^^^ 



very difTtTPnt habit and nppoarancc in the tropical mountains of both the old and new 

 world. In tiio lower Ka^torn Himalaya, Malay Peninsula, Java, and other of the Ma- 

 layan islands, especially, there is an extensive section — to which the two species here 

 fif^ured belong — which could hardly be recognized as having much affinity with the 

 Whortleberry of our raoore. They are all epiphytical shrubs, having the lower part of the 

 stem often stcelling out into a prostrate trunk, as thick as the hvman body or leg, and send- 

 ing out branching fibrous roots that attach it to the limb of the tree upon which it grows- 

 These trunks are soft and spongy internally, and are reservoirs of moisture and nutriment ; 

 tliey send out a few slender, generally pendulous branches, wiiich bear often gorgeous 

 flowers." The two plants which give rise to the above remark arc most beautiful siirubs 

 with large crimson flowers, and would be brilliant ornaments of a greenhouse should 

 they prove to be cultivable. 



BcuDi.EiA CoLviLEi. — " This is very unlike any other Asiatic species of Buddlcia in its 

 size and form of flower, color, and the locality it inhabits, its congeners being almost 

 without exception tropical or subtropical plants ; in several respects it more closely re- 

 sembles some of the species of the Andes, but it has no'rival anywhere for beauty and 

 graceful habit. It is abundant towards the summit of Tonglo, from 9000 feet to the top 

 12,000 feet. This will probably prove perfectly hardy, as I have found it in very exposed 

 places as well as in woods ; and from the abundance of its flowers, and its lasting some 

 weeks in bloom, it would be a most desirable addition to our gardens." Let us add that 

 the flowers are as fine as those of Escallonia macrantha, and as deep a red, while they 

 grow in panicles as large as that of a common Lilac. 



./EscHYNANxnus Peeli, found in the thick forests where there has been no clearance, 

 is'perhaps a more brilliant red plant than any of the gorgeous species previously met 

 •with. 



To these have to be added a Rhubarb [Rheum nobile)* of most prodigious form, resem- 

 bling a giantess flounced from head to foot; an Oak [Quercus Z(2?n<'Z/osa) with magnifi- 

 cent leaves, comparable to those of the Spanish Chestnut, rendered hard and evergreen, 

 and acorns so woody as to render riding unsafe where they have fallen in large quan- 

 tities ; the Sikkim Larch now in our gardens, which appears to be tender only when 

 raised from seeds gathered at 8000 feet of elevation, but to be hardy if produced by seeds 

 from 13,000 feet; and Vanda Cathcarti, a fine epiphyte, with great fleshy flowers, 

 streaked with cinnamon-colored bars. Such things as these point unmistakeably to the 

 scene of a new collector's labors ; and it is to be hoped that the East India Company will 

 forthwith despatch a skilful person in search of them. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



Natural Barometers. — Chickweed is an excellent barometer. When the flower ex- 

 pands fully, we are not to expect rain for several hours ;' should it continue in that state, 

 no rain will disturb the summer's day. When it half conceals its miniature flower, the 

 day is generally showery ; but if it entirely shuts up, or veils the white flower with its 

 green mantle, let the traveller put on his great coat. The diS"orent specses of Trefois 

 always contract their leaves at the approach of a storm ; so certainly does this take place, 

 that these plants acquired the name of the husbandman's barometer. The tulip, and 

 several of the compound yellow flowers, all close before rain. There is a species of wood 

 sorrel, which doubles its leaves before storms. The Bauhinia, or mountain ebony, capial 

 and sensitive plants, observe the same habits. 



* Of this we give an account in another page of the Borticiilturist. — Ed. 



