231 



A. Simoni, A. & C. iliviere.— As long ago as 189-', the first year 

 of the Bamboo Garden at Kew, we notu- I o<M culms flowering 

 on the plants of this species growing there. Hut excepting thai 

 the flowering culms died, the plants were in no way affected. 



were in no way diminished. 



culms 



lliey continued to Hower in this 

 way every year up to 1903, by which time we had almost come to 

 regard A. Simoni as a perennial. In that year, however, the 

 plants in the Temperate House flowered on every culm, and, after 

 producing an abundance of seed, died. This species is, of course, 

 quite hardy, and large clumps 18 feet high were growing at that 

 time in the Bamboo Garden, but it was not until the two following 



') 



After that not 



a single trace of leaf -growth was ever visible and the plants wero 

 ultimately uprooted, 



A. Simoni var. variegata, Hook, f.— This differs from typical 

 A. Simoni only in having a proportion of its leaves •Mated with 

 white. Often, so few leaves are marked, that the plants scarcely 

 differ from ordinary A. Simoni. Yet, curiously enough, althou h 

 every particle of the true A. Simoni has flowered, not one of the 

 specimens of this variety has done so. It is figured in Bot. Mag. 

 t. 7146 where it is said to have flowered in 1877, but whether the 

 flowering was partial or complete cannot be inferred from the 

 context. [Since the above was written I have seen a plant of this 

 variety flowering in Messrs. Veitch's nursery at Coombe Wood. 

 We may infer therefrom that the plants of .4. Simoni var. va*i§* 

 gata in this country are about to share the fate of the tvpe. 



W. J. B.] J l 



A. Simoni var. Chino, Makino (A. Laydekeri, Hook. /.).— This 

 is a dwarf Bamboo with mottled leaves, very distinct from the 

 type. It flowered in the Bamboo Garden at Kew in 1896 all over 

 the plant, and although every effort was made to save it (as it 

 was the only one we had) it died the following year. According 

 to a letter from Mr. A. B. Freeman-Mitford (now Lord Redesdale) 

 dated Nov. 17, 1901, this Bamboo had flowered at Batsford during 

 the four previous seasons and was none the worse. But this, 

 I assume, was the partial flowering which has been alluded to as 

 characteristic of A. Simoni. 



Chusquea abietifolia, Griseb. — A striking example of simul- 

 taneous flowering is afforded by this West Indian Bamboo. Sir 

 Daniel Morris records the phenomenon as seen by him in 

 1884-5, in Gard. Chron., Oct. 23, 1886, p. 524, where he observes 

 that " when the seed was set, the stem began to die down and 

 apparently every plant in the island [Jamaica] died, root and all.'* 

 It is a curious fact that a plant growing in the Palm House at 

 Kew flowered at exactly the same time and died also. 



Phyllostachys aurea, A. & C. Riviere. — Flowered with Signor 

 Fenzi at Florence in 1876, but &o far as the British Isles are 

 concerned we have but one record of its flowering. This was in 



Heard's garden at Rossdohan, Kerry 



P. nigra, Munro.— Several reputed species of Phyllostachys 



as 



