THE BEGONIA. 141 



begonia introduced into cultivation, is to-day one of the most pop alar 

 species. The stems are usually about three feet high and fleshy, but 

 becoming woody at the base when old. The writer has seen a speci- 

 men of this begonia which was an inch or more in diameter at the 

 base, and reaching a height of twelve feet, where it spread out like 

 a greenhouse grapevine, and sent out numerous cymes of pink flowers 

 with a silvery blush, all the year round. Var. odorata alba, Hort, is 

 a very handsome variety of this species, which has smaller flowers of 

 the purest white and sweet scented. 



Dr. NachtigalB. Dr. Naclitigal, a hybrid between this variety 

 and B. Lynclieana, is similar in general form to the above, but has 

 flowers of a delicate rose pink, especially on the inner surface of the 

 petals. B. nitida was crossed by Ingram with B. fuchsioides as early 

 as 1849. resulting in B. Ingrami, a hybrid which combines the char- 

 acters of the two species. 



Lynclieana; Roezlii. B. Lynclieana, Hook. (B. Roezlii, Regel), a 

 native of New Granada, is almost identical with the hybrid B. gigan- 

 tea rosea, but is not so strong a grower. It has been iised to some 

 extent by the French hybridists in the production of new hybrids, but 

 is rarely seen in this country. Bruant crossed this species with B. 

 Bruanti in 1886, and again in 1889, producing the hybrids Ameliae 

 and Lucianae, with large smooth leaves and rose-colored flowers. 



Ascotiensis. B. Ascotiensis, "Webb, has smooth, brownish leaves 

 with toothed green margins, and bright red flowers on long peduncles. 



Bertha de Chateaurocher. Bertha de Chateaurocher is a new vari- 

 ety of the above, with bright currant-red flowers, which are very use- 

 ful for decoration. 



Teiwcheri. B. Teuscheri, Lind., is a strong grower with large, 

 acutely-lobed, ovate leaves, which are blotched with gray on the upper 

 surface and red-veined below. The flowers are bright red, and hang 

 in large clusters on the axils of the leaves. 



Olbia. B. olbia, Kerchove, has erect, leathery stems about three 

 feet high, which are densely clothed with acute-lobed leaves, olive 

 green above and red beneath. The flowers are in small clusters 011 

 ihe stem and almost entirely concealed by the leaves. A native of 

 Brazil. This is a very attractive variety to grow for its foliage. 



Mad. dv Lpsseps. B. Madame de Lesseps is a recently-introduced 

 variety with unknown origin, which closely resembles the above in 

 foliage, but is not so compact. The flowers are large, and hang in 

 immense white clusters from the axils of the leaves. 



Coccinea: Rubra. B. coccinea, Hook., more commonly known as 

 rulni, was introduced from Brazil by Veitch & Sons in 1841. It 

 was discovered by Gardner in 1837, who describes it as "a magnificent 



