142 THE FLORIST. 



pearance, and the blooms become white. About a couple of dozen 

 plants of it, varying from six to sixteen inches high, were lately all in 

 flower here ; the blossoms were from three to six in each truss, and 

 some of these pigmy bushes had nearly a score of expanded blooms 

 on them. This will doubtless be an excellent sort to force early, as 

 a little warmth suits it best, and it flowers quite as freely as a Gera- 

 nium. 



In the Australian house the Acacias have been very fine, toge- 

 ther with Eriostemons, Azaleas, and Cinerarias, which, on account 

 of the variety of colour in the flowers, form an admirable contrast 

 with the yellow flowers of the Acacias. In the large house used as 

 a conservatory, which contains a splendid collection of Banksias, of 

 which B. ericifolia is one of the most striking, when loaded with its 

 beautiful cone-like clusters of yellow-flowers, there was lately a re- 

 markably fine specimen of Acacia verticilata, fourteen feet high, one 

 mass of bloom ; Rhododendron arboreum is about twelve feet high, 

 and is gay. 



In the Heath house are a few good kinds in flower, such as E. 

 Wilmorei, Macnabiana, trossula alba, andromedseflora, bicolor, trans- 

 parens, viscaria, triumphans, Linnceoides, Peteveria bicolor, vernalis, 

 with others of minor importance, and a few Epacrises. In a small 

 stove adjoining is a number of Gloxinias, &c, in bloom, among 

 which is a variety called G. argyrostigma splendens ; it is one of the 

 best of this tribe : the leaves are of a dull green above, purplish be- 

 neath, and have white veins similar to Eranthemum leuconervum; the 

 flowers are large, two inches across the limb, and of a deep violet 

 colour with a white throat. 



In the great Palm-house the plants keep progressing ; many of 

 the tropical fruit-trees are becoming fine specimens now that they 

 have plenty of pot and head room ; some of the Palms are getting 

 very large and are at present in flower; one of the most interesting 

 things in the house is the Doryanthes excelsa, a tall-growing Austra- 

 lian plant, with large flowers similar to an Amaryllis. This plant 

 very rarely flowers in this country ; the stem rises from the centre of 

 the leaves, similar to the American Aloe ; at Kew it has been four- 

 teen feet high, there being on the apex a rather close head of bright 

 rose-coloured flowers with green anthers, which give a lively pleasing 

 contrast to the whole. 



Amongst the novelties lately introduced is Semiandra grandiflora, 

 a shrubby warm greenhouse plant resembling a Fuchsia ; its flowers 

 are pendulous, and are borne copiously from the axils of the leaves 

 along the branches ; they are from two to three inches long, with 

 narrow segments bent back, and are cf a fine red colour. 



Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. J. Houlston. 



