JUNE. 
133 
of leaves, and render it of equal interest with the Pitcher-plants and Sarra- 
cenias. These are suspended, at the ends of the branches, like a great bunch 
of Dates, each furnished with a short footstalk. These organs are small vege¬ 
table cups, about the size and shape of a Date, furnished with a narrow orifice, 
the edges of which are recurved, and the cavity contains a more or less thick 
liquid. This is a native of regions about Malacca, and has recently been intro¬ 
duced to Europe by M. Van Houtte, of Ghent. 
Maximoiviczia chinensis. —This is a fine hardy climber. Its habit is that of 
a Menispermum, and it rambles for a distance of 30 feet on the trees of the 
forests where it is indigenous. Its flowers are of a lilac rose colour, agreeably 
fragrant, and are succeeded (on the female plants), by a spike of beautiful, 
bright red, pear-shaped berries, like bunches of Red Currants, which are eaten 
by the natives. This is a native of the Amoor Valley, and is also found about 
Pekin. It has stood out of doors at St. Petersburg for the last four years, 
and may, therefore, be considered perfectly hardy. 
Stevensonia sechellarum. — Mr. Van Houtte says: “We have the good 
fortune to present here the most valuable Palm, in a decorative point of view, 
that has ever been introduced to cultivation. Altogether a treasure and a 
novelty in its aspect, the Stevensonia or Phcenicophorium sechellarum is, indeed, 
the king of the family.” 
Verschaffeltia splendida. —Here is another magnificent Seychelles Palm, a 
worthy rival of Stevensonia sechellarum, as well by the majesty of its habit 
as the richness of its foliage. _ 
LTllustration Houticoee. —In the April Number we have Stevensonia 
sechellarum , figured under the name of Phcenicophorium sechellarum. There is 
a plate of the variegated Verbena Popular, copied from the “ Floral Magazine,” 
and one of Camellia Arcliduc Etienne , a seedling of Mr. Ambroise Ver- 
schaffelt’s. 
OUR MONTHLY CHRONICLE. 
Royal Horticultural Society. —The 
fortnightly meetings continue to be held in 
conjunction with those of the Floral and 
Fruit Committees. At that of the 2nd of 
May, Mr. Bateman delivered an interesting 
lecture on Vaccinaceee and Orchids, strongly 
advocating the claims of some of the former 
to cultivation as decorative plants for archi¬ 
tectural brackets. Not only were these plants 
beautiful in their flowers and foliage, but the 
young shoots, as ia certain species of Thi- 
baudia, were most brilliant in colour. He 
recommended tropical Vaccinacem to be cul¬ 
tivated in a warm greenhouse temperature in 
niches or on brackets in the shade, so that the 
branches might hang down. His remarks 
were illustrated by a branch of Thibaudia 
macrophylla most brilliant in colour, and a 
very ornamental plant of Macleania specio- 
sissima. The entries of plants shown at this 
meeting amounted to more than a hundred, 
and the room was densely packed with visi¬ 
tors. Among the novelties that which en¬ 
gaged most attention was Phaloenopsis Liid- 
demanniana, of which specimens were shown 
by Messrs. Low, Mr. Charles, gardener to R. 
Barnett, Esq., Mr. Stone, gardener to J. Day, 
Esq., Mr. Pilcher, gardener to S. Rucker, 
Esq., and Dr. Pattison, of St. John’s Wood. 
The flowers are amethyst barred with brown, 
and attain the same size as those of P. Schil- 
leriana. It was introduced by Messrs. Low, 
who, considering it to be the same as Pha- 
loenopsis rosea, sold part of the stock, and it 
has thus appeared simultaneously in several 
collections. A very beautiful Palm, Phoeni- 
cophorium sechellarum from Mr. Williams, 
and two fine Alpine Auriculas—Meridian and 
JohnLeech—fromMr. Turner, had first-class- 
certificates. Messrs. Backhouse exhibited 
four beautiful Alpines—Narcissus juncifolius, 
with yellow flowers, found in stony pastures 
near Avignon; Primula ciliata, with brilliant 
rosy crimson flowers; Andromeda hypnoides, 
with small pendulous white flowers, and very 
pretty; and Primula farinosa acaulis, from the 
Teesdale mountains, with pale lilac blooms. 
Numerous fine specimens of Orchids were 
also shown; among others, Dendrobium den- 
siflorum from Mr. Stone, gardener to J. Day, 
Esq., Tottenham, a magnificent specimen, 
with seventy spikes of bloom. The Orchid 
show took place on the 13th, but was very 
far from answering the expectations which 
