1880. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



105 



moss. It is a pretty sight on openiug the box. 

 No doubt the flowers would travel well even 

 to California. 



Crotons. — Of the many who have heard of 

 croton oil, few know what an important feature 

 Crotons play among the vegetation of the earth. 

 The number of species known is enormous, and 

 they are found in wet or dry places in many 

 parts of the world. There are a number na- 



shininir and rather thick leaves, more like those 

 of a Rhododendron, than of the Crotons which 

 American botanists collect. These are often of 

 the most curious forms, and frequently veined or 

 blotched with crimson or gold, and are among 

 the most interesting objects in modern green- 

 houses. Besides their value for this sort of cul- 

 ture, they do well in windows and are becoming 

 quite popular in room gardening. Of late years 



CROTON MOOREANUS. 



tive to the United States, chiefly in the south 

 and southwest, but these have nothing particular 

 to attract the observer beyond a silvery class of 

 foliage which, however, many other kinds of 

 plants in these regions have as well as they. 

 From other parts of the world we have a very 

 distinct class of Crotons, taking the forms of 

 shrubs or even small trees, with no more orna- 

 mental flowers than our own, but with large, 



they have been taken in hand by the improvers, 

 as so many classes of plants have, and some re- 

 markably beautiful forms have been obtained, 

 and which are now much sought after by florists. 

 "We give with this, one introduced by the cele- 

 brated firm of James Veitch & Sons, of Chel- 

 sea, near London, who have been among the 

 foremost in making the public aware of the 

 beauty this class of plants afi'ords. 



