THE FLORAL MAGAZINE 



SEPTEMBER, 1876. [No. 57. 



NEW SERIES.] 



FLORAL EXHIBITIONS. 



The last summer exhibition of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, held on the 19th of July, was a most inter- 

 esting one, although new plants were not so plentiful 

 as one might have expected. Messrs. Yeitch and 

 Sons received a first-class certificate for their new 

 seedling tuberous-rooted Begonia, " Countess of Done- 

 raile," a dwarf, robust, dark-leaved variety, having 

 purplish red stems, and bearing axillary three-flowered 

 trusses of vivid crimson-scarlet flowers. It is difficult 

 to imagine a more effective plant for pot culture. 

 Utricularia Endresi, also sent by Messrs. Veitch, 

 obtained a first-class certificate. It has the habit 

 of U. montana, but the flowers are of a delicate lilac 

 colour, with a faint lemon-yellow throat. Gymno- 

 gramma Alstoni, a very distinct gold fern, was exhibited, 

 which has the singular habit of turning up the 

 edges of its fronds so as to show the golden under 

 surfaces of the pinnaa, in contrast with the deep green 

 upper part of the fronds. It is said that its spores re- 

 produce this variety, or, to use a popular expression, the 

 seedlings " come true," so it is likely soon to become 

 plentiful. Messrs. Sander and Co., seed growers of 

 St. Alban's, sent a dwarf free-blooming Iberis, said to 

 be the I. coronaria of Sweet. It is a summer-blooming 

 annual, with stout toothed leaves of great substance, 

 and it well deserves culture for outdoor decorative 

 purposes. At the Committee Meeting held at South 

 Kensington on August 3rd, Messrs. Veitch and Sons 

 sent a very beautiful Begonia of dwarf habit, which 

 bears very vivid orange-scarlet flowers on o-flowered 

 scapes five or six inches in height. It was certificated 

 under the name of B. Davisii, but must not be con- 

 founded with a plant bearing that name in the Kew 

 collection, which is of entirely different habit, belong- 

 ing, as it does, to the B. insignis group. A very deli- 

 cately-tinted greenhouse Rhodendron named "Maiden's 

 Blush," in allusion to the colour, was much admired. 

 It belongs to the now famous R. Javanico-jasminiflorum 

 group, and well deserved the first-class certificate 

 awarded to it as a decorative plant. Mr. C. Noble, of 

 Bagshot, again sent his new seedling Bourbon rose, 

 " Queen of Bedders," a vigorous, dwarf-habited, and 

 floriferous crimson-flowered variety, raised from seeds 

 of " Sir Joseph Paxton." Messrs. Daniel Bros., of 

 Norwich, obtained a first-class certificate for their new 

 hybrid Godetia, which we now figure and describe for 



the first time. Certificates were also given by the 

 Floral Committee to Hollyhock, " Virgin Queen," a 

 full, white-flowered variety, raised by Mr. Chater ; and 

 to Zonal Pelargonium, " Madame A. Baltet," a double 

 white-flowered seedling, sent by M. Lemoine, of Nancy. 

 The committee meeting of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, held on August 16th, was a very attractive 

 one ; new Dahlias being sent by Mr. Charles Turner, 

 who obtained certificates for " Drake Lewis," a robust 

 crimson-scarlet flower, and " Canary," a pure yellow 

 self. Messrs. Kelway, of Langport, sent a stand of 

 Gladioli, in fair condition, but the weather has been 

 too torrid for well-finished spikes. The following 

 obtained certificates : " Lady Aberdare," a large 

 white variety, the lower segments boldly striped 

 with purple; " Dr. Hogg," a lilac-purple variety, 

 with smooth shapely petals, and a white throat, the 

 outer sepals being flaked with crimson. " Rev. 

 M. J. Berkeley" is a soft and Avell-shaped rosy- 

 salmon variety, the outer segments being flaked with 

 vermilion, and altogether a very nice addition to 

 these gorgeous autumn flowers. Messrs. Veitch and 

 Sons sent a richly-coloured variety of the purple- 

 flowered Australian Dendrobium bigibbum superbum, 

 and two very pretty hybrid Begonias came from 

 Messrs. Frobel and Co., of Zurich. B. " Otto 

 Forster" is said to be a seedling between B. imperialis 

 and B. Rex, and has velvety leaves splashed with 

 silvery-grey. B. "Miranda," a seedling between B. 

 Rex und B. smaragdina, has darker green leaves, with 

 the silvery markings of B. Rex. Both are very much 

 alike, the upper surface of the foliage being asperous, 

 while the interstices between the anastomosing veins 

 on the under surface of the leaves present a curiously- 

 punctured appearance. The flowers of both are 

 greenish-white and inconspicuous A very dark and 

 floriferous bedding Lobelia came from Mr. D. Ross, of 

 St. Martin's Abbey, Perth. It was certificated under 

 the name of " St. Martin's Blue," and is likely to 

 become popular for the now fashionable " carpet " 

 bedding. The colour is a deep indigo blue, even the 

 flower stems and foliage being saturated with the 

 same colour. Mr. J. Laing, of Forest Hill sent 

 Fuchsia, " Lord Beaconsfield," a robust-habited, flori- 

 ferous seedling from F. fulgens, crossed with one of 

 the modern varieties ; the tube is bright rose, the 

 corolla verging on scarlet, and as a decorative plant it 

 is well worth culture. 



