60 CACTACEOUS PLANTS. 



genus, and one that has proved extremely valuable in the hands of hyhrld- 

 isers, as with the crimson-flowered species it has yielded a number of inter- 

 mediate tints, such as soft rose, blush, and pale crimson, The stems are flat 

 as in the others, but they are only slightly crenated ; the flowers are fragrant, 

 of great size, 6 to 8 inches in diameter, with numerous lance-shaped petals, 

 pure white and spreading. It is a native of Honduras, whence it was sent 

 with several other plants by Sir Chas. Lemon, Bart., to Mr. G-. tTre Skinner, 

 in 1839, and it first flowered four years after its receipt. Seven years later — 

 namely, in 1850, Mr. Gordon succeeded in raising at the Royal Horticultural 

 Society's Gardens a series of remarkably beautiful hybrids between this 

 species and Cereus speciosissimus, which attracted much admiration at the 

 time, and are still found in a few collections. The pollen was taken from 

 the Cereus, making the Phyllocactus the seed-bearing parent, and the result 

 was that the seedlings resembled the latter in form of the stems and flowers, 

 but the colours more nearly resembled the Cereus slightly softened and 

 varied. All these hybrids proved extremely floriferous and useful garden 

 plants. This cross was repeated in 1870 by Col. Charletou of Braddon, Isle 

 of Man, but a greater variation in colours resulted, the tints ranging from 

 the pure white of the Phyllocactus to brilliant scarlet. Mr. C. M. Hovey, 

 Boston, United States, also produced a race of hybrids between Phyllocactus 

 crenatus and what he terms Epiphyllum splendidus, but which is presumably 

 some scarlet form of Phyllooaotus. These were raised about the same time 

 as Col. Charleton's, the flowers of all being remarkably large, from 8 to 12 

 inches in diameter, and very freely produced. The best of them are the 

 following — Alice Wilson, orange scarlet; Mauve Queen, purplish pink. 

 Orange Gem, shining orange ; Pink Queen, mauve pink ; Sunset, rich crimson ; 

 and Refulgence, dark scarlet. A fine variety of P. crenatus is grown at Kew 

 under the name of Togeli, which has very large flowers of a rich rosy tint, 

 and probably originated from some similar cross to those already named. 

 P. Gordoniana, which has bright rose-coloured handsome flowers, appears to 

 have had a similar origin. 



P. HOOKEEI, Salm. — In the " Botanical Magazine," plate 2092, a figure of 

 a fine white-flowered Phyllocactus was given under the name of Cactus 

 Phyllanthus, an extremely old inhabitant of English gardens. In the 

 opinion of several other writers it is quite distinct from and superior to that 

 species, the name given above being consequently bestowed upon it. The 

 branches and stem are flat and slightly crenated, 2 to 3 feet high, producing 

 the flowers on the margin. These have a long narrow tube, and tapering 

 •white petals 2 to 3 inches long and about a quarter of an inch broad. It 

 possesses a most agreeable fragrance, and usually flowers in the summer 

 months from July to September. 



P. LATIFEONS {Gereus oxypetalus, DecandoUe). — A very strong-growing 

 species, quite the giant of its family, producing stout flattened stems 4 to 

 6 inches broad, deeply crenated, and 8 or 10 feet high. A fine specimen, 

 with several stems fally 8 feet in height, is grown in the Kew collection, 



