92 
Botanical Magazine for February.—The plants figured are 
Coelogyne cristata, Lindl. (t. 8477) ; Rhododendron sublanceolatum, 
Miquel (t. 8478) ; Cytisus nigricans, Linn. (t. 8479) ; Heliotropium 
anchusaefolium, Poir. (t. 8480) ; and Agave Haynaldii, Tod. (t. 8481). 
Coelogyne cristata, certainly one of the most beautiful orchids, a 
favourite because of its comparatively easy culture and from the 
fact that its handsome flowers are. produced in the winter, was 
introduced into cultivation in 1837 and flowered for the first time in 
the collection of Mr. G. Barker of Springfield, Birmingham, four 
years later. It is now represented in gardens by at least three fine 
varieties. A native of the Temperate Himalaya, and most abundant 
rom Central Nepal eastward to Bhutan, it is found as far west as 
Kumaon, and extends to the Jaintea and Khasia Hills in the east. 
The Rhododendron is a native of the Loo-Choo Islands and is 
nearly allied to the well-known R. indicum, Sweet, being regarded 
by some authorities as a variety of that species. It may, however, 
be easily separated from R. indicum by the much larger ciliate 
calyx-lobes, and by the larger corolla. This is bright red, spotted 
ith a darker colour on the upper lobes, and is over two inches 
long. The figure was prepared from material taken from a plant 
growing in the nursery of Mr. R. C. Notcutt, at Woodbridge. 
Cytisus nigricans was one of the earliest species brought into 
cultivation in England, its introduction dating back to 1730. 
A native of Europe, it is very widely distributed, occurring in 
Switzerland, North Italy, and in practically all the countries of 
South-central Europe to South Russia. 
The Heliotropium is a perennial herb, native of Eastern Brazil, 
Uruguay and the Argentine Republic, and while closely resembling 
in its flowers the familiar Sweet-scented Heliotrope ( H. peruvianum, 
Linn.) it lacks the fragrance characteristic of the latter. It has 
been in cultivation for many years and flowers freely at Kew, where 
it is necessary to protect it during the winter. The illustration was 
prepared from material supplied from Miss Willmott’s garden at 
Warley Place. 
Agave Haynaldii is a member of the Marginatae group of 
Littaeas, distinguished by the horny border of the leaves and by the 
short perianth-tube with lobes which embrace the stamens as soon 
as the anthers are ripe. It is a Mexican or Central American 
species, and the plant from which the specimen figured was obtained 
is one that Dr. H. Ross, of the Palermo Botanic Garden, sent to 
the garden of the late Sir Thomas Hanbury at La Mortola in 1897. 
The inflorescence, produced in 1910, was 23 ft. long, borne on a 
peduncle 44 ft. long. 
Oil Palm with Fleshy Perianth—A specimen of a form of Elacis 
guineensis, J acq., has been received at Kew from Mr. W. H. 
Johnson, Director of Agriculture, Southern Nigeria, which had 
been found near Calabar, and is said to be called by the Eifik people 
“Ayara Mbana.” The distinguishing character of this form is the 
presence around the fruit of a “collar,” which consists of the per- 
sistent perianth having become more accrescent and more fleshy 
