IS, im j; 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
217 
purplish violet. The lower lip-like portion of the corolla is rounded, and 
aboutl^ inch in diameter, with a rich orange blotch at the base. 
Saxifraga Frederici-Aiigusti (Paul & Son).—A neat tufted plant, 
with small leaves and numerous long drooping spikes of pale yellow 
flowers. The early flowering and profuse characters of this Saxifraga 
are its chief features. 
Violet The Bride (J. Veitch & Sons).—A pure white flowered variety, 
very free, and of dwarf compact habit. 
Scientific Committee. —Dr. M. T. Masters, Vice-President, in the 
chair. Present—Messrs. Scott, O’Brien, Pascoe, Ridley, Murray, Smith, 
Dr. Lowe, Professor Church, and the Honorary Secretary, Rev. G. 
Henslow. 
Hybrid Orchids. —Some cut flowers were forwarded by Mr. Veitch 
with the following observations :—“ The two flowers of Dendrobium 
micans (hyb.) Itchb., were each raised from a differ, nt cross. One 
from D. lituiflorum and the Assam form of D. Wardianum, and the other 
from D. lituiflorum and the Burmese form of D. Wardianum. The 
Assam D. Wardianum, as is well known among the cultivators of Orchids, 
has shorter and more slender stems, but more highly coloured flowers 
than the Burmese form, and it will be noticed that the last-named 
peculiarity is perpetuated in the hybrid. We may also add that the 
seedling from the Assam form has more slender stems than that from 
the Burmese form, which like its parent has the more robust stems and 
paler coloured flowers.” 
Hybrid Phalwnoyosh. —Mr. Veitch .also sent a supposed hybrid as 
being a possible cross between P. grandittora, Lindl. (P. amabilis, Bl^, 
and P. rosea. The above specimens were entrusted to Mr. Ridley for 
examination and report. 
Cattleya Triaiiai, abnormal forms. —Mr. O’Brien brought flowers of 
this plant received from the g.ardens of Mr. W. Furze, Roselands, 
Teddington. They were curious on account of their arising from dif¬ 
ferent pseudo-bulbs, but all having the median sepal in a petaloid con¬ 
dition. In one flower all the parts were present ; whereas in two others 
the petals were absent, but apparently partly “ incorporated with the 
median sepal.” Peculiarities also resided in the column. Dr. M. T. 
Masters undertook to examine and report upon them. 
Stroj}ha7ithus madagascariensis (Daruty).—This is [a'inew species, 
named and sent by Dr. Daruty, of Maheburg, Mauritius. The genus is 
African, of the order Apocynaceai, or “ Dogbanes,” the name being 
derived from the cord-like appendages to the corolla. It is remarkable 
for the strueture and poisonous properties of the seed. The latter 
somewhat resembles that of the Dandelion, but is larger, and has the 
silky hairs distributed down the greater part of the shaft. The natives 
crush the seeds, from which a red oily mass is obtained, with which 
they smear their arrow points. Several varieties or species are known, 
but more material is required for an accurate discrimination of them. 
As a drug, the active principle Strophanthin, is found in all parts of the 
pod as well as the seed, and is very powerfully toxic, one-fiftieth of a 
grain killing a Large dog. It seems likely to prove to be a valuable 
remedy for deranged action of the heart. \ (See Christy’s “New Com. 
PI. and Drugs,” No. 10, p. 7.) 
Marraca, or Mercurio-W;getal root. —Mr. T. Christy sent a specimen 
of this medicinal root of Franciscea uniflora, the bark of which con¬ 
tains the active principle Francisceine. The root is of a woody nature, 
tapering, and of a light brown colour externally, being of a cinnamon- 
brown within. From Dr. J. Hutchinson’s experience it would appear 
to be a valuable new remedy for rheumatism, especially of a certain 
type. 
Bine Daisy (?) from Tangier. —Dr. Lowe exhibited a drawing of a 
small plant, of some 2 to 3 inches high, received from Tangier. The 
question was raised as to its identity with the Blue Daisy found by 
Messrs. Hooker, Maw, and Ball on the Atlas Mountains. Dr. Masters 
undertook to investigate the matter and to report. 
Scilla “ Droppers." —Mr. Henslow mentioned as a result of a micro¬ 
scopical examination of the attachment of the bulbils, found growing 
on the inside of the tubular leaf-sheath of specimens exhibited by Dr. 
Lowe at a meeting of the Scientific Committee (see Gardeners’ 
Chronicle, Oetober 15th, 1887, p. 475), that there was a vascular union 
between the bulbil and the vertical cords of the sheath, consisting of a 
plexus of tracheids, which entered the base of the bulbil on the one 
hand, and communicated by arches to the cords of the sheath on the 
other. The bulbil, therefore, originated in the depth of the tissue of the 
sheath, so that the adventitious rootlets sometimes penetrated beneath 
the inner epidermis, which they ripped up ; at other they pierced 
through the sheath to appear externally (see Gardeners' Chronicle, 
March 3rd, 1888, page 276, figs. 45,46). 
Pears, Cause of Unsymnwtrical Growth. —Mr. Henslow explained 
the cause of so many Pears being unsymmetrical about their axis. This 
was only the case when the stalk was not vertical and the want of sym¬ 
metry increased with its obliquity. He attributed the growth to the 
effort of the Pear to meet the strain imposed upon the stalk as the fruit 
inereased in weight. The two forces to which it is subjected are gravi¬ 
tation, or the weight acting in a vertical direction, and the tension along 
the stalk. The resultant of these two forces tended to wrench the fruit 
from the latter at its point of insertion at the base of the Pear. To 
meet this strain, the fruit thickened in the opposite direction, so that 
the “hump ” is always at the base and on the outer or opposite side of 
the fruit. The effect often extends over the whole of the outermost half 
of the Pear, so that a vertical plane at right angles to the one in which 
the stalk lies cuts the Pear into two very unequal portions. When the 
stalk hangs vertically, as is more usually the case in Apples and in 
Oranges, there is little or no obliquity, so that the Pear grows symme¬ 
trically round all points of its axis, the radii of the circular transverse 
sections being all equal. 
SELECT ORCHIDS FOR AMATEURS. 
In the following list a selection is given of the most useful, 
distinct, and easily grown Orchids with which amateurs might com¬ 
mence forming a collection. Brief cultural directions are given for 
each genus, with the characters of the plants, the time of flowering, 
the native countries, and the temperature best suited to them. They 
are in the latter respect divided into three groups. Those recom¬ 
mended for a warm house require a temperature ranging from 60° 
as a minimum in winter to 80“ as a maximum in summer; the tem¬ 
perature of the intermediate house would similarly range from 55° 
to 75°, and that of the cool house from 45“ to 65°, allowing a few 
degrees more than the highest named in hot weather with free ven¬ 
tilation, but in the cool and intermediate houses the temperature 
should not be permitted to fall below the minimum given in each 
case. For the warm house a slight fall in temperature will not be 
so injurious as the employment of excessive fire heat. The Orchids 
recommended are in the majority of cases the cheapest of their 
respective genera, except where some remarkable character renders 
them particularly worthy of culture. The names of the species or 
varieties are given in italics at the end of each paragraph. 
Acineta. —Strong-growing evergreen plants with short pseudo¬ 
bulbs and large leaves. Flowers large, showy, yellow, white, and 
purplish brown, spotted with rose or red, in drooping racemes from 
the base of the pseudo-bulbs. Mexico and Tropical America. 
Baskets. Warm house. March-July.— Barheri and Hum.boldti. 
Ad.\. —An evergreen Orchid ; free flowering and easily grown 
plant, with short ovoid pseudo-bulbs and narrow leaves. Flowers 
bright orange in erect racemes produced with the growths from the 
base of the pseudo-bulbs. A. aurantiaca is the only species in 
cultivation, and is a native of the Andes in Grenada, where it is 
found 8500 feet above sea level. Pots. Cool house. Winter. 
Aerides.— Evergreen plants with stems 1 to 3 feet or more 
high. Leaves narrow, distichous (two-ranked). Flowers small, 
fleshy, white and rose spotted with crimson or purple, occasionally 
fragrant; in racemes from the axils of the leaves. Tropical India, 
Manilla, Philippine Islands, Japan. Warm house. Pots ; sphagnum 
and potsherds. Spring and snmmer.— affine, crassifolium, Fieldingi, 
japonicum (cool house), nohile, odoratum, qumqaevulnerum, saa- 
vissimum and virens. 
Angr^ecom. —Evergreen plants, with stems from a few inches 
to several feet high, and distichous leaves. Flowers -white or 
cream coloured, mostly small, in long graceful racemes, but occa¬ 
sionally very large, as in A. sesquipedale, which has spurs exceeding 
a foot in length. Tropical West Africa and Madagascar. Warm 
house. Pots or baskets ; sphagnum.— citratum, ehurneum, falcatum 
(cool house), Sanderianum, sesquipedale. 
Anguloa. —Deciduous plants, with large ovoid pseudo-bulbs 
and bold leaves. Flowers large, fleshy, and showy ; single on 
scapes from the base of the growths ; colour yellow and white. 
Peru and Colombia, at elevations in the Andes. Pots; peat. 
Cool house. Summer.— Clowest, uniflora. 
Angictochilus. —Small evergreen plants with dwarf stems 
1 to 6 inches high and extremely beautiful leaves ; light and dark 
green, purple, or bronze of velvet-like texture, veined with gold 
and silver. India, Borneo, Java. Warm house. Rather difficult 
to grow, .as the foli.age is very delic.ate. They succeed best in 
shallow pans of peat, sphagnum, and s.and, covered with a bell- 
gLass, to be occasionally removed or elevated, and carefully watered. 
There are many species and varieties, but the following are the 
strongest— Lowi (Dossinia marmorata). regale (setaceum), Petola 
(Macodes Petola). 
Ansellia. —Evergreen plants. Stems 2 to 3 feet high. Leaves 
narrow, distichous. Flowers in panicles ; yellow spotted brown. 
Tropical Africa. Pots ; peat and leaf soil. Warm house. Winter. 
— africana. 
Arundin.\. —Evergreen plants. Stems slender, 2 to 6 feet high, 
clothed with narrow leaves. Flowers showy, rosy crimson, in 
terminal racemes. India. Pots ; j eat and loam. Warm house. 
Summer.— hamhiaafoUa. 
Baiikeuia.^—D eciduous plant-', with slender leafy spindle- 
