ORNAMENTAL PALMS 261 



As an excuse for selecting this one among 

 many tropical and subtropical forms, I may say 

 that when I first saw the Chilean bellflower I 

 thought it the most beautiful flower of any kind 

 that I had ever seen. It has glorious, great, 

 drooping, bell -shaped, rosy or white blossoms, 

 which no lover of flowers could fail to admire. 

 The foliage of the plant is smilaxlike, and some- 

 what deficient in quantity, but the wonderful 

 flowers make amends for any defect of foliage. 



Unfortunately the plants are very difficult to 

 raise, needing peculiar soil and much attention. 

 They are also sensitive to changes of tempera- 

 ture, and do not bloom at an early age. More- 

 over they must be kept moist at all times to 

 insure good growth. 



The possibilities of work with plants of this 

 genus are shown in a remarkable cross said to 

 have been made by Veitch, of England, between 

 one of the Lapagerias and the Philesia hucci' 

 folia, the latter being the pollen plant. The hy- 

 brid which has been named Philegeria Feitchii, is 

 of exceptional interest, inasmuch as the parents 

 belong to different genera. In scientific interest 

 it ranks with the blackberry-raspberry hybrids. 



As illustrating the possibility of the produc- 

 tion of interesting new forms, I may note that 

 a collector in Chile sent me a few years ago 



