October 27, 1803. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AJfD COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



331 



perennials, and well -worth cultivating for their reed-like 

 habit. They grow in the water. 



Carex. — C. DavaUiana and C. dioica are curious, dwarf, 

 grass-like plants. C. pulicaris and C. pauciflora are also 

 curious taUer-growing Sedges ; and C. paniculata attains 

 the height of 3 feet, very commonly having stem-like crowns 

 several inches high, from which the leaves droop gracefully. 

 Sedges are a numerous family. Some of them are highly 

 ornamental on the margin of water, the taller species 

 especially. 



LiTTOEELLA LAcusTBis has oval leaves, and white flowi^-s 

 from June to August. It is a small, delicate-looking British 

 plant, gi-owing on the margin of sandy pools, and is a pe- 

 rennial. 



ZiiiANiA. — Z. aquatica (Canada Eice), is an annual, strong- 

 growing, reedy plant with green inflorescence from July to 

 September. It grows 6 feet in height. Z. miliacea has the 

 habit of MiUet, and grows 4 feet high. Z. fluitans grows 

 also 4 feet high. All are annuals fi-om North America. 



Najas majok is another curious aimual. Europe gene- 

 rally. 



Mtkiophtlltjm (Water SlUfoil). — M. spicatum and M. ver- 

 ticOlatum aa'e jiretty native perennials, growing 1 foot high 

 in ditches and ponds. They have respectively red and 

 green flowers in July and August. 



Ceratophtlltjm demeksum and S. submersum are peren- 

 nials and natives, but of no ornament anywhere. 



Sagittaeia (An-ow-head).— Handsome plants, belonging 

 to the natviral order AlismacesB. S. sagittcefolia, with arrow- 

 shaped leaves, grows 2 feet high, and has white flowers 

 fi-om June to August. It is a native species, found in rivers. 

 S. rigida grows a foot high. S. natans (Floating), and 

 S. latifolia, with broad leaves, grow 1 foot high and 

 have white flowers in July and August. They are from 

 North America. S. falcata, from Carolina, grows a foot 

 high, and has white ilowers in July and August. S. obtusi- 

 Iblia, S. graminea, S. heterophylla, and S. hastata have white 

 flowers, and are half-hardy perennials. The first is from 

 China, the others are fi'om North America. There is also 

 S. obtasa, another half-hardy perennial from North America. 



Htdeochakis moesus-ean^ (Frog-bit). — A curious peren- 

 nial, growing but a few inches high in our ditches. It has 

 roundish leaves and whit« flowers in June and July. One 

 of the handsomest of the small British aquatics. 



Stkatiotes (Water-Soldier). — S. aloides has sword-shaped 

 leaves, habit stifi' and erect, with white flowers in June and 

 Jvily, growing 2 feet high. England ; ditches. 



IsOETES LACUSTRis (Marsh Quillwort), is a cui-ious cryp- 

 togamic plant, inhabiting the alpine lakes of Britain. 



Salvinia natans, a little floating plant from Italy, and 

 Harsilea QUAJDRiroLiA, which is scarcely an inch high, but 

 very curious, are both difficult to keep in a state of culti- 

 vation. 



Ltcopoditjm helvi;tici7m is an aquatic Club Moss, very 

 curious indeed. It is from Switzerland. 



OsMUNDA REGALis (Eoyal Fem), is the noblest bog plant 

 we have. It grows in shady boggy places, and does well on 

 the margin of water. It fi'equently attains the height of a 

 mam. Osmunda is common thi-oughout Europe. — George 

 Abbey. 



TODMOEDE^T BOTANICAL SOCIETY. 



October 5th — the President in the chair. The table was 

 strewn \rith nrmierous beautiful and interesting specimens ; 

 the following were noticeable amongst phanogams : Hibiscus 

 Eosa^sinensis fl. pleno, Vinca ocellata, Urtica bUoba, the 

 marginally- variegated variety of Serissa fcetida, from Japan, 

 beautifully in bloom, the flowers being of a snowy whiteness, 

 Peperoniia pulcheUa, Cyclamen europseuiu rubi-um, Cyijerus 

 alternifoUus variegatus, Eondeletia speciosa major (a most 

 beautiful orange-and-yellow-flowered stove plant), the ciu'ious 

 Dorstenia contrajerva, and a fine example of the noble 

 Tritoma Bm-chelli. Why is it that, in gardens, one so 

 rarely meets with this splendid flowering-plant, so effective 

 in summer for pm-poses of display out of doors, and so inter- 

 esting in itself.' 



But at the table of the Botanical Society the bon-nes bouches 

 are reserved for the cryjitogamic botanist. Pine specimens 

 of the Filices named below di'ew general attention, — viz.. 



Nothochlajna trichomanoides, the very rare Mohria achillese- 

 foHa, the new Gymnogramma Laucheana, Scoloi^endrium. 

 vulgare marginato-flssum, S. v. bimarginato-cordatum, S. v. 

 sagittate polycuspis, Athyriiun Fclix-faemina coronans, 

 A. F.f. grandiceps, Ceterach oflicinarum crenatum (County 

 Clare) and Polypodium vulgare multifomie, the last named 

 plant having been gathered, in splendid examples, by the 

 Secretary dimng a recent tour in North Lancashire. 



Mr. H. Halstead, of Bacup, exhibited two new varieties of 

 Lastrea montana, recently gathered by him in the neighbour- 

 hood of Luddenden. 



The following communications, fi-om honorary members 

 and others, had been received by one or another of the ofSeers 

 since the last meeting of the Society : — From Dr. O'Brien, of 

 Ennis (Ireland), in regard to the discovery of Polystichum 

 lonchitis on limestone rocks in County Clare ; fi-om G. 

 Martyn, Esq., Gregans Castle, Ballyvaughan (Ireland), on 

 the pteridology of parts of Clare ; from Mr. William Hobson, 

 Philadelphia, tl.S A., giving a Hst of the North American 

 FUices growing within twenty miles of Philadelphia ; from 

 C. J. Ashfield, Esq., of Preston, announcing his discovei-y, in 

 the fens of Norfolk, of the very rare British flowering plant 

 Liparis LsEselii; from Mr. J. Sim, of Perth, in regard to 

 British Mosses, &c. 



APONOCJETON DISTACHION HAEDT— 

 WINTEEIXG CANNA EOOTS. 



In the interesting papers you have lately published on 

 the subject of " Hardy Aquatics," I see no notice of Apono- 

 geton distachyon. I am aware that in Loudon's Encyclo- 

 piKdia it is mentioned as a greenhouse aquatic, blooming 

 ii-om May to July ; but I have had it for more than ten 

 yeai-s in a pond in my garden at Bath, where it generally 

 blooms three times in the year. The blossom I enclose is 

 one of the first specimens of its third blooming in this year, 

 and it wiU continue to thi-ow up its peculiarly-shaped, ivory- 

 textured, and very fragrant blossoms until the Irosts check 

 it. It is planted in not more than 1 foot of water, it seeds 

 freely, and sows itself in various parts of the sm-rounding 

 pond, the severe winter of 1860-1 not h-aving in the least 

 injm-ed it. I fancy it is not very common, as I searched for 

 it in vain amongst the aquatics at Ivew. 



Could you give me any hints on the autumn and winter 

 management of Canna roots ? I have a bed of fine roots 

 raised this year from seed sent me direct fi-om India, 

 and I shall be grieved to lose them now through mis- 

 management. — E. L. O. 



[There are two species, Aponogeton distachyon and 

 A. angustifohum, both hardy when planted sufSciently deep 

 to be out of the reach of frost. One foot, however, is quite 

 depth enough to plant them below the surface of the water. 

 The flowers are white and very fragrant. Both are fi-om the 

 Cape of Good Hope. They seed freely, and soon fill shallow 

 pools of water with self-sown plants. A. distachyon blooms 

 from May to October, and A. angustifolium fi om April to 

 October. I have seen these in no less than six places 

 perfectly hardy, and our correspondent wiE perceive, on re- 

 ferring to the preceding page, that I have not forgotten 

 them. 



After the fu-st fi-ost take up the Canna rootsand store 

 them away in sand out of the reach of fiost, Hke Dahlia 

 roots. Pot them in February, and bring forward in a gentle 

 heat. Gradually harden-ofi' after growth commences, and 

 plant out in May. Six inches of leaf mould, spread over 

 the roots in a half-decayed state, wiU usuaUy protect them 

 fi-om fi-ost ; but unless your climate be very mild, the plants 

 do not flower so freely as those wintered under cover. — 

 G. Abbey.] 



Ctrahahi's Autumn Nelis Pear.— AVe hare received from 

 Mr. Graham some fruit of this delicious Pear, trees of which 

 are now for sale by 5Ii-. Standish, of Ascot and Bagshot. 

 The fruit is rather larger than the Winter Nelis, and for 

 richness of flavour is not surpassed by any Pear of its season. 

 The tree, which is as yet quite young, bore this year upwards 

 of a bushel of fruit, which was so heavy that the branches 

 required to be supported with stakes. 



