THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES.] JULY, 1879. [No. 91. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



What is described as the first summer show of the 

 Royal Botanic Society of London took place on May 

 21st, and, as is generally the case, a large number of 

 First-class Certificates of Merit were awarded. Messrs. 

 Veitch&Sons had the following plants, which received 

 that award : — Cypripedium Lawrenceanum, a species 

 from Java, with rather pretty flowers composed of a 

 shaded chocolate lip, and narrow shining brown petals, 

 and sepals of bright green, shading off at the edging 

 into a paler tint; Tillandsia Zebrina major, with bright 

 scarlet bracts and a flower- stem a foot in length ; 

 Dracaena Laingi, an erect growing form with the 

 younger leaves of a dull straw-yellow colour, the older 

 ones green, rose, and brown ; Doodia aspera multifida, 

 a crested form of this fine erect growing Australian 

 Fern ; Erythrina marmorata, a beautiful white, yellow, 

 and green ornamental-leaved plant; Ranunculus 

 Lyallii, Rhododrendron Duchess of Teck, with soft 

 nankeen and orange-coloured flowers ; Azalea pon- 

 tica narcissiflora ; A. pontica Graf von Morau, pretty 

 salmon-pink, very pleasing; A. Mollis Comte de 

 Gomer, salmon-rose; A. Mollis Baron Constant 

 Rebecque, yellow, with buff spots; and Gloxinia 

 Duchess of Connaught, a fine erect flowering form, the 

 throat rich purplish crimson, the lobes broadly mar- 

 gined' with white. Mr. William Bull had First-class 

 Certificates of Merit for Cycas pluma, C. siamensis, 

 Croton Dormannianus, a finely variegated form ; 0. 

 Evansianus, one of the new trilobate types, the old 

 recurved leaves of a warm bronzed colour veined with 

 crimson ; the younger ones green, with yellow veins ; 

 Oncidium tetracopes, a handsome novelty in the way 

 of 0. crispum ; Cattleya Skinneri alba ; Emephalartos 

 Hildebrandtii ; Asparagus gracillimus, Sarracenia 

 atrosanguinea, in the way of Drummondii, but mainly 

 differing in the dark blood-red colour of the lids; 

 Spirea nivosa, a hardy Japanese species, with pretty 

 slender spikes of white flowers ; and to the following- 

 new types of Coleus : Empress of Germany, the leaves 

 of a bright reddish tint, having a slight edging of 

 gold ; Starlight, having wavy edged leaves of a deep 

 rosy hue margined with yellow ; Harlequin, the foliage 

 very grotesquely marked with various tints, quite 

 distinct from any we have seen ; and Butterfly, 



having rosy-tinted leaves edged with pale yellow and 

 deeply toothed. The same award was made to the 

 following subjects shown by Messrs. E. G. Hender- 

 son & Son : Phaedranasa chloraca vera, a bulbous 

 plant, with long tubular shaped flowers of the 

 colour of sealing-wax, and tipped with green, pro- 

 duced in umbels on tall-growing stems ; and Pteris 

 cretica gigantea, a very robust and highly-ornamental 

 variety. To Mr. B. S. Williams for Croton Burtoni, 

 a long-leaved form, bright green, with well-marked 

 golden variegation ; Cupania elegantissima, a deco- 

 rative plant of graceful habit, something like a cycad 

 in appearance ; and for Asplenium horridum, a dis- 

 tinct form with broad fronds, the stripes of white, and 

 covered with a fulvous, downy substance. To Messrs. 

 Osborn & Sons, for Caladium L'Albane, with soft 

 rose-coloured leaves almost transparent, veined with 

 bright green. To Messrs. John Laing & Co., for 

 Begonia Comtesse H. de Choiseul, described in our 

 last number ; J. H. Laing, very bright vermilion, large 

 and very fine ; and Marie Bouchet, deep bright red- 

 dish cerise, with laciniated petals, very fine. To 

 Mr. Henry Hooper, Bath, for Fancy Pansy Champion, 

 a fine white variety with a large deep purple centre. 



The Great Exhibition of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, held on May 27th, in itself a splendid show, 

 was the means of bringing together but very few 

 novelties to which First-class Certificates of Merit 

 were awarded. Messrs. Veitch & Sons had First- 

 class Certificates for Azalea pontica Graf von Morau, 

 white and delicate pink double-flowers, large trusses, 

 a fine decorative plant; Gloxinia Duchess of Con- 

 naught, and Croton Evansianus. The same award 

 was made to Mr. Charles Turner, Royal Nursery, 

 Slough, for Azalea Madelina, having large white semi- 

 double flowers, the petals stout and finely formed ; a 

 very free blooming variety. To Mr. R. Dean, Ranelagh 

 Road, Ealing, for Polyanthus superbus, having rich 

 bright chocolate crimson flowers of fine form, and a 

 bright golden centre ; and for the pale yellow-coloured 

 Primula Sikkimensis, which bears pale yellow pendent 

 flowers, on a tall stem. To H. J. Elwes, Esq., 

 Cirencester, for Frittilaria recurva, a species from 

 California, and considered one of the most beautiful of 

 all the cultivated kinds. Its stems grows from eight 

 to nine inches in height, and are terminated by 

 several drooping bell-shaped blossoms, which have 



