^34 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[August, 



for covering large spaces or tall columns in a 

 warm conservatory, and where a bold and mas- 

 sive foliage is required." 



Xantiiisma TEXANUir. — " A very handsome 

 Centaury-like hardy annual, with golden flowers, 

 'discovered in Texas some fifty years ago, and 

 since found by many collectors, but never intro- 

 duced into European gardens till within the last 

 few years. It was published both in Europe and 

 America, and as a new genus, first as Xanthisma 

 "by the elder De Candolle in the ' Prodroraus ' in 

 1836, and in about 1842 as Centauridium by 

 Torrey and Gray in the 'Flora of Korth 

 America.' Xanthisma is closely allied to the 

 great American genus Haplopappus, which ex- 

 tends from California to Patagonia. The figure 

 in ' Marcy's Expedition ' is a very bad one, and 

 represents the pappus as two distinctly double, 

 the corolla of the ray as acute, which is owing 

 to the margins being involute in a dry state ; it 

 omits the hairs on the achenes, and tlie minute 

 serratures of the foliage. This plant flowered 

 in Kew in November last." — Botanical Maga- 

 zine, 6275.) 



Raspbekry-leaved Pelargoniums — Sweet- 

 ness and elegance, combined with such freedom 

 of growth and vigor of constitution as permits, 

 without injury, foliage and flowers to be cut in 

 abundance, will alwaj's render this Pelargonium 

 a favorite ; there is, moreover, a smaller variety 

 of it, the leaves of which, from their minute 

 subdivison, are exceedingly elegant. Both 

 kinds grow freely, especially Avhen planted out 

 either in the open air or in the greenhouse or 

 conservatory. They are well adapted for plant- 

 ing against a wall or pillar in some light sit- 

 uation under glass, as the growth in such positions 

 is very rapid and continuous, and, though their 

 lilac flowers are small, the successional way in 

 which thoy are produced for several months — 

 commencing early in the Spring— adds much to 

 their value. I think, from what has come under 

 my own observation and the information I have 

 gleaned from others, that the variegated Pelar- 

 gonium called Lady Plymouth must be a sport 

 from this variety. If my information be correct 

 this must have occurred some fifty years ago. I 

 have often seen green shoots on plants of Lady 

 Plymouth; in fact, we have several now that 

 seem to be identical with those of the Rasp, 

 berry-leaved kind, P. Radula. One need say 

 but little about its culture, as a plant that has 

 held its own for so many years, when so many 

 -of its contemporaries, introduced about the same 



date, have disappeart'd, requires no special treat- 

 ment. It is just the plant for the cottage win- 

 dow, or to plant out in Summer in the little bor- 

 der in front of the cottage. — E. Hobday in Garden. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Echevekias.— Cap, Media, Pa., says : " Will 

 you please give the botanical name of these two 

 leaves in your next issue of the Gardener's 

 Monthly, and to what family they belong?" 



[These were all garden forms of Echeveria 

 metallica.— Ed. G. M.] 



Stag's Horn Fern. — J. S. R., Chica'^^o., Ills., 

 says . "In walking with a friend througli her con- 

 servatory, our attention was directed to a fern 

 which she said vvas 'The Stag's Horn Fern,' but 

 which I had always known as the ' Rabbit's 



PLATYCERIUM GRANDE. 



Foot.' It has furry stems as thick as one's fin- 

 ger, which grow over the surface, and often 

 hanging over the side of the pot, and branch as 

 a stag's horn might do, but I never heard it 

 called b}' an}' othgr name than the Rabbit's 

 Foot Fern. Is this the right name, or is Stag's 

 Horn the correct one ? " 



[It is not easy to tell what fern our correspon- 

 dent has in mind, but the description in*no way 

 fits the true Stag's Horn, or Elk's Horn Fern. 

 There are two well known species under culture, 



