30 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 204. 



« 



their corollas with their maxillae, but in all cases observed by 

 me the mandibles were first brought into use in effecting- an 

 opening. The noise caused by the tearing is often audible 

 for a distance of several feet. 



The true jaws of the carpenter-bees are not any more 

 prominent or better adapted for making clean-cut perforations 

 than those of the humble-bees ; but behind the jaws there is 

 a pair of long, sharp-pointed, knife-like, jointed organs (max- 

 illae) which seem to be exclusively used on all ordinary occa- 

 sions in making perforations. The inner edges of these max- 

 illa; are nearly straight, and when brought together they form 

 a sharp-pointed, wedge-shaped, plow-like instrument which 

 makes a clean, narrow, longitudinal slit when it is inserted in 

 the flower and shoved forward. The slits made by it are often 

 not readily seen because the elasticity of the tissues of some 

 fiowers causes them to partially close again. When not in 

 use the instrument can be folded back so that it is not con- 

 spicuous. The ordinary observer usually sees no difference 

 between the humble-bees and the carpenter-bees, but they 

 may be readily distinguished by a little close observation. 



No doubt, in some of the recorded cases of perforations, 

 carpenter-bees have been mistaken for humble-bees. The 

 heads of all our northern humble-bees are rather narrow, re- 

 treating from the antennse toward the sides, and with a more 

 or less dense tuft of hair between theantennse. The abdomen, 

 as well as the thorax, is always quite densely covered with 

 hair, which may be black or yellowish or in bands of either 

 color. With possibly one or two exceptions, the only species 

 I have seen doing the puncturing is Bombus affinis, Cresson. 



The carpenter-bees (Xylocopa Virginica) of this region have 

 the head very broad and square in front, and with no noticea- 

 ble hair between the antennae. The heads of the male and 

 female differ strikingly. In the male the eyes are lighter- 

 colored and are hardly half as far apart as in the female, and 

 the lower part of the face is yellowish white. The female has 

 eyes smaller, darker, and very far apart, and the whole face is 

 perfectly black. The abdomen is broad, of a shining blue- 

 black color, very sparsely covered with black hairs, except on 

 the first large segment nearest the thorax. On this segrnent 

 they are more dense and of the same tawny color as those on 

 the thorax. But it is particularly from the character of the 

 head that the amateur observer of the perforators may soon 

 learn to distinguish between a Xylocopa and a Bombus as 

 they work among the flowers. It is also interesting to know 

 that the Xylocopasare not so inclined to sting as the humble- 

 bees, and the males, of course, being without stinging organs, 

 may be handled with impunity. 



Among other insects, honey-bees have been said to per- 

 forate flowers, but authentic instances are rare of their doing 

 much damage, or even making holes. I have only recorded 

 a single instance, and in this a honey-bee was seen to perforate 

 the fragile spurs of Impatiens. When searching for nectar 

 they quite commonly use the perforations of other insects. 

 Wasps and other allied insects also perforate for nectar. My 

 only observations being a Vespa puncturing Cassandra caly- 

 culata, an Andrena (?) perforating the spurs of Aquilegia, and 

 Adynerus foraminatus biting holes close to the base on the 

 upper side of Rhododendron-fiowers. The holes made by 

 some of the wasp-like insects. are often more or less circular 

 and with clean-cut edges. The ravages committed by larvae, 

 beetles and other insects in devouring flowers, or parts of 

 them, do not properly come under the head of perforations. 



The question as to the cause of the handsome corollas of 

 the Trumpet Creeper (Tecoma radicans) being so often split 

 and torn has been accounted for in various ways in published 

 notes on the subject. Hunnming-birds and ants have been 

 blamed, the humming-birds being such constant visitors of 

 these flowers that it really seemed as though they must be the 

 authors of the mischief. I have often watched them when they 

 appeared as though they were pecking at the blossoms, but 

 careful examinations, both before and after their visits, always 

 tailed to show any trace of injury. Finally, on July 26th, 1890, 

 I was rewarded by seeing a number of Baltimore orioles vigor- 

 ously pecking at and tearing open a lot of fresh blossoms, and 

 this observation was afterward repeated. That the oriole 

 should do this was not surprising, considering its known 

 habits in relation to some other flowers. 



Arnold Arboretum. /. G. Jack. 



[Mr. Jack adds a list of sixteen plants vi^hose flovifers he 

 lias seen punctured by the carpenter-bee, and seventeen 

 others whose flowers were punctured by the humble-bee. 

 He names more than thirty other flowers which he has 

 found perforated without having seen or identified the 

 authors of the mischief. — Ed.] 



Foreign Correspondence. 



New Garden-plants of 1891. — I. 



A REVIEW of the new plants introduced into cultiva- 

 tion and described in various periodicals for the 

 first time during last year does not reveal much of very 

 decided value. The bulk of them have already been no- 

 ticed in the pages of Garden and Forest, but, following 

 the practice of previous years, I propose to sweep them 

 all together, marking specially those possessed of horticul- 

 tural merit. Orchids stand a long way first in point of num- 

 ber. There are exceptionally few new introductions of any 

 note. The hybrids, too, fall short in interest of those of 

 the previous year. Of species, hybrids and wild varieties 

 there are altogether seventy additions. Besides these, 

 there are those Orchids which had previously been rare, 

 but are now abundant in gardens in consequence of large 

 importations made last year. The most noteworthy of 

 these are Cattleya labiata vera (Warocqueana) and Den- 

 drobium Phalaenopsis. Cattleya Rex is another recent 

 acquisition of quite exceptional promise. 



Ada Lehmanni, Rolfe, differs chiefly in the foliage from 

 the well-known A. aurantiaca. 



Aerides Laurencise, var. Amesiana, Sander, is a grand 

 variety of a grand Orchid It has racemes over two feet 

 long crowded with larger flowers than those of the type 

 (Sander & Co.) 



Angrsecum fragrans, Spreng., is an interesting little spe- 

 cies of economic value in the Island of Bourbon, where its 

 leaves, when dry, are used as tea. (Kew.) 



Cattleya Lowryana, Hort., is a pretty hybrid, raised by 

 F. Sander & Co., and described by me in Garden and 

 Forest, iv., 293. 



Cirrhopetalum Collettii, Hemsley, is the largest, hand- 

 soinest and most remarkable species of a remarkable 

 genus. It was discovered in upper Burma by General 

 Collett, and sent by him to Kew, where it flowered for the 

 first time in June last. C. Wendlandianum, Kranzlin, is 

 described as a new species which combines the characters 

 of C. Medusae and C. fimbriatum. It is not unlike General 

 CoUett's plant, and comes from the same country. 



Coelogyne iMicholitziana, Kranzlin, is a white-flowered 

 species in the way of C. speciosa, which Messrs. Sander 

 & Co. introduced from Macassar. 



Cochlioda Noezliana, Rolfe, is a charming little Orchid 

 for the cool house, easy to manage, free-flowering, with 

 elegant racemes of orange-scarlet and yellow flowers. It 

 was introduced in quantity from Peru by Messrs. Linden, 

 Brussels. 



Cymbidium pulcherrimum, Hort., Sander, is a beautiful 

 plant, with the habit of C. Mastersii, and a dozen or so 

 waxy white flowers striped and flushed with crimson. 

 Messrs. Sander&Co. have introduced it from northern India. 



Cypripediuin. There are numerous hybrids of this ge- 

 nus, as usual, few being of any real decorative value. The 

 best areC. Antigone (from C. niveumandC. Laurencianum), 

 C. Berenice (from C. Roebelini andC. Lowii), C.Ceres (from 

 C. hirsutissimum and C. Spicerianum), C. Castleanum (from 

 C. hirsutissimum and C. superbiens). 



Dendrobium Leeanum, Hort., Sander, is a species from 

 New Guinea, with the habit of D. superbiens, the flowers 

 being white, mottled with rose and tinged with green 

 (F. Sander & Co.) 



Disa Veitchii, Hort., is the best hybrid Orchid of the 

 year. It was raised by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons from D. 

 grandiflora and D. racemosa, flowering within two years 

 from the time the seeds were sown. We have made the 

 same cross at Kew, besides other crosses between these 

 and D. tripetaloides, and the seeds have germinated freely. 

 It was proved long ago by Dr. Moore, of Glasnevin, that 

 Disas could be easily multiplied by means of seeds. I am 

 of opinion that in the three species here named we have 

 very promising material for the production of a really 

 valuable race of easily grown cool Orchids. 



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