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FLORE DES SERRE ET DES JARDINS DE L'EUROPE. 



REVIEW. 



Flore des Seeee et des Jakdins de l'Europe., 



8vo., tome iv, A Gand, Louis Van Houtte, Edi- 



teur. Jan. to July, 1848. 

 We noticed, in a previous volume, this 

 beautiful monthly periodical, published by 

 M. Van Houtte, at Ghent. Since that 

 time, it has been enlarged, improved, and 

 somewhat varied in character, and well de- 

 serves a second notice. 



It is edited with ability by M. Van 

 Houtte, (himself one of the most skilful 

 horticulturists on the continent,) assisted by 

 eight distinguished botanists and cultiva- 

 tors, among whom are Brogniart and A. 

 De Candolle, It is issued monthly, in 

 large octavo form; and each number con- 

 tains ten platen, admirably coloured, be- 

 sides smaller engravings, representing the 

 habit of the plants, &c. &c. It is devoted, 

 as its title implies, to a delineation of all 

 the rarest and most beautiful plants newly 

 introduced into Europe, with descriptions, 

 embracing their history, botanical character, 

 culture, and uses in domestic or rural eco- 

 nomy. 



The work resembles, in general charac- 

 ter, that standard English serial, Paxtori's 

 Magazine; but we greatly prefer it, as 

 being more correct in its plates. These, 

 while they are beautifully executed, are 

 more truthjul portraits of the plants than 

 those of Paxton, which are sometimes 

 greatly exaggerated in size and colour. In 

 short, to those who read French, (in which 

 language the letter press is written,) this 

 Flora may be recommended as being the 

 best botanical and floricultural gallery of 

 rare plants at present published.* M. Van 

 Houtte's celebrated garden, at Ghent, alone 

 furnishes specimens of numerous new plants, 



* The subscripiion price is 36 francs. It may be ordered . 

 through any of ihe impoiting booksellers. 



and the leading collections of Great Britaio 

 and the continent, are also put under contri- 

 bution for its pages. 



We shall briefly notice some of the plants 

 figured in the late numbei^s before us, which 

 may be most interesting to our readers. 



Plumbago Larpentce. — This is a fine re- 

 presentation of this new Leadvvort. The 

 flowers — a fine dark cobalt blue — are pro- 

 duced in innumerable clusters ; and as the 

 plant is one of those collected in the north 

 of China by Mr. Fortune, there is little 

 doubt that it will prove quite hardy in this 

 country. It will be a superb plant for beds 

 and masses in the flower garden. 



Paonia teunifolia, fl. pi. — A very fine 

 double variety, of the pretty fennel-leaved 

 garden PcEony; well worthy of introduc- 

 tion into the United States. The flowers 

 dark crimson. 



Gloxinia Fyflana. — A beautiful hybrid va- 

 riety, bearing upright flowers, pure white, 

 with a rich, blue throat; very handsome. 



Tricosanthes coluhrina. — A singular cu- 

 curbitaceous plant, with fruit six feet long 

 and two or three inches in diameter. It is 

 a vine, and, when trained on a trellis, its 

 pendant fruit, looking like long variegated 

 serpents, and its curious and beautiful white 

 fringed flowers, render it a very striking 

 object. It is grown as easily as a melon in 

 a rich warm border. 



Achimenes grandiflora. — A beautiful acqui- 

 sition to this pretty genus of Mexican green- 

 house plants. It is a very distinct and attrac- 

 tive species, with large white flowers, whose 

 throat is golden yellow, and corolla dis- 

 tinctly spotted with purple. It also possess- 

 es an agreeable odor. 



Statice imbricata. — Exceedingly novel 

 and beautiful ; from the Canaries. It forms 



