June 22, 1871. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAaS GARDENER. 



4iT 



Clipper and Lord Derby also being Tvell shown. Mr. Edwards's 

 FnchBias were good. 



Among the Orchids, the question struck ns whether Cypripedinm 

 barbatnm snperbnm and Cypripedinm barbatnm gigantenm were suffi- 

 ciently distinct to be shown as two separate varieties in a class of sis 



Orchids. We should lite to know the opinion of Orchid-growers on 

 that point. 



In conclusion, we may congi-atulate the management on the general 

 excellence of the Show, and, which is always a matter of congratula- 

 tion, on the fairness of the awards. 



FREMONTIA CALIFORNICA. 



The following notes on this great acquisition to our shrubbery I examining living specimens of Fremontia, I am inclined ta 

 borders appeared in the "Botanical Slagazine" for 1S66 from refer the FremontiecB back to Sterciiliaceai, placing it next to 

 the pen of Dr. Hooker ; — " A very singular and beautiful hardy | the tribe SterculieEB. It is a iivoody shrub, attaining 10 feet in 



Caiifornian 

 shrub, imported 

 by Messrs. Veitch 

 and which flower- 

 ed at their nur- 

 series in June of 

 the present year. 

 It is, imdoubted- 

 ly, the choicest 

 early-flovrering 

 shrub introduced 

 of late years, and 

 more than rivals 

 the Forsythias in 

 many respects. It 

 was discovered 

 during Colonel 

 Fremont's ad- 

 venturous United 

 States Expedi- 

 tion to the Eocky 

 Mountains in 

 1846, and bears 

 the name of that 

 gaUant officer 

 and highly-dis- 

 tinguished ex- 

 plorer. 



"The botani- 

 cal characters of 

 Fremontia are 

 very anomalous. 

 It was referred to 

 a new section of 

 Bombacea3 (Fre- 

 montieas) by its 

 founder, and cor- 

 rectly placed a- 

 long with the 

 famous Hand- 

 plant, Cheiroste- 

 mon (Tab. nostr. 

 .5135), and the 

 stamens were de- 

 scribed as five, 

 with two-celled 

 anthers. On the 

 other hand, cer- 

 tain considera- 

 tions of affinity 

 and structure in- 

 duced Mr. Ben- 

 tham and myself, 

 following Dr. 

 Torrey, to regard 

 the apparently 

 two-celled an- 

 thers of this plant 

 and Cheiroste- 

 mon as consist- 

 ing of two con- 

 fluent single - 

 celled anthers, whence we referred both to the order Malvaeeje 

 instead of Sterculiacefe. I must confess, however, that after 



Fremontia californica, 



its native coun- 

 try, and resem- 

 bling a Fig 

 tree." 



The first liv- 

 ing plant of the 

 Fremontia in 

 Europe, and for 

 a long time the 

 only one, was 

 raised at Chis- 

 wick in 1851, 

 from the onlj^- 

 seed that vege- 

 tated out of ar 

 packet received 

 from Mr. Robert 

 Wrench, of Jacob 

 "Wrench & Sous, 

 39,King"William 

 Street, London 

 Bridge. AH ef- 

 forts to propagate 

 it proved vain, 

 and when the 

 Horticultural So- 

 ciety fell into dif- ■ 

 ficulties, the plant 

 was sold in AprU, 

 1859, to Messrs. 

 E. G. Henderson, 

 and Son for £37 

 16s,, and we be- 

 lieve subsequent- 

 ly died. 



The re- intro- 

 duction of the 

 plant is due to the 

 enterprise of the 

 Messrs. Yeitch, 

 who obtained 

 seeds through one- 

 of the Lobbs, 

 from the north- 

 ern pai't of the 

 Sierra Nevadii,. 

 where, as well as 

 in Mariposa, the 

 plant is found 

 growing wild. 

 These seeds have 

 furnished the 

 plants from which 

 Messrs. Veitch 

 have exhibited 

 flowering branch- 

 es in the Slay 

 and June of the 

 present year, as 

 well as some years 

 ago. 



The plant is a, 



shrub, growing from 4 to 10 feet high, and bears an abundance of 



rich yellow flowers fuUy 2 inches in diameter. 



NEW BOOK. 



The Suhtroincal Garden, or Beauty of Form in the Flower Garden. By W. Eoeinson, F.L.S. London : John Murray. 



To those who are interested in what ig called " subtropical I welcome. It may be necessary for us to state, for the in- 

 gardening," this new work of Mr. Robinson's will come with a | formation of those who do not know what is meant by sub- 



