PHYLLOSTACHYS CASTILLONIS 
Ir is not always that rarity and beauty go hand in hand; 
when they are found together great is the joy of the collector. 
Such a combination is present in PHYLLOSTACHYS CASTILLONIS, 
for not only is it a very beautiful plant, but it is certainly 
uncommon, at any rate in European gardens. Though I 
found it advertised in plenty of catalogues, when sent for it 
was not forthcoming, and finally I had to import it from 
Japan. My plants have now three summers’ growth upon 
them, and have gone through two exceptionally hard winters. 
In 1894, 24° of frost did them no harm, but the month of 
February 1895 cut some of them badly. The culms had not 
had sufficient sun to ripen them during the summer of 1894, 
and they suffered accordingly. The blazing heat, however, of 
the spring of 1895, continued through the dog-days, warmed 
them into life again, not a plant being lost, and now in 
January 1896 they are as bright as ever, though they have 
hardly made as much growth as might have been hoped for - 
had they not received so severe a check. I think that, con- 
sidering what they have gone through, and that, too, before 
they were fully established, we may fairly call them hardy. 
M. Marliac, who has a far longer experience of them than I 
have, tells me that the foliage suffers much in snow. This, 
