33 2 GENERAL REVIEW. 



so extremely small that no covering of soil is required, and the 

 compost should not be watered above until after the seeds have 

 germinated. If the soil shows signs of dryness before germi- 

 nation has taken place, moisten it with fine spray from either a 

 syringe or spray-producer. To do this with a syringe without 

 disturbing the surface of the soil, although easy to the practised 

 propagator, is difficult to the amateur. Another plan is to 

 plunge the bottom only of the seed-pan into a vessel of tepid 

 rain water, allowing it to remain a few minutes, so that the soil 

 may become moistened by the capillary attraction of its par- 

 ticles. This genus, as well as Gloxinia and Gesnera, has been 

 much improved of late years by hybridising. 



JEschynanthus. A very showy genus of half-shrubby, ever- 

 green Gesneriaceous plants from Java, Borneo, and other 

 parts of tropical Asia, often cultivated as basket-plants in our 

 plant stoves. &. spedosus, ^. longiflorus, ^E. Lobbianus, ^5". 

 tricolor, and jE. javanicus are well-known examples. sEschy- 

 nanthus splendidus is a showy garden hybrid raised between 

 ;E. grandiflorus and ;E. speciosus, and is the finest of all the 

 strong-growing kinds, bearing ten to twelve vivid scarlet flowers 

 in a cluster, the segments being marked with dark brown. Cut- 

 tings of the stem root very freely, inserted in a pot of light sandy 

 compost, and plunged iri a mild bottom-heat of 75 to 80. If 

 the atmosphere is very dry, they should be covered with a bell- 

 glass, or the pot may be plunged in a close case. These plants 

 frequently push out roots from the joints when grown in a 

 humid atmosphere, and branches can be cut off and potted at 

 once. 



Agalmyla. A small genus of stove-plants closely allied to 

 jEschynanthus ; but the leaves are alternate, and only two 

 stamens are fully developed. A. staminea, a native of Java, 

 Borneo, and Sumatra, bears Gloxinia-like leaves and axillary 

 clusters of brilliant scarlet flowers. The plant roots readily at 

 the nodes, and is easily multiplied either by layers or cuttings 

 in heat. 



Gesnera (N<zgdia).* Well-known velvety-leaved flowering- 

 plants from South America, represented in our gardens by G. 

 zebrina, G. refulgens, G. tinnabarina, and numerous hybrids 

 raised by Louis Van Houtte between G. amabilis (' Flore des 

 Serres,' xii. 21) and a fine variety of G. zebrina named splendens 

 (see Van Houtte's ' Catalogue of Gesneriaceous Plants ' for 

 1875, p. 4). It i s difficult to form any idea of the possible 

 improvement which may yet be effected by cross-fertilising 



* Cultivators interested in Gesneriaceous plants should see ' Les Ges- 

 neriacees,' p. 83. Libraire Agricole, Rue-Jacob, 26, Paris. lod. 



