380 TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. Lix, 



III. On Plants in the Plant Houses. By E. L. 

 Harrow. 



The severe weather experienced during January has 

 retarded considerably the growth and flowering of the 

 plants in the houses of the Eoyal Botanic Garden, rather 

 more than forty species, however, have flowered during the 

 month. The new plant houses, constructed in the autumn, 

 are devoted to the culture of tropical plants, orchids, 

 succulents, and filmy ferns ; the corridor connecting them 

 beiiig planted with creepers and wall plants, and special 

 efforts have been made to furnish them so that they may 

 shortly be opened to the public. From among the 

 number of plants flowered may be noted the following : — 



Impatiens auricoma, Baillon. This plant, which is a 

 native of Madagascar, was first described by Prof. Baillon, 

 of Paris, to v/hom specimens were sent by Mons. Leon 

 Humblot, to whom we are indebted for its introduction to 

 cultivation in a rather indirect manner. In a package of 

 plants of orchids and tree-ferns forwarded by him to a 

 friend in Paris, which arrived at their destination dead, 

 some stray seeds of this plant had been entangled with 

 the stems of the ferns, and these germinated, the plant 

 proving to be the species which had been described some 

 ten years previously. In habit like others of the genus, 

 the plant has yellow flowers with a curious spur. It is 

 interesting to note that /. Sultani, Hook, f,, a tropical 

 African species, was also introduced accidentally in a 

 Wardian case of plants sent by Sir J. Kirk to Kew some 

 years ago. 



Brachyrilottis rcpanda, Porst. This plant, of loose 

 shrubby habit, belonging to the ComposittTe, is a native of 

 New Zealand, and has the foliage silvery pubescent on the 

 under side, the leaves being ovate in shape. The flowers 

 are about six in a head and these form large panicles. 

 The stamens are coloured yellow. The flowers are 

 strongly fragrant, of a violet perfume. It was introduced 

 in 1834. 



Steudncra discolor, N. E. Brown. This is a member 

 of a small genus of aroids inhabiting Burmah. The 

 inflorescence possesses a yellow spathe with a reddish 



