September 11, 1873. ] JOURNAL OP HORTICOLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



109 



the community live through the winter, and some four or five 

 in concert start the colony of the next season. An ordinary 

 hornet's nest is seldom found to contain more than about 

 1-50 individuals, size making up for numbers. — J. R. S. C. 



FLOWERS FOR OUR BORDERS.— No. U!. 



LARDIZABiLA BITERN'ATA.— 1!iiernate-le.\ved LAr-nlzinALV. 



Of deciduous climbers, whether hardy or half-hardy, there 

 is, happily, no deficiency in our gardens ; but the number of 

 evergreen climbing plants hitherto available for general culti- 

 vation is so Umited, that when wo have named the common 

 Ivy we have exhausted the list. To this valuable climber, 

 which, although possessing few claims to beauty, is deservedly 

 esteemed for its utiUty in covering walls and concealing other 

 objects offensive to the eye of taste, the Lardizabala biternata 

 will prove a formidable rival ; for it appears to be equally 

 hardy, produces its beautiful dark green glossy foliage in 

 great abundance, and has, moreover, the additional recom- 

 mendation of bearing flowers of a singularly interesting charac- 

 ter, which in the case of the fertile blossoms, are succeeded 

 by an edible fruit. 



It is a native of Chili, 

 glowing as far south as 

 Concepcion, whence it 

 was sent by George 

 Thomas Davey, Esq., of 

 Valparaiso, to Messrs. 

 Veitch, of Exeter. 



The specific term, bi- 

 ternata, does not appear 

 to be verj' happily 

 chosen ; for, although 

 some of the leaves are 

 biternate, they are more 

 generally simply ter- 

 nate, especially in the 

 flowering branches, and 

 occasionally they are 

 tri-ternate. The leaflets 

 are often quite entire at 

 the edge, but sometimes 

 spinosely-toothed, of a 

 dark green colour above , 

 but paler and veined on 

 the under surface. 



The Lardizabala bi- 

 ternata is an illustration 

 of the dioecious class of 

 plants; it is, in fact, 

 both diircious and po- 

 lygamous; for, although 

 the flowers of the plant 

 represented in our figure 

 produce stamens only, 

 thoseof thefertUe plant, 

 which has not, we be 

 lieve, been yet intro- 

 duced to this country, 

 yield both stamens and 

 pistils ; it differs also 

 from the sterile plant 

 in its one-flowered pe- 

 duncles. These solitary flowers are succeeded by a many- 

 seeded berry, which is sold in the markets of Peru and Chili. 

 The pulp is said to be sweet and grateful to the taste. Its 

 stems yield a very strong fibre, which is made into cordage. 



The blossoms of the male plant are borne in drooping 

 racemes, hanging from the axU of a leaf, the peduncle or 

 flower-atalk bearing at its base two large lieart-slmped bracts ; 

 and it is remarkable that these occur at the axil of the leaf, 

 even where there is no flower-stalk. The calyx is formed of 

 six fleshy sepals, arranged in two series, three of the segments 

 being external to the others when in the bud. The calyx is 

 the most highly-coloured portion of the flower, the petals 

 being comparatively inconspicuous, and of a thin niembran- 

 aceoas mealy textnre. The six stamens arc united by their 

 filaments into a column (monadelphous), and bear six oblong, 

 incurved, pointed, two-celled anthers, which open at the back. 



With regard to the propagation of the plant, it may be 

 effected both by cuttings and layers, in any ordinary soil. It 

 will flourish in any situation not too much exposed to the sun. 



but appears to prefer shady places ; and as it grows rapidly, 

 when well established its merits as a substitute for the Ivy will, 

 doubtless, soon be universally recognised. 



In Peru, where it occurs as well as in Chili, it is called by 

 the Indians Aguilboguil and Guilbogui ; in Chili, its native 

 designation is Coquil-vochi. Two other species are described 

 by botanists, L. tri-ternata aud L. tri-foliata, which appear to 

 differ from the L. biternata in not producing an edible fruit. 



The plants of the order Lardizabalacea\ although few in 

 number, are all of interest ; they were formerly included with 

 the Meuispermacea; or Cocculus tribe, to which the narcotic 

 beiTy known as Cocculus indicns belongs, but are now classed 

 apart, their many-seeded berries distinguishing them from the 

 plants just referred to. 



The order LurJi:alin!aci\i' commemorates the services to 

 Natural History of Michael Lardizala, of Uribe. — [Thompson's 

 Eiiglislt Flower Garden, Revised by the Author). 



Lnrdixabala bitorn&ta. 



FLOWER SHOW AT ALTON TOWERS. 

 ^ Few places in the county of Stafford have done so much to 



cultivate and encourage 

 a pr.ictical love of plants 

 and flowers as the Alton 

 Floral and Horticultural 

 Society, and fewer still 

 whose labours have been 

 rewarded by so great a 

 meed of genuine success. 

 Its autumn exhibition 

 on the 28th ult. was cha- 

 racterised by all the ele- 

 ments requisite for a con- 

 summation of its che- 

 rished desires — an in- 

 crease in the number of 

 exhibits, an improve- 

 ment in the quality 

 thereof, and a larger 

 assemblage of those de- 

 sirous of seeing what 

 scientific knowledge and 

 industrious patience 

 could achieve than could 

 have been expected 

 while Jupiter Pluvius 

 dispenses his meteoro- 

 logical favours so freely. 

 Especially prominent 

 in the all-England class 

 was the fruit, and, as is 

 always the case at this 

 Exhibition, it stood far 

 above everything else 

 for attractiveness. There 

 was a wealth of Black 

 Hamburgh aud Muscat 

 Grapes, the chief prizes 

 for which were won by 

 Mr. Silcock, gardener to 

 Sir C. Shakerley, Soraer- 

 ford Park, Cheshire ; 

 while the Peaches of Mr. 

 J. Turner, g.ardener to 

 Basil Fitzherbert, Esq. ; 

 the Nectarines of Mr. 

 IJannermau, gardener to 

 Lord.'Bagot; and the Pine Apples of Mr. Miles, gardener to 

 Lord Carington, sorelv tempted the visitors. ' Florally the 

 Dahlias took the palm," those shown by Mr. Painter, of Small- 

 wood, Cheshire, and Mr. J. Sheldon, Derby, well deserving the- 

 first prizes awarded for twenty-four and twelve respectively; 

 though relatively the Roses were scarcely inferior, the thirty-six 

 of Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, the twenty-four of Messrs. 

 Perkins & Sons, Coventry, and the twelve of Mr. Samuel Eyre, 

 Leek, being much superior to the collections shown by their 

 opponents. The plants were most effectively arranged on a 

 pyramidal circular stage in the centre of the show- tent, the Roses 

 being placed round the base ; the collection of ten exhibited by 

 Mr.T. Rabone, gardener to the Earl of Shrewsbury, which took 

 the premier prize, included magnificent specimens of Bougain- 

 vilUea glabra, Saccolabium guttatum, Caladium bicolor.Corypha 

 austrahs, aud Peristoria elata, the first-named Orchid being 

 especially well-grown. I'or Fuchsias, Mr. Chitty, Uttoxeter, 

 took the first prize, as did Mr. Walker, gardener to Capt. Daw- 

 son, Barrow Hill, for Geraniums, Ferns, and Petunias. 



The Judges were Mr. GeorgeB.Tillyard, gardener to the Earl 

 of Yarborongh, Brocklesby Park, Lincolnshire ; Mr. Temple, 



