2]6 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



little damp, in forests, woods, beneath 

 hed^^es, etc. It is one of the first 

 plants which by its flowers gives no- 

 tice of the approach of spring, and it 

 frequently Uuwers again during the 

 autumn. It hiiS for sisters about fifty- 

 fire species, which are generally found 

 in the temperate parts of the two 

 Lemisplieres, and a very few in the 

 tropical and sub-tropical regions of 

 Africa, Oriental Asia, and the i.dands 

 of tlie Indian and Australian Archi- 

 pelagos. It is one of the most na- 



VIOLA AEBOBBA, var. BHAITIIXAlfA. 



tural genera of the system, and every 

 one recognizes the species at a glance, 

 even tliose the most diverse. All are 

 herbaceous, annual or perennial, but 

 very rarely shrubby. The one we at 

 present introduce to the reader has 

 nothing in common with the Viola 

 arhorea, and arhorescens of botanists ; 

 and its arborescent state depends upon 

 the means employed in its culture; 

 that is to say, in suppressing carefully 

 all the stolons or runners, and leaving 

 only the centre one. This variety 

 very much resembles the Violetie 



Brunean,vi\i\\ flowers full and equally 

 streaked ; but in the latter it is only 

 the interior petals which are striped. 

 It must be grown in light dry soil, 

 and every runner and lateral shoot 

 carefully picked off, unless wanted for 

 multiplication. 



Serissa fcetida var. roLiis 

 AUREo-MARGiNATis. — Ea3mpfer is the 

 real discoverer of this plant, he hav- 

 ing met with it in his travels in Japan, 

 during 1690—92. He is the first 

 author who mentions it, but we do 

 not know who first introduced 

 it into Europe. It is certain 

 that it was at one time culti- 

 vated in the gardens of Cels, 

 at Paris, for Alton, in his 

 " Hortus Kewensis," says it 

 was introduced in 1787 under 

 the name of Lycium Japoni- 

 cum. This fact is confirmed 

 by Curtis, who mentions it in 

 a note. But even before this 

 period it was cultivated in 

 Paris in the Jardin des 

 Plantes, under the name of 

 Spermacoce fruticosa, or of 

 JLysium fatidum, as indicated 

 by Jussieu. Eut although it 

 has had so many names be- 

 stowed upon it, the one 

 which it now rejoices in does 

 not appear to be very ap- 

 propriate, for although seve- 

 ral authors have declared it 

 to have a foetid smell, M. 

 Chas. Lemaire, the editor of 

 " L'lllustration Horticole," 

 declares that after having 

 examined several cultivated 

 specimens, he was unable to 

 detect it. The variety, foliis 

 aurea-marginatis, is a small 

 bush of very elegant habit, its pretty 

 little leaves margined with gold, while 

 its flowers are of a pure white, and are 

 produced two and two on the extremi- 

 ties of all the ramifications. It is a 

 great acquisition and very decorative. 

 It requires only ordinary greenhouse 

 treatment. 



Alocasia Lowii. — This was dis- 

 covered by Mr Hugh Low, in Borneo, 

 and sent by him to the Clapton Nur- 

 sery, under the name of Caladium 

 Lowii. It flowered in a stove during 

 the month of January last, and was 



