GLEANINGS AND ORIGINAL MEMORANDA. 



Curcuma Sumatrana. This belongs to a limited genera of very singular plants, 

 not nearly so much grown as they deserve to be. From a cultural point of view they 

 have much to recommend them, not only on account of the remarkable appearance of 

 their flowers, but also for their long endurance. They are all deciduous herbaceous plants, 

 mostly habitants of hot parts of the eastern hemisphere ; they succeed with ordinary 

 stove treatment, blooming in summer, at which time their red, yellow, crimson, or a 

 combination of these colours in the flowers, renders them conspicuous objects for many 

 weeks. The plant under notice was introduced by Messrs. Veitch, from Sumatra, 

 through Mr. Curtis. 



Petioles six inches long, leaves bright green, nine inches long by four and a half in breadth. Peduncles two 

 inches long, glabrous, deep red. Spike about six inches long, bracts large and broad, vivid deep orange-red verging 

 on crimson, puberulous on both sides, the edges of the lower half of each bract are adnate partly to the peduncle 

 and partly to the bases of the two bracts next above, so as to form a series of pockets, in which the flowers are 

 secreted; the free part of the bracts is broadly elliptic ovate obtuse.— Gardener's Chronicle, N.S., vol. xviii., 

 p. 393. 



Eucalyptus coccoera. /. Hooker. A hardy glaucous Van Diemen's Land tree, with 

 white flowers. Belongs to the Myrtleblooms (Myrlacea:) . Introduced about 1842, by 

 Ronald Gunu, Esq. 



According to Dr. Hooker, it is a species inhabiting the highest mountains of Van Diemen's Land, where it becomes 

 a bush, or small tree, about ten feet high. It is both Nos. 411 and 1,076 of Mr. Gunn's collections, and appears to be 

 sometimes glaucous, sometimes green. In the garden it has a thick bluish bloom spread over every part. The branches 

 are purplish-brown and slightly rugged. The leaves oblong, more or less narrow, long-stalked, usually equal-sided, 

 and are most commonly extended at the point into a long and slender awn, by which it is readily recognised. The 

 flowers are produced on short compressed peduncles in clusters of three to five ; the tube of the calyx is pear-shaped, 

 and the lid rugged and convex, but slightly concave in the centre. The fruit when ripe is nearly hemispherical, with 

 a slightly raised even border. As far as can be at present ascertained, this may be -expected to prove one of the 

 hardiest of the Van Diemen's Island trees.— Journal of Hort. Soc., vol. vL 



Lysimachia Candida. Linclley. A hardy herbaceous plant with white flowers, 

 belonging to the order of Primworts. Raised from the soil contained in a box sent from 

 China. 



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