FEBRUARY. 



17 



BOUGAINVILLAEA GLABRA. 



WITH AN" ILLUSTRATION. 



Those who were fortunate enough to see the magnificent specimens of 

 BougainviUcea speciosa grown by Mr. Daniels, gardener to Rev. C. E. Ruck 

 Keene, at Swyncombe House, Henley-on-Thames, will be prepared to assign 

 to the plant one of the very foremost places among the flowers we cultivate for 

 their beauty's sake. A fragment of that fine species was represented in the 

 old series of the Florist ; and we have now the pleasure of introducing a very 

 faithful representation — on a small scale indeed, such as the size of our page 

 will permit — of another species of the same genus, which, though less gorgeous 

 in character, has some qualities which, we think, place it on an equality with 

 its more specious congener. 



For the opportunity of figuring Bougainvillaea glabra, which is the plant 

 to which we here allude, we owe our thanks to Mr. Daniels, by whom it was 

 flowered in October last, and by whom it was also exhibited at one of the Floral 

 Meetings at South Kensington, when it obtained the award of a first-class 

 certificate of merit. Though a very handsome plant, it was on this occasion 

 admitted to be inferior in beauty to B. speciosa ; and yet, notwithstanding, a 

 very high opinion was formed of its merits : this being in great measure attri- 

 butable to a statement made by Mr. Daniels that it would be found to do well 

 in a warm conservatory, in consequence of its being much hardier in character 

 than B. speciosa, and also in some degree to what appeared to be a fair pre- 

 sumption — that it would prove an autumn or winter-flowering plant. Further 

 experience and more extended information, derived from various sources, have 

 proved to be entirely confirmatory on these points ; and it is, therefore, with 

 no little satisfaction that we figure this winter-blooming BougainviUcea as a 

 thoroughly manageable species, (which can hardly be said of the more showy 

 plant,) and as one which indeed, according to the experience of different culti- 

 vators, may be so treated as to be had in bloom at any season. 



Compared with B. speciosa, our present subject is considerably more slender, 

 is nearly smooth in every part, and has smaller, thin, elliptical acuminate 

 leaves, the branches being provided with short curved supra-axillary spines. 

 The inflorescence is panicled, smaller than in the allied plant, and with its 

 branches somewhat bare towards their base, so that it is less densely furnished, 

 but they are trichotomous at their apices, and each branchlet bears a triplet 

 of cordate-ovate acute pale rosy bracts, not much exceeding the flowers, which 

 latter open of a delicate primrose, and change to buff. 



We learn that the Swyncombe plant commenced blooming at the end of 

 August, and continued till the beginning of December, when it was stripped of 

 its flower-panicles, which were required for decorative purposes. This plant it 

 appears, although confined in a pot, continued to throw up strong shoots through 

 the autumn, all of which became in turn covered with flowers. Mr. Daniels 

 states that generally the shoots were developed and produced flowers within 

 the space of about a month. " If my opinion were asked," he writes, " I 

 should have no hesitation in saying that, considering the facility with which it 

 flowers, its perfectly distinct habit, and its distinct season of bloom, it is quite 

 worthy to be placed side by side with B. speciosa." 



We are happy to be able to append some cultural observations with which 

 Mr. Daniels has favoured us : — 



" Bougainvillaa glair a will, I have no doubt, soon become a general favourite in con- 

 sequence of its very easy cultivation. The plant from which the specimens were cut that 

 were exhibited before the Eoyal Horticultural Society on the 8th of October last was not in 

 my possession till the November previous. It was then in a 60-sized pot, m which it 

 VOL. I. n 



