FLORICULTURAL NOTICES. 
189 
flowers, of even greater dimensions than those of H. macrardhum^ entitle it to the 
culturist's favour. Although apparently an annual, the flowers remain in perfection 
for such a length of time, that it will certainly meet with very general esteem. 
K(EMPFERiA ELEGANS. An Indian plant, obtained by Messrs. Rollison, Tooting, 
from Dr. Wallich of the Calcutta Botanic Garden, and now blooming in the stove 
of the former gentlemen. Its average height is about six inches in this country, 
the leaves are pleasingly mottled with a kind of grey colour, and the blossoms, 
which are protruded singly from a sheath at the summit of the scape, are light 
purple, and very elegant. The species is pretty, though not suitable for a small 
selection of stove plants. 
L^LiA ALBiDA. Amidst some newly-imported Mexican OrchidaceaB in the 
gTeenhouse of Messrs. Loddiges, we have observed two or three plants of this 
species blossoming for the last two months. It seems to have a particularly dwarf 
flower-scape, and white flowers, with a tinge of yellow, and reddish purple streaks 
in the labellum. Without being comparable to the pink -flowering species, it is 
worthy of cultivation, and appears likely to succeed in a cold house to which no 
shading is afibrded. In the lip of one of the flowers we observed a large fly, which, 
on being removed, was found to be quite decomposed, and must have been 
entrapped between the column and the lip by some elastic power in one or both of 
these organs. 
Lobelia — - ? In several of the metropolitan nurseries we have been watching, for 
two years or more, a gigantic species of Lobelia^ with a remarkably strong stem, 
fully an inch in diameter, and leaves of proportionate size and length arranged 
densely towards its top, and partially drooping, in the expectation of seeing flowers 
in some degree equal to the promise it had afi'orded. It has been kept in the stove, 
the greenhouse, and the open ground, but failed to flower till, last month, a 
specimen in the stove of Messrs. Rollison, Tooting, developed a flower- spike and 
opened its blossoms. These prove to be dull purple, of an insignificant size, and 
do not properly expand themselves. It is, therefore, nearly worthless as a flower- 
ing plant, and can never be grown for aught but its general appearance, which is 
somewhat ornamental. We understand that Mr. Gardner introduced it from 
South America. 
MiLTONiA spectabilis. This noble orchidaceous plant is here again brought 
forward with the view of calling attention to four varieties that have flowered with 
Messrs. Loddiges. Besides the one we recently represented by a coloured plate, 
and the peculiarity of which is a shade of purple in the middle of the sepals and 
petals ; those w^e now notice diflfer in the tints of the labellum, one being of a 
pale purple with a broad margin of white, another of a similar ground colour but 
much more in blotches, and a third of an intense purple, intermingled with a lighter 
and more delicate hue. The last is a most gorgeous object, and excels all the 
others. 
While thus showing the proneness of Orchidaceas to vary their colours, we may 
