[ 508 ] 



XLVIII. Note upon Achirnenes longiflora, a new plant from Gua- 

 temala. Bij Mr. Robert Fortune ; Superintendent of the 

 Hothouse Department of the Society s Garden. 



Read November 2, 1841. 



Botanists have long been aware that there exists in Mexico and 

 other parts of central America a beautiful race of Gesneraceous 

 plants, to which this individual belongs, but with the exception of 

 Achirnenes coccinea, a native of Jamaica, perhaps better known as 

 Cyrilla pulchella, none of them have ever found their way into 

 English gardens. The Horticultural Society, has however now 

 been fortunate enough to introduce two other species, Achirnenes 

 longiflora and A. rosea, through their collector Mr. Hartweg : both 

 of them beautiful plants but the former particularly so; and 

 therefore some account of it may be interesting to the Fellows of 

 the Society. 



Mr. Hartweg found it growing wild in the ravines of Guate- 

 mala, and sent its roots home last spring along with several other 

 new Gesneraceous and Orchidaceous plants. The roots arrived 

 in very good order, owing to their having been packed in dry loam, 

 and sent home at that period of the year when the plant is na- 

 turally in a resting state. In packing and sending home plants 

 of this kind, much of the success depends upon having them 

 gathered and transmitted at the proper season. In this case the 

 roots being gathered after the growing season was past, and at the 

 same time surrounded with dry loam, were as nearly as possible 

 in natural circumstances, during the voyage to England, were 

 only enjoying that period of rest which they would have had in 

 their native country, and, as the event proved, were as ready to 



