94 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 315. 



Trevor Lawrence. It has thick fleshy purplish stems, 

 which at Kevv grow to a height of six or eight ieet and bear 

 large deep green leaves a foot long and nine inches wide. 

 The flowers, which are developed in winter and remain 

 showy for several weeks, are in a huge terminal corymb, 

 from a foot' to eighteen inches across, and of a bright 

 yellow color. At Kew, S. Griesbreghtii is planted out in 

 groups, which make imposing pictures of immense leaves 

 and gigantic heads of flowers at this time. Last year it 

 was grown in pots for the conservatory and formed hand- 

 some specimens two feet high. It is also a good plant to 

 use for subtropical effects in summer, and is a first-class 

 garden-plant. It is a native of Mexico and is also called 

 S. grandifolius. 



Amygdalus persica magnifica is a new variety of Peach 

 which Mr. J. Veitch has introduced from Japan, and which 

 is certain to become a great favorite. It is quite hardy, 

 and the specimens shown were long shoots clothed with 

 flowers, which had been lifted from the open air at Coombe 

 Wood in the middle of February. The flowers were exactly 

 like those of the doubled-flowered Peach in size and form, 

 but in color they were of the clearest carmine-crimson, 

 bright and beautiful. For a supply of flowers in the early 

 spring, or to force for use in midwinter, or even as a tree or 

 shrub for the conservatory, this new arrival from Japan has 

 a special value. It was shown in company with the snow- 

 white-flowered Prunus Davidiana and the Lilac-like Daphne 

 Genkwa. 



Prunus Davidiana has been in flower here since the end 

 of January. Although introduced to France by the Abbe 

 David twenty years ago, this plant was not known in Eng- 

 lish gardens until Messrs. Veitch showed it in flower a year 

 or two ago, but it has only to be seen now to find universal 

 favor. We have a Japanese garden here, in which a tree of 

 this snow-white Peach is now a beautiful picture, its crowd 

 of erect branches being wands of white fully two feet long. 

 It was in full beauty before the Almond-buds had even 

 moved. The variety called ruora is not nearly so effective. 

 Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons exhibited a beautiful group of 

 bush-plants of the white form this week. We are indebted 

 to China and Japan for many first-rate plants of the Prunus 

 family, but this P. Davidiana, in its elegance and purity, is, 

 I think, the most charming of all. 



Clematis Balearica, generally considered to be a form of 

 C. cirrhosa, but much superior to the ordinary garden rep- 

 resentative of that species, is a plant of considerable value, 

 as it is as hardy as the hardiest, is evergreen, with leaves 

 suggesting those of Vitis heterophylla, and it grows ram- 

 pantly in ordinary garden-soil. In addition to all this, it 

 produces its flowers in February, and they are not affected 

 by a few degrees of frost. They are borne three or four 

 together in the axils of the leaves, singly on stalks nearly 

 two inches long, nodding, and colored creamy yellow out- 

 side, with spots of dull red inside the petals, which are 

 ovate and an inch long. A mass of it clustering about a 

 tall stout stake is now an attraction among the collection of 

 hardy Clematis at Kew. C. cirrhosa is a native of Minorca ; 

 the history of the form called Balearica is unknown to 

 me. 



Daphne Mezereum, var. grandiflorum, is much superior 

 to the type as regards the size and color of the flowers, 

 which, in the variety, are nearly an inch in diameter and 

 of a rich crimson-purple color. So far as effect goes, the 

 size is of less importance than the color. I read lately in 

 Garden and Forest that D. Mezereum is now naturalized in 

 some of the states. It is one of those shrubs of which we 

 cannot easily have too much. At Kew it is largely used 

 on account of its early-flowering habit, and this winter it 

 has been exceptionally beautiful. Large beds of the purple 

 form are a conspicuous feature on a large lawn in one part 

 of the garden, and the white variety is almost as effectively 

 employed. During the summer the Daphnes have various 

 species of Lilium as companions. 



Sph^ralcea abutiloides is worth growing for the green- 

 house on account of its axillary racemes of rosy-mauve 



Malva-like flowers, nearly two inches across, which are 

 developed in February. It was introduced in 1725 from 

 the Bahamas, but hadlong since disappeared from gardens, 

 until re-introduced to Kew by Baron Eggers a few years 

 ago. Here it is grown along with greenhouse Abutilons 

 and forms a nice little pot-plant two feet high, with silky 

 green leaves. With a little management it can be had in 

 flower at almost any time. S. umbellata, better known as 

 Malva umbellata, is another useful old plant for the green- 

 house, which, however, is rarely seen in gardens. A species, 

 said to have been found by Nuttall on the banks of rivulets 

 east of the Walla-Walla, in north-west America, and intro- 

 duced to Kew in 1S63, is not known to be in cultivation 

 here, though its picture represents it as a handsome flow- 

 ering shrub. 



New Orchids. — The following were the most noteworthy 

 Orchids shown at the last meeting of the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society : 



Laelio-Cattleya Hon. Mrs. Astor. A beautiful hybrid be- 

 tween L. xanthina and C. Gaskelliana. The flowers are of 

 medium size, well formed and colored buff-yellow, with an 

 orange-yellow lip, the front lobe colored magenta-purple, 

 elegantly crisped and wavy. It was exhibited by Messrs. 

 F. Sander & Co. and obtained a first-class certificate. 



Laelio-Cattleya Tydea is a hybrid between L. pumila and 

 C. Trianae. It shows the characters of both parents, is not 

 unlike a form of C. Percivaliana, and its colors are rosy- 

 purple, with a dark crimson lahellum. It was shown by 

 Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons and obtained an award of merit. 



Pleurothallis Roezlii was shown by Mr. R. J. Measures 

 and obtained a botanical certificate. The equally large- 

 flowered and remarkable P. scapha is now in flower at 

 Kew. 



Calanthe Baron Schrceder is a hybrid between C. vestita 

 oculata and C. Regnieri, and superior to both. Two spikes 

 were exhibited from Baron Schrceder's collection, very 

 strong, bearing numerous flowers of large size and of a 

 rose-crimson color, the lip maroon. It obtained a first- 

 class certificate. 



Sophronitis grandiflora was represented in a specimen 

 bearing over fifty beautiful scarlet flowers, shown by Sir 

 Trevor Lawrence, who also sent several new plants which 

 were awarded botanical certificates, among them being a 

 pretty little yellow-tailed Masdevallia named picturata. He 

 also showed Bulbophyllum mandibulare, which is remark- 

 able in having purplish flowers nearly two inches across, 

 with a large, fleshy, tongue-like labellum. It was discov- 

 ered in Borneo by Mr. Burbidge, and has lately been im- 

 ported by Messrs. F. Sander & Co. 



Cymbidium eburneo-Lowianum was shown by Messrs. 

 Veitch, who raised this striking hybrid a year ago. It 

 bore several strong spikes of yellowish rose-tinted flowers. 

 The same exhibitors sent a plant of their beautiful hybrid 

 Phalaenopsis F. L. Ames, which I consider the best hybrid 

 in this genus yet raised. 



Phalaenopsis Youngii is a supposed natural hybrid be- 

 tween P. Aphrodite, var. Dayana, and P. Schilleriana, but 

 bears characters rather suggestive of P. Stuartiana, the 

 flowers having white sepals and petals spotted with brown 

 and tinged with rose, the lip white, barred and spotted with 

 crimson. It received an award of merit. 



Cattleya Percivaliana, bearing thirty beautiful flowers, 

 was shown by Messrs. H. Low & Co., who also exhibited 

 fine examples of Phalaenopsis Stuartiana and Schilleriana. 

 A plant of the rare Angra>cum Chailluanum was also shown 

 in flower. 



A Correction. — In my note on Richard Spruce, the bo- 

 tanical collector, I inadvertently stated that Humboldt took 

 an interest in him. This was obviously erroneous. I 

 ought to have said Bentham, who took considerable inter- 

 est in Spruce's collections, and undertook to name and dis- 

 tribute them as they arrived in England. There is a very 

 interesting obituary notice of Spruce from the pen of Mr. 

 A. R. Wallace in Nature of January 31st. „. „. 



London. W. WalSOU. 



