August 6, 1874. 



JOUBNAL OP HOrvlICULTUBE AND COTTAGE OAKDENEE. 



115 



from the berries being yellow. Among the Orcbids in flower, 

 for rarity ami beauty combined there is nothing to equal 

 Saccolabium Cruikshanki ; it has an erect spike of rose-coloured 

 flowers with a white lip. The effect of the two colours is very 

 pleasing. L.xlia xauthina is an interesting species with yellow 

 flowers. Polycycnis lepida is extremely curious. Dcndro- 

 bium Pierardi is still in beauty ; plants have bloomed in suc- 

 ccEsion for the last eight mouths. It is said not to meet with 

 ready eale. How that can be is surprising ; everyone admii'cs it. 

 Among the numerous plants in flower at the Iloekwork are 

 Androsaee lactea ; is a very pretty species with white flowers. 

 In foliage it somewhat resembles A. eximia. The white variety 

 „ „..r,.r^ ,„ -r..^.^ ' of tho Britlsh MalvB moschata IS vory showy. Stachys Corsica 



NOVELTIES IN THE EOYAL GARDENS, KEW. i jg ^ diminutive species, with slender stems, small leaves, and 

 In the Succulent house there are many. Asparagus con- ] white flowers. Polygonum capitatum, from the north of 



sanguineus is new and extremely beautiful. The entire plant 



is very delicate, and light green 



vitellinum majns, £5 ; a fine plant of Dendrobium nobile 

 ctcrulescens, £9 ; Acrides Fieldingii, £5 Ids. ; Angriecum ses- 

 quipedale with sixteen pairs of leaves, £18 18a-. ; a very fine 

 plant of Anthurium Scherzerianum, £1.5 15s. ; Phalicnopsis 

 amabilis, £8 8s. ; a very fine plant of Lapageria rosea, £7 ; 

 Camellia Valtevaredo, 10 feet high, £13 l:!s. ; a pair of Sea- 

 forthia elegans, 10 feet high, £17 •;.■.. (\d. ; and Eucharis ama- 

 zonica, in the culture of which Mr. Howard, Mr. Brand's 

 skilful gardener, is eminently successful, brought according to 

 size from £5 for pot plants to £11, .£12, and £16 6s. for those 

 in tubs. 



India, is not quite hardy, but is worth planting on rockworU 

 in colour. The leaves are i in summer. It is also useful for baskets in the greenhouse. 



capillary, and the branches are disposed in a frond-like man- 

 ner. The value of the common Asparagus for mixing with 

 flowers is well known ; here is a greenhouse species in condi- 

 tion all the year, and much more suitable from the convenient 

 form of the branches. When covered with bloom it must 

 be very charming ; there are now only a few flowers, small and 

 white. It is a climbing 

 species, grows freely, 

 and is cultivated with- 

 out difficulty. There 

 are three flowers on 

 theLeuehtenbergiafbe- 

 fore mentioned), one of 

 which will open in a 

 few days, and the 

 others in succession. 

 Stapelia polita is new 

 and very choice. The 

 flowers are about the 

 size of a shilling, dark 

 red brown, without 

 marks, and it shines 

 like no other species. 

 The corolla is sharply 

 depressed from the 

 centre, and the teeth 

 curve up ; between 

 which, low down, are 

 a few hairs. It is very 

 floriferous ; eight flow- 

 ers are to come on two 

 small branches. A 

 plant of the new De- 

 cabelone elegans ;has 

 an advancing bud. A 

 species of Black boy 

 (Xauthorrbiea quad- 

 ran gulata) stiU retains 

 the spike thrown up 

 some months ago, the 

 first produced in this 

 country. Black-boy 

 gum is used as cement. In Museum No. 2 is a stone hammer 

 composed of two pieces united by its means. From the general 

 appearance no one would suppose it to belong to the Liliaceie, 

 to which it is usually referred. Le Maout and Decaisne place 

 it in XerotideiTS in company with Dasylirion, Kingia, Aphyl- 

 lanthes, &c. The large Agave is now in full flower. 



A fine specimen of Masschia WoUastoni is flowering in the 

 Cape house. It is a peculiar member of the Campannlacefe 

 from Madeira. The stem is erect, does not branch, and sup- 

 ports a crown of leaves with a large terminal panicle of yellow 

 flowers. The corolla is curious from its .long, linear, recurved 

 segments. After flowering it dies, and must be reproduced 

 from seed. It requires loamy soil, and should be grown-on 

 without check. Juanalloa parasitica is a rare plant of the 

 SolanesB, flowering in the stove. It has ornamental flowers; 

 the corolla is tubular, 2 inches long, dark orange, and almost 

 enclosed within a calyx of the same colour. It is a native of 

 Pern. Tabernsmontana coronaria flore-simplici is very pretty, 

 with numerous white flowers. For several years it has been 

 sold as Coffea benghalensis, from which it may be distinguished 

 by its milky juice and want of stipules. Eivina flavescens is 

 worth the attention of those who grow the more common red- 

 berried K. Isvis. It would be useful as a companion plant, 



Fig. 37. — Platycehium ghandf, 



It has a neat trailing habit. The leaves are ovate or elliptical, 

 and marked with a dark band. The flowers are pink, and 

 produced in round heads. 



Argemone hispida is flowering in the Herbaceous ground. 

 It is a new species, discovered in New Mexico, and has large 

 pure white flowers. In habit and foliage it is similar to 



A. mexicana. Impa- 

 tiens glanduligera is 

 tall-growing and ro- 

 bust, producing red 

 flowers freely. It sows 

 itself, but does not be- 

 come a weed. Psoralea 

 macrostaehya is rarely 

 met with. It has erect 

 stems 5 feet high, pin- 

 nately trifoliate leaves, 

 and racemes of purple 

 and green flowers. It 

 is a native of Nootka 

 Sound on the north- 

 west coast of America, 

 and is quite hardy. It 

 is worth a place in all 

 collections. Pentste- 

 mon heterophyllum is 

 very handsome, with 

 blue flowers, and is 

 very distinct. 



Lysimachia clethroi- 

 des is new to cultiva- 

 tion. It has broad 

 leaves and pretty ra- 

 cemes of pure white 

 flowers. Sonchus pa- 

 lustris is almost ex- 

 tinct as a British plant ; 

 here are two good 

 clumps in flower. Sca- 

 hiosa Parnassse covers 

 the ground with o. 

 dense mass of growth. 

 The leaves are small and grey, and the flowers pinkish white, 

 produced in great abundance. It deserves extensive cul- 

 tivation. 



Solanum jasminoides is flowering on the walls. There aro 

 two forms, one pure white and the other tinged with purple. 

 It is an extremely beautiful hardy climber, in bloom all the 

 summer. A variegated variety is sometimes met with. Pro- 

 pagation is best effected by means of small rooted branches 

 taken from the base of the plant. Thladiantha dubia is a 

 rare and very handsome hardy perennial Cucurbit from North 

 China; valuable for covering walls, etc., in summer. It ap- 

 pears to be little known. The leaves are heart-shaped and 

 not divided. Flowers are freely produced. Fremoutia cali- 

 fornica and Chimouanthus fragrans are bearing fruit. 



Vegetable Ivoey. — This curious hard material is the store 

 of food laid up by the plant for the nourishment of the embTyo, 

 or young plant contained in the seed. It corresponds to the 

 white in the egg of the hen, and has been consequently caUed 

 the albumen of the seed. In its early condition this ivory 

 exists as a clear, insipid fluid, with which travellers allay their 

 thirst ; afterwards, the liquor becomes sweet and milky, and 



