May 10, 188& ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
387 
CERTIFICATED PLANTS. 
Odontoglosnum Pcscatorci, Poe's variety (J. T. Poe, Esq., Eiverslon, 
NenagL).—A fine variety with large well formed flowers, white, with 
bold deep purplish spots. 
PMllyrca decora Vilmormiana (Paul & Son).—A compact shrub, 
with long narrow dark green leaves, and small white flowers thickly 
clustered in the axils of the leaves. It is especially recommended for 
planting in towns, as it has been found to stand the smoke well. 
Auricula Jlarry Turner (C. Turner).—An Alpine variety, velvety 
purple shaded to a light edge, pale gold centre, large flower of good 
ehape and fine truss. 
Auricula Mrs. Harry Turner (0. Turner).—Another Alpine variety 
of dark maroon colour with a mauve margin and pale centre. Very 
pretty and distinct. 
Auricula Hetty Dean (R. Dean).—A beautiful dark velvety purple 
Alpine, shaded white with a creamy centre. 
Polyanthus John Woodbridge (R. Dean).—A strong and handsome 
variety with rich crimson maroon flowers of good size and gold centre. 
Trusses large and bold. 
Azalea Yervaeniana (Turner).—A large double-flowered variety, with 
a few salmon and pink streaks on white. Showy and of compact 
habit. 
Pose Madame Hoste (W. Paul & Son).—A Tea variety, with delicate 
pale yellow flowers of considerable size, very deep, the petals broad. 
Harcisstis Inoontgiarabilis Gloria 3Iundi (Barr & Son).—A beautiful 
variety with pale yellow perianth and deep orange expanded crown. 
One of the best of the section. 
Anemone aitpenina alba (T. S. Ware).—A white or faintly tinted 
variety of the well-kno\ni blue Anemone appenina. 
Polemonium confertxm.—K plant with curious small leaves 
and pale bluish bell-shaped flowers in compact heads. 
Narcisstis bicolor, M)-s. J. B. 31. Camm (Barr & Son).—A distinct 
variety of the trumpet section, with white perianth and delicate creamy 
tinted crown. 
Scientific Committee. —Present: D. Morris, Esq., in the chair ; 
and Messrs. Burbidge, Lynch, O’Brien, McLachlan, Pascoe, Michael, 
Smee, Ridley, G. Murray, Professor Scott, Professor Church, Dr. Hogg, 
and Dr. Masters. 
This meeting was held in the new library, at 111, Victoria Street. 
Eichornea tricolor. —Mr. Lynch showed flowers of this tropical 
aquatic plant from Pernambuco, where it was gathered by Mr. Ridley. The 
flowers are in erect terminal panicles, each of a rich blue colour, with a 
small yellow spot on the lower perianth-segment. Mr. Lynch had grown 
it in a pot submerged to the rim. A discussion ensued as to the culture 
of these beautiful plants, Mr. Burbidge narrating his method of 
inducing Pothos crassipes to flower. This he does by not allowing the 
plant to float, but by placing it in a pot on a shelf fully exposed to 
light, and thus checking its wandering tendencies. 
Chrysanthemum homatoma. — Mr. Lynch also showed flowers of 
this plant little if at all better than our common ox-eyed Daisy, 
though in its native country, as shown in the following extract from 
Lowe’s “ Flora of Madeira,” it must be a fine thing :—“ In the island of 
Madeira a bush of this species on its native black or grey and barren 
crags—one mass of lovely rose-pink flowers, and conspicuous from afar 
like a Camellia or Rose bush—is a truly splendid and surprising sight.” 
Hajdocargiha Leichtlinii. — A pretty yellow-flowered Composite, 
with the backs of the ray-florets flushed with purplish-brown. It seems 
as if it would make a handsome bedding plant. 
Pilocargms gxinnatifolius. —A Rutaceous plant, with dark green pin¬ 
nate leaves, the segments broadly oblong. The plant is interesting as 
being the source of the drug Jaborandi, and of the substance known as 
pilocarpine. 
Pentapterygkim soyens. —A curious Vacciniaceous plant, from the 
Sikkim Himalaya, with angular tubular flowers of a bright red colour. 
The leaves are in two rows, small, ovate, and the stems which bear them 
spring from a very large woody tuberous growth. The plant grows upon 
the branches of trees. 
Zinnia elegans. —A Mexican weed, shown to illustrate the vast 
advance that has been made in the culture of the plants, and the art 
of the florist. 
Dipladenia bolivien»is. —Young stems of this plant were shown, in 
order to show the herbaceous stipular outgrowths at the base of the leaf, 
and which are divided into narrow lobes in a palmate fashion. These, 
instead of falling off or drying up, become woody, and may serve to aid 
the plant in climbing from tree to tree. 
Dendrobium Quelchi. —Mr. Ridley exhibited a photograph of this 
North Australian Dendrobe, which’ is nearly allied to D. bigibbum, but 
is not yet in cultivation. 
Alonstnms Lcelia purpurata. —Mr. Smee exhibited flowers of this 
species variously malformed. One had three anthers (Al, a\, aT). 
Odontoglossum rctu.sum. —Mr. Bonney, Svvanley, Kent, showed a plant 
of this rare species, remarkable for its orange-scarlet flowers. A botani¬ 
cal certificate was awarded. 
Erythronium grandiflorum. —Mr. Loder sent a fine spike of this 
flower, with no fewer than fourteen flowers, most of them ful'y ex¬ 
panded. This is th(! finest specimen of this plant yet exhibited. 
Lily Disease. —From Mr. L. Castle came leaves and stems of Lilium 
candidum in a decaying condition, probably from the effects of a fungus 
(Peronospora). Mr.’Geo. Murray undertook to report on the specimens. 
Fir Branches and Squirrels. —The Editor of thi Scientific Hews sent 
shoots of the common Spruce Fir gnawed off by squirrels, which seem 
specially destructive this season. The object of the animal in inflicting 
this injury is not obvious. 
Alalformed Cucumber Blossoms. —Messrs. Carter sent specimens of 
Cucumber flowers in which the calyx was leafy, and also showing other 
deformities, which were referred to Dr. Masters for further examination 
and report. 
Iris Sari var., —Professor Foster sent the bloom of an Iris which 
had been received from Nazareth, and which is said to grow wild there. 
In coloration it somewhat resembles I. iberica, but in essential features 
•—rhizome, foliage, form of flower, &c.—is more nearly allied to I. Sari. 
Subject to the results of further study. Professor Foster “would be in¬ 
clined to call it provisionally I. Sari var. Nazarena ; but I do not wish 
to name it definitely at present. The other smaller Irises, as I. Suworowi 
(Regel) and the one with beard on inner perianth segments, is what 
Regel described as I. lineata (Foster), but which is really only a variety 
of I. Suworowi.” 
Gentiana acaulis. —Mr. G. F. Wilson showed flowers of this species 
with a curious spongy outgrowth from the outer surface of the corolla, 
on which Dr. Scott promised to report at another meeting. 
Fertilisation of Tigridia and Iliqxq^eastx'um. —A paper was read on 
this subject from Dr. Bonavia, in which he described how bees search 
for the nectar under each edge of the inner petals of Tigridia ; but as 
they do not touch the stamens and pistil they must have discovered the 
concealed glands through scent, and so rifle the flower, just as ants do, 
without pollinating it. Hippeastrum is fertilised by pollen-seeking bees 
or bee-like insects in India. One kind of bee balances itself on the 
wing opposite tne tuft of anthers, and then, suddenly making a sort of 
somersault among them, brushes oS the pollen with the hairs of its body, 
when the stigma gets dusted all over with pollen. A second kind, after 
balancing itself, by a sudden movement brushes off the pollen with the 
hairs of its legs. Lastly, a third kind of bee settles on the anthers, 
scoops out and devours every grain of pollen. After alluding to the fact 
that some flies are also pollen-eaters, the author suggests that certain 
humming-birds provided with feathers on their feet may possibly be the 
true fertilisers of Hippeastrum in its native country. 
In the course of the discussion on this subject it was pointed out 
that humming-birds hover over the flowers and perforate them with 
their beaks, and hence that the tufts of feathers on the legs of some of 
the species are not likely to act as jxillen-brushes. Mr. Morris related 
how in Jamaica the humming-birds, which at first had not attacked 
the flowers, suddenly began to split the tubes of the Cinchona flowers, 
and thus ensured the fertilisation of the flower. Mr. Burbidge called 
attention to the fact that in South America the Scarlet Runner does 
not set its fruit, but in this country it fruits freely, owing to the bees, 
which bore through the base of the flower—a curious illustration of a 
foreign flower rendered fertile by the agency of British bees. The 
meeting then adjourned. 
NATIONAL AUEICULA SOCIETY. 
(NORTHERN SECTION.) 
May 1st. 
This Show was held at the Ne w Town Hall, Manchester, and was 
very successful. Auriculas were not staged in as large numbers as 
in previous years owing to the plants of several northern growers 
not being in full bloom, the weather having been against their de¬ 
velopment. Those shown were, however, very good in quality. In 
Polyanthuses the flowers were above the average both in quality and 
numbers, and some very fine seedlings were staged showing a decided 
advance. The following were the awards. 
Six Auriculas, dissimilar. The first prize was awarded to the Rev, 
F. D. Horner, Lowfields, Burton-in-Lonsdale, Kirkby Lonsdale, for the 
following—F. D. Horner, a grand green edge, and this plant was se¬ 
lected as the premier flower in the Exhibition ; Ebony, a fine black 
self raised by Mr. Horner; Laura, another of his seedlings, with good 
tube, paste, and violet plum colour ; George Lightbody, very fine, and 
Greyhound. The second prize went to Mr. Wm. Bolton, Mersey Street, 
Warrington, with James Douglas (Bolton) very fine ; Lancashire Hero, 
Sapphire, Mrs. Dodwell, fine ; R. Headly, and Mrs. James Tinsley 
(Bolton), a self of a very promising character. Third, Mrs. Kirke 
Benson, Ludlow, with Sapphire, G. Lightbody, Conservative, Acme, a 
seedling black self, and a seedling green edge. Fourth, Mr. T. Buck- 
ley, Stalybridge, with Sapphire, G. Lightbody, Acme, Frank Simonite, 
Lancashire Hero, and Pizarro. Fifth to W. Brockbank, Esq., Dids- 
bury, near Manchester, with F. D. Horner, Heroine, Rd. Headly, Mrs, 
Douglas, Heather Bell, and a seedling green edge ; and sixth, Samuel 
Barlow, Esq., Stakehill House, Castleton, near Manchester, with six 
seedlings. 
Four Auriculas, dissimilar, the Rev. F. D. Horner was again first with 
F. D. Horner, G. Lightbody, fine, John Simonite, and Iris, a grand deep 
violet self with gold tube and round paste ; second, Mr. H. Wilson, 
Halifax, with Mrs. Potts, Mrs. Dodwell, Colonel Taylor, and George 
Lightbody; third, Mr. W. Brockbank, with Acme, Lord Lome, _R. 
Headly, and a seedling green edge ; fourth, Mrs. Kirke Penson, with 
Prince of Greens, Acme, George Lightbody, and a seedling self; fifth, 
Mr. Wm. Bolton, with Frank Simonite, A. Meiklejohn, F. D. Horner, 
and Sapphire ; and sixth, Mr. T. Barlow, wth Complete, Reliance, F. D. 
Horner, and seedling self. 
Pair of Auriculas, first, Mr. Simonite, Sheffield, with Heroine, fine 
and Conservative ; second, Mr. Wm. Barnfather, Leek, with G. Light- 
