138 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
siderably in shape from the Calochortus, or Mariposa Lily proper. 
The petals have a curious swelling on one side and a correspond- 
ing depression on the other, in which honey is secreted, and pro- 
tected by a tuft of hairs. Professor Kerner is of opinion that 
these hairs afford a hindrance in keeping certain small insects, 
such as ants, away from the nectary, which they would rob of 
its honey without being of any service to the flower by pollinating 
it. Prof. Henslow thought it would be more probable that the 
hairs were an outgrowth due to the irritation set up by the 
appropriate insect-visitor, but that having thus developed them, 
the hairs might well prove to be a hindrance to other insects. 
A new yellow-flowered Hibiscus from Caracas, and shown by 
Messrs. Geo. Jackman & Son, of Woking, attracted attention. 
Prof. Henslow pointed out that some species of Hibiscus were 
trees and shrubs, and some herbs. H. rosa- sinensis, with its 
beautiful crimson-coloured flowers, was sometimes known as the 
Rose of Sharon," but there was no reason whatever to believe 
that it had anything to do with the Scriptural plant mentioned 
in the Song of Solomon. Judging from the Hebrew word, it 
would seem to be a bulbous plant, possibly ColcJiicum autumnale. 
Alstroemerias were mentioned as having the leaves upside 
down. In ordinary leaves the under surface were covered with 
minute breathing pores or stomata, and there were none, or com- 
paratively few, on the upper surface. In the Alstroemeria, how- 
ever, where the upper surface becomes the lower, stomata are 
abundant, showing again how a plant will adapt its structure to 
altered circumstances. Tlie common " Ramsons," Allium 
ursiniLm, has similarly twisted leaves, with the upper and lower 
surfaces changed in structure. 
Astrantia major — an Umbelliferous plant — difi"ers from the 
plants of its order in having simple (instead of compound) 
umbels, and the attraction to insects resides chiefly in the con- 
spicuous bracts. This plant is only found wild in two places in 
li^ngland, namely, Stokcsay Wood in Shropshire, and at Malvern, 
by the old Roman quarries in the limestone rocks. It is supposed 
to have been accidentally introduced from Southern Europe by 
the Romans. 
Eryufjium 0 liver lam om imothcv Umbelliferous plant — was 
an example of the compound umbels being reduced to massive 
heads with spiny steel-blue bracts. Species of Eryngium, 
