March, 1850. AMHERSTIA. DR. FALCONER'S IMPROVEMENTS. 245 



walks had replaced the narrow winding paths that ran in 

 distorted lines over the ground, and a large Palmetum, or 

 collection of tall and graceful palms of various kinds, occu- 

 pied several acres at one side of the garden ; whilst a still 

 larger portion of ground was being appropriated to a pic- 

 turesque assemblage of certain closely allied families of 

 plants, whose association promised to form a novel and 

 attractive object of study to the botanist, painter, and land- 

 scape gardener. This, which the learned Director called 

 in scientific language a Thamno-Endogenarium, consists 

 of groups of all kinds of bamboos, tufted growing palms, 

 rattan canes {Calami), Braces nee, plantains, screw-pines, 

 (Pandani), and such genera of tropical monocotyledonous 

 plants. All are evergreens of most vivid hue, some of 

 which, having slender trailing stems, form magnificent 

 masses ; others twine round one another, and present 

 impenetrable hillocks of green foliage ; whilst still others 

 shoot out broad long wavy leaves from tufted roots ; and 

 a fourth class is supported by aerial roots, diverging on 

 all sides and from all heights on the stems, every branch 

 of which is crowned with an enormous plume of grass-like 

 leaves.* 



The great Amherstia tree had been nearly killed by 

 injudicious treatment, and the baking of the soil 

 above its roots. This defect was remedied bv sinking 

 bamboo pipes four feet and a half in the earth, and 

 watering through them — a plan first recommended by 

 Major M'Farlane of Tavoy. Some fine Orclddece were 

 in flower in the gardens, but few of them fruit ; 



* Since I left India, these improvements have been still farther carried out, 

 and now (in the spring of 1853) I read of five splendid Victoria plants flowering 

 at once, with Eitvyale ferox, white, blue, and red water-lilies, and white, yellow 

 and scarlet lotus, rendering the tanks gorgeous, sunk a^ their waters are in frames 

 of green grass, ornamented with clumps of Nipa fruticam and P/uenix paludosa. 



