Notes and Gleanings. i8r 



New Hybrids of Coleus. — Mr. Bause, the foreman in the plant-depart- 

 ment at Chiswick, has been very successful in an attempt to produce hybrids of 

 the Coleus family. A considerable number has been raised, the materials 

 operated on being the following: C. Verschaffeltii, 2is the seed-bearing parent, 

 was fertilized by C. Veitchii, by C. Gibsoni, and by C. Dluniei. The novel forms 

 which have been produced range in two series : the one having plane crenated 

 leaves, as in C. Veitchii; and the other having inciso-dentate frilled leaves, as in 

 C. Verschaffeltii. The following selected kinds have been recently offered for 

 sale by auction, and realized upwards of £390 : — 



Plane-leaved Series. — C. Berkeleyi (Verschaffeltii x Veitchii): leaves rich 

 velvety chocolate-purple, the tips of the crenatures only being green. A beauti- 

 ful and richly-colored plant, in which nearly the whole surface is of a velvety 

 purple hue, which is well displayed, from the flatness of the foliage. 



C. Marshallii (Verschaffeltii X Veitchii) : leaves rich chocolate-purple, the 

 base of the midrib and the crenatures green, so as just to form a narrow green 

 margin. This has the green edge more apparent than in C. Berkeleyi. 



C. ^aww^t'rj/V (Verschaffeltii x Veitchii): leaves deep chocolate-purple in the 

 centre, somewhat mottled, and of a pale bronzy tint towards the edge, which has 

 a broadish band of green broken through with purplish bronzy reticulations. 

 The broader mottled green and bronze margin brings this near to C. Veitchii; 

 to which it is, however, far superior in beauty. 



C. Z?/.r// (Verschaffeltii x Veitchii) : leaves dark chocolate-purple in the cen- 

 tre, feathering out through the broadish bright green margin, which is nearly an 

 inch wide, the crenatures narrowly purple-edged. A very brightly-colored and 

 effective sort, from the strong contrast between the rich green and purple. 



C. Rtickeri (Verschaffeltii x Gibsoni) : leaves deep purple throughout on 

 both surfaces. A fine, sturdy-growing, dark-leaved sort, having very much the 

 color of Perilla nankinensis. 



C. Murrayi (Verschaffeltii x Gibsoni) : leaves green, pinnately marked 

 along the principal veins with bars of dark purple, which sometimes coalesce ; 

 the rest of the surface showing through from beneath the purple reticulations, 

 which are also evenly and strongly marked on the under surface. A more 

 evenly and more fully colored form of C. Gibsoni. 



Frilled-leaved Series. — C. Bausei (Verschaffeltii x Veitchii) : leaves of a 

 rich velvety chocolate-purple, green towards the base and at the extreme mar- 

 gin. A fine, distinct-looking plant, richly colored ; the dark color nicely relieved 

 by the slight green margin, wliich lightens up the whole plant. 



C. Scottii (Verschaffeltii x Gibsoni) : leaves bright green, everywhere trav- 

 ersed by deep purple veins, here and there coalescing into blotches; the under 

 surface similarly marked, but brighter. A very distinct and elegant plant, hav- 

 ing the markings of a deep tint of purple, but well relieved by the green spaces 

 between the dark-colored reticulations. 



C. C/ar/('<?/ (Verschaffeltii x Gibsoni) : leaves green above, with the edges of 

 the teeth purple, and showing through the dark purple venation with which the 

 under surface is almost everywhere marked. One of the darker-tinted sorts, 

 having the markings of the reticulated character. 



