464 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 298. 



New or Little-known Plants. 



A New Water-lily. 



FROM Nymphica dentata, fertilized by the pollen 

 of N. Sturtevantii, Mr. William Tricker has secured 

 a new hybrid night-flowering Water-lily, which is dis- 

 tinct and produces flowers of great beauty. In the 

 specimen of Nymphsea Trickeri which I have seen 

 the leaves are eighteen inches in diameter, finely 

 toothed and a glistening emerald-green above. The 

 under surface is dark brown and boldly ribbed with nu- 

 merous prcmiinent veins. The flowers are semi-double, 

 with three rows of petals, and in form quite identical with 

 N. Sturtevantii, having even the tendency to plication of 

 the edges of the petals. It differs, however, not only in 

 coloring of "the leaves, as noted above, but also in the dis- 

 tinct coloring of the flowers, which may be described either 

 as a light rose-pink, shading irregularly to white, or as 

 white, irregularly suffused with pink, the general effect be- 

 ing a light pink flower with white markings. Under artifi- 

 cial light it is the most brilliant of all Lilies. The white 

 markings are then not distinguishable, and it appears as a 

 most charming glow of light rose-pink of very pure tone. 



There are no nobler Nymphseas than N. rubra, N. Devo- 

 niensis and N. Sturtevantii, and N. Trickeri, the lightest in 

 color of the quartette, is apparently an important addition 

 to the series. The night-blooming Nymphaeas are precious 

 flowers, which should meet with wider appreciation. 

 Though they open in the evening, they remain open 

 during the early morning, and in a later stage still longer. 

 Their flowers are charming under artificial light, and ex- 

 quisite effects in decoration are possible by their aid. They 

 will be probably always somewhat rare and uncommon, for, 

 while the plants offer no difficulties in cultivation, to be 

 well grown they require considerable space, and this will 

 prevent their being grown for commercial purposes. It will 

 be readily seen that an arrangement of Nymphaeas in a 

 suitable receptacle is one which is delightful in itself, and 

 sure to excite attention and give pleasure. Such arrange- 

 ments are frequent with ordinary day-flowering Nymphaeas, 

 but these, unfortunately, close in the evening, so that plants 

 like N. dentata, N. rubra and its hybrids, which are open 

 when they can be generally most enjoyed, are especially 



valuable. 

 Elizabeth, N.J. J- ^. (jrerard. 



Foreign Correspondence. 



London Letter. 



OsTEOMELES ANTHYLLiDiFOLiA is an interesting shrub, allied 

 to Crataegus and Cotoneaster, with flowers and fruits which 

 clearly show this relationship, but in foliage and habit more 

 suggestive of a Legume. It is pretty enough to deserve a 

 place in the garden, and should it prove hardy it will be a use- 

 ful evergreen, as well as a free-flowering ornamental shrub. 

 It has been introduced from Yun-nan through the Jardin des 

 Plantes, Paris, from whence a plant was obtained for Kevv 

 two years ago. It flowered freely in February, the flowers 

 being in clusters, and white like those of Hawthorn, and 

 the berries reddish. The leaves are two to three inches 

 long, pinnate, less than an inch wide, not unlike those of 

 a Mimosa, but stiffer and clothed with a silky pubescence. 

 So far it has only been tried in a cold house, but it may 

 probably prove hardy. It is included among the novelties 

 offered this year by Monsieur Lemoine & Son, of Nancy, 

 who also obtained it from the Jardin des Plantes. In its 

 distribution this plant is very remarkable, for while it has 

 been found in China, Japan, the Sandwich, Pitcairn and 

 several other islands, the other eight species of the genus are 

 exclusively Andean. A second species, O. glabrata, a native 

 of Chili, is also in cultivation atKew. A figure of O. anthyllidi- 

 folia has been prepared for the Botanical Magazine. Accord- 

 ing to Monsieur Lemoine, the French Horticultural Society 

 awarded a first-class certificate to the plant shown in flower 



English 

 Those 

 n New 



in February by Monsieur Cornu, to whose skill we are in- 

 debted for the possession of living plants. 



Ranunculus Lyallii. — This is the beautiful New Zealand 

 white-flowered Buttercup, which has tantalized 

 horticulturists for the last twenty years at least, 

 who have seen it growing wild on the mountains 

 Zealand, and have cultivated it in the gardens there, are 

 unable to understand how it can fail to thrive in English 

 gardens. The receipt of a consignment of plants and also 

 good seeds of this and two other equally beautiful ^New 

 Zealand species, namely, R. Buchanani and R. insignis, 

 and a conversation about these plants with a New Zealand 

 collector has whetted our appetites, and we mean to try 

 again. Roughly described, R. Lyallii is as effective and 

 beautiful in flower as the white Anemone Japonica, grow- 

 ing as high, flowering as freely and behaving in the same 

 satisfactory manner in New Zealand as that species does 

 with us. In foliage it is even more effective than the 

 Anemone, the leaves being peltate, rich deep green, and from 

 eight to twelve inches in diameter. The roots are tuberous. 

 Failure with this plant in England is not due to cold, nor do 

 I think excessive heat in summer hurts it. There is, how- 

 ever, some condition, some peculiar hitch which we can- 

 not get over if we attempt to grow the plant out-of-doors. 

 We have flowered it in pots in a cool Orchid-house at Kew, 

 but it was weak, and Mr. Moore, of Glasnevin, can grow 

 it and flower it in a cold frame facing north, the plants be- 

 ing in pots, stood in shallow pans of water. At Reading, 

 Mr. Bartholomew has grown it fairly well in an open bor- 

 der. I wonder if the plant is more likely to succeed with 

 any of your cultivators? The three species above men- 

 tioned and a fourth one, R. Godleyanus, are well worth the 

 experiment. Mr. Mathews, nurseryman at Dunedin, makes 

 a specialty of New Zealand plants, and the Ranunculi could, 

 I believe, be procured from him. The beautiful Celmisias 

 are equally worth attention. 



Polygonum polystachyum. — This is a very handsome Knot- 

 weed from the Himalayas, which is quite hardy in England, 

 and flowers freely in October. It forms a mass of curved, 

 zigzag, reddish, herbaceous stems five feet high, furnished 

 with lanceolate, dark-shining green leaves a foot long, with 

 short red petioles, each stem terminated by a many- 

 branched plume-like raceme of white fragrant flowers. 

 Some of the specimens here are six feet through, and 

 they have been perfect clouds of flowers for the past three 

 weeks. This species is like most of the Knot-weeds in its 

 indifference with regard to soil and moisture, growing well 

 and flowering freely in the most diverse conditions. At 

 the same time it pays for good soil and an open sunny po- 

 sition. It is a perfect plant for a lawn specimen, for which 

 purpose it, P. Sacchalinense, P. cuspidatum and several 

 other large-growing species are employed at Kew. 



Rose, Crimson Rambler. — Mr. Turner, of Slough, prom- 

 ises to distribute this grand Rose next year. He has an 

 enormous stock of it, not more, however, than is likely to 

 be necessary to meet the demand for it, no Rose of recent 

 times having taken the popular fancy as this has. It grows 

 very rapidly, as freely as the "weediest" forms of R. poly- 

 antha, and it flowers just as freely. I have already de- 

 scribed the flowers, large corymbose clusters of loose, 

 medium-sized, brilliant magenta-red flowers which glow in 

 the sunlight, and can be seen a mile off. The history of 

 this Rose is interesting. It was brought from Japan by an 

 engineer named Smith, who gave or sold it to Mr. Janner, 

 of Duddington Lodge, Edinburgh, who disposed of it to 

 Mr. Turner, keeping only a plant, which I am told is quite 

 a feature on the front of his dwelling-house. It was first 

 named Engineer, under which name it received a first-class 

 certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society in July, 1890. 



New Hybrid Tea Roses. — According to Rose-fanciers, the 

 best of the newer hybrid Tea Roses are Gustave Regis, of 

 a beautiful canary-yellow color, with a long, elegant, pointed 

 bud, and a free grower and perpetual bloomer. It was 

 raised and sent out by Pernet and Ducher in 1890. Caro- 

 line Testout, from the same raiser, is spoken very highly 



