THE FLORAL MAGAZINE 



NEW SERIES.] NOVEMBER, 1876. [No. 59. 



FLORAL EXHIBITIONS. 



The Royal Horticultural Society's Meeting, held on 

 October 4th, was one of the most interesting which 

 has taken place for some time, and was fairly well at- 

 tended. Messrs. Veitch and Sons contributed an 

 attractive group of hybrid and other Orchids, including 

 a fine example of the blue-flowered Vanda coerulea 

 bearing four flower-spikes, on the two largest of which 

 we counted nineteen and seventeen flowers and buds 

 respectively. In the same group was a good plant of 

 Cypripedium Sedeni, the best of all hybrid Lady's 

 slippers, and two flowering specimens of the chaste and 

 beautiful Cattleya exoniensis. Mr. Charles Turner 

 furnished a well-grown collection of Tree Carnations in 

 splendid condition ; also some new seedling varieties, 

 dwarf and distinct in colour, notably Sir Garnet 

 Wolseley and La Debutante, both of which are fully 

 described elsewhere. Stands of seedling Pompones 

 and other Dahlias from Mr. Turner, and some new 

 seedling Dracaenas from Mr. Wills, were also much 

 admired. First-class certificates were awarded to the 

 following new decorative plants: — Dahlia, Chris. Ridley 

 (Turner) ; a really beautiful crimson-scarlet-coloured 

 variety with a good centre — one, in short, of the best 

 seedling Dahlias of the present year, and one which 

 will fill a prominent place in all exhibition collections. 

 Dahlia, Bm-gundy (Turner) ; a rich, puce-coloured 

 flower shaded with crimson-purple, which is densest 

 in the centre. It is of large size and distinct in 

 colour. Dracaena Gladstonei (Wills) ; a stately- 

 habited plant with recurved, dark purplish-green 

 foliage, the upper leaves being flaked and margined 

 with crimson, — decidedly one of the best of the large- 

 growing kinds ; and also to Maranta Massingiana. — A 

 choice group of rare and beautiful Orchids came from 

 Messrs. Veitch and Sons, two fine varieties of Cattleya 

 exoniensis, a richly-tinted Cattleya superba, and a new 

 hybrid Cattleya, in the way of C. Fausta, although 

 perhaps scarcely so bright in colour. In the same col- 

 lection were also a large flowered form of Laslia prass- 

 tans, one of the most distinct of all the dwarf-growing 

 species ; likewise a plant of Cattleya maxima, with rosy- 

 lilac sepals and petals, and a delicately purple-pencilled 

 lip — a fine plant of Vanda suavis — bore two good 

 spikes ; and we also noted a specimen of Oncidium 

 Forbesi — a brightly-tinted variety of 0. crispum bear- 



ing a graceful spike. Messrs. Rollisson and Son showed 

 a Cattleya named C. Mylami, said to be an hybrid 

 between C. crispa and C. granulosa. Its spikes are 

 five-flowered, the sepals and petals being similar to 

 those of C. granulosa, the lip like that of C. crispa, 

 richly veined with purple in front, and nearly white 

 behind. Mr. Ollerhead, Wimbledon House, contri- 

 buted interesting groups, consisting of about fifty 

 plants, suitable for indoor decoration ; also a plant of 

 Lycopodium phlegmeria, a graceful Cryptogam allied 

 to our native club Mosses, and rarely seen except in 

 botanical collections ; as exhibited, however, it formed 

 a distinct and beautiful decorative plant, its fresh green 

 Epacris-like stems being terminated by elegant tassel 

 or catkin-like appendages of a pleasing shade of light 

 green. Mr. G. F. Wilson, of Heatherbank, Wey- 

 bridge, sent a well-flowered specimen of a dark spotted 

 variety of Tricyrtis hirta, a slender-habited Japanese 

 plant, being alternate stem-clasping leaves and small, 

 pale, purple-spotted flowers somewhat resembling 

 those of a Passion-flower in structure. Mr. Noble, of 

 Sunningdale, sent his dwarf Pampas Grass (Gynerium 

 argenteum pumilum) which produces erect spikes 

 rarely more than 4 ft. in height. A choice collection of 

 double-flowered Zonal Pelargoniums in a cut state came 

 from the Society's Gardens, Chiswick, the prevailing 

 colours being scarlet, white, salmon, and rose. Among 

 these we noted Madame A. Baltet, an excellent white 

 variety ; Vesta, a brilliant semi-double scarlet ; and 

 Bouquet, a full salmon-rose. Mr. Turner's Tree Car- 

 nations, already alluded to, varied from 1 ft. to 2 ft. in 

 height, and were well flowered. Among them we 

 specially noted Miss Jolliffe, salmon-rose; Scarlet 

 Defiance, bright crimson-scarlet; Rose Perfection, 

 bright rose, a fine full flower; Jessica, a full fringed 

 flower ; Vestal, white ; La Debutante, a dark purple 

 seedling ; Coronation, rich crimson-scarlet ; Sir Garnet 

 Wolseley, buff flaked with vermilion ; Prince of Orange, 

 lemon-yellow laced with red ; Lilian's Glory, a splen- 

 did dark crimson-scarlet, nearly 4 in. in diameter, and 

 full like a double Hollyhock ; and Proserpine, also a 

 very attractive scarlet-flowered variety. Among 

 Dahlia blooms from the same exhibitor we remarked 

 the following new seedlings, viz., Mrs. Purves, canary- 

 yellow tipped with white ; Figaro, orange-buff tipped 

 and margined with vermilion ; Drake Lewis, a full and 

 shapely crimson-scarlet flower; The Rover, distinct 



