TO 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



\ BE'LIA. — CaprifoUdcece. — This 

 -^ genxTS was discovered in China 

 as long back as 1818, by Dr. Abel, 

 in honour of whom it was named ; 

 but it was little known in Eiu'ope, 

 though several species were after- 

 wards discovered, till 1844, when 

 JMr. Fortune sent over plants of 

 Abelia rupestris, which he found 

 growing among some rocks on the 

 Chamoo Hills. It is a pretty little 

 plant, with fragrant flowers, some- 

 what resembling those of the sweet- 

 scented Daphne, but not remarkably 

 beautiful. Another species (A . uni- 

 fibra) is an evergreen shrub, with 

 whitish flowers, which appear in July. 

 It was introduced by Messrs. Stan- 

 dish and Noble, in 1851, and seems 

 hardy. There is another species of 

 the genus, which was introduced in 

 1842, under the name of Vesdlia 

 fiorihunda, from Mexico, which has 

 long rose-coloured flowers, closely 

 resembling those of the honeysuckle, 

 to v.-hich, indeed, it is nearly allied, 

 but which are produced singly. The 

 plant itself is a pendulous shrub, 

 and it requires a warm greenhouse. 

 It grows freely, strikes readily from 

 cuttings, and flowers during the 

 greater part, of the summer. 



A^BRUS. — Lef/uminosce. — The 

 Wild Liquorice {A. 2>recatdrius) is 

 a pretty climbing stove plant, which 

 requires a strong heat to throw it 

 into flower. The seeds, which are 

 poisonous, are scarlet and black, and 

 are sometimes made into necklaces 

 for children. 



Abu'tilon. — Malvacece. — There 

 is a very beautiful greenhouse plant 

 called Ahutilon striatum, or Sida 

 picta, that deserves a place in every 

 collection. It is a native of Brazil, 

 and half-shrubby, with vine-like 

 leaves, and bell-shaped flowers of a 

 bright yellow, strongly veined "ndth 

 scarlet, which hang do'UTi on long 

 slender stalks. The plant should be 

 gro^-n in a pot, a quarter filled with 

 broken potsherds to insure perfect 

 drainage, in a light sandy loam ; and 

 it should be trained to a slight frame ; 

 or it may be planted in the open air, 

 and trained against a wall or trellis, 

 as it is nearly hardy, and only re- 

 quii'es protection from frost. It is 

 sometimes also gi'own in a stove, 

 where it flowers abundantly, if 

 allowed plenty of moisture, though 

 the whole plant is much weaker than 

 when grown in a cooler temperature. 

 There are several very beautiful 



