40 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
States of America, a species which presents us with quite a novel feature 
in that family, for its pitcher-like leaves, which have an incurved limb like 
a parrot’s head, are spread out horizontally from the crown. From its 
remarkable habit, its singular form, and the pretty veining of its pleasingly 
coloured leaves, this species may certainly take rank, on the score of 
curiosity, among the desirable acquisitions of the year. Finally, in this 
catagory, we must mention the Coleus Gibsoni, a softwooded plant, intro¬ 
duced from New Caledonia, and having a more sturdy habit than the 
favourite C. Verschaffeltii; this has been under trial during the past sum¬ 
mer as a bedding plant, and so far as we have seen has met with but 
partial success. It is chiefly remarkable for the almost black veining on 
the under surface of the leaves, but is very variable in the amount of colour 
it presents. 
Good Hardy plants of distinct character have not been so abundant as 
the more tender subjects, which we have already run over. Among Flower¬ 
ing Shrubs there is the Japanese Desmodium pendidiflorum, which appears to 
have hitherto borne the winters of Holland, the young growth being an¬ 
nually cut back to the old wood. This is quite novel in character, and very 
graceful in habit, producing a profusion of summer shoots, which are long, 
gracefully nodding, and freely branched, and bear trifoliate leaves, and a 
profusion of pendant racemes of small reddish-purple blossoms. Daphne 
Genkwa, introduced from Japan to the Russian gardens, bears such a pro¬ 
fusion of large bluish-lilac flowers that the branches look not unlike sprigs 
of Lilac; this, therefore, appears likely to prove useful. The French 
gardens give us two new Mock Oranges, but they appear to be garden 
seedlings. One is Philadelphus Keteleeni, and is said to have semi-double or 
nearly double white sweet-scented flowers ; the other is P. tomentosus, also 
white-flowered and sweet-scented, but with blossoms 2£ inches in diameter. 
Amongst Evergreen Shrubs attention has been directed specially to a 
kind of Portugal Laurel, named Primus lusitanica azorica, which appears to 
be very much superior both in foliage and flowers to the old Portugal Laurel, 
and must, therefore, be a valuable addition to that group of most useful 
plants—the hardy evergreen shrubs. 
Among Hardy Trees the Golden Alder, Alnus glutinosa aurea, is probably 
the most striking of our acquisitions, and well adapted to beautify planta¬ 
tions and pleasure grounds, the materials for which, already both extensive 
and effective, are apparently noW engaging some of the attention they 
deserve. Populus nivea Solomonii is likely to be another useful tree in the 
landscape, resembling the Abele ; it is said to have pendent twigs and irre¬ 
gular cordiform leaves, which are shining as if varnished above, and thickly 
clothed with snow-white tomentum beneath. The golden-variegated Welling- 
tonia gig ante a, aureo-variegata is another capital subject as a hardy variegated 
tree, the markings of the branches and twigs being such as to render it 
really a handsome object, while its growth is not at all sickly, as is too 
often the case with variegated trees. 
We have very little to notice amongst Perennial and Annual Herbaceous 
plants of the hardy class. Among the former the new striped Grass, Poa 
trivialis vanegata , at first named Cgnosurus, is one of the best and most 
useful, and being of a free-growing and accommodating habit, either in the 
flower garden or the plant-house, and having its leaves distinctly and 
elegantly variegated, this beautiful variety may fairly claim to be regarded 
as the most charming of all small-growing variegated Grasses. Another 
Grass of elegant habit has been introduced from China to the French gar- 
