16 PREFACE. 



Sir Joseph Hooker writes :— " The plant, which 

 flowered in June 1889, was received by Sir Joseph 

 Hooker from Dr. O. Beccari, through the Marchese 

 Corsi Salviati, of Sesto, near Florence, exactly 10 years 

 previously (June 1879). It was then a small seedling 

 which had been raised at the Botanical Gardens at 

 Florence from seeds forwarded by Dr. Beccari soon 

 after he discovered the plant in Sumatra in 1871." 

 The Kew plant did not mature seeds and died after 

 flowering. A full-sized picture of the species may be 

 seen on the ceiling of Museum No. III. 



Grasses. 



The number of grasses which it is worth while to 

 ^row under glass is not large. Two of the largest 

 Bamboos are noteworthy features in the centre of the 

 Palm House: — Bambusa vulgaris B,ndi Dendrocalmmis 

 giganteus. The former has been in cultivation at Kew 

 from the beginning of the century. The latter, which 

 was one of Wallich's discoveries in the Malay Peninsula, 

 reached it later, probably from the Royal Botanic 

 ■Garden, Calcutta. 



In the Victoria House there is growing in the tank 

 a line specimen of Gynerium saccharoides, the " Uva 

 glass " of (.-ommerce. It was sent to the Royal Gardens 

 in 1875 by Dr. Capanema from Rio de Janeiro, and 

 .occasionally flowers. It is figured in the Bot. Mag, 

 <t. 7362). 



