December 3, 1S90.J 



Garden and Forest. 



585 



flowers are first expanded as it is after they have been open a 

 few days. The blossoms, however, are but one part of its 

 beauty, as the fruits of the Benthamia are wonderfully showy 

 when ripe. They grow as large as a good sized strawberry, 

 which they greatly resemble. When Vipe, these berries are 

 of a reddish hue, and though they usually ripen about 

 October, they frequently remain on the trees throughout the 

 winter." 



In Cornwall and in the south of Ireland this plant seems to 

 be at home, growing to a large size and flowering abundantly 

 every year. It is little seen in less favored regions of Europe, 

 and very probably has never been tried in America, although 

 it would probably succeed in our southern states. There is a 

 second species, Benthamia yaponica {Cor tins Aokj(?), a smaller 

 plant, with less showy flowers and fruit. This was introduced 

 into American gardens many years ago, and has produced 

 flowers at the Parsons' nursery in Flushing. As a purely or- 

 namental plant, however, it has little to recommend it except 

 its rarity over our common Flowering Dogwood of the east, 

 Com us' florid a . 



Ipomcea temata is represented at Kew by three most distinct 

 varieties— namely, that known in gardens as I. Horsfallicr, a sec- 

 ond sometimes called /. Briggsii or Lady Briggs, and the third 

 the type which was introduced a few years ago as I. Thompsoni- 

 ana. The first of this trio is well known as one of the best of 

 stove flowering climbers. Taken altogether, however, I think/. 

 Briggsii is a more useful plant, on account of its freer, more 

 elegant habit, and the profusion of its rosy crimson flowers in 

 November. It is easily propagated from cuttings, and it will 

 grow well with ordinary treatment. In the Palm House and 

 also in the Victoria House at Kew it covers a large space 

 against the roof, and its numerous shoots, which hang down 

 several yards, are wreathed with flowers. The third variety 

 is pure white, and, although larger than the other two, it is 

 much less effective. 



Lapeyronsia grandiflora is a hardy, autumn-flowering 

 bulbous plant of considerable promise. In habit and foliage 

 it resembles Crocosma, grows about a foot in height and pro- 

 duces racemose scapes of flowers which are each fully two 

 inches across. The segments are three-eighths of an inch 

 wide and colored bright crimson, the three lower ones having 

 a deep maroon blotch at the base. The behavior of the bulbs 

 is the same as in Crocosma, so that in time the plants should 

 become common. L. grandiflora was introduced by means 

 of seeds sent from Oelagoa Bay to Kew in 1883. A figure of 

 it (a poor one) was published in the Botanical Magazine, t. 

 6<)ii\. Last year a few of the bulbs were planted in a bed on 

 one of the lawns at Kew and left out all winter. They have 

 multiplied tenfold and flowered freelv this autumn. 



Ke«r. IV. 



Foreign Correspondence. 



London Letter. 



Chrysanthemums. — The exhibition held by the National 

 Chrysanthemum Society has been as great a success as cir- 

 cumstances would permit. The collections of plants and cut 

 blooms, the conferences and the crowds which were attracted 

 by them were successes. The chief drawback was the utter 

 unfitness of the Aquarium as an exhibition hall for plants and 

 flowers, and the consequent absence of anything like an 

 effective display. In a proper hall the vast collections of flow- 

 ers, many of them magnificent examples of culture, and the 

 large groups of well flowered plants, would have presented a 

 floral picture such as has probably never been seen before. 

 The excitement of competition centred in the Centenary Class 

 for cut blooms, twenty-four Japaneseand twenty-four incurved 

 varieties, the prizes, of which there were five, being from ^25 

 to £5. First honors were awarded to a magnificentcollection of 

 blooms shown by Messrs. Drover, of Farnham. Old Chrvsan- 

 themum fanciers declared this to be the most superb collec- 

 tion of flowers ever seen. Almost every flower was a picture 

 in finish, color and size. I give the names of the sorts in- 

 cluded in this collection. Incurved : Lord Alcester, Queen of 

 England, Golden Empress, Beauty, Prince Alfred, Princess of 

 Teck, Mrs. Heale, C. Gibson, Mrs. Coleman, Alfred Salter, 

 Lady Hardinge, Mrs. N. Davis, Emily Dale, Princess of Wales, 

 Alfred Lynne, John Doughty, Violet Tomlin, Lady Dorothy, 

 Empress of India, Empress Eugenie, Mrs. W. Shipman, Nil 

 Desperandum, Jeanne d'Arc, Miss M. A. Haggas. Japanese: 

 Madame Bacco, Ralph Brocklebank, Avalanche, E. Molyneux, 

 Comte de Germiny, Stanstead White, Etoile de Lyon', Sun- 

 flower, Mrs. C. H. Clarke, Pelican, Baronne de Prailly, Mrs. C. 



H. Wheeler, Mrs. A. Hardy, M. Bernard, Criterion, Jeanne 

 Delaux, Boule d'Or, Mrs. F. Jameson, E. A. Carriere, Lady T. 

 Lawrence, Sarah Owen, Meg Mcrrilcs, Condor and Gloriosum. 



Almost every one of the sorts here named occurred fre- 

 quently in other stands and collections. The first-rate kinds, 

 which were well shown, in addition to the above, were — 

 Japanese : Mrs. H. Cannell, \'al d'Andorre, Maiden's Blush, 

 Fair Maid of Guernsey and Album Fimbriatum. Incurved: 

 Lord Wolseley, Mr. Brunless, Mrs. Heale, Hero of Stoke New- 

 ington and Barbara. 



Tastes differ in regard to the beauty of different Chrysanthe- 

 mums ; my own taste places Edwin Molyneux first among 

 the Japanese, and the old Queen of England first among the' 

 incurved. 



Of other classes there were excellent examples shown, the 

 reflexed being represented by King of Crimsons, Cullingfordii, 

 Cloth of Gold and Pink Christine amongst others. The Japan- 

 ese Anemones included fine examples of Mademoiselle Ca- 

 brol, Madame Blanche, Sabine, Dame Nelson and Fabian de 

 Mediana. Pompons were not abundantly shown, but such 

 kinds as President, Rubrum, Perfection and Elise Dordan were 

 good. There are evidences of a growing preference for size 

 in the flowers of this section, which if not checked will result 

 in their being improved out of all character. Their small, 

 compact, button-like flowers are their peculiar attraction. 



Plants were exceptionally good for the south of England, 

 Mr. G. Stevens, of Putney, winning first honors for six speci- 

 mens which would have done credit to a show in Liverpool or 

 Manchester. Trained Standards were also splendidly shown. 

 UJntrained plants were, however, very weak, and it is evident 

 that this style does not as yet meet with much favor amongst 

 first-rate growers. While this exhibition revealed general 

 progress in cultivation and considerable growth in the interest 

 shown by the general public in Chrysanthemums, it did not 

 give us anything startling in the way of new kinds or new 

 methods of cultivation. 



The following new plants obtained certificates at the last 

 meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society : 



Chrysanthemum Arthur Wood (Japanese) ; large, rich 

 chestnut brown, tipped with gold. (Cannell.) 



Cypripedium Antigone x (C. niveum and C. Lawrenci- 

 aniini), a beautiful addition to hybrid Orchids. The flower is 

 large, rose colored, with a few streaks and dots of a darker 

 color. (Messrs. Veitch.) 



C. Doris x (C. venustutn and C. Slonci). — Large flowered, 

 but unattractive in color, being a mixture of green and dull 

 brown. (Norman Cookson.) 



C. Eyermannianum X (C. barbatum and C. Spicerianutn), 

 combines the characters of the two parents, but is not an im- 

 provement upon either. (Sander & Co.) 



C. CLEOLA X {C.reticulatuin and C. Schlimi). — A promising 

 plant, distinct and pretty in the colors of its flowers; the dorsal 

 sepal is pale yellow, the petals cream colored and the lip white 

 tinted with rose. (Messrs. Veitch.) 



Odontoglossum Duvivierianum.— A yellow tinted variety 

 of 0. cordatum. (M. Linden.) 



VACCINIUM CORYMBOSUM, shown as V. Pennsylvanicum. 

 The color of the leaves in autumn is a rich orange-red. In 

 England this shrub is scarcely known, although at Kew and 

 apparently in Mr. Waterer's nursery at Knap Hill it is exceed- 

 ingly ornamental in November. 



Quercus tinctoria, also shown by Mr. Watereras the Knap 

 Hill Scarlet Oak. Until the leaves fell the trees of this and of 

 many other Oaks at Kew were exceptionally rich in color this 

 autumn. Both the Vaccinium and this Oak were certiticated 

 on account of their ornamental foliage. 



Primula imperialis. — The true plant of this name is now 

 in cultivation at Kew, where it has been raised from seeds 

 imported from Java, on the highest mountain of which island 

 this gigantic species was met with by Wallace, and described 

 in his delightful book, " The Malay Archipelago." This 

 Primula has leaves eighteen inches long and nearly six inches 

 wide, while its erect flower-spike attains a height of five feet, 

 the flowers being in whorls as in P. yaponica. About eight 

 years ago an allied plant, or possibly a geographical form of 

 this Javanese giant, was introduced from the Himalayas and 

 flowered at Kew. A figure of it was published in the Botanical 

 Magazine under the name of P. prolifera, the name P. imperi- 

 alis being there quoted as a synonym. There is, however, a 

 marked difference between the form and texture of the foliage 

 of the Javanese and Himalayan plants, as well as that of di- 

 mensions, so that, for horticultural convenience at any rate, 

 we may retain the name Imperialis for the Javanese plant. 

 Next year, when probably the plants at Kew will produce flow- 

 ers, we shall be in a better position to speak of their value in 



