424 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 348. 



to too much sun and heat. As a tree the Arbor-vitas will 

 stand well in exposed situations, as is shown by fine speci- 

 mens growing on rocky banks on the south shore of the St. 

 Lawrence at Chateauguay, facing the cold winds from the 

 north, and at other points. 



Taxus Canadensis, the little American Yew or Ground 

 Hemlock, is common in moist places, and is most fre- 

 quently seen under Hemlocks and other evergreens. It is 

 always a low spreading shrub, never assuming a tree-like 

 habit. While described as usually dioecious, it will be 

 found that most mature plants bear both staminate and 

 pistillate flowers on the same stem. 



It is to be understood that the foregoing list is merely a 

 preliminary and rough enumeration of the trees and shrubs 

 growing on Montreal Island, or on the opposite southern 

 shore of the St. Lawrence, intended to give an idea of the 

 ligneous vegetation. A careful exploration and study of 

 the flora will undoubtedly show a considerable addition to 

 the number of woody species. 



On page 393 the variety of Crataegus coccinea should 

 read macracantha, Dudley, instead of macrantha, Dudley. 



Arnold Arboretum. J. G. Jack. 



Foreign Correspondence. 

 London Letter. 



Sternbergia macrantha. — Bulbs of this beautiful species 

 have lately been received at Kew from Asia Minor, and 

 they are now flowering in the open border and in pots in a 

 cool greenhouse. Imagine a Sternbergia with flowers as 

 large as Colchicum speciosum, and colored rich golden- 

 yellow, flaked with emerald-green, when they first open ; 

 moreover, it is likely to be as hardy as a Colchicum and as 

 easily managed. According to Mr. Baker, S. macrantha 

 was first described by J. Gay, and it has also been called 

 S. latifolia, S. stipitata and S. Clusiana. It is a native of 

 Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Persia, etc., but does not 

 appear to have ever been in cultivation until now. The 

 bulbs are globose, one and a half inches in diameter, with 

 a neck six inches long, and the leaves, which are developed 

 after the flowers, are strap-shaped and nearly an inch wide. 

 This is a most valuable addition to hardy autumn-flowering 

 bulbs. 



Apodolirion Ett#:. — The genus Apodolirion is composed 

 of six species of bulbous plants allied to Cooperia and 

 Anoiganthus, and confined to south Africa. They have 

 tunicated bulbs, with leaves and flowers not unlike those 

 of Crocus, colored white or reddish. So far as I know, 

 none of them have been introduced into cultivation until 

 now, a few bulbs of A. Etta? having lately been received 

 at Kew from Natal, where this species is said to be rare 

 and local. It was first described by Baker from a speci- 

 men collected in Natal, and sent to Kew in 1885, the name 

 being in compliment to a Miss Etta Stainbank. According 

 to Mr. Baker, the flowers have a cylindrical tube three 

 inches long, and a limb over an inch long, spreading as in 

 Zephyranthes, and colored white and rose. It is an inter- 

 esting little plant, and a worthy addition to the smaller 

 favorites among Cape bulbous plants. 



Kniphofia modesta. — The specific name of this really 

 charming plant is calculated to mislead cultivators, for it is 

 one of the most pleasing of the smaller species of Kniphofia. 

 It has linear pale green, grassy leaves two feet or more 

 long, with smooth edges, and an erect slender spike two 

 feet high, the upper half clothed with tubular flowers half 

 an inch long, pure white, with conspicuous golden-yellow 

 anthers. It was first flowered at Kew five years ago, when 

 it was received from Natal, where it was found by Mr. 

 Medley Wood, who described it as an elegant white-flow- 

 ered Kniphofia. At Kew it is grown in a cold frame, where 

 it is planted out, and is now flowering freely ; it is also 

 thriving almost as well in a south border against the wall 

 of a heated building. I can recommend this plant to cul- 

 tivators interested in rare, distinct and pretty herbaceous 

 perennials. 



Dioscorea multiflora. — This elegant stove climber is 

 now flowering profusely in a stove at Kew ; its long pen- 

 dent shoots hang from the roof, clothed with dark green, 

 shining, cordate leaves and elegant compound axillary 

 tassels of small greenish flowers, the fragrance of which is 

 suggestive of ripe peaches. The stems are annual and the 

 root-stock is tuberous. The plant grows freely, and will 

 be useful for training against rafters or up pillars. It is 

 quite as attractive as the best varieties of Asparagus, and 

 will probably prove of value for decorative purposes. The 

 stems are thin and wiry, and lend themselves to such uses 

 as twining round epergnes, etc. The species is a native of 

 Central America and the West Indies, but the Kew plants 

 have been raised from seeds collected in Sierra Leone by 

 Mr. Scott-Elliot, whither, no doubt, it had been carried at 

 some time by traders or others in communication with 

 west Africa and the West Indies. 



Dendrobium Phalzenopsis. — There are probably more 

 plants in cultivation of this comparatively new species of 

 Dendrobium than of any other, except, perhaps, D. nobile. 

 It is a magnificent Orchid, and easily cultivated if kept in 

 a hot moist stove. Its flowers are as beautiful in form as 

 those of Phalaenopsis amabilis, and far more variable. 

 Messrs. Sander & Co. continue to import it from New 

 Guinea in enormous quantities, advertising 8,000 plants of 

 it for sale by auction next week. It is no longer necessary 

 to employ the varietal name Schrcederianum for the plant, 

 as it is the type, but showing great range of variation. It 

 will be a good thing to reduce the name by one of its three 

 titles, for the plant is certain to become a universal favor- 

 ite, and the shorter name is better. 



Comanthosphace sublanceolata. — This pretty Japanese 

 labiate was described by Mr. Spencer Moore, in 1877, in 

 the Journal of Botany ; for plants of it we are indebted to 

 Professor Sargent, who introduced it from Japan last year. 

 It is sub-shrubby and bears terminal spikes of pretty white 

 flowers. So far it has proved hardy at Kew, where it is 

 now in flower. A figure of it has been prepared for publi- 

 cation in the Botanical Magazine. 



Eurya Japonica and its variegated form are two well- 

 known garden-plants which are popular with decorators. 

 Their name, however, has always been open to doubt by 

 botanists acquainted with the genus Eurya. Recently 

 the variegated form flowered in a garden in Ireland, speci- 

 mens of which were sent to Kew for determination. It 

 proves to be a species of Cleyera, and may be C. ochna- 

 cea. 



British-grown Fruit. — An exhibition of fruit at the Crys- 

 tal Palace was arranged by the Royal Horticultural Society 

 and took place a few days ago. It was a revelation of 

 what can be done by capable cultivators in this country, 

 even in an unfavorable season such as that now about over. 

 The quality of the fruit was superb, probably better than can 

 be seen anywhere out of Great Britain, the grapes, pine- 

 apples and figs, as well as the apples, pears, peaches, plums, 

 etc. , being wonderfully well grown. It is not necessary, 

 however, to hold such exhibitions to teach the laity that 

 good fruit can be grown in Great Britain ; that, I believe, 

 is pretty generally understood already. But if something 

 would be done to remedy the state of things which renders 

 it impossible for fruit to be grown at a profit in this coun- 

 try, then exhibitions, such as that held at the Crystal Pal- 

 ace, would emphatically be worth while. At present we 

 invite such wealthy establishments as the Queen's Garden 

 at Frogmore, the Duke of Devonshire's at Chatsworth, the 

 Rothschilds' at Gunnersbury and Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, 

 to bring collections of their best fruit to show the British 

 public what can be done, and employ talkers to persuade 

 the needy landowner and farmer that they can do like- 

 wise and make it pay. I am one of a considerable number 

 who believe that fruit-growing is on a similar business basis 

 with the production of wheat or beef in this country. The ex- 

 hibitions are all very well, as also are the evidences of what 

 can be done by skill, backed by wealth, in the way of 

 o-rowing- fine fruit, but we advance no further in the direc- 



