THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



scribed by the Gardener's Chronicle as a " curious 

 Orchid with green flowers borne on two separate spikes, 

 those on one spike being much larger and totally 

 different in appearance one from the other. So much 

 so, that, seen separately, they would be taken as 

 belonging to different genera. The explanation of 

 this and of similar appearances in various species of 

 Catasetum is now known to be that they are the male 

 and female flowers respectively. In the present in- 

 stance, the flowers on the shorter spike with broad 

 segments and simple lip are probably female, while the 

 smaller and more numerous flowers on the long raceme 

 and which have a much-divided lip, are male." A 

 Cultural Commendation was also awarded to Mr. W. 

 Bull for Zamia Skinneri, a cycad with a tall, erect stem, 

 giving off a crown of bold pinnate leaves, surrounding 

 two male spikes. From Messrs. Todd & Co., Seeds- 

 men, Edinburgh, came cut flowers of the East Lothian 

 Intermediate crimson Stock, very double and finely 

 coloured. From Mr. John Walker, Nurseryman, 

 Thame, came a large quantity of cut flowers of that 

 fine old plant, Tropaeolum tuberosum, which seems to 

 have flowered very freely in the open air this season. 

 Messrs. Haage & Schmidt, of Erfurt, Germany, sent 

 plants of a striped double common Marigold they had 

 named Meteor; and from Mr. R. Dean, Ranelagh Road, 

 Ealing, came what seemed to be the same thing, under 

 the name of Meteor, but in a much better form. 

 Messrs. W. Paul & Son, the Nurseries, Waltham Cross, 

 had some boxes of cut Roses, among them a fine new 

 crimson-coloured variety named Duchess of Bedford, 

 one of the Hybrid Perpetual class. 



NEW GERMAN POMPON DAHLIAS. 



We have this season seen some very pretty and 

 distinct Dahlias of the Pompon or Liliputian type, 

 obtained from Germany, possessing so much novelty of 

 character as to make it desirable they should be better 

 known. They have small, compact, and well-formed 

 flowers, with quilled rather than open florets ; and it is 

 this character of flower, as well as the combinations of 

 colour they present, which makes them so attractive. 

 We may further remark, that they average from two to 

 three feet in height, are free-branching, yet compact 

 in habit, and are singularly free of bloom. 



We made special note of the following : viz., G. 

 Defusy, pale-puce, very fine; Rougiere et Chauviere, 

 purple, the centre petals nearly white, like those of a 



crown Aster ; W. Tardier, orange, slightly tipped with 

 purple, very fine and free ; Frederick Muller, one half 

 of the petals orange-buff, the other half creamy-buff, 

 a singular and yet pleasing combination ; Hedwig 

 Polluez, scarlet, tipped with white, fine shape, very free, 

 and quite distinct ; German Favourite, bright claret- 

 red on a pale golden ground, very fine, though a little 

 tall in growth ; Karl Goldenburgh, yellow, tipped with 

 white, very pretty ; Borjeat, purplish-crimson, singu- 

 larly free and compact; Anna Weinar, gold, tipped 

 with pale red, very fine ; and Trosmeister Gschwina, 

 white and dark maroon, very peculiar in appearance. 

 For cutting from the foregoing are invaluable. 



Some other better-known varieties will be found in 

 Northern Light, deep orange-scarlet ; Nemesis, rose 

 and white ; Sapphire, deep-shaded crimson ; Sacra- 

 mento, gold, heavily tipped with red ; Glowworm, pale 

 gold, tipped with bright red, very fine ; Tom Rover, 

 lilac, tipped with purple ; and White Aster, pure white, 



EIGHTEEN CHOICE HYACINTHS FOR 

 POTS. 



At this season of the year, when cultivators of this 

 beautiful flower are making up their collections, it 

 may be of service to give a selection of the best 

 varieties we noted when in flower last spring. Single 

 red : Cavaignac, salmon, striped with rose ; Florence 

 Nightingale, pale pink, with carmine stripes ; La Pro- 

 phete, soft pink and carmine, very pretty ; Macaulay, 

 deep rose, striped with crimson ; Prince Albert Victor, 

 deep crimson ; Solfaterre, brilliant orange-scarlet ; 

 Von Schiller, deep salmon-pink. Single blue and 

 mauve : De Candolle, pale reddish-lilac and blue; 

 Haydn, lilac-mauve; Blondin, greyish pale-blue; King 

 of the Blues, clear dark-blue ; Lord Palmerston, grey- 

 ish-blue, with white centre; Marie, dark purplish -blue. 

 Single white : Alba maxima, fine pure white; Grandeur 

 a Merveille, fine pale-blush ; La Franchise, creamy- 

 white, very fine ; Mirandoline, pure white, very fine ; 

 Paix de l'Europe, pure white, very large bells ; and 

 Seraphine, pale-blush. It will be observed, all the 

 foregoing are single varieties, and though there are a 

 few fine double varieties suitable for pots, the singles 

 are far better. If it were desired to add a single yellow 

 or two, they should be Bird of Paradise, deep yellow, 

 and Ida, pale yellow. 



