10 
THE FLORAL MAGAZINE, 
THE TOM THUMB YELLOW WALLFLOWER. 
Amid the multiplicity of names with which this pretty 
wallflower has been associatedj I can find none that so 
fittingly expresses its true character as does the designa- 
tion of ''Tom Thumb/"’ as it is so dwarf and compact, 
provided that one has the right strain. W e have heard 
of it as the Belvoir Castle Yellow, Paul’s M altham 
Y'ellow, Carter’s Tom Thumb Yellow, and goodness 
knows how maiiv more aliases, but it would be difficult 
to declare to whom the credit of its raising or introduc- 
tion was due, although, 1 believe, attention was first 
drawn to its merits by the large use made of it by Mr. 
Ingram at Belvoir. In human life the more aliases a 
man has the bigger rogue he may be assumed to be. In 
horticulture, however, we find that if anything, be it 
flower or vegetable, has a number of different designa- 
tions, it may be accepted as a rule that it is a really good 
thing, and this is undoubtedly the case with the Tom 
Thumb Wallflower. !My plants of it, from eight inches 
to nine inches in height, were bursting into flower of a 
rich golden hue at the end of February, and for a long 
time past have been a blaze of golden yellow. The rules 
of management are of the simplest. Sown in the open 
ground thinly early in April, the plants are put into 
their permanent quarters in the autumn thickly to make 
a mass, holding some in reserve to fill up vacancies if 
needed. — D. B. : Gardener’’ s Magazine. 
REVIEWS. 
Stove and Greenhouse Flowering Plants. By B. S. 
Williams, F.R.H.S., &c. &c. Second Edition, en- 
larged, illustrated, and revised. 
M' E are not at all surprised that this treatise should 
have already passed into a second edition ; it is so plain, 
practical, and at the same time so thoroughly sound, 
that it must form the standard manual for all who desire | 
to have accurate information as to description and culture | 
of stove plants. It contains descriptions of upwards of 
eleven hundred species and varieties, and of its popularity ! 
we are assured by the fact of this second edition. Mr. I 
Williams modestly says in his Preface : “ The frequent | 
assurances which I have received from amateurs and [ 
gardeners of the benefits they have derived from a | 
perusal of its pages, combined with the continued 
demand, have induced me to publish this second edition, 
and in doing so I have taken the opportunity to enume- 
rate several species which were unfortunately overlooked, I 
and also to add various kinds of sterling merit which 
have been introduced to this country and brought into 
commerce since the publication of the former edition. 
whilst to render it more complete and interesting to 
amateurs (especially to those who have recently become 
converts to this delightful pursuit) a few illustrations of 
new and beautiful flowering plants have been added.” 
The high position that j\Ir. Williams has taken as a 
j nurseryman and exhibitor is a sufficient guarantee that 
I the information afforded is just what is wanted, and we 
I hope soon to see that a second edition of the " Foliage 
Plants” is also called for. 
Handbook of Ilardg Trees, Shrubs, and Herbaceous Plants. 
From the French Work of Decaisne and Naudin. By 
"W. B. Hemsley. Longmans & Co. 
This is a book for gardeners and amateurs who wish to 
know something about the plants they cultivate and 
admire. It is designed, according to the preface, "to 
furnish something between a mere dictionary of names 
and a scientific treatise containing nothing beyond 
technical descriptions of plants.” It gives descriptions, 
sufficient for the persons for whom it is designed, of the 
principal trees, shrubs, and plants cultivated for orna- 
mental purposes in this country, arranged in their 
natural orders, with occasional remarks on their geo- 
graphy and history. This part is illustrated by a series 
of 261 well-executed wood-engravings, which give a 
good idea of the habit or general appearance of the 
plants figured, but contain no structural details. The 
second part of the work treats of Practical Gardening, 
and contains much that will be useful to the beginner 
or amateur. While the first part is not complete enough 
for the botanist, and the practical gardener will 
not find much in the second which he does not already 
know, both parts contain much valuable information in 
a form more accessible and convenient for beginners and 
amateurs than larger and more technical treatises, and 
to them we can cordially recommend the volume, feeling 
a.ssured that those who master its contents will both 
desire and be prepared for higher knowledge. 
F. L. S. 
The Gardener’s Chronicle says \ "We have to record 
the flowering of Greyia Sutherlaudi in the Chelsea 
Botanic Garden. It is a fine Cape shrub, with broad, 
lobulate leaves, and dense terminal racemes of deep 
crimson flowers. Some botanical interest attaches to 
the plant, as the founders of the genus. Doctors Hooker 
and Harvey, were not agreed as to its natural affinities. 
The latter referred it to Saxifragaeae, and described 
the ovary as I-celled ; but an examination of the fresh 
flowers shows it to be 3-celled, and otherwise confirms 
Dr. Hooker’s view of its close affinity with Melianthus. 
A figure of it will probably appear in an early number 
of the Botanical Magazine.” 
