POETLANDIA. 159 



P. variabilis. — This plant is inclined to be of medium 

 growth, producing medium sized heads, which are composed 

 of scarlet-vermilion bracts ; in some cases the leaves, which 

 are pale green, are intermixed with the bracts, and in others 

 .the two characters are combined, the beautiful rich trans- 

 parency showing through the green ; some of the bracts are 

 beautifully marbled. 



POBTLANDIA. 



A noble genus of B/iihiacea, which contains several splendid 

 decorative plants. The species, though seldom seen, cer- 

 tainly deserve a place in every stove, on account of their 

 distinct appearance and their large showy flowers. They 

 should be potted in a mixture of fibrous peat and loam, in 

 equal parts, with a good quantity of sand added ; and they 

 require plenty of heat and moisture to grow and to bloom 

 them freely. They attain the height of small trees in their 

 native habitats, and would seem to produce a few varieties 

 in a wild state. 



P. eoccinea. — This fine plant is a native of Jamaica, but 

 is rare even there. It is a shrub growing from two to 

 three feet in height. The leaves are opposite, ovate, smooth, 

 somewhat leathery in texture, and dark green in colour. The 

 flowers are produced from the axils of the leaves, trumpet- 

 shaped, about three inches in length, and of a bright scarlet 

 colour. It should be in every collection. 



P. grandiflora — The leaves of this species are large, ovate- 

 lanceolate, and of a dark shining green. The flowers are 

 upwards of five inches long, and nearly two inches in dia- 

 meter, pure white, inclined to red in the throat ; they are 

 very sweet in the evening. Native of Jamaica, where it 

 attains the height of twelve feet. 



