126 



PAXTON'S FLOWER GARDEN. 



stem is sometimes 10 feet high and throws out numerous lateral off-shoots; the red stems and branches distinguish it 

 immediately. The small but numerous flowers are greenish yellow and are borne on reddish pedicels. A mass of this plant 

 produces a fine effect in gardens. It comes up in May and its stem dies in October. The root lives through the winter 

 without either care or covering. It prefers a light soil. It can bear the hardest frosts. M. de Vriese has published an 

 excellent drawing as well as an analysis of it ; he says it 

 is only to be found at present in M. Von Siebold's garden 

 at Leyden. M. Von. Siebold declares that this plant is 

 very fit for fixing loose sand, and it would be both interest- 

 ing and useful to see what it is good for in this respect, 

 especially as M. Von SieboW has seen it employed for the 

 purpose throughout Japan.* 5 



Although unknown to botanists this plant has been cul- 

 tivated in the garden of the Horticultural Society for a 

 quarter of^a century. It originally came from China as 

 Houttuynia cordata ; and for many years grew in an arti- 

 ficial swamp, where it formed a very handsome bush during 

 the summer. It has since been found to thrive perfectly in 

 dry garden ground. The annexed' cut has been prepared 

 from a preserved specimen of the plant in the garden of 

 the Horticultural Society at the time of flowering. Where 

 very handsome massive foliage is desired during summer 

 only, this plant is of the greatest value, as, for instance, 

 in forming rapidly a temporary screen, or in making a 

 backgnrand to gaudy flowers with bad folinge. But as it 

 dies to the ground with the first frost, it makes a gap 

 which may be unsightly. We should not have thought 

 that it would run by the root sufficiently to hold together 

 blowing sand in the manner suggested by Dr. V. Siebold. 



Calochokttjs palijdtjs. SchitUes. A 

 tender bulbous plant from Mexico, belonging to the Lilyworts. 

 Flowers dirty brown, with a deep triangular spot at the base of 

 each petal. (Fig. 88.) 



A dwarf grassy-leaved plant, with long loose few-flowered umbels of dirty pale 

 brown flowers. Neither sepals nor petals have any gland or depression in the 

 middle. The sepals are shorter than the petals, firmer, without any hairs. The 

 petals are obovate, tapering to the base, rounded at the point, covered on the middle 

 with a beard of hairs and fringed at the edge. Annates de Gand, t. 225. 



Calanthe Masuca. Linclley. A beautiful terrestrial Orchid, 

 with purple flowers. Native of various parts of India. Introduced 

 prior to 1843. 



Native of India ; — according to Dr. Lindley, of " Nepal, Bengal, Ceylon, and probably Java." It blossomed 

 in 1842 with Messrs. Rollison, at Tooting, but, though a handsome and really striking plant, it had never been 

 figured. Our fine tuft of the plant at Kew, which blossomed in July and August, was derived from Mr. Clowes' 

 collections. 



Leaves large, herbaceous, oblong-lanceolate, tapering below, acuminated, plaited and striated. Scape erect, afoot and 

 a half high, generally shorter than the leaves, terete, glabrous, terminated by a many-flowered raceme with handsome purple 

 flowers. Bracts large, subulato-lanceolate, membranaceous : the upper ones coloured. Sepals and petals similar, oblong, 

 acuminate, spreading. Lip three-parted, deep purple : lateral lobes linear oblong, subfalcate, intermediate one broadly sub- 

 cuneate : the base of the lip below extends into a very long narrow spur, furrowed on one side and bifid at the 

 point : the base of the lip above on the disc bears a five-crested tubercle, the crests transversely furrowed. This 

 being an East Indian terrestrial Orchid, requires to be grown in a moist tropical stove. It thrives in turfy peat 

 containing a small portion of loam. On account of its soft fleshy roots adhering to the sides of the pot, it is desirable 

 to use a shallow wide-mouthed pot, in order to avoid tearing the roots by frequent shiftings. In summer it may be 



