296 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAOE GABDENER. 



[ AprU 0, 1874. 



Egypt, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, &a. Among the names oi 

 those who are expected are announced the following English 

 l)otaniets: — Messrs. Hooker, Trimen, Ball, Hiern, Hogg, Maw, 

 Murray, Allmann, and Binney. As a measure of precaution 

 against the introduction of the Phylloxera, the importation of 

 Vines and of other fruit trees into Italy has heeu rigorously 

 prohibited since October 31st last. — (Ntiturf.) 



NOTES UPON FEENS.— No. 8. 



OI.EICHENU. 



I SHALL now conclude my remarks upon this beautiful genus, 

 taking up the species belonging to the second group — Mertensia. 

 Before commencing, however, I must reply to the remarks of 

 your correspondent Mr. Shuttlewortb, and which I should have 

 done sooner had not severe illness quite precluded me from 

 continuing my contributions to the .Journal. In the first place, 

 then, as Mr. Shuttlewortb has given me a pubUc invitation to 

 inspect his collection I beg to publicly accept it, and hope to 

 avail myself of the oiifer during the coming season ; at the 

 same time I may add that I am no stranger either to him or 

 his Gleicbenias, and am quite willing to admit his specimens 

 of these superb Ferns are very fine. Nevertheless, the majority 

 of the kinds he possesses were grown into nearly as fine speci- 

 mens under my care before Mr. Shuttlewortb began their 

 culture ; and I would now just briefly glance at the differences 

 of our opinions upon this subject, which are indeed both few 

 and trivial. 



I have found Gleicbenias grow well with me in a mixture of 

 rough peat, silver sand, and light sandy loam, as I before 

 mentioned. Mr. Shuttlewortb says loam, silver sand, and leaf 

 mould. I do not deny it : there is little difference in the two 

 mixtures, and our readers will have the opportunity of the two 

 experiences to prosecute then- labours to a successful issue. 

 Mr. Shuttlewortb says G. rupestris is not a cool-house Fern, 

 that he grows it in a warm greenhouse. Now, my idea of a 

 cool (not coldj fernery and a warm greenhouse is very similar, 

 but I quite agree with him that Gleicbenias, Uke many other 

 exotics that thrive with us in the cool house, are benefited in 

 spring by a little extra warmth, especially about this season ; 

 and as G. rupestris is found in the same districts as G. micro- 

 phylla, there should be no reason for giving it a very different 

 treatment under cultivation. Mr. Shuttlewortb is quite right 

 in presuming I refer to G. circiuata glauca under the name of 

 miorophylla glauca. The name microphylla was bestowed upon 

 this plant by the veteran Brown, a plant which he would appear 

 to have found abundant about Tasmania and Port .Jackson. 

 This is supposed to be the same as G. cireinata, Sw. : but in 

 my enumeration I prefer the name of Brown, and thus the 

 seeming discrepancies in names will be explained. 



IIEBTEXSIA GROUP. 



Gleiohenu flabellat.\. — This is a fast-growing and magni- 

 ficent species, thriving admirably in the cool fernery. The 

 stipes are erect, in fine specimens between 5 and 6 feet high, 

 bearing spreading whorls of fan-shaped fronds, the segments 

 of which are piimate and decurrent ; colour, bright green. Its 

 rhizomes spread rapidly, and it therefore will require good 

 surface room. It is usually considered a native of Australia 

 and New Zealand ; it is, however, also found in New Caledonia, 

 and I recently received specimens of the same species from 

 North Queensland. Plants from these localities will probably 

 require a little extra warmth. 



G. CuNNiNnHAMii. — An extremely rare plant, indeed I cannot 

 name any collection where a specimen plant is to be found ; 

 one small plant is all that ever came under my care. In general 

 style it resembles G. fiabellata, but it is abundantly distinct. 

 It is erect in habit, rigid, and coriaceous in texture. My native 

 specimens are nearly H feet high ; the stipes and young fronds 

 abundantly clothed with large dark brown chaffy scales. The 

 spreading fan-shaped fronds are dichotomously divided and 

 upwards of a foot iu diameter ; segments 8 inches long and 

 deeply pinnatifid, very deep green above, and beautifully 

 glaucous beneath. It is much to be regretted that this grand 

 species is not more plentiful. Native of New Zealand. 



iK DicHOTOMA. — This is a favourite species of mine, and I 

 have had specimens of it between 1 and 5 feet high, and more 

 in diameter. The creeping rhizomes are thin and wiry. Tlie 

 fronds are several times dichotomously forked; the pinna? are 

 broad lanceolate, acuminate, and deeply pinnatifid, bright 

 shining preen above and glaucous below. It is found in 



nearly every part of the tropical world, and, as may be 

 imagined, varies considerably from different localities. It 

 requires stove treatment. 



G. PECiiNATA. — A rare and handsome stove species, some- 

 what resembling G. dicbotoma, yet so distinct in its habit of 

 growth as to render it impossible to confound the two. The 

 fronds are branched, each branch consisting of a pair of pinnse, 

 some !) inches long and nearly ;'> inches broad ; they are lanceo- 

 late acuminate and deeply pinnatifid, the segments being 

 linear obtuse and omargiuate, bright shining green on the 

 upper side, and nearly as white as a silver Gymnogramma 

 below. Native of the West Indies. 



G. PDEESCENS. — This is a truly beautiful species which re- 

 quires the temperature of the warm house, and one which dis- 

 likes to be syringed, perhaps more than any other I have had 

 to deal with. The fronds are much forked, the branches being 

 deeply pinnatifid, from 10 to 12 inches long, and from 1^ to 

 2 inches broad, dark green above, but below clothed with a 

 dense covering of rusty cobwebby hairs, through which the 

 sori protrude. It is, unfortunately, stiU very rare. Native of 

 various parts of tropical America and the West Indies. 



G. FCRCAiA.— A very rare stove species, resembling somewhat 

 the last-named ; indeed, more than once I have seen G. pubes- 

 cens grown under this name, but G. furcata may be distin- 

 guished from the latter by the nearly total absence of the fer- 

 ruginous hairs which clothe the under side of G. pubescens. 

 The fronds are much branched ; pinnie some !l inches or more 

 iu length, linear, and deeply pinnatifid, dark green on the 

 upper side, but slightly hairy or nearly glabrous below. Native 

 of the West Indies. 



A few words now upon some other species which are still 

 disidcidta iu our collections, and which any of your readers 

 having friends or relatives abroad in their native habitats 

 should endeavour to introduce. 



G. lokgipinnata. — -I once received this species in a living 

 state from Trinidad, but it is now dead, and the plant, I am 

 informed, has been burnt out of that by an immense fire, 

 which destroyed not only the plants but actually burnt the 

 soil to a considerable depth ; it is also a native of Surinam. 

 It is a bold-growing plant, the branches of which are said to 

 attain a length of between 2 and H feet. 



G. oKiANTEA. — A magnificent bold-growing species which, 

 as far as I am aware, has never been introduced in a Uving 

 state. It is found in Assam and Nepal. 



G. NERVOSA. — A fine and beautiful Fern, found at St. Ca- 

 therine's, Brazil. 



G. REVOLniA. — This will probably prove to be a cool-house 

 species, as it is found at considerable elevations on the Andes 

 of Quito. 



G. CRVPTOCAEPA. — I am not aware if this species is now alive 

 or not in our Fern collections ; it has been introduced, but I 

 am afraid now lest. It is a cool-house Fern from Peru and 

 Chiloe. 



G. GLAUCA. — This, I am of opinion, is alive in this couutiy. 

 It is a beautiful Fern from Japan. 



G. BiruECATA. — By some this is only considered a variety, 

 but, if so, it is very beautiful, and would be very distinct under 

 cultivation. Native of Java. 



G. Bancboftii. — This also labours under the same doubts as 

 the preceding, and is thought to be a variety only by some 

 authorities upon these plants ; but species or varieties, the 

 whole of the kinds here enumerated would be grand addition.s 

 to our Fern collections. — Experto Ceede. 



ANEMONE CULTURE. 



This beautiful genus of the order Kanunculaeeas, like its ally 

 the Ranunculus, has for ages been in great favour, and its 

 cultivation a pleasant pastime, with florists. There were in the 

 earlier periods of horticulture two species of Anemone grown 

 in quantity — the one, A. coronaria, a native of the Levant, 

 which was introduced into England in 159G ; the other, A. hor- 

 tensis, said to be indigenous to Italy, was introduced a year 

 later. The first is distinguished from, and superior to, the 

 last by its splendid double Poppy-like crowned flower, and the 

 great diversity of colours and shades of colours it embraces 

 have combined to keep it in high estimation. A. hortensis, 

 or the Star Anemone, as may be supposed from the length 

 of time it has held its own, does not lack good qualities 

 either. 



While discussing the proper method to adopt iu the culti- 

 vation of these pets of tho ancients, we shall more particularly 



