421 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[June 29, 1912. 



enumerates it as Dendrobium euphlebium, re- 

 cording its distribution as Singapore in Mangrove 

 swamps, Borneo, and Java. 



The stems are slender at the base, thickened 

 above, 9 inches or a foot in height, and bear two 

 or three terminal leaves. The flowers are soli- 

 tary, on a slender pedicel, developed from one 

 of the internodes below the leaves. The flower, 

 which is about three-quarters of an inch across, 

 has white sepals and petals. The lip has a 

 narrow, stalked base, with broad, orbicular front \ 

 the sides are incurved, or cupped, of a yellowish 

 colour, with pink veins and streaks. It is a very 

 singular species, with 

 features. «7. O'B. 



abounds; a large flat rock is draped beautiful] 

 with Artemisia rupestris, and in the cave beneath' 



and curiously cleft into two lobes. It comes from 

 Tennessee, bears large white flowers, and is 



named after President Jefferson, of the U.S.A. the roots of Tropaeolum polyphyllum are~ sheUered 



Gentiana lutea has grown to a height of 2 feet, " * ' 



with handsome leaves all up the stem. 

 Anemone sylvestris runs riot ; Helxine Solierolii 

 has wintered well, and 



already forms 



green carpet. 



Poppy), that distinctive 



Eomecon chionantha 



and 



(Eastern 



delightful plant 



with a genus all to itself may be seen. There is 



a grand specimen of Rodgersia podophylla, with 



a noble array of leaves and one spike of flower. 



remarkably distinct This P lant is also S iven as monotypic in Nichol- 

 son's Dictionary of Gardening, but English gar- the Ferulas, Podophyllum Emodii 



and producing trailers of 3 or 4 feet in length. 



A little low wall-like part is covered^ with 

 Coronilla varia, Antirrhinum glutinosum, and a 

 shrub of Rubus australis, with all its leaves 

 reduced to prickles. A Cytisus, with quite largo 

 showy yellow flowers— Cytisus capitatus— is in 

 flower, and the new Geranium Traversii i* 

 already happy. 



Passing through the rockery the path leads to 

 a bed of Ferulas beside a lawn. Amongst 



bears its 



THE BROOME BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



At the Weston end of the Royal Victoria 

 Park, Bath, a piece of ground has been enclosed 

 and laid out as a botanical garden. It is sur- 

 rounded by, and contains, some fine timber ; 

 indeed, the whole of the park is Temarkable in 

 this respect, being especially rich in Chestnut 



The garden takes its name from 



whose collection of herbaceous 

 shrubs 



and Beech. 



C. 



Broome, 

 plants and 

 executors to 



by his 

 1887. 



was presented 



the Park Committee in 



This collection has been added to by various 



donors from time to time, and the garden is 



cleverly laid out to accommodate a large variety 



of plants. The general effect has never been lost 



sight of, however, and the paths wind through 



lawns studded with rare trees and shrubs, rocky 



banks and shaded borders. The good condition 



of the plants is obvious to the most casual 

 observer. 



Near the entrance to the garden is a specimen 

 of Caesalpinia japonica, its horizontal branches 

 supported on a low frame-work of boughs some 

 12 feet square; I have not seen a larger speci- 

 men of this species. Opposite is an elegant Ash 

 from North China (Fraxinus Mariesii), which was 



recently covered with erect creamy-white panicles 

 of flowers. 



The path dips between rocky banks, behind 

 which a large Potato tree (Solanum crispum) pro- 

 duces its abundant mauve flowers. On the left, 

 little terraces covered with encrusted Rockfoils 

 and Houseleeks alternate with the courses of 

 stone. They are very well cared for by a 

 lavish top-dressing of grey limestone chips. 

 Some steps with a conspicuous Juniper at the 

 bottom lead up across the terraces, and at the 

 top a plant of Beschorneria yuccoides, not only 

 survives but, on the occasion of my visit, was 

 bearing a tall flower-spike, as a result of last 

 summer's heat. The stem and bracts are of a 

 striking coral-red colour; the flowers, which 

 were hardly open when I saw the specimen, are 

 apparently rather inconspicuous. 



A brilliant patch of vermilion attracted my 

 attention, and was found to be due to a Dianthus 

 labelled D. neglectus ; true neglectus it certainly 

 was not, being much larger and of a deeper red 

 with no buff on the backs of the petals. Pos- 

 sibly it is a neglectus x alpinus hybrid, but cer- 

 tainly a showy plant of fine colour. Close by was 

 a Draba I do not know — with fine tufts of spiny 

 leaves — labelled D. rupicola. 



Mertensia primuloides, Dryas (both the British 

 white species, D. octopetala, and the North 

 American yellow, D. Drummondii) and Erodium 

 chrysanthum are flourishing. The latter is a 

 delightful Storksbill, with attractive, silvery 

 leaves and lemon-yellow flowers. Inasmuch 



■MM 



Fig. igg.— aloe dichotoma in the cape town botanic gardens; height 20 feet 



dens have since been enriched by the addition of 

 several fine species. R. pinnata appears else- 

 where in this garden. R. sesculifolia (the name 

 describes the plant excellently) and R. tabularis, 



There are three 

 four if a tall variety of 



On 



as it was introduced from Greece some 15 years wlth bri S ht > S reen leaves borne horizontally on 

 ago, it is surprising that it is not more frequently <» ntra l stems, are great acquisitions. It is usual 



island " rockery that divides to P lant tllein in moi st, peaty soil, and certainly 



these conditions procure the best foliage; but I 

 have heard it stated that they flower more freely 

 planted high on a bank. I do not think they 

 would thrive in such a situation, however, with- 

 out shade. 



A good plant of Fabiana imbricata projects 



seen. un an 



the path there is a clump of Oxalis enneaphylla 

 a foot or more across. This also contains a 

 cood plant of Haberlea rhodopensis ; this plant is 

 not common in gardens, but those who know the 

 splendid colony at Kew will not get very enthu- 

 siastic over one plant. 



Jeffersonia binata enjoying considerable shade over the path ; a clump of Blood Root (Sanguin- 



curiously-blotched leaves. 



Podophyllums known- — _ 



the above (P. Emodii majus) of garden origin 

 be reckoned. P. Emodii comes from India, and 

 has conspicuous red edible fruit. P. peltatum 

 (American Ufandrake or May Apple) is North 

 American ; it also bears red edible fruit, but the 

 leaves and root of this plant are poisonous. Ths 

 other species inhabits the island of Formosa, 

 but has not yet been introduced to England. 



Whoever is responsible for the excellence of 

 the labelling of the plants deserves to be comple- 

 mented, and, indeed, one has only to watch the 



, , ^vl-ii ji . ,.*.~ • numerous visitors to the garden to see tna* 



bore an abundance of its circular leaves, so deeply ana canadensis) is 2 feet across; Beech Fern take full advantage of this facility. Caltha 



