l68 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



and their thickened areas become convex inwards and throw the thin 

 parts back ; then the lateral petals rapidly elongate, curving over 

 strongly so that their points pass between the bases of the lateral 

 sepals, and in this curious action they deflect the lip on to its base, 

 holding it down against a certain amount of resistance, in contact 

 with the lateral sepals : thus the flower gapes somewhat. During the 

 night the dorsal sepal turns back and the lateral petals straighten. 

 The upper lateral sepal, no longer held away from its fellows by the 

 lateral petals, now moves down to be in contact with it, and is thus 

 almost median as regards the lip, and as the lateral sepals move away 

 the Hp is caught against its convex swelhng and held folded down 

 as the lateral petals placed it. A touch now frees the lip and causes 

 it to spring up against the column. It is apparently fertilized by 

 rather small insects which, attracted to the flower, are trapped by the 

 upspringing of the lip against the column, and in struggHng to free 

 themselves effect pollination. The mechanism is very curious : 

 the lip is a trigger put into place by the lateral petals and held there 

 by one of the lateral sepals. This alone makes it of unusual interest, 

 but this is heightened by the angle at which the flower stands, by the 

 movement out of the median line of the column, and by the movement 

 towards it of a lateral sepal. The flower has apparently no scent 

 and no free honey ; its colours are lemon- yellow to yellowish green, 

 with deep crimson markings on the lip, and the swollen parts of the 

 lateral sepals are maroon. — F. C. 



Palmetto, A New Ornamental. By 0. F. Cook (U.S.A. Dep. 

 Agr., Bur. PL Ind., Circ. 113 ; Feb. 1913 ; pp. 11-14). — handsome 

 palmetto, which may find a place in the front rank of ornamental 

 species, has been discovered at Victoria, Texas. It seems necessary 

 to recognize it as a new species, and the name I nodes exul is proposed 

 for it, in allusion to the fact that the original habitat is unknown, though 

 it is considered probable that it will be found in some part of northern 

 Mexico. The diagnostic characters at present available are the large 

 size, the deep green foliage, the thickened branchlets of the inflorescence, 

 the solitary fruits, and the large seed, not wrinkled above nor hollowed 

 out below. — A. P. 



Palms in the Botanical Gardens at Buitenzorg. By L. 



Pynaert [Rev. de VHort. Belg. March 15, p. 16 ; March 31, p. 92 ; 

 June 15, p. 202 ; 1913 ; plates). — A series of articles on the dis- 

 tribution of the Palm family over the globe, with a classification 

 and description of all known varieties, and an illustrated account 

 of the wonderful collection of Palms in the Botanical Gardens at 

 Buitenzorg, in Java. — M. L. H. 



Papaya, The Grafted, as an Annual Fruit Tree. By D. Fair- 

 child and E. Simmonds [U.S.A. Dep. Agr., Bur. PI. Ind., Circ. 119; 

 March 1913 ; pp. 3-13 ; 4 figs.). — It is doubtful whether there is any 

 fruit tree that grows as rapidly as the Papaya (Carica Papaya), or 



