258 MR. GORDON'S ACCOUNT OF ACHIMENES PATENS. 



in the Society's Herbarium at the Garden, or from Mr. Ben- 

 tham's technical description in the Plantae Hartwegianae, p. 47, 

 No. 353. Mr. Hartweg, however, on his return to Mexico in 

 the latter part of the year 1845, directed his attention to the 

 recovery of this beautiful plant ; and although at the time, when 

 he arrived at the place, where seven years before he first disco- 

 vered it in bloom, not a vestige even of foliage was to be seen, 

 yet he succeeded in discovering, and transmitting fresh roots to 

 England. These being in a state of repose at the time, 

 arrived at the Garden of the Society the following February, in 

 excellent condition, and produced plants, which flowered for the 

 first time in June last, and still continue in bloom, under the 

 following treatment. 



In cultivating Achimenes patens and its allies, such as A. 

 longiflora, grandiflora, coccinea, rosea, picta, and Leibraanni 

 (this last appears to be only a beautiful dwarf variety of the 

 Achimenes grandiflora, with smaller and deeper coloured flowers), 

 a much longer succession of the blooming season may be pro- 

 duced by varying the time when the roots are first excited in 

 the spring ; and with a little judicious management in starting 

 the roots, at intervals of a month, from January to April, plants 

 may be made to bloom in succession from the beginning of May 

 to the end of September ; even Achimenes picta may be had 

 in bloom all the year round by the same means. But the proper 

 season for starting the roots, so as to produce the largest and 

 finest specimens, is any time from the end of February to the 

 middle of March, and it should be done in the following 

 manner. 



The roots (which are bundles of small scales), when wanted 

 for starting, should be separated, at least all those scales which 

 will part from each other freely, and be as it were sown on the 

 surface of the soil in the starting pots ; those pots should be filled 

 with a light fibry heath soil, and a small portion of well decayed 

 dung should be mixed with the finer portions of the soil for a 

 top covering. The scales and crown ends of the roots, which 

 sometimes won't separate, should be covered about a quarter of 

 an inch in depth, and then the pots containing them should be 

 placed either in a Melon or Cucumber pit, or any other structure 

 where there is a moderate bottom heat and rather moist atmos- 

 phere. The young plants will begin to appear above the surface 

 of the soil in about ten days, and when about two inches in 

 height, must be transferred carefully to pans 4 inches deep 

 and 12 broad (any large pots will do), well drained, and about 

 three parts filled with a mixture of very coarse peat, half decom- 

 posed leaf mould, and a small portion of very rotten dung. Each 

 pan should have from six to eight of the young plants carefully 



