Keio Gardens. 403 



The collection of stove plants contained Cuphea dec^ndra, 

 with pretty lilac flowers ; Leianthus nigrescens with very 

 dark flowers, and yellow stamens, quite new, something 

 in the way of Lisianthus ; it is from Guatemala : Justicia 

 carnea with numerous heads of pink flowers ; Aphelandra 

 crista ta, with crested heads of bright scarlet flowers ; /asmi- 

 num hirsutum, pretty. A collection of begonias embraced 

 some fine species, very desirable : B. diversifolia, handsome 

 rosy flowers ; B. nitida, blush flowers, pretty ; B. Evans- 

 iaiia^ with very delicate long pale rosy flowers, grace- 

 fully depending from the stems. All the fine gesnerias 

 which have been recently introduced were grouped together 

 on a broad shelf, among which G. zebrina stood conspicuous. 

 The brilliant Achimenes picta was in full bloom. Eranthe- 

 mim strictum, a new plant with very showy spikes of 

 rich blue flowers, Acacia Kerrnesi««, with many others less 

 rare. The heath house contained many fine plants, but less 

 interesting than the great collections of Messrs. Fairburn 

 and Rollisson already noticed. 



The Cacti house was not less interesting than the others ; 

 an immense nnmber of new species have been collected to- 

 gether, and some of the specimens were of great size, partic- 

 ularly a species of Echinocactus from Mexico weighing two 

 hundred and thirty-five pounds : (since our visit, another 

 has been added, weighing upwards of seven hundred pounds !) 

 A remarkable specimen of the Philocereus senilis and the 

 Cactus repandus full of rich yellow fruit of the size of a 

 small apple ; the whole well cultivated, and correctly and 

 intelligibly named. A group of euphorbias, and another of 

 stapelias, filled the house. A small palm house contained a 

 fine specimen of Sdbal Blackburnia spreading twenty feet. 



Under the charge of Sir W. Hooker, Kew Gardens pos- 

 sess a degree of interest of great importance. Collections are 

 continually making, and many new and beautiful acquisi- 

 tions have already been disseminated from this place ; all the 

 new plants are figured in the Botanical Magazine, under the 

 charge of Sir William, and the plants are duplicated as 

 speedily as possible in order to afford a rapid dissemination, 

 of such as are desirable, throughout the kingdom. Many 

 new improvements are about to be made ; the greatest of 



