54 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 258. 



already possess dozens of named sorts, some of which 

 do not materially differ from each other except in name. 



Nympha-a Laydekeri rosea has won golden opinions 

 from those who have seen the few plants which we owe to 

 American nurserymen. N. gracilis, although introduced 

 for N. Mexicana, is worth a place in the aquarium, as it 

 grows freely and produces numerous pure white, elegant, 

 medium-sized flowers during the summer. 



Monodora grandiflora is not new, but it flowered for the 

 first time in cultivation last year at Kew. It is a small tree 

 with stout branches and oblong glaucous-green leaves, 

 which are reddish when young. The flovi^ers are produced 

 singly from the axils of the leaves on their drooping pe- 

 duncles, and they are formed of three long lanceolate seg- 

 ments four inches long, colored exactly like the labellum of 

 Oncidium Papilio. 



Nidularium striatum (W. Bull) and N. Makoyanum (San- 

 der & Co.) are pretty foliage-plants, particularly the former, 

 which has strap-shaped, recurved, bright green leaves, con- 

 spicuously striped with creamy white. 



Oreopanax Sanderianum (Sander & Co.) is a new species 

 similar to Fatsia papyrifera, with tough, leathery, yellowish 

 green, lobed leaves ; it is a native of Guatemala. 



The best (indeed, I believe, the only) new Palm is Ptycho- 

 raphis Augusta (Kew), which grows freely in a warm 

 house, and is as elegant as Cocos Weddelliana. 



Pandanus Baptistii (Veitch) and P. Dyerianus (Sander) 

 are identical with P. inermis variegatus, introduced this 

 year to Kew from Australia. P. Pacificus (Veitch) is a dis- 

 tinct-looking plant with broad, graceful, shining green 

 le'aves, the margins clothed with fine teeth, and the apex 

 narrowed abruptly to a long tail-like point. It is said to be 

 a native of the South Sea Islands. 



Podocarpus pectinatus (Kew and Sander & Co.) is an 

 elegant Yew-like plant from New Caledonia, remarkable 

 for the coating of white waxy "bloom" on the leaves, 

 which have in consequence a silvery appearance. The 

 plant grows freely and is easily multiplied by means of 

 cuttings. 



Synandrospadix vermitoxicus (Kew) is a tuberous-rooted 

 Aroid from Tucuman, with large annual heart-shaped green 

 leaves, and a scape a foot high bearing an open ovate 

 spathe six inches long by four inches wide, colored gray- 

 green outside, tawny-red inside. Thunbergia grandiflora 

 alba differs from the type, which when well treated is one of 

 the most ornamental of stove climbers, in having pure white 

 instead of blue flowers. Urceocharis Clibrani is one of the 

 most interesting plants of the year. It is to be distributed 

 by Messrs. Clibran & Son, of Altrincham, in Cheshire, in 

 June next. As I have recently described this plant in Gar- 

 den AND Forest, I need only say here that it is a hybrid 

 between Eucharis grandiflora (mother) and Urceolinapen- 

 dula, and that it has all the vigor and much of the charm 

 of the former, with flowers intermediate between the two 

 parents. Tillandsia Massangeana, var. superba (Veitch), is 

 a near ally of T. zebrina. It has broad recurved leaves 

 colored apple-green, with transverse bands of deep choco- 

 late. T. Moensii (Veitch) is somewhat similar to the last, 

 but the leaves are veined and mottled with bright green on 

 a yellowish green ground. Tradescantia decora (W. Bull) 

 is an ornamental foliage-plant, with elongate lanceolate 

 leaves colored oHve-green, with a broad median line of 

 silvery gray. Several other new kinds of Tradescantia will 

 be mentioned under the list of plants introduced by foreign 

 horticulturists. 



Utricularia Humboldtii and U. longifolia are probably 

 the largest-flowered and most beautiful species known. 

 They were discovered by Schomburgk on the Roraima in. 

 British Guiana and described by him in his charming 

 Reminiscences. They were introduced into cultivation 

 several years ago, but not flowered before last year. U. 

 Humboldtii has broad reniform leaves, four inches wide and 

 a foot high when well grown. The flowers, which are 

 larger than those of U. montana and colored pale lavender, 

 are borne on graceful scapes. U. longifolia has strap- 



shaped leaves a foot long and short erect scapes of mauve 

 flowers. These plants grow well in a warm, moist house, 

 but they do not flower freely. 



Hippeastrums, Streptocarpi, Begonias and Cliveas have 

 been improved by breeders interested in these genera. A 

 hybrid between Streptocarpus Galpini and a variety of 

 S. Rexii, raised and flowered at Kew, promises to be a 

 first-rate plant. 



Greenhouse Plants. — Several new additions of more than 

 ordinary promise are to be noted here. Taking the selection 

 in alphabetical order, w^e have first the noble Agave Fran- 

 zosini (Kew), which is of the size and stature of A. Amer- 

 icana, but the leaves are silvery. There is a description of it 

 in the Kew Bulletin, 1892, p. 3, by Mr. Baker, taken from a 

 specimen flowered in Mr. Hanbury's garden at La Mor- 

 tola, Mentone. Aloe aurantiaca is another of Mr. Hanbury's 

 treasures. It is intermediate between A. ciliaris and A. 

 arborescens, a very free grower, forming a huge mass 

 which in spring and summer is covered with crowded 

 racemes of Kniphofia-like red and yellow flowers. Cyrtan- 

 thus Galpini (Kew) is likely to rival Vallota purpurea in 

 the size and color of its flowers. Richardia Pentlandii, 

 which is the best of the yellow-flowered "Callas," I have 

 noted several times recently. It is certain to become as 

 great a favorite as the common Arum Lily. Several other 

 so-called yellow-flowered kinds have been advertised, but 

 they have not yet been proved. Rhododendron racemo- 

 sum (Veitch and Kew) is a charming little species, dwarf 

 as the Cowberry (Vaccinium Vitis-idaea), very free-flower- 

 ing, and pretty in the form and color of its flowers. It may 

 prove hardy in the warmer parts of England. Senecio 

 Galpini (Kew), from the Transvaal, is a Kleinia, with glau- 

 cous leaves on branched stems, less than a foot in height, 

 bearing erect terminal heads of bright orange flowers. 

 Tacsonia Smythiana is a supposed hybrid, but, as I have 

 recently stated, it is remarkably like T. moUissima. Tricho- 

 desma physaloides (O'Brien) is an interesting and orna- 

 mental Boragewort from South Africa, with a fleshy root- 

 stock, annual stems, glaucous green leaves, and large pure 

 white bell-shaped flowers in erect branched racemes. Un- 

 fortunately it has proved hitherto bad to establish. Verno- 

 nia podocoma (Kew) is a tree-like composite from south 

 Africa, with large leathery foliage and a huge terminal 

 panicle of rosy purple flowers. Yucca Hanburyi is a new 

 species described by Mr. Baker from a plant at La Mortola. 

 It has the habit and appearance of Y. angustifolia, the 

 leaves being linear, green, rigid, with a yellow-brown edge 

 and curling filaments; raceme simple, one and a half feet 

 long, bearing white campanulate flowers two inches long. 



Ferns. — There are no new species of Ferns to record for 

 last year. These plants do not now receive much attention 

 from horticulturists. Hardy kinds, and particularly the 

 rarer varieties of British Ferns, are increasing in popularity, 

 and in consequence of high cultivation they are most pro- 

 lific in the production of what are called sports, a number 

 of which have received certificates this year. Among the 

 exotics we have the variegated variety of Adiantum macro- 

 phyllum, which obtained a certificate this year. Pteris 

 tremula variegata is a pleasing variation of one of the most 

 useful of Ferns, and P. Regina and P. cristata are sports from 

 the ornate P. Victoria-regina, introduced by Mr. Bull several 

 years ago. Woodwardia radicans, var. pendula, is not un- 

 worthy of a place among basket Ferns for the conservatory. 



Hardy Plants. — There are a few promising new herba- 

 ceous plants and two or three trees and shrubs, but the list 

 is, on the whole, meagre. Allium Kansuense (Kew) is a 

 pretty species allied to A. coeruleum, but dwarfer and with 

 larger heads of nodding deep blue flowers. It has been 

 introduced from China through St. Petersburg, and was one 

 of the prettiest of the rockery plants in flower at Kew last 

 July. 



Aquilegia Transylvanica (Kew) has large purplish blue 

 flowers on branching stems two. feet high. Astilbe Chi- 

 nensis (Kew) resembles Hoteia (Astilbe) Japonica, but the 

 flower-heads are looser and the flowers rose-colored. Calo- 



