GESNERACEAE , 



85 



mountainous tracts in British India which have never been 

 introduced to cultivation ; nearly all are worth growing ; they 

 are easily raised from' seed. Bottler a Vahl is a synonym, the 

 genus Chirita is very closely allied, and is joined with Didymo- 

 carpus by Fritsch, who adopts Vahl's name. 

 Dolichoderia tubiflora (fig. " Bot. Mag." t. 3971).— Buenos Ayres. Very 

 long-tubed white fragrant flowers, like those of Achimenes, but 

 very large tuberous roots, like Sinningia, increasing very rapidly. 

 It requires intermediate or greenhouse treatment after the first 

 stage to induce sturdy growth ; it then flowers well and is a 

 lovely object. If grown in much heat with little air, lanky 

 growth results, and it does not flower at all, or very sparsely ; 

 it also requires feeding. It has been placed in Gesnera and in 

 Gloxinia. Bentham in " Gen. PI." places it in Achimenes, 

 as it has similar flowers, but its large tuberous roots are 

 very different from the caterpillar-like corms of that genus. 

 Fritsch, in the latest monograph of the order, places it under 

 Sinningia, with which it is much at variance in its flowers. 

 It may well stand as a genus by itself, as it does in "Linnaea," 

 xxvi. p. 205. There is a very good figure of it in " The 

 Garden," 1888, pi. 644, drawn from a plant that flowered in 

 my houses. 



Dolichoderia hybrid. — Gloxinia gesnerioides ("Fl. des Serres," 2, tab. 12) 

 is a very curious hybrid between Dolichoderia tubiflora and 

 Gesnera Cooperi. It has a terminal raceme of large pink flowers, 

 in shape much like those of D. tubiflora. I do not know whether 

 it is still in cultivation ; certainly the most interesting hybrid 

 in the order. 



Drymonia. — Scandent stove shrubby plants, climbing by the aid of 

 aerial roots. Only of botanical interest ; rarely seen except in 

 botanical gardens. 

 bicolOF (fig. "Bot. Beg." 1838, 4).— West Indies. Peduncles 

 axillary, solitary ; flowers yellowish ; calyx large, green ; climb- 

 ing shrub. 



marmorata (fig. "Bot. Mag." 6763).— Guiana (?). Peduncles 



axillary ; few-flowered ; calyx large, rose-coloured ; flowers yellow. 



Large scandent species. 

 Turialvae (fig. "111. Hort." 1869, 603).— Costa Bica. Racemes 



axillary ; calyx red ; flowers large, white, pendulous. 

 Episcia. — Beautiful stove herbaceous plants, requiring shade, as their 



name implies ; chiefly grown for their beautiful foliage, though 



the flowers are also rather showy. Cyrtodeira is a synonym. 

 Chontalensis (fig. "Bot. Mag." 5925). — Nicaragua. Very beautiful 



leaves ; flowers axillary, solitary, large, whitish or pale lilac ; 



requires the same treatment as fulgida. 

 CUpreata (fig. "Bot. Mag." 5195). — Colombia. Large scarlet 



axillary flowers, beautifully coloured bullate hairy leaves, a broad 



band of reddish and silvery marking down the centre, 

 fulgida (fig. "Bot. Mag." 6136).— Colombia. Leaves bullate, 



the main veins silvery ; flowers axillary, crimson. Cuttings 



