594 



N£JV AND LTTTLE KNOWN GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 



Drosera cistiflora. — It is also to Miss North that we 

 are indebted for the introduction of this, the finest of 

 all droseras. The flower is cistus-like, two inches 

 across, with the five concave petals of a bright scarlet. 

 The leaves are two inches long, narrow, and covered 

 with reddish, glandular hairs. The habit is nearest 

 that of D. Capensis. As it is quite a beautiful plant and 

 apparently not difficult to grow, it is likely to make a 

 useful addition to the occupants of the greenhouse. It 

 flowered for the first time last year at Kew. It is a na- 

 tive of the Cape. 



Passijioras. — Two new kinds, both of hybrid origin, 

 have lately been added to this genus. Fortunately, both 

 are capable of being grown to perfection in the green- 

 house. P. /■Cd'ti'L'tisis was obtained by crossing P. kcriiu'- 

 sina, a stove species, with P. curiilca. It is of slender, 

 elegant growth and wonderfully profuse in flowering. 

 The flowers are of a bright rosy purple, in structure 

 more suggestive of P. kermesitia than the other parent, 

 to which, however, the purple coloring is due. For 

 clothing the rafters of houses where light-loving plants 

 are grown, this is better than almost any other passion 

 flower — the majority being of denser growth. The 

 other hybrid was raised in a private garden near Exeter 

 in 1885, and is now being sent out by Messrs. Cannell 

 of Swanley. It has been named " Eynsford Gem, "and 

 its parents are P. raceviosa and the white-flowered vari- 

 ety of P. carnlca called "Constance Elliott'" Dr. Mas- 

 ters, our chief authority on the genus, describes it as 

 exceptionally beautiful, "even among a genus famed 

 for good looks." The petals are of a lovely shade of 

 rosy lilac, the threads of the corona being ivory-white, 

 tipped with violet. 



Prolea nana. — In the earlier decades of the present 

 century proteas were popular plants, as many as twenty- 

 five species being then in cultivation. At present 

 scarcely one-fourth of these are grown, P. nana being 

 the prettiest and most delightful. It was brought to 

 Kew from south Africa, and flowered last year. The 

 plant is I j4 feet high, and the numerous branches are 

 clothed with needle-like leaves over an inch long. The 

 flowers are in a composite head, surrounded by several 

 whorls of imbricating scales. These scales constitute 

 the attraction of the plant, the upper ones being large 

 and crimson colored. The flower head is 2^ inches 

 across. The plant should be potted in a peaty soil and 

 given cool greenhouse treatment throughout the year to 

 obtain success. 



Eiipatoriiiin probiim. — This plant, which has for some 

 time been grown in one or two places under various 

 names, was described and named as above by Mr. N. 

 E. Brown. It is a welcome addition to the eupatori- 

 ums at present cultivated, being of dwarfer, compact 

 habit and very pretty. The flower-heads are white, and 

 arranged in clusters. It blossoms in spring, and like its 

 allies requires the simplest culture. Each year it should 



be grown on into 7 or 8-inch pots from cuttings, per- 

 mitting no check. 



Gerbera Jalnesoni. — This striking composite was sent 

 to Kew from the Cape in 1888, and flowered here for 

 the first time in June of i88g. Whether it will prove 

 hardy enough to grow outside in such a climate as 

 ours is uncertain, but doubtless it would do so in some 

 of your warmer states. Few plants could be found 

 more lovely. The leaves spring in a tuft from a peren- 

 nial root-stock, the petioles are six to eight inches long 

 and the blades slightly longer ; the latter are four to six 

 inches wide, with the margins unequally lobed and 

 toothed. The flower-head is borne at the end of a scape 

 a foot or more high, and is fully four inches across. 

 The ray-florets are lanceolate and of a brilliant orange- 

 red. The flowers bear considerable resemblance to 

 those of the remarkable climbing composite, Mntisia 

 dean-tens. All the parts of the plant are covered with 

 soft hairs. 



Liliiiin Henryi. — Last week this lily flowered at Kew 

 for the first time in Europe. It was sent by Dr. Henry 

 from Ichang, in China, and although in its present con- 

 dition it is inferior to many others, it promises eventu- 

 ally to develop into an elegant plant. The specimen here 

 is nearly three feet high, the stem clothed with lance- 

 shaped leaves and terminated by a single flower. This 

 is three inches long, rich yellow, spotted in the tube 

 with purple-brown. In wild specimens the inflorescence 

 is described as consisting of a corymb of four to eight 

 flowers. It shows some relationship with L. lancifoliiim. 



Watsonia iridifolia, var. O'Briemi. — About a year ago 

 this plant was first exhibited in bloom at one of the Hor- 

 ticultural Society's meetings by Mr. J. O'Brien (who bad 

 also introduced it), and was awarded a first-class cer- 

 tificate. It is now in flower at Kew, and is indeed a 

 plant of singular beauty. The entire flower is of the 

 purest white, without a speck or tinge of color. A 

 strong spike will measure three feet in height and re- 

 main in bloom for several weeks. The watsonias re- 

 quire the protection of an unheated frame, and prefer a 

 rich loamy soil. 



Clematis Stanleyi. — Within the last few weeks this 

 species has flowered here for the first time. It is a na- 

 tive of the Transvaal and other parts of south Africa, 

 and is named in honor of the famous traveler. As a 

 clematis it is very distinct. The Kew plants show it to 

 be of herbaceous habit, the stems never reaching more 

 than four feet in height, with deeply cut leaves of vari- 

 ous shapes. The plants that have just flowered here 

 are not sufficiently well established to show their full 

 capabilities, but they already give promise cf much 

 beauty. The flowers are three inches across, purplish 

 on first opening, afterwards changing to pink and finally 

 almost white. The heads of fruit are described as beau- 

 tifully silvery. W. J. Bean. 



Keu<, London. 



