392 GENERAL REVIEW. 



M. Lennei is a garden hybrid, and is one of the finest 

 of the deciduous group. It is of Italian origin, and is sup- 

 posed to be the result of a cross between M. Yulan and M. 

 purpurea (see ' Flore des Serres,' t. 1693-94). M. Thom- 

 soniana is a garden hybrid between M. glanca and M. tripetala, 

 and M. conspicua Nobertiana is supposed to be the result of 

 fertilising M. conspicua with pollen of M. purpurea. Magnolia 

 macrophylla is a noble, large-leaved plant, which bears salver- 

 shaped white flowers, which, being open and loose, remind one 

 of an enormous Mallow. The flowers are fully twelve inches 

 in diameter (see ' Bot. Mag./ t. 2189). 



THE CANNA FAMILY (Marantacecz). 



A small natural family of tropical herbaceous or evergreen 

 plants, represented in our gardens by many beautiful-leaved 

 species and forms of Maranta and Calathea. Thalia dealbata, 

 and the numerous species and still more numerous improved 

 hybrid or seminal forms of Canna or " Indian Shot," also 

 belong to this group. Marantas and Calatheas are easily 

 multiplied by dividing the rhizomes of established plants. 

 Seed is rarely produced except by careful cross-fertilisation, and 

 the floral envelopes should be removed as early after the flower 

 decays as possible, or they induce the seed-vessels to decay. 

 Thalia and Canna are also easily multiplied by dividing the 

 tuberous rhizomes, and the last named produces fertile seeds in 

 abundance on warm rich soils. Seeds should be sown in the 

 spring in a genial bottom -heat of 70 to 80, and may be 

 planted out on a warm border in June. Nearly all the beauti- 

 ful-foliaged and flowering varieties of Canna, now so popular in 

 our garden arrangements, have originated in Continental gar- 

 dens. Parkinson figures a variety of Canna in his ' Paradisus ' 

 (1629), and describes a form with yellow flowers spotted with 

 red, so that this plant is an old one in our gardens. There is 

 every reason to believe that the Canna will some day ere long 

 rival the Gladiolus in the beauty and variety of its flowers. 

 Numerous seminal varieties, cross-bred forms, and hybrids have 

 been raised in French and Belgian gardens ; but hitherto the 

 object has been to obtain fine-foliaged varieties rather than to 

 develop their inflorescence. 



C. iridiflora (see 'Revue Horticole,' 1875, p. 2 9 J ) bears 

 splendid spikes of crimson-scarlet flowers, and a very fine form 

 raised by M. Jean Sisley, named C. Jean Vandael (see ' Revue 

 Hort.,' 1869, p. 171), deserves the attention of hybridists. The 



