ON THE CULTURE OP NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 
45 
interesting" plant is now in flower. Mr. Low has recently imported a great , variety 
of valuable seeds from New Holland, among- which he expects to find some 
excellent species of Pultencea^ Hakea, Dillwynnia^ &c. ; and it is more than 
probable that there will be some new and interesting- species produced from them. 
Messrs. Rollison's, Tooting-. Oncidium luridum. Several very fine speci- 
mens of this well known and much admired species are now in flower in the above 
mentioned nursery, and as some of the flower stems are from five to six feet long-, 
and are beautifully studded with their pretty delicate-looking blossoms, they have 
a most elegant and fascinating- appearance. Oncidium ampliatum is also beautifully 
m flower, and a very fine variety of Catasetum luridum ; the flowers of which are 
much larger than those of the original species, and are prettily marked round the 
edge of the lower lip with dark brown stripes. 
Mk. Young's, Epsom. Genista monospe7'ma. This interesting- plant, which, 
for the delightful fragrance of its pretty little white blossoms stands almost unrivalled, 
is now beautifully in flower in this nursery ; and, although its regular season of 
flowering- may be said to be in the months of May and June, yet it has here pro- 
duced an abundance of flowers during the whole of the past winter; this renders it 
still more valuable, and to every collection of greenhouse plants it would prove a 
most desirable acquisition. Mr. Young has also two other similar (though appa- 
rently quite distinct) species of Genista^ which he supposes are new, but which have 
not yet flowered. Passijlora Loudoniana. A new and highly beautiful species of 
Passijiora has, for some time past, produced its brilliant crimson-coloured blossoms 
in great perfection, and there still remain a few flowers upon it; it is by some con- 
sidered as identical with P, Kermesina, but upon comparing- them it will at once 
be allowed that they are quite distinct, as this plant grows far more luxuriantly ; 
the foliage is of a deeper green, and the flowers are decidedly superior in the 
richness of their colours to those of P. Kermesina ; and we know of no species that 
is more worthy of a situation in the stove, as a climbing plant, than the one here 
spoken of. Lasthenia giahrata. This is a new and very pretty greenhouse 
annual, and, like many other plants, belonging to the natural order Compositce ; 
the flowers are of a yellow colour. It is now flowering very freely at Mr. Young's ; 
and, as it is very probable that it may prove hardy, it is by no means unworthy 
of notice. 
NOTICES ON THE CULTURE OF NEW AND RARE PLANTS 
IN THE PRINCIPAL NURSERIES AND PRIVATE GARDENS IN THE 
VICINITY OF LONDON. 
On the Cultivation of Orchidec^, as practised hy Messrs. Follison, Tooting. 
Many and varied are the systems pursued by diff'erent descriptions of persons, in 
the cultivation of this singularly beautiful tribe ; and certainly no family of plants 
presents a more pleasing variety of interesting objects to the eye of the botanist, or 
