518 
THE GREEN-HOUSE, HOT-HOUSE, AND STOVE. 
the whole of this splendid tribe, amounting to 
nearly three hundred recorded species, and 
above five hundred sub-varieties, have been 
either introduced or originated in this country 
within the last fifty or sixty years. 
" The term Pelargonium is derived from the 
Greek name for a stork's bill, in allusion to 
the seed-vessel, which resembles the beak of 
that bird ; it was separated from the Gera- 
nium by the late learned Monsieur l'Heritier, 
as was the Erodium, which was formerly 
included under the general name of Geranium 
also ; for although we are in the very general 
habit of using the term Geranium, Geranium- 
house, &c, when alluding to Pelargoniums, 
we must admit that this is an inaccuracy of 
expression which has nothing but habit to 
sanction it. 
" The late excellent and learned Sir James 
Edward Smith appears to have entertained no 
very high opinion of hybrid varieties of this 
family. ' This vast and favourite genus,' 
says he, ' for which we are almost entirely 
indebted to the Cape of Good Hope, consists 
of a number of well-marked species. But that 
number is greatly augmented in almost every 
book, by the admission of spurious hybrid 
species or varieties, which continually start up 
from seed, wherever many of the primary ones 
are cultivated, and are for a while propagated 
by cuttings and even by seeds ; sooner or 
later, however, they, for the most part, vanish 
before the eyes of those who witnessed their 
origin.' Great confusion has arisen in bota- 
nical works, for which the authors are much 
to blame, in consequence of admitting sub- 
varieties of known hybrid production, and also 
by registering many very doubtful ones in 
their works as species, for it must be allowed, 
that admitting them into works of science is 
replete with the greatest inconvenience." — 
Pp. 91, 92. 
The number of recorded species rarely 
troubles us, we have but little respect for re- 
corded species; and probably,' if we knew all, 
these are not a tenth of the number ; for the 
freaks of nature do the work of the florist 
admirably, and many subjects are introduced 
as species which are nothing but varieties. 
The mode of culture is given with a good deal 
of precision, and some tact, and it is well 
worth following by those who desire to succeed. 
"We next come to the Camellia and its treat- 
ment, and the house recommended will do for 
other subjects, as the author observes in 
introducing the Camellia-house, which, after 
all, is but a gi'een-house : — 
" THE CAMELLIA -HO USE. 
" The Camellia-house, besides this splendid 
genus of flowering plants, might also contain 
the magnificent Nepal Rhododendrons, the 
best varieties of tender English hybrids, as 
well as the Chinese Magnolias, whose rich per- 
fume would amply make up for the absence of 
fragrance in the two former genera, as well as 
some other plants of kindred habits. Of the 
genus Camellia, there are in this country at 
present six species, and above two hundred 
varieties ; and the collection of these plants on 
the continent are still more extensive. We 
have seen in one collection alone, that of 
M. Makoy, of Liege, in Belgium, above two 
hundred and twenty varieties of greater or 
less merit ; and in the collection of M. Par- 
mentier, of Enghien, in the same country, no 
less than four hundred varieties. There 
appears to be at present quite a mania on the 
continent for increasing the number of varieties 
of this plant, and in this, as in most similar 
cases, many varieties scarcely differ from each 
other, certainly not so much as to induce us to 
recommend above one-third of the number for 
general purposes. 
" Few plants are more easily cultivated than 
the Camellia, particularly when they are grown 
in a house by themselves ; and few plants are 
so universally admired. Many persons are, 
we believe, deterred from cultivating Camel- 
lias, from an erroneous supposition that they 
require the accommodation of a conservatory 
or green-house, and cannot be grown without ; 
— nothing is more absurd than this, for not 
only can Camellias be cultivated in great per- 
fection in pits or frames, protected merely by 
the glass lights ; and occasionally, in the most 
severe weather, by a mat thrown over them ; 
but they are also found to thrive exceedingly 
well when planted out in a warm and well- 
sheltered border or shrubbery, without any 
protection whatever, excepting a little dry 
fern, moss, or litter, laid over the ground on 
which they are planted. Certainly, to have 
Camellias in the first degree of excellence, 
they should be kept in a glass-house ; but 
that they will flower and grow well in the open 
air, in favourable situations, is also certain ; 
and the day may not be far distant when the 
Camellia will be found as much the ornament 
of our shrubberies as the Pyrus japonica, Cor- 
chorus japonica, Aucuba japonica, and other 
plants from the same country, and which* were 
all, within our recollection, treated as green- 
house plants, although experience has long ago 
taught us that they are as hardy as any plant 
in our shrubberies. 
" Of the plants possessing sufficient beauty or 
fragrance to be admitted into this description 
of house along with the Camellia, we may 
mention Nerium oleander, and its splendid 
varieties, Illicium floridanum, Daphne odora, 
Luculia gratissima, Magnolia fuscata, &c. 
And as scandent plants, to be trained up under 
the rafters of the roof, we would recommend 
