OBSERVATIONS ON SOME OF THE PLANTS EXHIBITED. 153 



OBSERVATIONS ON SOME OF THE PLANTS EXHIBITED. 

 By the Rev. Professor Geo. Henslow, M.A., V.M.H. 



[April 9, 1001.] 



Chrysogonum virginianum. — A small yellow-flowered composite, 

 not uncommon in the United States of America, was in Mr. Jackman's 

 collection. It is interesting^: as mimicking]: some such flower as a 

 Potentilla, in consequence of the ray florets of the head, instead of being 

 numerous, as in a Daisy, being reduced to five only, but these are provided 

 with rather large corollas. 



New Zealand Veronicas. — Mr. Peed exhibited some species of this 

 genus, so largely represented in New Zealand. While our own Speedwells 

 are little herbs, such as the "Germander," with its bright blue flowers, 

 the New Zealand species are shrubby. The larger-leaved kinds, often seen 

 in gardens, are F. speciosa, V. salicifolia, and many hybrids. These 

 grow to considerable size and frequent the less mountainous regions ; but 

 the species exhibited are dwarfs, growing at various altitudes in the New 

 Zealand Alps up to 6,500 ft. Thus, V. huxifolia ranges from 1,500 ft. 

 to 3,000 ft. and upwards. It resembles our box, hence its specific name. 

 V. cupressoicles, with closely adpressed leaves, like those of the Cypress and 

 Thuyas, forms dwarf plants ten to eighteen inches in height ; it grows up 

 to an elevation of 4,000 ft. V. Hectori and V. lycopodioides occur up to 

 at least 4,000 ft. V. pyginoia, as a bush, descends to 4,000 ft., but has been 

 found as high as 6,500 ft. To compare with these, a small plant of 

 Juniperus hihernica of Mr. Barr's was shown, having a miniature form 

 of foliage. It is interesting to know that the young state of Podocarpus 

 dacrydioides of New Zealand was actually described by Sir J. Banks and 

 Solander as Lycopodium arhoreum ! The general deduction is that these 

 curious forms of foliage are simply adaptations in different plants to the 

 same climatical conditions, though often of widely separated countries. 



Santolina Cham^cyparissus. — This is best known as Lavender 

 Cotton, a misleading term, as it has nothing to do with lavender, nor 

 indeed with cotton, being a composite allied to our Yarrow. It is not 

 uncommon in dry districts of Europe, having minute inrolled leaves, so 

 characteristic a feature in desert plants ; the object of this is to reduce 

 the loss of water by transpiration. This is aided by the felt-like or 

 cottony hair, also a feature of several desert plants. This clothing also 

 aids in absorbing dew, which is heavy during the many months when no 

 rain falls in such regions. 



Double and Multifold Flowers. — Some specimens of Hyacinths 

 and Tulips from Mr. Jones's collection exhibited these peculiarities. Mr. 

 Henslow first pointed out that " twin " flower stalks with " synanthic " 

 flowers consisted of a natural grafting of two individuals, and that when 

 this is the case the united flowers lost certain parts. Thus a twin Eucharis 

 had its two flowers pertamerous instead of hexamerous. In the case of 

 a "fasciated " stem, terminated by a " multifold " flower, both of these 

 parts of the plant arise from a constant bifurcation of the woody cords 

 or fibro-vascular bundles in the stem, without any branching at all. This 

 produces the well-known flattened stem. In the case of the flower, the 



