NEW FLOWERS AND PLANTS. 
79 
cool greenhouse ; rich sandy loam and leaf- 
mould ; propagated by seeds or cuttings, 
Cereus Leeanus, Hooker (Lee's Cereus). 
— Cactacese § Cereidse. — A very beautiful 
species. The plant groAvs erect, a foot or 
more in height, nearly cylindrical, slighly 
tapering upwai'ds, deeply furrowed, with from 
twelve to fourteen ribs. The salient angles 
are studded at short intervals with clusters of 
needle-shaped spines, about twelve in each, 
straight, but of very ii-regular length. The 
flowers are produced at the top of the plant ; 
they are four or five in number, large and 
very handsome, the colour being a bright 
Vermilion, As in all these plants, the scale- 
like petals pass gradually into the more highly 
developed petals. Native of Mexico. Intro- 
duced about 1846. Flowers in ? Culttire. 
— Requires a warm greenhouse ; sandy loam 
and brick rubbish ; propagated by otf-shoots 
from the plant put in as cuttings, or by 
seeds. 
ToRENiA ARRACANENSis, Paxton (Arracan 
Torenia). — Scrophulariacese § Antirrhinideas- 
Gratioleee. — A species in the way of T. 
concolor. A perennial with slender quadran- 
gular climbing or straggling stems, serrated 
opposite cordate leaves, small axillary and 
terminal flowers, smaller than those of T. 
concolor, the tube and upper lip of corolla 
deep purple, the three-lobed lower lip blue. 
Native of Arracan. Introduced in 1846. 
Flowers through the summer. Culture. — 
Requires a stove, or intermediate house ; 
sandy loam and peat ; propagated by cuttings 
planted in sandy soil, and jjlaced in bottom 
heat. 
HoTA piCTA, Slehold (painted Hoya). — 
Asclepiadacea3 § Stapelia^. — A very beautiful 
climbing plant, with exquisitely variegated 
foliage. The stems are round, and in the 
younger parts tinted with rose. The leaves, 
Avhich are opposite, are ovate-lanceolate, 
attenuated, and acute at the point, the green 
colours, of which there are two or three tints, 
being confined to an irregular marginal band, 
the eighth of an Inch or rather more in width. 
In the mature leaves, the central part of the 
leaves is of a golden colour ; in the young 
leaves this part is variously tinted with lemon 
colour, purple and rose, which is gradually 
discharged as the leaf gains age. The flowers 
are unknown. Native of Japan. Introduced 
to Europe in 1845, by Dr. Van Siebold. 
Flowers ' ? Culture. — Requires a warm 
greenhouse ; turfy loam and peat ; propagated 
by cuttings. 
IIOYA VARiEGATA, S/p.hold (variegated 
Iloya). — Asclepiadacea? § Stapelias. — This 
beautiful climbing plant, which has not yet 
produced its blossoms in Europe, is after the 
style of II. picta, ditferlng in the manner of 
variegation of the leaves. In both, the leaves 
are so beautiful, as to make the culture of the 
plants desirable, entirely independent of the 
production of flowers. Instead of being spot- 
ted and blotched with the gold colour as in 
H. picta, the leaves of the present plant are 
striped, blotched, and bordered with pure 
white. Native of Japan. Introduced to 
Europe in 1845, by Dr. Von Siebold. 
Flowers ? Culture. — Requires a warm 
greenhouse ; turfy loam and peat ; propagated 
by cuttings. 
Brodlea californica, LinrUey (Cali- 
fornian Brodicea).' — Liliacete § Scille^. — A 
bulbous plant, with long fleshy channelled 
leaves, and producing a scape, bearing four 
or five blossoms at the top ; these have a 
subventricose tube, and divide into six oblong 
segments, longer than the tube ; the expanded 
blossom is two inches across ; the colour is 
pale blue, with a dax'k streak down the centre 
of each division of the perianth. Native of 
California, sparingly on the mountains and 
plains of the Sacramento. Introduced in 1848. 
Flowers from July to October. Culture. — ■ 
Hardy ; strong sandy loam ; propagated readily 
by offsets. 
Abronia umbellata, Laviarck (umbel- 
flowered Abronia). — Nyctaginaceas. — A pros- 
trate - growing perennial plant, with long 
rooting stems, covered as are the petioles and 
peduncles with glutinous hairs. The leaves 
are opposite, fleshy, ovate-obtuse, fringed with 
hairs, and stand up on erectish petioles two 
inches long. The flowers, which are exceed- 
ingly fragrant, especially in the evening, grow 
in close umbels, supported above the leaves 
by stout peduncles ; they have the appearance 
of a head of verbena blossoms ; the rosy- 
violet corolla consists of a long tube, and a 
flat five-lobed limb, the segments of which are 
deeply two-parted. Native of the sandy shores 
of Carmel Bay, near Monterey, in California. 
Introduced originally in 1823, subsequently 
in 1848. Flowers from June to October. It 
is the Abronia californica (Rgsusch) ; and the 
Tricratus admirabilis (L'Heritier). Culture. 
— Not quite hardy ; succeeds under the treat- 
ment given to Verbenas ; light rich soil ; 
propagated by seeds or cuttings ; recommended 
to be treated as an annual. 
Polygonum vacciniifolium, Wallich 
(vaccinium - leaved Polygonum). — Polygo- 
nacete. — A very pretty trailing species, with 
half shrubby pei'manent stems, furnished with 
neat oblong mucronulate, dark green leaves, 
glaucous beneath, bordered with bristles, and 
having sheathing stipules. The flowers grow 
in narrow oblong spikes, on little branches 
which rise three or four inches from the sur- 
face, and bear from two to four spikes ; they 
are deep rose-coloured, and veiy ornamental. 
