PITCHER-PLANTS. lor 



plant appeals more strongly to our sense of the 

 admirable and the unique." ^ 



These tropical plants can only be cultivated in hot- 

 houses in this country, and hence there are many 

 persons to whom they are utter strangers. It may 

 be true that all recent horticultural exhibitions have 

 included specimens, but there are thousands of unfor- 

 tunate individuals who can never visit " flower-shows," 

 although there are but few in the neighbourhood of 

 the metropolis who could not search out the Pitcher- 

 plant in that favourite holiday resort — Kew Gardens. 

 Travellers have described for us the appearance of 

 these plants in their native homes, and especially those 

 who have visited Borneo and the other islands of 

 the Indian archipelago. Amongst others, Mr. Alfred 

 Wallace thus alludes to them. He says : — " We had 

 been told we should find water at Padangbatu, but 

 we looked about for it in vain, as we were exceedingly 

 thirsty. At last we turned to the Pitcher-plants, but 

 the water contained in the pitchers (about half a pint 

 in each) was full of insects, and otherwise uninviting. 

 On tasting it, however, we found it very palatable, 

 though rather warm, and we all quenched our thirst 

 from these natural jugs."^ And again, when at Borneo, 

 the same traveller writes : — " The wonderful Pitcher- 



1 "Gardener's Chronicle," January 9, 1875. 



* Wallace, "Malay Archipelago," vol. i., pp. 49 and 127. 



