May 12, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



345 



possible form being the one in which the action of the fountain 

 Bhould be commonly seen. 



My examples from the fountains of Rome have not been 

 selected to exhibit the vast soale and magnificence of the greatest 

 of those worts, many of which occupy great space ; being, in 

 fact, complicated sculptural tableaux, in which a great number 



of statues are required to complete the composition. I have 

 rather selected such examples as might be applicable to practical 

 purposes. 



" dans 1'aii' B'enflamroant au feux d'un soleil pur, 



Pleuvoir en gouttes d'or, d'emeraude, et d'azur.'' 

 — {Gardeners' Mag. of Bot.) Demlle, " Les Jard'ms." 



PHILODENDRON SIMSII 



Nat. ord., Aracecc, k Caladiese, 

 Pbilodendron, Schott. — Spathe convolute at the 



Generic Character, 

 base, straight, closed after flowering. Spadix continuously androgynous ; 

 rudimentary reproductive organs below the stamens ; no sterile appendix. 

 Anthers two-celled, distinct, 2-7, placed back to back in areolEe ; the cells 

 hidden within the connective, open at the apex. Ovaries many, crowded, 

 free, 5-15 celled. Ovules several, ascending from the central angle of the 

 cells, orthotropous ; style very short or wanting ; stigma capitate, truncate, 

 or with imperfect radiating lobes. Berries distinct, many-seeded.— lEndl. 

 Gen. Plant.) 



Linn., Moncecia Triandria. 



P. Simsii.— A'urcMi.— Caulescent; rooting; leaves shining cordate-sagit- 

 tate, acute ; petioles roundish, slightly flattened on the upper side ; spadix 

 slightly contracted below the middle, then tapering gradually to a point ; 

 spathe cylindrically hood-shaped above, constricted in the middle, inflated 

 below, a little longer than the spadix. 



Synonymy.— Pbilodendron Simsii.— Kunth, Enumeratio Plant., iii., 48. 

 — Caladifolium, Sims, in Bot. Mag., t. 2643 {not of Jacquin). C. Simsii, 

 Hooker, in Bot. Mag., p. 3345. 



Desceiption. — A fine stove perennial. Rhizome elongated 

 into a stem, rooting. Leaves cordate-sagittate, very large, the 

 blade 2 feet long, shining ; petiole roundish, more and more 

 flattened on the upper side upwards, elongated (30 inches), 

 closely marked with fine, deep-green, interrupted streaks ; 

 petiolar Bheath very short. Spadix about 8 inches long, cylin- 

 drically hood-shaped, convolute at the base, contracted in 

 the middle, and attenuated above into a fine point, white, and 

 marked about 2 inches below the contracted portion with an 

 oblique crimson band, shaded off above and below. Spadix 

 nearly as long as the spathe, thickened below, slightly contracted 

 below the middle, and tapering gradually up to the rather acute 

 point ; the first inch from the base occupied by the numerous 

 distinct ovaries, the remainder presenting a smooth surface, 

 with reticular lines indicating the boundaries of the groups of 

 sterile and fertile stamens. Rudimentary stamina! groups below 

 the fertile. Stamens consisting of distinct sessile, two-celled 

 anthers, arranged 2-7 in a polygonal group, back to back, in 

 close contact, the cells of the anthers concealed within the con- 

 nective, opening at the apex. Ovaries numerous, crowded, but 

 free, conical, many-celled ; styles almost none ; stigmas capitate, 



flattened on the summit, and with slightly markedjradiating 

 lobes. Ovules numerous, orthotropous, ascending from the 

 internal angle of the cells. Berries? • -■ ii«s*l 



History. — This plant is a native of Demerara, and is not 

 new to our gardens. It was figured by Sims in the " Botanical 

 Magaziue," under the name of Caladium grandifolium ; Sir 

 W. J. Hooker subsequently showed, in the same work, that it 

 was not the Arum grandifolium of Jacquin, and named it 

 C. Simsii. It belongs to the genus Pbilodendron of Schott, 

 under which name it is included in Kunth's "Enumeratio." Its 

 large, glossy, deep-green leaves, and broad crimson band in the 

 white spathe, give it a striking appearance. — A. H. 



Culttjee. — The Pbilodendron figured in our plate is a free- 

 g'owing stove plant. It should be potted in rough, porous 

 compost ; and, from its large size, requires a large pot, which 

 must be well drained. The old stems push out roots, which 

 hang about the pot without striking into the soil, and, no doubt, 

 contribute, like the aerial roots of Orchids, to the support of 

 the plant. It is increased by separating the shoots which, from 

 time to time, branch out from the old stem. The species is 

 more curious than ornamental. — (Gardeners' Mag. of Botany.) 



