CHAS. LOUIS L'HERITIER, a French author on gardening, con- 

 ferred the generic title, Gloxinia, to commemorate B. P. Gloxin, 

 of Colmar, a German botanist. The tribe thus distinguished comprises 

 plants of considerable beauty, highly interesting, and when in full 

 bloom particularly siiowy and ornamental : they are also easy of 

 management, and particularly deserving cultivation wherever practi- 

 cable. 



Tlie very beautiful inhabitant of our hothouses for many years, 

 G. maculata, was the first species introduced into this country, and 

 as long ago as 1739. It, like the subsequent species, was discovered 

 in South America. The native habitation being on the margin of dense 

 woods, where the surface soil of such situations is a light leafy mould. 

 An intervening period of seventy-six years occurred before another 

 species was introduced, viz., G. speciosa in 1815, afterwards G. 

 caulescefis in 1820, and G. hirsuta in 1824. Subsequently appeai-ed 

 G. digitaliflora, foxglove-flowered ; G. tuhifiora, tube-flowered ; 

 G. discolor, two-coloured leaved ; G. picta, painted-leaved ; and re- 

 cently some others. This accession of so many diversified and beau- 

 tiful species soon presented scope for the attempt to raise hybrids, and 

 the result has been successful in producing several highly beautiful and 

 novel varieties. The most singular and distinct of all is the one we 

 now figure, viz. : — 



GLOXINIA FYFIANA— Mr. Ftfe's Gloxinia. 



Gesneriacea. Didynanda Gymnospermia. 



It was raised from seed saved in 1844, by Mr. John Fyfe, gardener, 

 at Rothesay in Buteshire. It is supposed the seed was obtained i'rom 

 G. maxima, but what that had been impregnated by, it appears, is not 

 known. The form of the flower and its erect position mucli resembles 

 tlie lovely spring Gentianella. It bloomed for tlic first time in 184o, 



Vol. XV. No. S.—N.S. E 



