410 TRAXSACTIONS AND PEOCEEDINGS OF THE [Se5= 



III. Ox Plants in the Plant Houses. By Pi. L. 

 Harrow. 



A general activity of growth in the majority of plants 

 in the plant houses seems now to have set in. This is 

 naturally further developed in those houses devoted to 

 tropical plants, where the many-hued colours of the young 

 foliage is very attractive. About forty species have, since 

 the last meeting, in February, come into flower. Among 

 the most interesting of which are the following : — 



Paulo-Wilhelmia speciosa, Hochst. A plant belonging 

 to the order Acanthaceae, and a native of Abyssinia. It 

 has loose stems of a herbaceous character, swollen at the 

 nodes, growing about three feet in height and bearing 

 opposite cordate leaves, with irregular serrations. The 

 inflorescences are in panicles, bearing pretty mauve blue 

 flowers ; the lobes of the corolla arranged so as to give the 

 appearance of a single lip. Plants were raised at Kew 

 from seed obtained from a dried specimen collected in an 

 expedition to the Cross Eiver, Cameroon, by Vice-Consul 

 H. H. Johnston. A figure and description by Mr. X. E. 

 Brown appeared in the "Gardeners' Chronicle" of 18S9, 

 p. 749. The genus was founded by Hochstetter, and 

 dedicated to Frederich Paul Wilhelm, Duke of AVurtem- 

 burg, in 1840. 



Bhododendron argenteum, Hook. f. This beautiful species 

 is a native of the Sikkim Himalayas, and is well figured in 

 Hooker's " Pthododendrons of the Sikkim Himalayas," where 

 it is stated to grow on Sinchul at an elevation of from 8000 

 to 9000 feet. The tree-like habit of the plant is well 

 known, and the large leaves with silvery under surface are 

 characteristic. The large individual flowers are pink in 

 bud, changing as the flower expands to pure white, with a 

 deep purple blotch at the base. 



Philageria Veitchii, Mast. This plant is an interesting 

 one on account of its being a hybrid between two genera, 

 viz. LaiJageria and Philesia, two plants of widely 

 differing habit, and the hybrid exhibits many intermediate 

 characters. The stems are wiry, most resembling that of 

 Lapageria, but the foliage is most like that of the poUen- 



