THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES.] SEPTEMBER, 1881. [No. 117. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Taking up our monthly record with the meeting of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society, on July 2 (3th, we 

 have to announce the advent of another of those fine 

 hybrid Rhododendrons the firm of Messrs. James 

 Veitch and Sons, of Chelsea, have been so successful 

 in raising. This is named Duchess of Connaught, and 

 is apparently of the same pedigree as the beautiful 

 R. Duchess of Edinburgh, the plant in every respect, 

 but in colour, resembling that variety ; the truss is 

 also, if anything, more compact, the blossoms more 

 solid in texture, and of a rich glowing crimson-scarlet, 

 without the slightest trace of the orange so con- 

 spicuous in the blossoms of R. Duchess of Edinburgh. 

 This was deservedly awarded a First-class Certificate 

 of Merit. As was also Tachiadenus carinatus, a 

 shrubby gentiaceous plant, introduced from Mada- 

 gascar, with bluish, lavender-coloured, bell-shaped, 

 five-lobed blossoms, with a slender corolla tube, about 

 three inches long; and Ixora Burbidgei, a Bornean 

 introduction, with orange-scarlet flowers freely pro- 

 duced in dense terminal clusters. In addition, Messrs. 

 Veitch and Sons had some nice plants of the pretty 

 new Phalsenopsis violacea, a very remarkable and 

 beautiful species, quite distinct. The plant is of 

 dwarf habit, with bold, ligulate, glossy green foliage, 

 and the flowers grow in short spreading spikes from 

 the crown, each bloom measuring nearly two inches 

 across. The colouring is unique, the central portion 

 of the flower — that is to say, the base of all the 

 perianth-segments and the lip — being of a rich rosy- 

 purple, and the upper portion of the sepals and petals 

 of a light green. From the Chiswick Gardens of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society Mr. Barron brought some 

 very fine tuberous-rooted Begonias, some of which will 

 appear in the Floral Magazine ; also Montbretia 

 crocosmeeflora, a novelty sent by Mons. Lemoine, 

 Nancy, France ; much the same in colour as M. 

 Pottsii, but perhaps a little more yellow, and the 

 flowers larger. This was awarded a First-class Cer- 

 tificate of Merit. A very fine type of Oneidium 

 Lanceanum came from Mr. Hodges, gardener to E. 

 Wright, Esq., Gravelly Hill, Birmingham ; Mr. B. S. 

 Williams showed Maranta Leitzii in bloom, the flowers 

 being pinkish-white and inconspicuous. 



The first of the two meetings of the Royal Horti- 



cultural Society held in August took place on Tuesday, 

 the 9th, when a very interesting display of novelties 

 took place. First-class Certificates of Merit wei'e 

 awarded to the following new plants : — Cattleya 

 Chamberlainiana, a fine hybrid raised between C. 

 Leopoldii and C. Dowiana, the flowers about the size 

 of those of the latter ; the lip is broad, crisped at the 

 margins, and of a beautifully deep velvety-crimson 

 hue ; the sepals of a deep plum colour, and very 

 attractive ; from Messrs. James Veitch and Sons, 

 King's Road, Chelsea. To Bouvardia Alfred Neuner, 

 the new double white variety from America, the 

 flowers pure in colour and handsomely duplicated. It 

 Was shown on this occasion much better than we have 

 previously seen it, and it fully justified the award made 

 to it ; to Adiantum Aueitense, a neat-growing ever- 

 green species from Aneiteum, elegant in appearance, 

 having wedge-shaped pinnate fronds about one foot 

 in length, of moderately firm texture, and of a deep 

 green hue; also to Actiniopteris Australis, a delicate- 

 looking and pretty Fern of small growth, having the 

 fan-shaped fronds divided into numerous fine seg- 

 ments, and resembling those of a miniature Palm. 

 All these came from Mr. William Bull, New Plant 

 Establishment, King's Road, Chelsea. Messrs. Kelway 

 and Son, Nurserymen, Langport, received a First- 

 class Certificate of Merit for Gladiolus Pelargo, a very 

 fine variety in every respect ; the spike large and 

 fully proportioned, the blossoms large, of perfect 

 shape, with remarkable breadth of petal ; the colour a 

 rich carmine-crimson, flaked and sti'eaked with a 

 deeper shade, and the lip petal having a heavy blotch 

 of deep violet-purple. The same award was made to 

 Echinocactus Wislizeni, of globular form, deeply 

 ribbed, and furnished with strong hooked spines, 

 which render the plant very grotesque in appearance ; 

 and to two forms of Cereus, named Giganteus and 

 Pectinatus, both handsome in appearance, the latter 

 particularly so, as the numerous spines which clothe 

 the conical mass are of a reddish hue. These came 

 from Mr. J. Croucher, The Gardens, Sudbury House, 

 Hammersmith, To Asplenium Pteridoides, a hand- 

 some Fern, of an evergreen character, from Lord 

 How r e's Island, having the fertile fronds pinnatifid, 

 and the barren ones less so ; but both are of a leathery 

 texture, and of a deep shining green colour. This 

 came from Mr. Green, The Gardens, Pendrells Court, 



