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MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. — ^NEW AND HAUE PLANTS. 
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cots with sweet kernels — this is one of them ; and the 
sweet-kemelled Apricot of Ispahan, or " Shiiier Fara," 
(Journ. Sort. Soc, iii. 22SJ, is another. The fiiut is 
roundish, five inches and a-half in circumference, rather 
deeply and acutely channeled on one side near the base, 
the channel becoming less, till only like a shallow in- 
dented line as it approaches the siuumit, where it ter- 
minates in a slight depression formed round the base of 
the style. The fruit is semi-ti-ansparent. SMn slightly 
downy, pale citron-coloured where shaded, tinged and 
marbled with red next the sim. Flesh tender, juicy, of 
a clear citron-coloiu', parting fi-eely from the '>tone, 
sugary and delicious, lite well-refined lump-sugar, 
combined with the Apricot flavom-. Stone small, 
roundish : kernel sweet, like a nut. A valuable eai'ly 
variety for the dessert ; and probably exceUeut for pre- 
serving ; if it be employed for this purpose, the transpa- 
rency of its flesh ■n'ill exhibit a new featm-e amongst 
Apricot preserves. By its clear citron-coloured flesh, it 
may be distinguished from the orange-fleshed varieties 
hitherto known in this country, some of which have 
likewise sweet kernels, such as, the Breda, Musch- 
Musch, and Turkey. It is eaa'lier than either of these. — 
T/wmpsoH in Journ. Sort. Soc, 1849. 
Mtiid Secretion of Xejyenthes. — " The parietes of the 
leaf of Nepenthes distiUatoria ai-e traversed by a multi- 
tude of proportionally large anastomosing veins which 
contain many true spii-al vessels. The upper half of its 
inner sittface is covered with a blue rind, as parts often 
are which require to be protected from the action of 
water ; the under half is, on the contrary, shining and 
full of glaud-Uke eminences, du-ected downwards, and 
having a hole almost visible to the naked eye, which is 
uncovered by the cuticle which the remainder possesses.' ' 
The watery secretion reaches generally to the level of 
these glands in the middle of the ascidixun ; and they 
are thought to be true secreting organs. This peculiar 
structure alone gives a strong reason for thinking that 
the water in the aseidia of Nepenthes is supplied by tlie 
plant itself; and the cii'cumstance that water is found 
in pitchers which have never been opened is another 
ai'gument against the supposition that it comes from 
without. The analysis of the fluid, moreover, leaves no 
doubt that it is a true secretion. I coidd not detect any 
oxalic acid iu the fluid of Nepenthes. It is stated in 
Lindley's Vegetable Kingdom that Dr. Turner foimd this 
acid in combination with potash, and that he also de- 
tected a trace of organic matter, which caused the 
watery fliud when boiling to emit an odour of boiled 
apples. Though I have examined the water of many 
pitchers, from four diiferent localities, and paid particu- 
lar attention to the detection of oxalic acid, I have failed 
in finding a trace of it ; and I am therefore inclined to 
believe that Dr. Turner, on account of the minute 
quantity of solid matter which he must have got on 
evaporation of the water, was unable to subject the 
minute crystals which he took for super-oxalate of pot- 
ash, to a further examination, which would have shown 
him that the crystals were not super-oxalate of potash, 
but chloride of potassiiun. The proportion of chloride 
of potassium which I found in the fluid is considerable ; 
it is deposited from the liquid, after evaporation, in the 
form of minute but very regular cubes. The odour of 
boded apples I formd very distinct when the water was 
heated to the boding point. Besides chloride of pot- 
assium, I found malic and a little citiic acid, in combi- 
nation usually with soda, lime, and magnesia, and a 
small quantity of another organic matter, which gave 
a yellow tint to the water during its evaporation. The 
quantity of the latter was too minute to enable me to 
ascertain its chemical natm'e. — Dr. Voelcker, in Trans. 
Hot. Soc. Edin., iii. 234. 
NEW AND RAHE PLANTS. 
Trichoglottis FALLENS, LiudUtj. Pale-flowcred Tri- 
choglottis. (Journ. Sort. Soc., v., 34.) — Nat. Ord., Or- 
chidacete, § Vandea;- Sarcanthidae. — A curious, dwarf, 
stove epiphyte, of little beauty. The leaves are oblong- 
distichous; the flowers lateral, usually solitary, not 
quite two inches across, pale yellowish green, with 
brown spots, and an oblong white lip, with a shaggy 
crest on the upper side. — From Manilla ; introduced 
about 1848. Flowers in autumn. Duke of Devonshire. 
LmoOEDiius CHiXENSis, Endlicher. Chilian Liboce- 
drns. (Journ. Sort. Soe., v., 35.) — Nat. Ord, Pinaceae, 
§ Cupressea?. — Syn., Thuja ehilensis, Don; Thuia an- 
dina, Foppig. — An arbor-vito3-like evergreen tree, of 
gi'cat beauty, growing in its native country from thirty 
to forty feet ; or, according to some authorities, sixty to 
eighty feet high. It has the habit of the American 
arbor- vita3, but is less robust, sometimes branching from 
the base and acquiring the habit of a cypress, in other 
eases forming a conical head. The yoimg branches are 
compressed, but mostly hidden by the leaves. The 
leaves are blunt, keeled, glaucous at the sides, green at 
the back and edges, standing in two pairs crosswise, 
the lower pair much larger than the upper, which re- 
semble two tubercles. The cones are drooping, short- 
stalked, half an inch long, consisting of four woody 
scales, which stand crosswise in very unequal pairs. Its 
hardiness has not yet been ascertained ; it has been 
gTown for some years at Elvaston, but has been shel- 
tered in winter. — From Chili : colder valleys of the 
Andes ; introduced about 1840, and recently by several 
nurseiymen. Mr. Low, of Clapton ; Messrs. Standish 
and Noble, of Bagshot ; and others. 
MiCROSPERMA BAKTONioiDES, TFalpers. Bartonia- 
like Microsperma, (Dot. May., t. 4491). — Nat. Ord., 
LoasaccEe, § Loasea?. — Syn., Eucnida bartonioides, Zuc- 
carini. — A showy annual, with flexuose, succulent his- 
pid stems, a foot long. The leaves alternate, ovate 
acute, lobed and serrated. The flowers form a kind of 
lax, leafy panicle ; the corolla consisting of flve obo- 
vate acute petals, about an inch long, sulphur yellow, 
within which stands a forest of stamens, also yellow, 
on filaments longer than the petals, A half-hardy 
plant, suitable, from its succulent, tender nature, only 
for sheltered situations out-doors in summer, or for the 
greenhouse. — From Mexico; introduced in 1848. Flow- 
ers in summer. Messrs. Booth, of Floetheck Nurseries, 
Hambm'g. 
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