Collection of Exotic Plants. 101 



size here, and we observed a plant of that splendid Mada- 

 gascar shrub, figured in the Botanical Magazine, Poincidwa 

 regia. 



Among the Cacti we noticed C. grandiflorus covering thirty 

 feet of the back Avail of one of the houses. A new species, 

 Echinocactus Eyries« [noticed Vol. I, p. 378], was also shown 

 us. It is said to blossom like the night-blooming cereus, 

 opening its delicately scented white flowers, six inches in 

 length, in the evening. It is quite rare, and was received 

 from France. There is a specimen here of the Hottentots- 

 bread (Testndinaria elephantipes.) Its large fleshy roots 

 look nearly twice the size of a man's head, — a grotesque ap- 

 pearance among the more succulent and verdant plants. 

 The inner part of the root is sometimes made use of as a 

 bread-stuff" in South Africa. 



Plumieriff alba and rubra, Ficus bengalensis, and the cam- 

 phor tree (Zaurus camphora), have attained a large size in this 

 collection. The latter showed flowers upon a plant ten feet 

 high. There is also a specimen fifteen or sixteen feet in 

 height of Carolinea princeps, a member of that noble family 

 the Bombacese. Coffa^a ar4bica, was full of berries, and 

 among a great number of tropical fruits, to Avhich Mr. Knev- 

 els appears very much attached, we noted the bread-fruit 

 tree (Artocarpus integrifolia) , the Alligator pear (Laurus 

 persea) yl^chras sapota. Euphoria Litchi, Jambosa vulgaris, 

 and the dift'ereut psidiums, among which was a tall fruiting 

 plant of P. OoXxXeydnum. Cattley's guava is a very fine 

 fruit : we tasted some delicious ones ripened in the houses 

 of Dr. Hosack, at Hyde Park, the past season, which had 

 attained their flavor very perfectly. It is so easily grown 

 that we do not hesitate to recommend it to all lovers of trop- 

 ical fruits as a delicate addition to the dessert. Ficus re- 

 pens, departing from the usual habits of the genus, was 

 creeping up the back wall, attaching itself firmly in the same 

 manner as the trumpet creeper. There are many others of the 

 genus here, of large size, of which we recollect F. rehgo- 

 sa, populnea, coriacea and elastica. The latter, commonly 

 known as the India rubber, is the very fine tree which many 

 of your readers may have formerly seen decorating the con- 

 servatory of the Messrs. Thorburn, Ncav York. 



Dracse^na ferrea, marginata, australis and fragrans are in a 

 flourishing state in this house. D. ferrea (the purple dragon 

 plant) had thrown up a flowering stem. This genus is inter- 

 esting to us as having given rise, through the observations 

 made upon its growth by Du Petit Thonars, in the Isle of 

 France, (where it is planted for hedges), to the ingenious 

 theory, developed by that celebrated botanist, of ihe forma- 

 tion of ivood by the roots of the buds, which he considered as 



