REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON PLANTS AND FLOWERS. 43 



Tree Ferns. — Very fine specimens wei-e shown by J. Warren 

 Merrill and Hovey & Co. 



March 25th, J. "Warren Merrill exhibited a fine plant of Athyrium 

 Goringianum pictum, a greenhouse fern from Japan, of very easy 

 culture, and said to be well adapted for ferneries, rooms, or table 

 ornaments. June 3d, AVilliam Gray, Jr., exhibited Polypodium 

 {Nlpliobolus) lingua corymbifera, a verj' rare fern from Japan. 



At the Annual Exhibition, E. II. Ilitchings showed the following 

 named rare forms of BotrycMum ternatum : 



No. 1 . " With the two lateral primary divisions of the sterile frond 

 changed into long-stalked fertile fronds." See " Gray's Manual." 



Xo. 2. With three fertile fronds on the stem of the sterile frond. 



No. 3. With two sterile, and two fertile fronds on the same stem. 



Nos. 4 and 5. With sterile fronds, each bearing on its stem two 

 fertile fronds. 



No. 6. "With double fertile frond. 



Drac^nas were exhibited by Hove}' & Co. The plants were of 

 medium size, well grown, and in good order. The varieties w^ere 

 Youngii, Shepherdii, amabilis, imperialism Regina and stricta. 



Palms. — A very fine pair were shown by William Gray, Jr. — 

 Livistonia Borbonica and Chamcedorea elegantissima. Ilove}'^ & Co. 

 also exhibited a pair. 



Agaves. — Two good collections were shown by E. S. Eand, .Jr., 

 who brought A. cocci7iea, A. viicracantha, A. Xalapensis, A. striata^ 

 A. Antillarurii and A. Verscha.felti, and Hovey & Co., who exhibited 

 A. medio picta., A. cyanea, A. J^issonii, A. applanata, A. hetera- 

 rantha cwrulea, and A. Bessereriana. Candida. Of late years, 

 consideralile attention has been given to this fine class of ornamental 

 l)lants, which, for outside decoration, either in tubs or plunged in 

 beds, have scarcely an equal, and are quite as w'ell adapted foi- 

 conservatories and halls. 



Cacti. — A very interesting collection was shown by John C. 

 Hove}', which were neatly and correctly labelled, and added much 

 to the interest of the exhibition. In the collection we noticed the 

 following species and varieties not mentioned in our last report : 

 Cereus Jamaicensis. Opuntia hystrix. 



Ecliinopsis Scliethasii . " macrodasys minima. 



Mammillaria bicolor. " speciosa. 



"• sp. No. 1, New Mexico. " tenuispina. 



Opuntia fragilis. 



