132 BULBS AND TUBEROUS-ROOTED PLANTS. 
throat of the corolla are fully presented to the eye, show- 
ing, at a glance, the full beauty of the flower. Cultiva- 
tion has wrought wonderful changes in the general char- 
acter of this flower; forms have been greatly improved, 
colors intensified, substance enhanced, and the number 
of flowers on a given plant greatly increased. 
The most interesting class of Gloxinias are the 
spotted varieties, the origin of which is quite as interest- 
HYBRID GLOXINTAS. 
ing as the flowers themselves. Their origin is described 
in the Garden as follows: ‘It has frequently occurred 
that a certain family, or species, which may not have 
shown, during a series of years, any great tendency to 
sport, all at once gives us something novel and beautiful. 
M. Vallerand, with whom the spotted varieties origi- 
nated, assiduously crossed the best known varieties, but, 
