144 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



scented plants, of which M. fistulosa has rose colored flowers ; 

 while M. dichjma lias deep red and M. Bradburiana purplish. 



The same may be said of another genus, Pycnanthemum or 

 Basil, which iias flowers varying from white to purple, according 

 to the ditlerent species. 



Physostegia Virginiana grows from twelve to eighteen inches 

 high, bearing spikes of large rose colored flowers. 



Some of the Violets may be also mentioned, especially Viola 

 pedata, with large lilac-pur[)le flowers ; and also the variety bicolor, 

 which is much darker and prettier; and the chaste white form, 

 which is occasionally found. V. cucullata is also very showy, 

 having ample variegated flowers, but sometimes bearing blooms of 

 iinicolor purple or pure white. 



Campanida rotundijiora, the Harebell, is a very beautiful plant, 

 growing a foot in height and bearing numerous large flowers vary- 

 ing from the brightest blue to nearly white in color. 



Gaillardia aristata is a very neat and showy plant with yellow 

 flowers, but we have now in cultivation G. grandijiora and the vari- 

 ety maxima, the former with yellow and red, the latter with yellow 

 flowers, very large and showy and produced in great quantity. 

 Both of these are only varieties of G. aristata, showing plainly 

 how much a plant can be improved if cultivated for a time, and 

 propagated from seed saved always from the best flowers. 



The Echinacea, or Purple Cone-flower, is also very showy on ac- 

 count of the large heads of purple flowers produced by E. pur- 

 2)urea and E. angustijolia. 



For very tail plants we have the Helianthus or Sunflower, of 

 which there are .several species, all growing from four to twelve 

 feet in height and having large yellow flowers. H. rigid us is the 

 dwarf est, never exceeding four feet in height, and has large 

 showy heads. //. mollis grows very compact, four to six feet in 

 height, and produces rather large flowers. II. loivigatus grows 

 from five to eight feet high and has numerous pretty flowers, 

 altogether smaller than those of others. H. decapetalus has 

 broad leaves and ample flowers. From this species it is surmised 

 that H. multijlorus originated ; if that be so we have another good 

 proof of how a plant can be improved. //. vmltijlorus has flowers 

 more than twice the size of tiie supposed type. In cultivation we 

 see mostly the double variety, which is not so showy nor so pretty 

 as the single one. //. orgyalia is very striking on account of its 



