Exhibitions, Session 1882-83. 165 



8. A composite from Tibet, being the top of the plant cut off merely 

 to show the coming flower. There is a great traffic carried on from 

 Kashmir to China, &c. ; but the only account I find of it in our 

 books is under the head ' ApJotaxls ' in the Treasury of Botany. 

 The roots are the subject of traffic, something like dahlia tubers. 

 It is used to protect from the attacks of moths, and in Cliina as an 

 aphrodisiac. The seeds were sent to me by the traveller (Dr Bellew) 

 on the expedition to Yarkand in 1873, and were sown by me in 

 November that year. It has been grown in the open ground, and 

 never till now has it shown flower. 



Mr Boyd exhibited a number of cut flowers from his garden at 

 Faldonside. These included Primula grajidis, F Stuarti, P. sikkim- 

 crnds, with flower-stalks 18 inches long, and Cypripedium sjjedabilei 



MrW. Evans, M. A., exhibited a specimen of Viola stagnina, new 

 to Britain, from the Cambridgeshire Fens. 



Jidy 12. 



Mr Boyd mentioned that he had in his garden a large tuft of 

 Ruhiis ardicus, L., which was producing dozens of ripe fruit, 

 about the size of a small raspberry, yeUowish-white in colour, but 

 tinged with pink. The flavour was excellent, having a slight after- 

 taste of vanilla. 



Mr P. jST. Fraser showed a plant of Polystichum Londiitls, 

 found by him in 1879. At the time it struck him as being a pecu- 

 liar variety, with fronds perfectly smooth, which character it 

 still retains, but this year all the fronds are beautifully crested. A 

 plant of it which he presented to the Edinburgh Botanic Garden 

 was also shown, with the fronds crested in the same manner, after 

 having remained for four years with fronds undivided. Both plants 

 are very healthy, and it is curious how they should become so finely 

 crested at the same time. He also showed a specimen of Trillium 

 eredum var. dedimitum, about 3 feet high ; and Priimda luieola, 

 the same height, having the stem slightly fasciated. 



SESSION 1883-84. 

 November 10, 1883. 



"Note, with a flowering stem of Phoi-mium tenax with seed 

 capsules ripened in the open air at North Ronaldshay, Orkney," 

 by Wm. Traill, M.D., of Woodwick. The specimen, about 

 6 feet high, with other plants of the same New Zealand exotic, 

 had flowered and ripened seeds three times in the open air. The 

 first year of such ripening was in 1879, and the next in 1881. On 



