380 GENERAL REVIEW. 



small-growing or L. erinus section, we have also numerous 

 seminal and cross-bred forms, the prevailing colours of which 

 are blue and white. The dwarf-growing varieties of the L. 

 pumila section closely resemble the old L. minuta (see * Bot. 

 Mag.,' t. 2590), which has a low tufted habit, and bears small 

 blue flowers. Z. minima (ibid., t. 2077) is another pretty little 

 plant, similar in habit to the last, but bearing small flowers of 

 a rosy pink and white colour. The old L. erinus is a weak 

 straggling plant, often nearly two feet in height, and quite dis- 

 tinct from the now popular races of seedlings which have been 

 selected from it, since the rage for low free-flowering bedding- 

 plants commenced. Z. coronopifolia is a distinct low-growing 

 plant, bearing large deep blue flowers on one or two flowered 

 scapes. It was introduced from the Cape about 1787 (see 

 'Bot. Mag.,' t. 644). A still finer species, Z. cczrulea (ibid., t. 

 2701), somewhat similar in habit to the last, bears three or four 

 flowered panicles of large Pinguicula-like light-blue flowers. 



Cultivated Lobeliads are represented by species of Lobelia, 

 Centropogon, Syphocampylus, and Rhynchopetalum. The old 

 Lobelia surinamensis (see 'Bot. Mag.,' t. 225) very closely re- 

 sembles the new hybrid Centropogon (hybridus) Lucyanus. 



Koelreuter was one of the first who attempted hybridising 

 the species in this genus, and he obtained a very interesting 

 series of hybrids between the " Cardinal Flower," Z. cardinalis, 

 and Z. syphilitica, as early as 1771. 



. Lobelia Fabrii is a garden-hybrid, raised in French gardens 

 It is supposed to be the result of a cross effected between Z. 

 cardinalis (Cardinal Flower) and Z. syphilitica (see /Revue 

 Hort.,' 1866, p. 269). 



Lobelia Lowii (' Bot. Reg.,' 17, 1455) is said (Herbert's ' Am.,' 

 P- 34-6, 352) to have been an accidental hybrid between Z. 

 syphilitica and Z. fulgens, and the former is supposed to be the 

 female parent, as it seeds more freely than L. fulgens. Koal- 

 reuter ('Act. Acad. Pet.,' 1780) raised hybrids between Z. 

 syphilitica and Z. cardinalis reciprocally, and found them fer- 

 tile when crossed back with either parent, but sterile with their 

 own pollen. Z. Lowii, cited above, is, however, said by Her- 

 bert to have produced seed with him, when planted in a border 

 together with its parents ; but the offspring, with one or two 

 exceptions, did not approximate to either, but resembled the 

 hybrid, with some variability in colour. 



Centropogon (hybridus) Lucyanus (see 'Revue Hort.,' 1868, 

 p. 291) is a very attractive winter-flowering plant, raised by 

 M. Desponds of Marseilles in 1856. The female parent was 

 Centropogon fastuosus, fertilised with pollen of Syphocampylus 



