556 
NEW ^'LOWERS AND PLANTS. 
Chirita). — Gesneracese § Cyrtandracese-Di- 
dymocarpidae. — Avery beautiful sub-shrubby 
plant, growing from two to three feet in 
height ; with obscurely tetragonal stems, 
opposite or whorled pale-green leaves, of a 
rather acute ovate-lanceolate figure, and axil- 
lary blossoms, of large size, usually produced 
singly from the axils, but sometimes two 
together. The leaves are clothed with com- 
pact silky down, which is most conspicuous 
beneath. The corolla is large and conspi- 
cuous, from the base to the extremity of the 
lower lip being nearly four inches in length ; 
the tube is ventricose and sub-campanulate, 
curving a little upwards, pale purple and 
silky, with an expanded mouth, and broad 
yellow dash down the centre of the throat ; 
the limb is spreading, two-lipped, of five 
roundish lobes, and of a deep purple colour, 
well contrasted with the paler tint and yellow 
bar of the throat. Native of Ceylon, at 
*' Four Korles," and on "rocks near the sum- 
mit of the Hantani range." Introduced in 
1847. Flowers throughout the summer 
months. Mr. Moon, the original discoverer, 
in a " Catalogue of Ceylon plants," calls it 
Martynia lanceolata. ^Culture. — Requires a 
stove ; light rich soil of turfy texture ; pro- 
pagated by cuttings of the young shoots, 
planted in sandy soil, and placed in heat. 
Arnebia ECHioiDES, Alph. De Candolle 
(ecbium-like Arnebia). — Boraginacese § An- 
chusidjB. — A very pretty herbaceous perennial 
furnishing yellow blossoms in a natural order 
in which they are by no means common. It 
has a fusiform woody root, from which spring 
up the leafy stems, attaining about six inches 
in height, and clothed with short hair. The 
leaves are spreading, pubescent, sessile ; the 
lower ones largest, obovate-oblong, those of 
the stem smaller, obovate-lanceolate. The 
flowers grow at the top of the stems in a 
branched scorpored leafy raceme ; they are 
between funnel-shaped and salver-shaped, 
with a slender tube, yellow, with five roundish 
purple spots, one being situated at the junc- 
ture between each pair of the lobes into which 
the limb is divided. Sometimes the spots are 
obsolete in the cultivated plant, as we learn 
from Sir W. Hooker's account of the plant. 
Native of the Caucasian alps, and of Arme- 
nia. Introduced in 1847. Flowers in June 
and July. It is the Anchusa echioides (Bich- 
erstein); Lycopsis echioides (Linnceus); and 
Lithospermum erectum (Fischer and Meyer.) 
Culture. — Hardy; common loamy soil ; pro- 
pagated by division of the plant. Suitable 
for pot-culture among Alpine plants. ' 
Passiflora amabilis, Hooker (white- 
crowned Passion-flower). — Passifloraceee. — A 
most lovely passion-flower, the history of 
which is, however, obscure. It is a climb- 
ing plant of moderate growth, with slender 
rounded stems, bearing alternate entire leaves, 
which are ovate and very acute in figure, and 
have glandular petioles ; the stipules are 
short, entire, ovate-acuminate. The flowers 
spring from the axils of the leaves along with 
the tendrils, and are supported by an in- 
volucre of three roundish-ovate reticulated 
leaves. The sepals and petals, forming a ray 
of ten oblong obtuse divisions, are alike in 
form and colour, the latter being a bright red 
on the inner side ; the filamentous crown, 
often in passion-flowers variegated in colours, 
is in this kind almost entirely white, and is 
disposed, in four series ; the contrast between 
the white of this part and the bright red of 
the sepals and petals produces a very charm- 
ing effect, which must render this plant a 
favourite with all who have convenience to 
cultivate it. It is thought to be possibly a 
hybrid, and is known in gardens under the 
name above quoted, which Sir W. Hooker has 
adopted. Native country unknown. Intro- 
duced in 1847, to the Royal Garden, Kew, 
by Mr. Mackay, of Liege. Flowers in May. 
Culture. — Requires a stove ; turfy-peat and 
loam intermixed with sand ; propagated by 
cuttings from any part of the stems, planted 
in very sandy soil, and set where they are 
supplied with a moderate degree of bottom 
heat. 
Thunbergia alata, var. aurantiaca, suh- 
var. Doddsii (Dodd's Thunbergia). — Acan- 
thacea3§ Thunbergeee. — This garden variety of 
the well-known and very beautiful orange-flow- 
ered Thunbergia differs from its parent only 
in having the leaves irregularly margined 
with white, so that the foliage is variegated. 
Our own opinion of it is, that it is less hand- 
some than T. aurantiaca, wanting altogether 
the rich green of a well grov/n example of 
that plant, as a background for displaying its 
fine orange-and-black blossoms ; others, how- 
ever, admire its variegation. It is a slender 
free growing climber, with somewhat hastate 
leaves, white at the edge, and large rich orange 
coloured blossoms, borne singly in the axils of 
the leaves. A garden variety obtained by 
Mr. Dodds, gardener to Colonel Baker of 
Salisbury. Raised in 1847. Flowers through 
the summer and autumn. Culture. — Requires 
a warm greenhouse or a cool part of a stove ; 
strong turfy peat with a small portion of loam; 
propagated by cuttings planted under glasses 
in sand. 
AcHQiENES LONGiFLORA, var. macraiitlia 
(large-flowered blue Achimenes). — Gesnera- 
cea3 § Gesnerete. — A very showy plant, differ- 
ing from the ordinary state of Achbnenes 
longijiora chiefly in the size of the blossoms, 
which are very large, constituting a decided 
iojprovement on the original kind. In other 
