262 _ THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST. [Jan'y 



^loam and lime rubbish; many now recommend strong loam. I do % 

 not believe in either extreme. Such plants as Aloe, Cacalias, Coty- 

 ledon Sempervivum, Mesembryanthemum, &c, all belong to this 

 class, as well as the various kinds of Cactus, on which your readers 

 are already well informed. 



Some aquatic plants are easily cultivated in rooms, as the Egyptian 

 Lily, (Richardia (Ethiopica,) and do well in loam or loam and peat ; 

 they require copious supplies of water, and are most easily managed 

 by placing the pot in a pan of water. Bulbs generally succeed well 

 in rooms with less care than most other plants and require rich soil. 



NATIVE PLANTS. 



Mr. Editor : — In continuing my remarks on what I think the too 

 much neglected subject of native plants, 1 wish to speak of several 

 classes of plants which are particularly interesting. Perhaps the 

 most singular and beautiful is the Orchis tribe, of which there are 

 many species immediately at hand. Orchis spectabile, the Aplec- 

 trum, Cymbidium, Habenaria, &c, are to be found in this and the 

 neighboring counties, and plentifully in near parts of New Jersey. 

 The Neottice are represented by Spiranthes and Goodyera, which are 

 certainly worth cultivating, especially the latter : its leaves are as 

 beautiful as those of any variegated plant we have : and the humble 

 admirer of beautiful foliage who cannot spend guineas for an East 

 India Neottia, can indulge without cost in Goodyera pubescens. The 

 Cypripedia are without exception a beautiful genus. We have Cyp. 

 acaule or humile growing near us in Jersey, and pubescens and per- 

 haps parviflorum are to be found in Chester county. C. spectabile 

 may be obtained on the mountains in Pennsylvania, but it is very 

 hard to get ; it is very highly valued in Europe as one of the most 

 beautiful of Orchids ; there are two other species indigenous to the 

 United States, C. candidum and C. arietinum, the last variegated red 

 and white, and beautiful beyond description. The Sarracenias are 

 interesting and beautiful ; S. purpurea is so common about here as 

 sometimes to be sold in the market; yet it is as beautiful as the S. 

 Drummondii of Florida, which at Chatsworth, the seat of the Duke 

 of Devonshire, divided the attention of the visitors of the Victoria 

 regia — here it is only the "pitcher plant." 



The Drosera or Sundew is a very interesting genus, nearly allied 

 to the Dioneea, or Venus flytrap of the south. D. rotundifolia, fili- 

 formis and longifolia are found within two or three miles of Phila- 

 delphia, and like the Sarracenias they can be cultivated in pots 

 placed in saucers of water, though in Europe they cover them, as J 

 well as the Dioncea with bell glasses. x) 



fi The native Ferns are of very great beautv — the various species of G»\ 



m?9^ 



