December 8, 1863. ] JOTJENAL OF HOETICULTITEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



435 



pronounced to be the male, and the latter the female form 

 of the same species ; but as you wiU see by the specimens 

 now sent, the impression originally entertained was eiTO- 

 neous. That they are distinct species, having their male 

 and female inflorescence on separate plants, and are, in fact, 

 dioecious, has been allowed. 



You will perceive that I have sent you two specimens of 

 each species— the female with its fully developed fleshy 

 drupes, and the male with its incipient inflorescence in 

 clusters at the axils of the leaves, which developes itself in 

 the spring and scatters its pollen around. 



Both C. Portunei and C. dnipacea are thoroughly hardy 



and highly ornamental. They will grow in almost any soil, 

 being amply furnished with lai-ge fleshy roots, which lay 

 hold of the ground and extract abundant nutriment. 



One very valuable quality which these fine plants possess 

 is theii- thriving under the dense shade of other trees, 

 thereby forming an undergi'owth of glossy luxuriant foliage, 

 and giving a rich di-essy effect to places which otherwise 

 would look bare and meagre. The landscape gardener in- 

 deed possesses in these oriental Yews materials which, ju- 

 diciously handled, cannot fail to produce a change of no 

 ordinary character in our ornamental grounds. 



Mr. Fortune found them both io the northern districts of 



Fig. 1. Cephalotaxus drnpacea. Female plant with its drupes. | Fig. 2. Male plant -with its inflorescence. 



China, C. Fortunei attaining the height of 60 feet, and 

 C. drupacea, which is of much more compact and dwarfer 

 habit, that of 30 feet. I believe I am correct in saying that 

 they are both indigenous to China and Japan. 



The specimen plant in our nursery of C. Fortunei, from 

 which I cut the branch, is now covered with purplish plum- 

 shaped fruit or drupes, of which there cannot be less than 

 thi'ee thousand at the present time, and is altogether a most 

 attractive object, as its gracefully pendant slender branches 

 ai-e actually weighed down with the enormous clusters of 



purplish berries, contrasting well with the long, linear, lance- 

 shaped leaves, which are of a peculiarly rich lively green. — 

 — Egbert Pince, Exeter Nurseries, Exeter. 



[Excellent as our figiu-es are, they necessarily convey a 

 very inadequate idea of the fine effect produced by the great 

 profusion of beautiful drupes with which the branches are 

 literally studded, and we can quite conceive what the ap- 

 pearance of a tree described by Mr. Pince must be. — Eds. 

 J. OF H.] 



CENTAUREA AEGEiSTTEA AND 

 At page 372 of The Jouenal of Horticultuee, Mr. 

 J. Eobson seems to suppose that there are more sorts of 

 the Silvery-leaved Centaureas in cultivation as bedding-out 

 plants than the two mentioned above. No doubt there are 

 some beautiful sorts not yet brought out as bedding plants. 

 I can look back through forty years and recollect several 



CENTAUEEA CANDIDISSIMA. 

 such, but the above two sorts ai-e aU that I know at present 

 to be used as bedding-out plants, or as conservatory orna- 

 ments. 



"What Mr. Eobson quotes as gynmocarpa is only argentea, 

 and the ragusina is only candidissima. 



As to the rival merits of the two plants both are exquisite 



