26 THE FLORIST AND NOMOLOGIST. 



specimens of a very curious plant called Canarina campanula,, with large orange-coloured, 

 bell-shaped flowers. 



The plants in the Cactus-house looked as grotesque and curious as ever. One of the 

 Aloes (Agave glaucescens) was just coming into flower. This is a very distinct kind, it has 

 a stem 3 or 4 feet high, and its flower-stem is a simple spike, which while young grows very 

 rapidly — as much as 6 or 8 inches a-day sometimes. Some of the climbers in this house 

 were very gay. Passiflora kermesina was flowering well ; this is one of the best sorts for 

 a warm conservatory, while a kind called P. coerulea racemosa is the best for a cold house — 

 it is always in flower. Some of the Abutilons are capital plants for training up a rafter, 

 their large, drooping, bell-shaped, orange flowers having a very graceful appearance. 



We were too late to see the Victoria in flower, though it had been blooming well in both 

 of the aquariums. The old aquarium is filled with foliage plants, which look well at any 

 season of the year, and at both ends of the house was a fine group of Pitcher -plants. In the 

 little stove adjoining we found some nice things in flower. Gresnera cinnabarina is, both for 

 flower and foliage, invaluable at this dull season ; it is one of the best things that have been 

 imported for many a year. Gesnera Cliftonii is in the way of the old G. zebrina, but not 

 superior to it. In the centre of the house stood a magnificent specimen of Cyanophyllum 

 magnificum, and near it the two other species (0. speeiosum and 0. assamicum), but neither of 

 them are equal to that first named. There were several nice Orchids in flower. We give a 

 list of the most showy of them, as it may be useful to some of our readers who need flowers 

 at this time of year. Odontoglossum grande, Miltonia spectabilis, M. MoreUiana, Epidendrum 

 vitellinum, Cattleya labiata, Sophronitis grandiflora, and Ly caste Skinneri. 



The magnificent collection of Aroids have been moved into the house formerly devoted 

 to Ehododendrons. In a few years we shall, no doubt, find this family almost as great favour- 

 ites with our countrymen as they are already on the continent. In the cool Fern-house, 

 trained to wires between the rafters was a fine plant of Lapageria rosea, having nearly four 

 dozen flowers fully expanded on the day of our visit. 



In the new house put up last year for the growth of the quinine-producing plants, we 

 saw many hundreds of young seedlings of Cinchona succirubra ; these, which are about a 

 twelvemonth old, are from 9 to 18 inches in b eight. This is the species which produces 

 tbe " Bed Bark," the most useful medicine in all cases of fever. There is almost an equal 

 number of plants of Cinchona micrantha. This is an inhabitant of the mountains, and is 

 therefore more difficult to grow than the other kind. The bark is scarcely inferior to that of 

 the other kind. It is intended to forward these plants to India and Ceylon as soon as they are 

 strong enough to stand the journey. Ground has already been prepared for them in several 

 places, where it is probable they will soon form extensive plantations. Largo numbers of 

 plants have also been raised from seed on the spot. 



There was as usual a number of plants of interest in the Palm-stove. The large Palms 

 which were planted out about two years ago are thriving well, several of them were m 

 flower ; among these were Cocos plumosa, Caryota urens, Sabal umbraculifera, Areca Biucrn, 

 Seaforthia elegans. Most of these ripen their seed weU. The stems of some of them are 

 now clothed with climbing Aroids and similar plants, and the surface of the soil covered with 

 a turf of Lycopodium. All this gives the plants a less artificial appearance, and this magnifi- 

 cent house now gives a better idea of a tropical forest than ever. The large plants of Dam- 

 mara orientalis have produced several fine female cones. This is probably the first time this 

 beautiful but tender Conifer ever produced seed in Europe. A fine plant of Plumbago rosea, 

 about 3 feet in diameter, was flowering freely. There must be some hundreds of flower- 

 spikes upon it, and in all probability it will continue in bloom for the next three months at 

 least The useful qualities of this plant have already been pointed out m our pages, the 

 fine crimson flowers of Stepbanophysum Baikiei, and the delicate pink ones of Dipteracanthus 

 Herbstii, are always valuable at this season, and many specimens of each were m flower. Both 

 of these plants are somewhat new ; but we noticed another, which is quite as good m its way, 

 and very distinct from everything else. It was Barberia cristata, it was introduced from 

 India about a hundred years ago, but had long been lost in the country and was re-introduced 

 from the Botanic Garden at Calcutta last year. The flowers are large and showy, being of a 

 bright rose colour, and they are produced very freely. Heterocentron mexicana is a plant 

 that should not be lost sight of by those who have to provide a few choice flowers during the 

 winter Among the climbers in this house we noticed several good things m flower. Ifie old 

 Tecoma venusta, flowers orange, shaped like those of an ^schynanthus ; old plants flower 

 much more freely than young ones. Ipomsea rubra-co3rulea (called also Calonyction speciosunij, 

 a beautiful, large, blue-flowered kind from the East Indies. I. coccinea, flowers small, but 

 of a bright scarlet. The old crimson I. Quamoclit is not grown half so much as it deserves 

 to be ; it makes a capital pot-climber, for the leaves are as pretty as the flowers. Clitorea 

 Ternatea, pea-shaped flowers, of a dark blue colour, and having a white blotch on the standard. 



Great progress has been made in the construction of the new winter garden ; the pillars 

 are raised and the walls of the centre are completed. The two octagonal buildings, one on 



