I/O GENERAL REVIEW. 



with orange and red ; and the ovate lance-shaped leaves with 

 decurrent petioles afford a further distinctive mark. This 

 plant was raised by Mr H. Rowland. It is interesting to 

 observe that both these hybrid plants incline more to the male 

 parent than to the female one (Libonia). Indeed, the evidence 

 of the prepotence of the male parent is now wellnigh over- 

 whelming; but a series of carefully-conducted reciprocal crosses 

 is needed to set the question at rest, since, as pointed out by 

 Dr Lindley long ago, much of this supposed sexual prepotence 

 may be ascribed to constitutional vigour that parent which has 

 the strongest characteristics or fixity of character being able to 

 influence the offspring most. We have here two bigeneric 

 hybrid plants, both of better habit and of more value for de- 

 corative purposes than either of their parents ; and it would be 

 interesting to know whether they are capable of bearing fertile 

 seeds or potent pollen, as in either case they might be again 

 crossed with one of their parents, or perhaps even with another 

 species or genus, as Thyrsacanthus, and a new race of fertile 

 hybrids thus obtained. 



THE MAPLE FAMILY (Aceracea). 



A group of European,' Indian, American, and Japanese 

 trees, all more or less ornamental, and now included in the 

 genus Acer. They are readily distinguished by their palmate 

 or 5-7-lobed leaves and samaroid fruit. Each winged fruit 

 bears two seeds, the coats of which are very thin almost 

 membranous, in fact ; and the seeds are surrounded by a soft 

 layer of silky hairs, which line the inner part of the pericarp. 

 The seeds are nearly all embryo ; and, curiously enough, the 

 radicle and folded cotyledons are quite green, although they 

 are entirely destitute of light from the time the leathery peri- 

 carp commences to harden. The seeds of Seakale also contain 

 a large green embryo a perfect plant with green seed-leaves, 

 in fact ; but in this last case the covering of the seed is green 

 and succulent, and the embryo is enveloped in a slightly viscid 

 fluid. Seeds like these indeed all others which have no 

 albumen and large embryos, such as Leguminose plants, &c. 

 should be sown as soon as ripe where practicable, or at the 

 latest the spring following their period of ripening. 

 . Acer (Maples). A noble group of ornamental, round-headed 

 trees, very useful in producing landscape effects, their foliage 

 assuming various tints of yellow, brown, and red in the autumn, 

 while in the months of April and May the young foliage is of a 



