78 
NEW FLOWERS AND TLANTS. 
DicnoniSANDRA ovata, Martius (ovate- 
leaved Dichorisandra). — Commelynaceae. — An 
herbaceous perennial of a showy character, 
growing from three to four feet high, with 
acute lance-shaped, entire, shining leaves, 
bright green above, purple beneath, and clasp- 
ing the stem at the base. The flowers grow 
in terminal erect racemes, and are of a rich 
deep blue colour ; the perianth consisting of 
three ovate-obtuse sepals, and three larger ob- 
tuse entire petals, which are paler towards 
the base ; the stamens, six in number and 
compactly arranged, are yellow. Native of 
Brazil. Introduced probably by way of the 
continental gardens about 1846. Flowers 
during the whole of the autumn months. 
Culture. — Requires a stove, and a moist tem- 
perature when growing ; sandy peat, loam, 
and leaf-mould ; propagated by cuttings of 
the ripened stems. 
Ch^etogastra strigosa, De Candolle 
(strigose Qhastogastra). — Melastomaceaa § Me- 
lastomeaj-Osbeckieae. — A very handsome 
dwarf shrub, growing eight or ten inches high, 
with numerous tetragonal slender spreading 
branches, covered with adpressed bristles. 
The leaves are small, opposite, ovate-acute, 
three-nerved, and somewhat ciliated, attached 
by short petioles. The blossoms are nume- 
rous, and grow in few-flowered cj'mes ; the 
calyx is tubular, hispid, with five short acute 
lobes ; the petals, four or five in number, and 
of a broadly elliptic figure, are of a rosy purple, 
and each being as large as the leaves, the blos- 
soms appear large on the plant, which is alto- 
gether of a small neat habit. Native of Gua- 
deloupe, growing in beds of sphagnum on the 
top of the Sulphur Mountain, and of the 
mountains of Montserrat and Martinique. 
Introduced in 1847. Flowers in August. It 
bears a host of other names : — Melastoma 
strigosa (Linnaeus) ; M. cilia ta (Desrous- 
saux) ; Osbeckia ornata (Swartz) ; Rhexia 
chamcecistus (Sieber) ; R. inconstans (Vahl) ; 
R. ornata (Richard) ; R. strigosa (Richard). 
Culture. — Requires a greenhouse ; sandy peat 
and leaf-mould, perfectly drained ; propagated 
by cuttings. The plants bloom when very 
young. 
Trop^eolum tricolor, var. versicolor (va- 
rious-coloured tricolor Indian cress). — Tro- 
pa3olacea3 § Tropaeolese. — A graceful and dis- 
tinct variety of T. tricolor. It grows with a 
round slender twining stem, bearing small 
peltate six-lobed leaves, the lobes or segments 
being oblong obovate obtuse and somewhat 
cuneiform at the base. The flowers are borne 
on slender thread-like peduncles issuing from 
the stem immediately at the base of the leaf- 
stalk, and tinged with a rosy colour towards 
the upper extremity ; they are rather more 
than an inch in length, highly coloured with 
red above, greenish beneath, and terminating 
behind in an obtuse spur, about twice the 
length of the leaf-lobes ; the calyx is six- 
lobed, turbinate or arranged in the manner of 
a crown, the lobes ovate-acuminate, some- 
what pointed, unguiculate, closely embracing 
the corolla at their apex, green at the points 
and bright red at the base ; the petals are 
small, partially cordate, or notched at the 
margins, bright yellow, slightly striated with 
red towards the centre, and of a rose colour 
at the exterior under the lobes of the calyx. 
A garden variety. Raised by M. Bauman, 
of Ghent, in 1847. Flowers in the spring* 
Culture. — Requires a cool greenhouse ; rich 
sandy loam and leaf mould ; propagated by 
seeds or cuttings. 
Trop^eolum tricolor, var. aurantiacum 
(orange-coloured tricolor Indian cress). — Tro- 
paeolaceaa § Ti'oposolese. — A distinct and de- 
sirable variety of Troyyceolum tricolor. It 
grows with a twining round thread-like stem, 
bearing small peltate palmate or five-lobed 
leaves on slender twining petioles, the lobes 
being oblong obovate obtuse and narrow or 
cuneiform at the base. The flowers, which 
are borne on pedicels somewhat similar to the 
petioles, are rather more than an inch in 
length, highly coloured with red, green, and 
yellow, and terminating behind in a longish 
obtuse spur, red on the upper surface, and 
green and yellow beneath and at the point ; 
the calyx is five-lobed, turbinate, compressing 
the corolla at the points, the lobes ovate-acu- 
minate, generally green, with a slight tinge 
of red and yellow at the base ; the petals are 
small, roundish, slightly notched at the apex, 
bright yellow, and distinctly striated with red 
on the inner surface. A garden variety, 
raised by M. Bauman, of Ghent, in 1847. 
Flowers in the spring. Culture. — Requires a 
cool greenhouse ; rich sandy loam and leaf- 
mould ; propagated by seeds or cuttings. 
Trop^eolum tricolor, var. grandifiorum, 
(large-flowered tricolor Indian cress). — Tro- 
pasolaceae § Tropasolea?. — A rich and distinct 
variety of T. tricolor, growing with a slender 
twining stem, and bearing small peltate pal- 
mate or five-lobed leaves, on twining thread- 
like foot-stalks, the lobes being oval or ovate- 
acuminate, entire, and about half an inch long. 
The flowers, which are borne on small thread- 
like twining red and green pedicels, are about 
an inch and a half in length, and of a bright 
glowing red colour, and terminate behind in a 
long pentagonal obtuse spur ; the calyx is 
five-lobed, the lobes being entire, oval-acumi- 
nate and deeply tinged with violet towards 
the margin ; the petals are small, entire, and 
of a bright yellow colour. A garden variety. 
Raised by M. Bauman of Ghent, in 1847. 
Flowers in spring. Culture. — Requires a 
