132 BULBS AND TUBEROUS-ROOTED PLANTS. 



throat of the corolla are fully presented to the eye, show- 

 ing, at a glance, the full beauty of the flower. Cultiva- 

 tion has wrought wonderful changes in the general char- 

 acter of this flower ; forms have been greatly improved, 

 colors intensified, substance enhanced, and the number 

 of flowers on a given plant greatly increased. 



The most interesting class of Gloxinias are the 

 spotted varieties, the origin of which is quite as interest- 



HTBRID GLOXINIAS. 



ing as the flowers themselves. Their origin is described 

 in the Garden as follows : "It has frequently occurred 

 that a certain family, or species, which may not have 

 shown, during a series of years, any great tendency to 

 sport, all at once gives us something novel and beautiful. 

 M. Vallerand, with whom the spotted varieties origi- 

 nated, assiduously crossed the best known varieties, but, 



