172 



PAXTON'S FLOWER GARDEN. 



Mr. Fortune continues to speak highly of its beauty in China, where it is said to be loaded with buff blossoms ; 

 in England, however, its wood is easily killed by frost, and it cannot be regarded as being hardier than a Tea 

 Rose.— Journal of Hort. Soc, vol. vi. 



Statice tatarica. Now, when the best kinds o£ hardy herbaceous plants are 

 regaining a position which they never should have lost, such pretty species as this- 

 cannot fail to become popular. Its slender branching flower-stems, thickly studded with 

 small red flowers, are most effective. It is found indigenous in a wide range of country 

 from Dalmatia to Siberia, consequently is quite hardy, requiring nothing more than the 

 ordinary cultivation that suffices for herbaceous subjects generally. The plant has been 

 long in the country, but is so little known that we think it well to draw attention to it. 



Root woody, perennial. Leaves tufted, four to six inches long, oblong, spathulate or oblanceolate, narrowed 

 into the petiole. Scape short, stiff, erect, two to three inches long, with slender triquetrous branches, which 

 again bear simple or branched distichous recurved spikes one-half to one and a half inches long. Spikelets subuni- 

 lateral on the branches, distant, one to three flowered. Flowers one-sixth of an inch long. Calyx funnel-shaped, 

 plicate ; lobes short, oblong, obtuse, erect. Petals connate at the base ; claws long, contiguous ; limb bright 

 ruby-red, notched. Styles filiform ; stigmas capitate. — Botanical Magazine, G537. 



Brassia sign ata. IT. G. BeicJienbacJi, f. The Brassias are not held in much 

 account by those who value Orchids alone for their rarity and gorgeous colours ; but 

 by those who appreciate elegance in form — which especially befits them for associating 

 with other flowers — and the additional property of standing for an unusual length of time 

 when cut, their merits are duly acknowledged. The subject of our notice was imported by 

 Messrs. Backhouse, of York, who have brought so many fine plants into the country. 



Sepals and petals olive-green when first open, soon turning yellow. There are three brown lines at the base 

 of the petals, and a single one at the base of the sepals. Lip white, with two or four purple spots in the 

 centre, two orange spots on the base of the keels, yellow in the disc underneath. Outline pandurate, with a 

 long abrupt point. The two keels run parallel, having one blunt tumour at the base, and a larger one in front. — 

 Gardener's Chronicle, N.S., vol. xvi., p. 6. 



Zephyranthes macrosiphon. G. Baker. A handsome addition to the smaller 

 growing section of bulbous plants, introduced by Messrs. Veitch. It possesses flowers 

 equal in size to the largest of the species. These Zephyranthes constitute a small and 

 select division of the great Amaryllidaceous family, and are deserving of much more 

 extended cultivation than they receive, occupying as they do very little room ; an eight- 

 inch pot is sufficient for eight or ten bulbs. Similar to many other bulbs, they do 

 not like to be often disturbed at the roots j consequently, except with a view to 

 re-adjust the drainage material, or when they have increased so as to require more 

 room, it is better not to re-pot them often. Good loam with a little sand added answers 

 well for them; in potting make the soil quite firm, just covering the crowns of the 

 bulbs. Most of the other species in cultivation succeed with greenhouse treatment, 

 and very likely such will answer for the plant under notice, which comes from Mexico. 



Bulb ovoid. Leaves three to four, contemporary with the flowers or a little later, linear, one foot long when 

 fully developed, quarter of an inch broad, bright green, shallowly channelled down the fall, rather fleshy in 

 texture. Scape terete, about as long as the leaves. Spathe two-valved, one and a half inches long, tubular in 

 the lower half. Pedicel about one inch long. Perianth funnel-shaped, bright rose-red, two and a quarter to 

 two and a half inches long, the obovate obtuse permanently suberect segments as long as the tube, above half 

 an inch broad. Filaments inserted at the throat of the perianth tube ; anthers linear, half an inch long, falling 

 short of the tip of the perianth-segments ; pollen bright yellow. Style reaching to the base of the anthers, its 

 stigmatic lobes spreading, suborbicular. — Gardener's Chronicle, N.S., vol. xvi., p. 70. 



