APHELANDRA CRISTATA. 
267 
Although most of them insist on a warm, humid atmosphere 
to grow in, they do not refuse to bloom even in the windows of 
a sitting-room ; and if we consider the amount of beauty which 
may be derived from half a dozen well selected species and properly 
grown plants, it does not seem extravagant to devote a single 
light of an ordinary garden frame to their culture through the 
summer; in a stove they are less difficult to manage, but with 
attention may be grown even to excellence with no other accommo¬ 
dation than that mentioned. The treatment of mature plants 
differs but very little from that we have detailed : after blooming, 
the stems should be cut closely back, and as they grow through 
the summer, should be stopped two or three times according to 
their habits; and thus each may be kept bushy and furnished 
with foliage to the margin of the pot. 
The two species which form our plate are among the recently 
introduced members of the genus ; B . albo-coccinea having been 
sent from India by — Strachan, Esq. to the Royal Gardens at Kew, 
in 1844 ; and the other, B. fuchsioides , still more recently has 
been received by the same establishment through their collector 
Mr. Purdie, from New Grenada. 
The following selection, or part of it, should be included in 
every collection of miscellaneous plants. 
Argyrostigma , with silver-spotted leaves, and pink flowers; 
coccineay scarlet leaves and flowers ; TJregii, dwarf, pink flowers ; 
heracleifolia , white ; humilis , dwarf, white ; hydrocolylcefoliay 
very dwarf, flesh colour ; lucida , white; manicota, with frills of 
crimson fibres on the stem, and white flowers; Martiana 3 
pink; Meyerii, white ; reniformis, for its curious leaves and 
white flowers ; ulmi/olia, tall, elegant habit and blush-coloured 
flowers; and those figured in our plate. 
THE PROGRESS OF AN APHELANDRA CRISTATA. 
Early in February of the present year I procured a small- 
rooted plant of this beautiful thing, determining to try to what 
degree of excellence it could be brought in a single season, know¬ 
ing that two or three years were generally consumed in forming 
