BOTANICAL, INDEX. 8» 
Although the plant figured on this page is a common American plant, and may 
seem out of place arranged under the heading of “New and Rare Plants,” still we 
doubt very much if one half the readers of this article ever saw it or even knew of 
its existence. We think that it ranks among the most beautiful native plants we 
have, and never was more thoroughly impressed with this belief than this spring, 
(last of April and first of May,) when we saw it in full bloom. In fact, we were 
so well pleased with it that we have decided to give an illustration and short 
description of it in this number. 
CASTILLEJA COCCINEA. (Painted Cup.) Sprengel. (Fig. 53.) 
The genus Castilleja was dedicated to Don Castilleja, of Cadiz, an eminent Spanish 
botanist, and our species has been carefully described by Profs. Gray and Wood. 
They are a low growing herb, with rough or hairy stalks, (our cut was made without 
noticing this omission, until too late to correct,) and crowned with a peculiarly con- 
structed scarlet, orange or yellow flower. The corolla is a dull yellow, but nearly 
concealed by the larger and more numerous colored floral bracts (leaves) which give 
form and expression to the flower. The leaves along the upper portion of the stalk 
are often colored at the apex, (scarlet or orange,) while the bracts of the head are 
usually green at the base. 
During the past few months we have received from Mrs. C. B. Younger and H. 
Case, California; John A. Spring, Arizona; Mary Treat and A. II. Curtiss, Florida; 
Joseph Allen, Australia; B. E. Deely, Michigan; Julia A. Miller, Texas; Mrs. S. M. 
Thomas, Kansas, plants, and seeds of rare and valuable plants, for which we wish to 
return our thanks. Some of the plants are now in the hands of botanists for study, 
and soon we shall expect a good report from them. 
We wish to call particular attention to the advertisements that appear in this 
number of the Index. They are all representatives of reliable and worthy houses, 
and can be relied upon for whatever they promise to do. It will be seen that they 
nearly all have a specialty in their line; and we would suggest that any one wanting 
a quantity of choice Lilies, would see what they could do with Mr. J. Vander Swael- 
men before purchasing elsewhere. Also, for Ferns we would recommend Mr. 
Merrill, as his is the only establishment of the- kind in the country that, makes a 
specialty of Ferns. The same may be said of Messrs. Bush & Son & Meissner, in the 
way of Grape Vines. In fact, our pages represent only those known to be the best. 
Among the recent patents issued by the U. S. Patent Office, is one to A. Stoner, of 
Stony Point, La., that promises to be of great value to our friends in the Southern 
States. It is a machine for removing the fleshy portion of the leaf of the Yucca, and 
cleaning the fiber contained in the leaf for mercantile purposes, without rotting or 
in any manner impairing the strength of the fiber. 
