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FLORICULTURAL DESIDERATA. 
FLORICULTURAL DESIDERATA. 
The enthusiastic cultivator of exotic plants 
dives with intense earnestness into any media 
where he expects to find information respect- 
ing the vegetable treasures of little known and 
distant climes ; a desire for novelties, and an 
ardent longing to increase the number of the 
objects of his cultural solicitude, form suf- 
ficient incentives to give him a keen relish 
for such " food for the mind " as is provided 
for him in " sketches of the vegetation" of 
foreign countries, whether they be torrid, 
temperate, or frigid. Some excellent papers 
of this class have been published in the Lon- 
don Horticultural Society's Journal, by G. 
Gardner, Esq., an experienced botanist, now 
Director of the Royal Botanic Garden at 
Ceylon, who spent some years of investigation 
in Brazil and other parts of South America. 
From the paper alluded to, we quote the fol- 
lowing summary of the more important plants 
which remain to be introduced to our gardens 
from the places subsequently referred to : — 
" The following plants, which from their 
beauty are well adapted for cultivation, still 
remain to be introduced to our gardens from 
the Organ Mountains. 
« Prcpusa Hookeriana, Gardner. — A very 
beautiful herbaceous plant, belonging to the 
natural order of Gentians, which throws up a 
stem about a foot and a half high, bearing 
from three to six Jlowers, the large inflated 
calyces of which, together with the stem, are 
of a deep crimson colour. It will only suc- 
ceed in the green house, in a peaty soil kept 
moist, but at the same time well drained. 
" Prepusa counata, Gardner. — A beautiful 
subshrubby green-house plant, requiring a 
peaty soil, to be kept moist, but not with 
stagnant water 
" Salvia Benthamiana, Gardner. — A fine 
shrub about three feet high, with nearly orbi- 
cular leaves, and large scarlet flowers. 
" Salvia rivularis, Gardner. — Suffruticose, 
and about four foet high, 
scarlet. 
" Escallonia organemis, Gardner. — A very 
handsome shrub, about four feet high, pro- 
ducing dense panicles of rose-coloured flowers. 
" Borvmannia vcrbascifolia, Gardner. — A 
fine herbaceous plant about four feet high, 
with a large loose panicle of orange flowers, 
belonging to the Mutisia group of Com- 
posites. 
" Lavoisiera imbricata, De Candolle. — 
This is one of the beautiful Melastomaceous 
shrubs, with small leaves and large flowers, 
which are so common in the Gold and Dia- 
mond districts of Brazil. It grows naturally 
gregariously in a moist peaty soil. 
" Siphocampylus duploserratus, Pohl. — A 
fine subscandent species, with large flowers. 
Flowers large and 
" Naposanlhus Braziliensis, Gardner. — A 
fine little suffruticose plant, belonging to the 
Cyrtandreous division of Gesnerads, and re- 
markable as being one of the only two plants 
belonging to this tribe that are natives of the 
American continent. In appearance it is not 
unlike a species of Streptocarpus. 
" Citrosma obovatum, Gardner. — A small 
shrub, worthy of being introduced, not only 
as a botanical curiosity, but for the rich lemon 
odour of all its parts. 
" Talauma fragrantissima, Hooker. — A 
fine large tree belonging to the natural Order 
of Magnoliads. The flowers are large, pale- 
yellow, and powerfully odoriferous. It grows 
naturally in moist swampy places, and not 
unfrequently flowers when not more than ten 
or twelve feet high. 
" Passiflora speciosa, Gardner. — A climber, 
with large scarlet flowers from four to six 
inches in diameter. 
" There are, besides these, many fine Com- 
posites, Cinclionads, Myrtle-blooms, Melas- 
tomads, particularly Pleromas, Bignoniads, 
Begoniads, Ferns, &c, well deserving the 
attention of cultivators. The first eight 
species of this list grew at such an elevation 
as to entitle them to be considered green- 
house plants." 
From Pernambuco the following plants 
still remain to be introduced as ornaments to 
our hot-houses : — 
" Cochlospermum serratifolium, De Can- 
dolle. — Grows in a dry sandy soil. A beautiful 
shrub reaching from ten to fifteen feet in 
height, with straight upright branches, which 
at the first period of flowering are almost 
destitute of leaves, the few tDat do appear 
being confined to the flowerless boughs. The 
flowers, which are large and of a shining 
golden colour, are produced in large panicles. 
" Eschweilera sp. n. — This is the smallest 
species of the natural order to which it be- 
longs ( Lecythis) that I have seen producing 
flowers. It would not only be very orna- 
mental, but also a great botanical curiosity 
from the remarkable structure of its curious 
pale-yellow flow jrs. It grows in sandy places. 
" Hancornia speciosa, Gomez. — The fruit 
of this plant, I have no doubt, could be pro- 
duced in England, as the tree is small. 
" Gompkia Fieldingiana, Gardner MSS. 
— A most beautiful shrub, with large bright 
green leaves, and long spikes of yellow 
blossom, also growing in very sandy places ; 
besides this there are at least two other fine 
species of the same genus. 
" Norantea, sp. — A very remarkable and 
truly beautiful climbing shrub. The spikes 
of crimson bracts and flowers are often up- 
wards of two feet long. It grows in rather 
moist sandy places." 
