 

 are two species at present cultivated ; they are succulent or soft wooded evergreen 

 hothouse kinds, and are both interesting, though probably not so much to 

 amateur cultivators. D. punctata has been introduced many years ; it is of a 

 slender trailing habit, and if grown in a basket filled with pieces of fibry peat, 

 sand, sphagnum, and rotten wood, and suspended to the roof of a moist stove, 

 the stems hang down and have a graceful appearance ; it flowers during summer, 

 the flowers are pretty, of a good moderate size, and spotted. Ihe present one is 

 of an erect branching habit, and may be easily formed into a compact specimen, 

 it grows about a foot and a half high, flowering freely while in a young state ; a 

 light soil similar to that used for Achimenes is the most suitable to pot it with ; 

 well drained, and if grown in a moist stove heat it flowers copiously, and will be 

 found a good addition to Gesneras, Achimenes, and other such like summer 

 flowering things ; the leaves are rugose, of a light green, flowers white, from one 

 to two inches across the limb, and purple within the tube. The whole plant is 

 densely clothed with soft hairs throughout ; its flowering season is the summer 

 months. 



Crixum ornatum var. africanum. a large handsome flowering Lily from 

 South Africa. This is one of the many beautiful flowering Lilies abundant in 

 gardens, and is one that with advantage may be brought forward in a little heat 

 during spring, until the commencement of its flowering season, when it should 

 be removed to the greenhouse or conservatory, which will prolong its flowering ; 

 and being a large showy flowering kind, jt is a fine object for decoration. It has 

 a large bulb with leaves 3 — 4 feet long, the flower stem is stout, erect, three 

 feet high, bearing on the apex an umbel of 9 — 10 flowers that are very fragrant 

 and much resemble in form those of Gardenia Stanleyana ; each flower is 9 — 10 

 inches long, white, delicately shaded with pink on the outside. It flowers in 

 June and July. 



OxALis HEDTSAROiDES. A slender growing shrubby species, attaining the 

 height of two feet. It has been recently introduced to Kew from the continent, 

 and is an addition to the shrubby part of this genus. It is an hothouse plant, 

 having hairy leaves and bright yellow flowers. 



SoLLYA Drummondi. An exceedingly neat looking evergreen greenhouse 

 twiner, and one of the best of this genus. It is a Swan River plant, and was 

 raised at Kew, from seed, about four years ago ; being of very neat habit, an 

 abundant bloomer, and one that can be brought to perfection in a very moderate 

 sized pot, it ought to be found in every collection ; both stems and leaves are 

 rather small, the flowers are borne copiously throughout the whole plant, are of 

 a very bright blue, and remain for a considerable time in perfection. It keeps 

 flowering tliroughout the summer months. 



Stylidiujt arenaria. All the species belonging to this genus have a very 

 peculiar property, and are highly interesting, on account of the sudden elasticity 

 of the style when touched or raised a little with a pin or any other small instru- 

 ment, which causes it instantly to turn over in a diametrically opposite direction. 

 There are many of them in cultivation, all low growing herbs, chiefly from various 

 parts of New Holland ; some of them may be cultivated with great facility, 

 others are oftentimes found difficult to manage, as they are apt to die during 

 winter if kept too hot or too wet ; a cold frame or greenhouse is best to keep them 

 in, potted with very sandy peat intermixed with potsherds broken very small, 

 and kept rather dry during winter. The present subject is one of the best of 

 them : it grows in a close tuft, has grassy leaves 8 — 10 inches long, with an 

 erect flower stalk a foot or more high, bearing a raceme six to nine inches long 

 of rosy purple flowers, each having a \\hite centre. This is not a very common 

 plant in collections, being usually lost by too much moisture in winter, several 

 plants of it here are at present in flower in one of the greenhouses, and have a 

 very pretty appearance. 



Royal Botanic Gardens^ Kew. J. Houlston. 



