42U Floricultural and Botanical Notices. 



Ericdcece. 



ANDRO'MEDA 



phyllireasfolia 7/ooi. Phillirea-leaved Andromeda. A greenhouse shrub ; growing two feet 

 higli ; with white flowers ; appearing in May and June ; a native of Florida : growing in peat 

 soil ; increased by layers. Dot. Reg. 1844, t. 30. 



" A very neat greenhouse shrub," growing about two feet 

 high, with white flowers appearing in dense racemes at the 

 axils of the leaves, near the ends of all the branches ; the 

 foliage is peculiarly dark, forming a striking contrast, and 

 setting oft' the corols to great advantage. " They look like 

 pearls on a negro's back." The late Mr. Drummond dis- 

 covered this species in Apalachicola, Florida, but it was 

 introduced to England by Messrs. Loddiges, in whose col- 

 lection it first flowered, in January last. It is a dwarf ever- 

 green in its habit ; requiring the same treatment as the 

 pretty A. floribunda, and like that species should be propa- 

 gated by layering, which operation should be done in au- 

 tumn, after the plant has finished its growth. Peg down 

 the shoots, and let them remain two years before they are 

 separated from the mother plant. A light sandy peat is 

 the soil best suited to all the andromedas. {Bot. Reg., July.) 



Kha7?i?idcecB. 



CEANOTHUS 



thyrsiflorus Eschscholtz. Thyrse-bearing Ceanothus. A hardy shrub ; growing ten feet 

 high ; with blue flowers ; appearing in May ; a native of California ; grown in commoD soil ; 

 increased by cuttings. Bot. Reg. 1844, t. 38. 



Syn. C. divaricitus Hort. 



This new ceanothus is considered one of the most valu- 

 able things that has been introduced of late years. "A 

 perfectly hardy shrub, as this is with evergreen foliage of 

 the most beautiful glossy green, and dense panicles of 

 bright blue flowers, is indeed an acquisition to our gardens." 

 Seeds were sent home by R. B. Hinds, surgeon to the Sul- 

 phur surveying ship, and plants raised in the gardens of 

 the Horticultural Society, where it flowered in May last 

 under a south wall. The stems are erect, the foliage small 

 ovate oblong, and the flowers, which are light blue, appear 

 in dense racemes near the ends of the branches. 



The species was at first supposed to be the C. divarica- 

 tus of Nuttall, and several plants were distributed under 

 that name; but when it flowered, it proved to be the 

 C. thyrsifolius, and the name was changed. Messrs. Torrey 

 &.Gray, in their Flora, state that this species forms a small 

 tree. Douglas gathered wild specimens in California. 

 The plant grows freely in any good soil, and is readily 

 increased by cuttings of the half ripe wood. {lb. July.) 



