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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



duced into Europe from the botanic garden of Trinidad in 1829, 

 has red-brown stems 6 to 10 feet long, leaves reaching a length 

 of 3 feet, more or less suffused with red-brown, and two bright 

 red oblanceolate outer staminodia scarcely longer than those of 



C. indica. 



In the section Distemon there is only one species, for which 

 the oldest name is paniculata. It is not worth cultivating except 

 as a botanical curiosity. I have not seen it alive, but it is 

 figured by Roscoe and Loddiges. It has tall, slender, deeply forked 

 stems, and the outer row of staminodia is entirely suppressed. 



The subgenus Eurystylus also contains only a single species. 

 It grows in swamps in the Southern United States, and was 

 grown in Sherard's garden at Eltham in the days of Dillenius. 

 It is a very distinct plant, with a flower 4 or 5 inches long, a 

 corolla tube as long as the lobes, three pale yellow obovate 

 staminodia an inch broad, and an orbicular labellum. The same 

 species was imported from China and figured by Lindley (Bot. 

 Beg. t. 2004) under the name of Canna Beevesii. Although it 

 comes from the same country as Yucca gloriosa and Y. filamcntosa, 

 it appears to be much less hardy. 



The two species of the subgenus Achiridia, C. iridiflora and 

 C. liliiflora, are by far the most gorgeous plants in the genus. 

 C. iridiflora was introduced into cultivation from the Andes of 

 Peru by Mr. A. B. Lambert in 1S1G. It grows to a height of 

 10 feet, and has a panicle composed of several corymbs of 

 drooping rose-crimson flowers 5 or G inches long, with a tube as 

 long as the segments, and three obovate-unguiculate outer stami- 

 nodia an inch broad. C. liliiflora, introduced by Von Warcewicz 

 from Yeragua about 1855, is very similar in habit, but the 

 flowers are white and fragrant. 



History of the Genus. 



The following is a rough sketch of the chronological history 

 of the genus. Canna indica was introduced into England by 

 Gerard in 159G ; Canna glauca was rudely figured by Piso in 

 1G48. In 1719 Tournefort names six species. One of them 

 appears to be a Curcuma ; the five others, indica, latifolia, 

 lutea, coccinea, and glauca. Dillenius, in 1732, gives an 

 excellent figure of C. flaccida. Rheede and Rumphius both 

 figure C. oricntalis. 



