95 



The leaves vary from pinnate to subtripinnate, and are green 

 above and glaucous beneath. Its large cymes of fruit, at 

 first red-purple, finally blacldsh, add to tlie value of the plant as 

 an ornamental climber. The species is a native of Central China, 

 and first appeared in cultivation in Europe in Mr. M. L. de 

 Vilmorin's garden at Les Barres, where seeds were received in 

 1894.^ In 1901 the plant was introduced a second time by Messrs. 

 J. Veitch & Sons, through their collector, Mr. E. H. Wilson. The 

 specimen figured was sent to Kew by the Eight Hon. L. Harcourt, 

 M.P., from his garden at Nuneham. 



The Actinidia is one of Messrs. Veitch's introductions from 

 China, and the plant from which the material for the illustration 

 was obtained was received from them in 1905. It grows freely in 

 the Himalayan House, the jilant there having stems some twenty 

 feet long. Its orange-yellow flowers are lf-2 inches across, borne 

 in cymes springing from the axils of fallen leaves, and in the Kew 

 plant are all functionally male. The fruits are edible, and have 

 a flavour resembling that of the gooseberry. 



STnilacina paniculata, a native of Guatemala nnd Southern 

 Mexico, has been introduced by Messrs. F. Sander & Sons, of St. 

 Albans, who sent to Kew the material for the figure, obtained from 

 a plant which flowered in March, 1913. It is a glabrous herb with 

 ovate-lanceolate long-acuminate leaves, 5-6 inches long, and ter- 

 minal panicles about 2^ inches long, striking in being entirehr 

 snowy-white. The plant is likely to be of some value in the greein 



house. 



Jiondeletia cordata is well-known in cultivation, having been 

 introduced from Guatemala in 1844. It is often found in collec- 

 tions under the name of Rogiera cordata. Pentamerous and hexa- 

 merous flowers occur in the same inflorescence, and it has been- 

 observed that dimorphism exists in the relative length of the style* 

 and the position of the stamens. Of this useful and handsome* 

 plant there is a good specimen in the greenhouse at Kew. 



Viola gracilis has deservedly become very popular during tlie> 

 last few years, and is now represented in gardens by various iovnis^ 

 differing in the size and colour of the flowers. The species was: 

 originally discovered on Mount Olympus in Bithynia. It bas 

 since been recorded from Macedonia and probably occurs also iu 

 Montenegro. The plate was prepared from a plant obtnined for- 

 the Kew collection by purchase in 1907. 



The Gardens Bulletin, Straits Settlements.— We welcome the 



continuation of the Agricultural Bulletin of the Straits and 

 Federated Malay States which has appeared as Vol, I. No. 6 of 

 the third series of that Journal, under the editorship of ^Ir. 

 I. H.'Burkill. Five numbers of the Bulletin were published 

 between January and May, 1912, and the publication has now 

 been resumed by the issue of No. 6 under an altered title on- 

 December 15th, 1913. The Gardens Bulletin is to be an 

 occasional publication, as it was when originally started in 1891, 

 since the Federated Malay States have now an agricultural 

 journal of their own. 



