August 10, 1S75. ) JOUENAL OE* HCififlCttLTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



163 



One extremity of this ribbon is open and spread oat like a 

 toQgae, teeth upwards, oa the floor of the moath, so as to 

 occupy, in fact, the same relative position as the tongue in the 

 mammalia; the roof of the moutli is supplied with a horny 

 plate, against which the open end of the ribbon can work back- 

 wards and forwards, so as to rasp and triturate the food between 

 them. The tubular portion of this lingual ribbon is contained 

 in a cavity behind the mouth, and aa the teeth in use become 

 worn or broken it is conjectured that they are absorbed, and a 

 fresh set from the reserve in the tube is pushed forward to take 

 their place." 



To facilitate the colleotor's researches the species are grouped 

 according to the soil they frequent ; and the Identification is 

 rendered easy by the coloured figures of the shells, which we 

 are able to say are most faithful and well executed. 



PETEEA VOLUBILIS. 



While the ends of the earth are being ransacked in search 

 of new plants, and our plant-growers at home aie running after 

 novelties not always realising the glowing descriptions with 

 which they are ushered into notice, there is many a good old 

 plant long introduced, but little known outside botanic gardens, 

 which, if taken in hand and the same amount of care and 

 skill bestowed upon it as on recent introductions, would throw 

 many of the latter into the shade. Such amo^ng stove climbers 

 is Petrea volubilis, a plant introduced more t'ban a century ago, 

 but of whose existence we venture to think few indeed of onr 

 great plant-growers are even aware, and of whose extreme floral 

 elegance and beauty fewer still have any idea. In fact, for 

 profusion of bloom and a certain lightness and elegance in its 

 aspect combined with an exquisite delicacy and pleasing con- 

 trast of colour, it is perhaps, without a rival. It is a twiiaing 

 stove shrub, with leaves not unlike those of some of the Bciu- 

 gaiuvilleas, but larger. The flowers are borne in marvello ns 

 profusion in elongated light airy racemes. The calyx, whic b 

 is corolla-like in colour and texture, is divided into five narrow f 

 strap-shaped segments, of a very delicate pale bluish mauve, 

 they are about twice the length of the segments of the corolla, 

 which is of a lovely purplish blue, forming a pretty and striking 

 contrast with the pale tint of the widely spreading segments of 

 the calyx. The corollas are rather fugitive, but on the other 

 hand the delicately coloured and flower-like calyces are remark- 

 ably persistent, and there is a long succession of flowers towards 

 the ends of the racemes which will be found disporting their 

 blue corollas, and in this way, perhaps, rendering the contrast 

 and effect more unique and striking. In the flowers of Petrea 

 we have a colour altogether unique among stove climbers, and 

 one very desirable as regards variety to see on the exhibition 

 stage, where this plant would tell with fine effect if turned out 

 in the same style as we see Clerodendron Balfourii, Stephanotis, 

 Bhyncospermum, Allamandas, and other exhibition favourites. 



It forms a beautiful object trained to the roof or back wall 

 of the stove, the graceful and elegant pendant racemes hanging 

 in wild profusion, while at the same time there is an airiness 

 and lightness in the floral picture peculiarly its own. It will 

 grow freely in a compost of good light fibry loam to which a 

 little sandy peat is added. Cuttings root freely in sand plunged 

 in heat and covered with a bell-glass. When growing it likes 

 a moist heat and to be watered freely, but when at rest it 

 should be kept rather dry than otherwise. Good drainage is 

 also essential. There are one or two other species almost if 

 not equally pretty as that at present under notice ; all natives 

 of Vera Cruz. 



The generic name was given in honour of Robert James, Lord 

 Petre, who died in 1742, and of whom the celebrated CoUinson 

 writing to Linneus speaks as being one of the " greatest losses 

 botany or gardening ever felt in this island. " 



At Glasnevin Petrea volubilis is trained to the roof of the 

 large greenhouse, which when in flower is more admired per- 

 haps than anything else in the same department. — {Irish 

 Farmers' Gazette.) 



FLOWERS OF HARDY TREES AND SHRUBS 



AVAIL4BLE FOB DECORATI\-E POKPOSES.— No. 2. 

 A CASUAL glance is only needed to see how highly attractive 

 are even the most common trees. If we examine them care- 

 fully we find that they possess decorative qualities of no mean 

 order in habit, foliage, flower, or fruit. If we traverse our 

 ordinary country roads in spring and early summer we find 

 the Beech in most seasons loaded with fruit, which in its 

 yonng and bearded state- ? id coupkd with the bright green 



unblemished leaves, present a natural wreath our hothouses 

 fail to represent. Not less beautiful, but in a different way, is 

 the Birch, its lovely pale green catkins hanging like eardrops 

 from every leaf joint on the delicately-formed stems, which 

 form so striking a feature in this tree, and to which the fruit 

 alluded to gives a still more pendant habit. For the droopmg 

 edges of an elevated flower stand I know nothing better when 

 in "season than the Birch ; but, like the Beech, it is most pretty 

 when in a young state, its foliage at that stage being more 

 pure and unsullied by the elements than it is at a later period. 

 We now come to a larger tree still, and that is the Elm, one 

 species of which blooms in the greatest possible abundance 

 during the latter part of April and the beginning of May, and 

 before its leaves make an appearance, when its flaky clusters 

 of pale green flowers in some measure resembling Hops, in 

 some seasons so completely cover the tree, and when they 

 fall so completely cover the ground, I have often wondered 

 whether anv other plant, native or foreign, is so productive in 

 that way as" the Elm ; it does not so easily assimilate itself to 

 the wants of the flower stand or bouquet, but in itself it pos- 

 sesses a mass of beauty rendered the more attractive by its 

 abundance. Some trees produce a much paler and more deli- 

 cate inflorescence than others, but all are pretty. 



Still more interesting than the Elm is the Ash, which not 

 flowering in the sense here alluded to until the fohage is pretty 

 well advanced, when we have those beautiful bunches of what 

 are commonly known as Ash keys, which have at all times been 

 favourites with ohUdren and not a few grown-up persons either, 

 their beauty continuing so much later in the season than that 

 of most other flowering plants, while the beautifully-pinnated 

 foliage and general outline of the tree give it a charm many 

 other trees do not possess ; and the rustic who sticks a bough 

 in the bridle of his team of horses gives them greater grace 

 than is often obtained in a parade where spectacle is the object 

 sought after. Ash keys, therefore, require no further com- 

 ment just here, so we pass on to another class of trees of 

 which so much has already been said by others that it is not 

 needful to enlarge. The Horse Chestnut requires but little 

 comment, its beauties as a flowering tree exceeding that of 

 most Orchids or tropical plants which I am acquainted with, 

 while its habit as a tree is well adapted for setting off that 

 lovely blossom to advantage. Unfortunately its flower-spikes 

 do not always mix agreeably with others in the stand for the 

 table, they being mostly crooked in the stem, but when ob- 

 tained from near the top of the tree they work in much better ; 

 Ssut it is hardly necessary to say that, like many other flowers, 

 Uiey look better on the tree than anywhere else, and a fine 

 spreading specimen studded all over with blooms is perhaps as 

 auaidsome an object as can be looked at. Scarcely less so, but 

 La iS-nother way and also at another season, is the Sweet Chest- 

 anJ, which produces long, white, cord-shaped or whip-thong- 

 1 Ilia scapes of flowers, seated as they are in the midst of a 

 tuft of leaves of the brightest and darkest green, giving the 

 plant a tropical aspect, which its late flowering tends to con- 

 firm 4 branches of Chestnut serve a very useful purpose in 

 .outdo»i: decoration when required late in the season, or where 

 * de 'required indoors on an extensive scale. Certain it is the 

 :S>waet .Chestnut is one of the most useful trees we have at this 

 season, its appearance being alike good when gathered as wheu 

 .growing on the tree; while the general aspect of the tree, 

 Jiaing of a darker hue than most others, is also in its favour, 

 the 'Edliage generally being good. 



The Oak is a less attractive tree in spring than in autumn, 



its foliage being its principal feature, but that being of a sturdy 



kind is often brought into use at an earlier age than that of 



other trees; while in autumn, when it is loaded with fruit, it 



is very pretty. Other trees have also their beauties : the 



Norway Maple, Oriental Plane, and Sycamore have all a some- 



thing-in-common in their copious handfals of seed ynssels ; 



the winged character of these, with other objects of interest 



attached to each cluster, render them all beautiful in thtir 



way ; but we have not space to pursue this object further 



1 amongst large trees, otherwise some would say that the cones 



: of our Pines are each capable of forming some pretty objeot, 



1 and, in fact, are pretty in themselves. We now pass again to 



objects of more humble growth. ... 



The Bird Cherry is a shrub not so much inferior to the 



Dentzias as might be supposed for its beautiful blooming 



qualities ; and still more showy and certainly rendered more 



■ conspicaons, is the Elder, trees of which seem almost entirely 



covered with bloom this season. The Elder is a very con- 



l spicuous tree in the dusk of the evening when it is in flower. 



