FLORICULTURAL NOTICES. 
189 
j Royal Gardens to F. Staines, Esq., of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, who sent us, in the first 
i tance, specimens a foot long ; but coming in contact, as it would appear, with a ‘ monster species ’ 
i losed in the same case, they were bruised and eventually perished. Others were afterwards 
i warded of a smaller size, and one of them here figured threw out its pretty starry straw- 
(|)ured fiowers from the depression at the top of the plant in July, 1845.” The plant is at first 
lewhat round, but afterwards becomes oblong, the sides consisting of five or six deep furrows 
jil as many projecting angles ; the whole surface covered with white scale-like dots ; the keel of 
t| angles is flattened, as if cut off with a knife, and this is occupied with closely placed areolse, 
li bearing no spines. Bot. Mag. 4177. 
Porphyroco'ma lanceola'ta. a remarkable and very beautiful Acanth, sent to the Kew 
fdens by Mr. Forkel, gardener to his Majesty the King of the Belgians, at Brussels ; “ but 
brtunately without any history, so as to leave us in the dark as to its native country, or the 
hor of its very appropriate name {poryhyra purple, and Icome head of hair), given in allusion 
ti he singularly richly-coloured spikes of deep purple, from the scales of which the scarcely less 
Ij jhtly-coloured (but more inclining to blue) flowers appear. It was exhibited in the Horticultural 
Sj iety’s Rooms, and excited admiration from the beauty of the blossoms ; which consists in the 
ik purple comb-like parts half covering the Lamium-like violet flowers. It is a stove plant. 
continues flowering during the spring and summer months.” The specimen mentioned is 
aiut a foot high, with large drooping lanceolate leaves tapering at both ends, and of a dark-green 
ci)ur. The flower-spikes are terminal, and deeply four-angled ; the corolla protrudes 
blsiderably beyond the bracts. Bot. Mag. 4176. 
Sela'go di'stans. Dr. Bindley believes that a plant in the nursery of Mr. Glendinning, of 
li’nham Green, is identical with the S. distans of E. Meyer ; but adds, that “ in the absence of 
ajiientic specimens, it is difficult to acquire a certainty upon the point in a genus like Seldgo, of 
vjich scarcely any species have been figured. Walpers enumerates sixty-eight of them, and 
tV are very much like each other. The great peculiarity of this is its loose spikes of flowers, 
a| small slender downy leaves, which are solitary on the young branches and fascicled on the 
clones.” The flowers are rather sweet-scented, but the foliage has an unpleasant odour. It 
ill greenhouse plant easily cultivated, thriving well in a sandy peat, if freely supplied with water 
a he roots, and syringed over-head night and morning, during hot weather. “ It is a desirable 
spies in consequence of its early and long continuance in flower. To enable it to exercise this 
viable quality, it is necessary to repot it about the beginning of August, so as to have it well 
e Mshed before winter ; for if repotted in spring, its flowering will be either retarded or 
p vented.” It is increased from cuttings. Bot. Reg. 46. 
jTasma'nnia aroma'tica. This plant was first made known in De Candolle’s “ System,” where 
if as described from specimens gathered on the mountains of Van Diemens Land, by Brown, 
a| in the country round D’Entrecasteaux’ channel by Leschenault, a French traveller. But at 
t],‘, time nothing was known of the flowers, except that they were dioecious. The characters 
n ’e recently furnished by Endlicher do not exactly coincide with this species, but possibly 
b>ng to T. dipetala. This species “is a handsome evergreen bush, with dull purple branches, 
a light green leaves, distinctly marked with transparent dots ; they are of a dead green, and 
V dess on the under side. Mr. Gunn informs us that it is very abundant in Van Diemens Land, 
I ween Burghley (at the Surrey Hills) and May Day Plain, the Van Diemens Land Company’s 
ti ?k, commonly called road, to Launceston, is cut through a thicket of it for upwards of a mile; 
a hat place its usual height is from nine to twelve feet. It always grows in the richest humid 
8( ; in the neighbourhood of Launceston usually on the margins of rivers or small streams in 
u irageous ravines. Every part of the plant is highly aromatic and pungent to the taste. The 
fi t is occasionally used as pepper.” It is an evergreen shrub, merely requiring to be sheltered 
ii| greenhouse from frost. The flowers are produced in April. Cuttings root freely in sand, if 
c| jred with a bell-glass and placed in bottom-heat. It was presented to the Horticultural 
S^iety of London, by Mr. Low, of Clapton. Bot. Reg. 43. [It would doubtless flourish, in 
K t places, against a conservative wall.] 
