NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



145 



Globe Artichoke, Culture of the. By J. W. Wellington {U.S.A. Agr. Exp. 

 Stn., New York, Bull. 435, May 191 7 ; 2 plates, 3 figs.). — The plant is not fully 

 hardy in the colder localities and requires covering to endure the winter. Coal 

 ashes are the most satisfactory material for this purpose. Before mounding 

 with ashes the leaves must be cut back to within a foot of the ground and drawn 

 in about the crown. 



Practically only one insect attacks the globe artichoke • this is a black aphid 

 which can be readily controlled by spraying with a. solution of Black-leaf 40 

 and whale-oil soap. — V. G. J. 



Gongora latisepala Rolfe {Bot. Mag. t. 8766; 1918). — Orchidaceae." Native 

 of Colombia. An epiphytic plant for the tropical house. The leaves are elliptic, 

 somewhat recurved and about 10 inches long. The inflorescence is a many- 

 flowered raceme, flowers showy, abundantly dotted with brown spots. — L. C. E. 



Govenia tingens Poepp et Endl. By R. A. Rolfe (Bot. Mag. t. 8768 j 1918). 

 — Orchidaceae. Native of Peru. A terrestrial orchid for the tropical house. 

 The leaves are 8 to 12 inches long, recurved, elliptic oblong. The flowers are 

 borne in a many-flowered raceme 4 to 6 inches long. The flowers themselves 

 are medium-sized, whitish, the petals finely rose punctate, the lip greenish 

 yellow. — L. C. E. 



Horse-Radish Flea-Beetle, The : Its Life-history and Distribution. By 



F. H. Chittenden (U.S. A. Dep. Agr.; Bur. Entom.,Bull. 535, June 1917 ; 6 figs.). — 

 The growing of horse-radish in the North is menaced by the introduction from 

 Europe of a small insect known as the horse-radish flea-beetle (Phyllotreta 

 armor aciae Koch). The species passes the winter in hibernation as a beetle 

 and comes out in its northern range in April and May. 

 No systematic control has yet been adopted. — V. G. J. 



Howea Belmoreana Becc. By C. H. Wright (Bot. Mag. t. 8760 j 1918). — 

 Palmae. Native of Lord Howe Island. A close ally of H. Fosteriana and often 

 confused with it. Both these palms require an intermediate temperature and 

 are very useful as decorative plants owing to the fact that they bear rough 

 usage better than most palms. The leaves are clustered at the top of the stem, 

 7 to 8 feet long. The flower spikes are produced in the axils of the lowermost 

 leaves, the spadix is drooping, monoecious and about 3 feet long. The flowers 

 are numerous, arranged in groups of three, the two lateral ones male, and the 

 central female. — L. C. E. 



Hymenoptera Parasitica, Notes on the Bionomics, Embryology, and Anatomy of 

 Certain; especially Microgaster connexus. By J. Bronte Gatenby (Journ. Linn. 

 Soc. 33, pp. 387-416; 3 figs., 3 plates; 1919). — An account of certain 

 Hymenopterous Parasites and Hyperparasites attacking the larvae of Cabbage 

 White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae), Gold Tail Moth (Porthesia similis), and 

 Aphidse. 



The structure of alimentary tract, brain, gut, heart, spinning glands, and 

 tracheal system of Microgaster connexus are minutely described, with several 

 new facts regarding the anatomy of its larva, and particularly its abdominal 

 vesicle, whose function appears to be respiratory. 



A hyperparasite was found in Microgaster larvae, of which about 10 per cent, 

 were hyperparasitized. 



The parasites of Aphidae are briefly dealt with, and it is stated that no 

 Ichneumons parasitize Aphids. — G. F. W. 



Hypericum laeve Boiss. var. rubra. By O. Stapf (Bot. Mag. t. 8773 j 191 8). — 

 Native of the Orient. A graceful ' St. John's Wort ' which, however, is not 

 quite hardy in this country. The leaves are linear to § inch long, dotted with 

 transparent glands. The flowers are small, golden yellow with a scarlet-reddish 

 tinge. In the absence of seeds it can be propagated by cuttings made from the 

 young shoots and attains a height of 1 to 2 feet.— L. C. E. 



Indigofera pendula Franch. By J. Hutchinson (Bot. Mag. t. 8745; 1918). — 

 Native of Yunnan. A graceful shrub of about seven feet in height, dying back 

 to the ground level in winter. The flowers are borne in pendulous racemes 

 from 15-18 inches long and are rose-purple in colour. It is a plant which likes 

 a sunny position and an open well-drained soil ; it is as hardy as most of the 

 cultivated Indigoferas and like them can be easily propagated by cuttings. 



VOL, XL V. 



L 



