48 CACTACEors plants. 



Large specimens of this Cereus are not rare in old gardens, but the finest 

 known to me is one in a stove at Leigham Court, Streatham, the residence o£ 

 Mrs. Treadwell. This covers a space on the back wall about 30 feet long 

 and 3 or i feet wide. The old stem and roots are lost, the plant subsisting 

 entirely upon the moisture in the atmosphere of the house, and that furnished 

 by the moss with which the trellis is packed, and in which the branches have 

 freely rooted. About forty grand flowers have been produced by this plant 

 in one season, which generally expand in batches of a dozen or so, and the 

 only encouragement the plant receives when making its growth is syringing 

 it with clear water and occasionally with very weak liquid manure. Flowers 

 were kindly sent me by the gardener, Mr. E. Butts, and the characters are 

 well pourtrayed in the woodcut (fig. 10). Another very large specimen is 

 grown in a, house at PendyfEryn in Wales, which Mr. Siddall of Chester 

 dnforms me has had from sixty to eighty flowers open at one time. 



Cereus gkandiflorus Matnardi. — This magnificent hybrid is un- 

 fortunately now rather scarce, yet its beauty and distinctness entitle it to 

 prominent attention. In 1837 Mr. H. Kenny, gardener to Viscount Maynard, 

 T5aston Lodge, Dunmow, Essex, crossed C. speciosissimus with pollen from 

 ■C. grandiflorus, and, the fertilisation proving successful, seeds were obtained 

 which produced the plant under notice. This combined the characters of 

 i;he parents in a striking manner, the habit of growth and form of the flowers 

 of C. grandiflorus, with the addition of the rich colour of C. speciosissimus, 

 rendering it invaluable. The flowers are 9 to 11 inches in diameter, and 

 .7 to 9 inches long, the petals more cupped than in the ordinary C. grandi- 

 florus ; they are rich red with a tinge of orange, and usually last for two or 

 three days, opening every evening. At its original home, Easton Lodge, 

 ■now the residence of Lord Brooke, the plant had been quite lost, until 

 recently, by the generosity of Mr. Major of Croydon, a specimen was furnished 

 to the gardener Mr. H. Lister. 



C. sPEOtosissiMDS. — Though stronger in growth than the majority of 

 the trailing species, this may be considered in that group, as it is more fre- 

 ■quently grown trained to a wall, rafter, or trellis than in any other way. 

 With very slight support it will assume an erect habit, but the upper parts 

 of the branches then hang downwards, indicating the natural habit of the 

 f lant. It is a superb plant, and when in flower it cannot be rivalled in 

 brilliancy by any other plant grown under glass. Large specimens are fre- 

 <iuently seen in old gardens, but one of the most notable that I have seen is 

 at Orsett Hall, Romford, the residence of Captain Whitmore. This has 

 about thirty stems, each 6 to 8 feet high, which have been produced by 

 repeatedly cutting down the main stem, and during April or May there have 

 frequently been from sixty to eighty buds and flowers upon the plant at one 

 iime, sometimes twenty being fully expanded. This plant is in a large pot 

 and has not been disturbed for many years. The gardener, Mr. R. Castle, 

 •states that all the assistance it requires is a good supply of water at the time 

 of flowering, with a little weak liquid manure occasionally. It is, however, 



