342 
V. Rollissonii. Flowers scarlet ; a spring 
bloomer. From Java. 
VALLOTA. 
Evergreen greenhouse bulbs that pro- 
duce freely large scarlet Amaryllis-like 
flowers. Vallotas are very nearly allied to 
Amaryllis, and are increased in the same 
way by offsets which are produced in large 
numbers : these require to be taken off the 
parent plants and treated as advised for 
the evergreen kinds of Amaryllis, except 
that they do not need anything above a 
sreenhouse temperature at any time of the 
year. In winter the soil should be kept 
drier, but this must not be carried so far 
as to injure the leaves. 
The undermentioned varieties differ only 
shghtly :— 
V. purpurea. Flowers scarlet, blooms 
towards the end of summer. A native of 
the Cape of Good Hope. 
V. purpurea major. Scarlet, flowers a 
little earlier than V. purpurea. Cape of 
Good Hope. 
V. purpurea minor. 
variety ; scarlet. 
Hope. 
InsEcts.—For aphides fumigate. Syringe 
through the summer at times to keep down 
red spider; scale should be removed by 
sponging. 
A smaller-flowered 
From the Cape of Good 
VERONICA. 
In these we have free-growing and 
equally free -flowering evergreen  soft- 
wooded plants, with bright shining leaves 
and dense compact habit of growth. They 
are useful additions to our autumn-bloom- 
ing plants suitable for greenhouse decora- 
tion. 
They should be struck from cuttings, 
about February in warmth, similarly 
to Fuchsias, then moved singly into 3-inch 
pots, using ordinary loam well enriched ; 
stop the shoots as soon as they begin 
to grow. After they are fully esta- 
blished keep in a greenhouse until the 
middle of May, when plant them out in 
moderately light soil in an open situation, 
giving water as required through the sum- 
mer. About the middle of September take 
the plants up with no more root breakage 
than unavoidable and pot them; keep 
them in a close frame for a few weeks till 
the roots have begun to move freely, after 
which give air and water as needed, and 
treat like ordinary greenhouse stock. 
The following desirable sorts are all 
garden hybrids :— 
V. Andersonii. A free-blooming kind, 
with lavender, blue and white flowers. 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
VICTORIA REGIA. 
V. Andersonii variegata, A prettily varie- 
gated form of the above. 
V. Blue Gem. A dwarf-growing, pretty, 
blue-flowered variety ; a profuse bloomer. 
V. Brillantissima. A handsome sort, 
with crimson and white flowers. 
V. Gloire de Lorraine. Lavender and 
white. 
V. Ne plus ultra. 
V. rosea elegans. Pink and white. 
V. Socrates. Violet and ruby. 
Insects.—We have not found these 
plants affected with any insects except 
aphides, for which fumigate. 
VERSCHAFFELTIA. 
This genus of stove Palms is represented 
by two species, both of which are fine 
kinds, and require a strong heat to grow 
well. 
For propagation and cultivation, see 
Palms, general details of culture. 
V. melanochetes. A handsome and dis- 
tinct-looking species ; the stem is heavily 
armed with spines ; the leaves, which at- 
tain a moderate size, are entire while the 
plant is in its first stages of growth, un- 
evenly pinnate as it gets older. From the 
Seychelles. 
V. splendens. Anexceedingly handsome 
species, with straight, slender, heavily- 
spined stem; somewhat short leaf-stalks 
supporting large plaited leaves, which are 
deeply divided at the extremity, and 
slightly so on the margin. From the 
Seychelles. 
VICTORIA REGIA. 
This, the Queen of Water Lilies, is un- 
questionably the finest of all aquatic plants. 
The gigantic proportions of its leaves, 
which even in a cultivated state attain a 
size of 6 or 8 feet in diameter, make a large 
house necessary for its culture; the tank 
in which it is planted should not be less 
than 24 feet across—if more all the better 
—and 4 feet deep. It must also be pro- 
vided with a sufficient quantity of hot 
water piping to keep the water at a uniform 
temperature night and day, of from 80° to 
to 85°—this is indispensable as, like other 
water plants from hot countries, it will 
not succeed if the heat of the water fluc- 
tuates to any considerable extent. 
In this country it is usually treated as 
an annual; the seeds should be sown 
about the beginning of the year. It is 
best to raise the plants in a tank, or other 
receptacle, much smaller than that which 
they are ultimately to occupy. The water 
must be kept regularly at the temperature 
above mentioned, put a few inches of soil 
Dark blue and white. 
