March 8, 1'88. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
187 
ROM time to time the origin and progress of the most popular 
classes of plants have been traced in these pages, but little of 
this character has been devoted to the Bouvardias, though they 
have been treated very fully from a cultural point of view. The 
development of the valuable qualities of these plants has taken 
■place within such recent times that many can remember when they 
-were comparatively unknown, or the varieties so few that they 
received very little attention. Forty years ago the genus was 
represented in some gardens by a single species, and for long after 
that few additions were made ; in fact it is only within the past 
twenty yeare that they have assumed a pi ice of importance in 
collections of plan's. Now their value is widely Imown, not only 
for culture in pots as decora ive plants, but also for affording 
bountiful supplies of flowers, the double white variety especially 
having become a great favourite with bouquetists. In the United 
States of North America also Bouvardias are extremely popular 
and the florists, who seem to be able to command such substantial 
sums for their productions, often secure during the winter months 
at least four times the prices obtained here, both for flowers and 
plants. On the Continent, particularly in France, considerable 
attention has been paid to the improvement of the varieties within 
the last two or three years, and several novelties have already found 
their way to this country that are likely to be follow'ed by many 
■others. 
In glancing through the history of cultivated Bouvardias we 
must go back to the clo.«ing decade of the eighteenth century, when 
what are now generally termed “ softwooded ” plants were by no 
means numerous in British gardens. About 1791 a Mexican plant 
w'as introduced to Madrid which was described by several botanists 
both as an Ixora and a Houston'a. Three years later Sir Joseph 
Banks, to whom we are indebted for so many good things, intro- 
■duced the. same plant to this country, and further examination 
•enabled che authorities to determine that it was sufficiently distinct 
from the genera named to merit recognition as a representative of a 
new genus. Accordingly the elegant title Bouvardia was conferred 
vipon it imhonour of Dr. Charles Bouvard of Paris, and the specific 
name triphylla in reference to the arrangement of the loaves in 
threes, completed the designation of the first cultivated member of 
this now large and important family. Its bright red tubular 
flowers borne in clusters at the tips of the branchlets soon obtained 
it many admirers, and as it was found to be easily increased by root 
and stem cuttings, it extended rapidly when the nurserymen took 
it in hand. At one time not very long since few- gardens would be 
found without the old B. triphylla in some of its houses, but now 
it is seldom seen, except where curiosities are treasured, for though 
it is by no means wanting in floral attractions, it is far surpassed by 
the moi’e recent productions of the same family. It is rather 
strange that although several varieties were obtained early in this 
■century, one of which (pubescens) was afterwards separated as a 
new species (B. Jacquini) by some w-riters, yet neither the type 
nor the varieties have contributed to the present race of Bouvardias 
cither in sports or seed ings, and this is more strange because sub¬ 
sequent introductions have been so extremely variable. One fact 
must, how'ever, be mentioned in connection with B. triphylla— 
namel 3 -, that it is the only member of the genus for which any 
medicinal value has been claimed, though included in the strongly 
No. 402. —VoL. XVI., Third Series. 
characterised Cinchona family. In 1874 Professor Maisch brought 
before the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy a reputed remedy for 
hydrophobia named Trompatilla, which was prepared in Mexico 
from the stems of B. triphylla ; but though some notice was taken 
of it at the time little has been heard of it since, and probably, like 
many of our old herbalists’ preparations, its properties were more 
imaginary than real. 
Several other species were introduced from Mexico and South 
America in the first half of the present century, and with two of 
them we are especially concerned in referring to the history of 
modern Bouvardias. These are B. longiflora, introduced from 
Mexico in 1827, and B. leiantha, from Guatemala, which flowered 
at Mr. Salter's Hammersmith Nursery in 1850, and was probably 
introduced a few years previously. The first named has long and 
handsome pure white flowers, and the second has much smaller 
reddish crimson flowers, a bright and rather pleasing shade. Com¬ 
mencing with these Mr. Parsons of Brighton, in 1855, obtained a 
cross, B. longiflora being the seed parent, and from the seedlings 
raised, four—namely, Hogarth, Laura, Rosalinda, and Oriana—were 
sent out a year or two af .erwards. The production of the variety 
Hogarth, which has rich red flowers, was an important step, and in 
it and its descendants we have some of the most useful plants of 
the present time. It has produced quite a family of sports very 
distinct in characters and extremely interesting, as showing the 
variability of some plants when once their characters have been 
disturbed, without subsequent cross-fei’tilisation. Several years 
elapsed after the four already mentioned appeared in gardens 
before anything farther w.xs done, but in 18(1 J a beautiful scarlet 
sport from Hogarth, under the name of B. elegans, was imported 
from America, and was soon after utilised in crossing with others. 
A second remarkable sport was also produced from Hogarth in 
America—namely, Vreelandi or Davisoni, with' white or faintly 
tinted flowers, arrived here in 1871, and owing to its good habit 
and fioriferousness has become a general favourite. A delicately 
coloured sport from Vreelandi, named Maiden’s Blush, was sent 
out by an English nurseryman in 1874, and is still prized in many 
collections, but the most important of all was the double white Alfred 
Neuner, a sport from Vreelandi, that was obtained in America in 
1880, and certificated at New York of that year. Early next j-ear 
Messrs. J. Carter & Co. presented it to the British horticulturists, 
and it rapidly extended both in trade and private collections, Mr. 
W. Bull obtaining a fii’st-class certificate for it from the Royal 
Horticultural Society on August 9th, 1881. This has become one 
of the best for bouquets and buttonholes, as the flowers stand much 
longer than the single varieties, and are usually very symmetrical 
in foiTu. A double rose-coloured sport from Alfred Neuner was 
secured in the United States in 1882, but a similar sport seems to 
have been obtained by several persons ; amongst others Mr. David 
Allen, gardener at Oakley, Boston, fixed one which was named 
after his employer. Miss Mary Pratt. Another was also noticed at 
Louisville, and one of these appeared shortly afterwards as President 
Garfield. This has not at present proved so useful as the double 
white, as it is more variable and does not preserve its characters so 
well. 
Reverting to B. elegans, one of the earlier Hogarth sports, a 
few of the crosses between this and others may bo noted. A fine 
vhite-flowered species, B. jasminiflora, was introduced from South 
America in 1869, and pi'oved a decided acquisition. The first cross 
was effected between B. elegans and B. jasminiflora, and the results 
in 1872 were longiflora flammea, for which Messrs. Henderson were 
awarded a certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society on May 1st; 
Bridal Wreath and alba odorata, followed in the succeeding year 
by candidissima, umbellata alba, and umbollata carnea, all of which 
we believe originated in Messrs. Henderson’s Wellington nursery. 
A yellow-flowered species, introduced by M. Louis Van Houtte in 
1846, w.as also cro.ssed with B. elegans, and in 1874 b'color was sent 
out as a distinct variety, that now, however, is rarely seen. A sport 
No. 20.18,—VoL, LXXVIII., Old Series. 
