212 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[August 25, 1888. 



My own collections were presented to the public 

 herbarium. I commenced collecting in 1840, and 

 have continued in Australia uninterruptedly since 

 1847 (till 1853 entirely at my own private expense), 

 and later also with my own means to a not incon- 

 siderable extent. 



About 1859 Dr. Steetz's important collections were 

 added by departmental purchase ; later, by the same 

 means, Mr. T. Drummond's private set of West 

 Australian plants, and various other collections. 

 Many other things were secured for Australia, 

 either by purchase or by exchange, and 

 large donations were received from Sir William 

 and Sir Joseph Hooker, including typical speci- 

 mens of R. Brown's Australian and Sir Joseph 

 Hooker's Indian plants. It would make too long a 

 story, to enumerate even the main treasures of the 

 herbarium in a brief communication like this ; but 

 it is my intention to publish a small volume ex- 

 planatory of the richness of our gatherings 

 here. Through Dr. Sonder's herbarium, original 

 specimens from the collections of several disciples 

 of Linnaeus were obtained, coming from Professor 

 Lehmann's herbarium. Thus we have many authentic 

 specimens from Thunberg, Giseke, Ehrhart, and 

 Gouan. In Australian plants the Melbourne collec- 

 tions are by far the richest of any in existence. But 

 South Africa is also particularly well repre- 

 sented, chiefly through Steetz's and Sonder's her- 

 baria ; and although the main portion of the South 

 African plants went many years ago from Sonder's 

 herbarium to Stockholm, authenticated fragments of 

 most are here also. No region of the globe is un- 

 represented in the Melbourne Herbarium, and this 

 often by original material not extant in many other 

 places nor now obtainable anywhere. 



The herbarium building is about a mile distant 

 from Melbourne, within the Government House 

 Reserve, and in the close vicinity of the astronomic 

 and meteorologic observatory. 



The technologic-botanic collections, accumulated 

 largely by my exertions, are located in the 

 "Technologic Museum," close to the great Public 

 Library in the centre of Melbourne, the museum 

 being under the administration of the trustees of the 

 Public Library also. A special hall is soon to be 

 provided for the vegetable technologic articles, as 

 the timber collections, and also those of various other 

 vegetable products are so extensive ; moreover, the 

 Centennial Exhibition is sure to add to those 

 riches. F. v. Mueller. 



Plant Notes, 



SCHOMBUKGKIA TIBICINIS. 



This fine plant (fig. 25) gives an illustration of the 

 unmerited application of a bad name, for it is cur- 

 rently reported to be difficult to flower ; such, however, 

 is not the case, otherwise it would not flower regularly 

 every year with those who grow it properly. Sir Trevor 

 Lawrence flowers it regularly, and in the fine Catt- 

 leya-house of Messrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons, at Chel- 

 sea, are many specimens which flower as freely as 

 could be desired. The fact is, it requires growing in 

 a well ventilated intermediate-house, and in a good 

 light. The pseudobulbs are of peculiar structure, 

 hollow, and somewhat resembling a cow-horn. The 

 stout flower-spike, 7 or 8 feet in length, bearing at 

 the top many flowers with reddish-brown or purplish 

 sepals and petals ; the side lobes of the lip yellow, 

 streaked with purple and edged with white, the front 

 lobe white, veined and suffused with purple. The 

 plant was discovered by Mr. G. XJre Skinner, in the 

 highlands of Honduras, over fifty years ago, and it 

 also occurs in Mexico and Guatemala. 



Dutch Bulbs, &C— Messrs. Ant. Eoozen & 

 Son, of Overveen, near Haarlem, have published 

 Notes on the Cultivation nf Butch Bulbs and Other 

 Plants. The book has no pretension to be a scien- 

 tific treatise, but will be very useful to many for the 

 sake of its practical hints. A second edition is sure 

 to be called for, and this will give the opportunity 

 lor correcting errors and misprints. 



THEEOPOGON PALLIDUS. 

 This is an extremely pretty plant of the Liliaceous 

 order, bearing flowers somewhat similar to those of 

 the Lily of the Valley, though its flowers lack the 

 whiteness of the above, as the perianth is tinged 

 with red, but they are scented. The leaves are 

 grass-like, and longer than the racemes. It is a 

 native of the Himalayas, and was figured in Bot. 

 Mag., 6154. Grown in a cool-house, and potted in a 

 mixture of loam, leaf-mould, and sand, and grown in 



pollen from Sultani, though hardly an advance upon 

 other kinds ; one, a strong grower, and of a colour 

 between the two, has done well for bedding-out 

 purposes in sheltered places. It would be interesting 

 to know if others who have grown I. Episcopi have 

 plants bearing pollen. IV. Harrow, Botanic Garden, 

 Cambridge. 



IXOEA MACR.OTHYRSA. 



This is a magnificent plant when properly ma- 

 naged. It differs from the bulk of Ixoras in its 

 habit of flowering only when the shoots are allowed 

 to grow to a length of several feet, and when they are 

 as thickas a goose-quill. Upon such shoots the flowei- 



FlG. 25. SCHOMBURfiKIA TIBICINIS : FLOWERS REDDISH-BROWN. 



48 or 32-size pots, it makes a useful and attractive 

 plant for decorative purposes. 



Impatiens Episcopi. 



This perhaps should be considered as a variety of 

 I. Sultani, though it is somewhat different from that 

 species. The principal differences are — the stems 

 are striped with dull red longitudinal lines, leaves 

 smaller and of a darker green, flowers magenta and 

 not so large as those of I. Sultani, and out of the 

 many flowers we have examined the anthers appear 

 abortive — no trace of pollen was to be found. 



It does not develope into good specimens without 

 frequent stoppings, whereas I. Sultani makes good 

 plants with hardly any assistance in that way, 

 but it makes a very good companion plant for the 

 other, as its colour is lar the brightest by lamp-light. 

 Varieties have been obtained by crossing it witli 



heads are nearly 1 foot in diameter, half spherical, and 

 crowded with starry flowers of a deep scarlet colour. 

 There are several plants of this species in flower 

 in the Victoria-house at Kew, where the unusually 

 large size of the heads of flowers attract much atten- 

 tion from visitors. Apparently the plant is little 

 known, although it has been in cultivation about ten 

 years. It was introduced from Sumatra by Messrs. 

 Veitch, who distributed it under the name of I. 

 Duffi. It is figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. 

 G853. The leaves are 1 foot long and 3 inches 

 broad. W. W. 



EuRYCLES. 



One at least of the several species of this genus is 

 worthy to be placed along with the Eucharis, on 

 account of the size, purity, and elegance of its flowers. 

 Two species, viz., E. Cunninghami and E. amboi- 



