MOLUCCA  BALM. -8  SELL  FLOWER. 
(Molaccolla  laevis.) 
Last  fall  we  received  aoeds  from  a  correspond¬ 
ent  labeled  “  Shell  Flower— Molucca  Balm.”  Ho 
described  the  plant  aa  heing  so  odd  and  pretty 
that  we  planted  them  at  onoe.  They  germinated 
quickly,  grow  vigorously  witli  little  care,  and 
were  planted  in  the  open  ground  tho  latter  part 
of  May— soon  after  which  tliey  began  to  display 
the  remarkable  characteristics  for  which  they 
are  distinguished.  Two  weeks  ago  we  lifted  one 
of  those  plants,  placed  it  in  a  iwt,  had  It  photo¬ 
graphed  and  engraved,  and  now  present  to  our 
readers  the  result — gratified  that  we  are  thus 
enabled  to  call  general  attention  to  a  plant  that, 
from  tho  admiration  and, curiosity  it  has  excited 
iu  tlio  Rubai,  gi'ouuds— in  tho  Rural  oMce,  and 
while  we  have  boon  carrying  it,  or  branches  of 
it,  hither  and  thither,  promises  to  be  received 
with  no  ordinary  favor.  That  it  may  be  raised 
from  seed  as  easily  as  ft  Balsam,  Zinnia  or  Pansy ; 
that  it  will  thrive  during  tho  sevorost  di'ouths  as 
well  as  a  Cactus  orSedum,  and  roqniros  a  soil  no 
richer  than  eitlw^  that  it  does  not  Uf*jd  *  ;  be 
tied  np  or  supiiorlod  by  stakes,  tlie  branches 
being  strong  enough  to  support  themselves  the 
same  as  if  they  were  hard-wooded,  are  items 
which  may  give  coufldeuco  in  tho  above  predic¬ 
tion. 
We  may  say  that  tho  district  of  country  in 
which  the  Bubal  grounds  are  located  have  suf¬ 
fered  during  this  season  from  tho  most  pro¬ 
tracted  and  ilamaging  droutli  ever  known  to  the 
oldest  residents  of  that  locality.  It  has  been 
impossible  to  keep  tender  auiuwls  alive  except 
by  copious  nightly  waterings.  Tho  grass  of 
many  lawns  has  been  burnt  to  death,  root  and 
blade.  Many  shrubs  not  easily  alTcctod,  such  as 
Deutzias,  Privets,  flowering  Plums,  Viburnums, 
have  drooped,  lost  their  leaves  and  died.  Deci¬ 
duous  trees  and  evergreens  transplanted  this 
ajiriug  have,  ivith  few  exceptions,  been  either 
killed  or  so  badly  scorched  that  they  can  never 
recover — and  the  sight  of  old  Norway  Spruces 
and  Arbor-vit*  trees  dead  and  dying  is  not 
uncommon.  Meanwlille  the  Moluccas,  growing 
in  a  bed  elevated  one  foot  above  the  surrounding 
level  and  not  onoe  watered,  have  tiouriahod  as  if 
every  element  of  their  well-being  were  amply 
supplied.  With  the  engraving  ujion  this  page  of 
tho  entire  plant,  and  one  of  its  several  members 
upon  the  fomth,  our  readers  by  the  aid  of  the 
following  desoription  may  gam  as  clear  an  idea 
of  the  Molucca  as  if  it  wore  growing  beside 
them.  For  sections  of  flower,  etc.,  see  page  120.  ' 
The  bight  of  the  plant  figured  la  two  feet  two 
inches.  The  stems  are  square,  rounded  at  tho 
edges,  of  a  light  green  color  and  smooth.  They 
are  opposite,  spreading  out  and  curving  upward 
like  the  arms  of  a  candelabrum.  Tlio  nodes  at 
the  base  are  two  inches  apart,  growbig  closer  at 
the  top,  which  ends  iu  a  tuft  of  leaves  and  tiny 
cups.  Three  cups  (Fig.  1)  spring  from  the  axils 
of  each  loaf,  Aa  the  leaves  arc  opjjosite,  there 
are  six  -sometimes  seven— crowded  in  a  whorl. 
Upon  the  tallest  stem  there  are  fifteen  whorls 
(ninety  oups),  so  that  it  is  literally  covered  with 
them.  Underneath  each  cup  arc  throe  slender 
spines  half  an  inch  in  length  (Fig.  1).  The  cup 
or  calyx,  as  it  must  be  considereil,  is  very  smooth 
and  entire,  except  at  the  edges,  where  it  presents 
five  muorouate  points  corresponding  with  the 
clefts  of  the  lips  of  tlie  corolla.  It  Is  of  a  light 
green  color,  prettily  veined  with  whitish-green, 
recalling  tho  reticulate  loaves  of  the  Golden 
Honeyauokle  (Fig.  1), 
Witliin  the  calyx  first  appears  the  white,  vel¬ 
vety  bud  (Fig.  2),  resembliug  a  button,  that  un¬ 
folds  into  a  flower  (Fig.  8),  which  is  white  and 
purple,  included  within  the  calyx  (Fig.  1)  and  little 
more  than  half  its  length.  Bcsidos'onduriiig  but 
for  a  day  or  so,  it  is  scarcely  discernible  at  a  dis¬ 
tance  and  adds  a  trifle  only  hi  the  appearance  of 
the  plant.  After  the  fall  of  this  corolla,  wo  have 
the  fruit  (Figs.  5  and  6),  consisting  of  four 
sepai'ablo  nnts  or  achenia  first  of  a  bright 
green,  changing  to  a  dark -brown  color  when 
ripe.  The  [leaves  are  few.  Fig.  4  roprosonting 
the  larger  lower  leaves-— Fig.  7  the  upper  or 
smaller  ones.  The  petioles  are  rather  long  and 
they  have  the  iieculiarity  of  twisting  unequally, 
BO  that  tlie  surfaces  of  tho  loaves,  instead  of  be¬ 
ing  horizontal,  rest  horizontally,  iiorpondioularly, 
and  at  every  inUirmodiato  angle.  Perhaps  more 
rest  iierpeudicuhirly,  presenting  tho  edges  to  tho 
sky  and  earth,  than  in  any  other  position,  a  pe- 
cnliarity  existing  in  but  very  few  plants. 
There  are  two  s[)eciosof  Moluccella,  viz.,  laevU 
and  uphiom.  Tho  latkir  differs  from  the  formisr 
in  poasoRsing  purplish  stems,  smaller  leaves, 
smaller  cups  with  seven  spiuy  points,  and  in  be¬ 
ing  loss  hardy.  This  is  a  native  of  the  Molucca 
im[OX4Xjcceil.i.,a.  i:..a.3e:vis. 
Islands  —  hence  the  name  of  the  genus ;  but 
laevi.'i  is  a  uative  of  Syria. 
Our  readers  would  like  to  know  to  what  extent 
this  plant  has  been  and  w  cultivaied.  Wo  can¬ 
not  toll  them.  Wt)  find  it  mentioned  in  Pini.ii? 
Mii.i.kk'h  Gardeners’  Dictionary,  j)uhlisliod  in 
175H,  ami  in  recent  hotanies  generally.  Yet  wo 
cannot  find  it  offered  in  any  catalogue  either  of 
this  country  or  of  Euruiio,  and  wo  know  of  but 
one  indivklual  besides  Iho  corrospoudont  who 
sent  us  the  seed  that  has  tho  plant  iucultivatiou. 
We  liavo  ourselves  about  twenty  plant.s,  and  the 
seeds  arc  carefully  saved  as  they  ripen.  Those 
we  hope  iu  some  way  to  distribute  among  our 
ItUKAL  readers,  of  which,  iu  order  to  avoid  fiu- 
necessary  correspoudeuce,  wo  will  give  timely 
notice. 
— - - 
NOTES. 
Ofw  of  the  employes  of  the  B.  N.  Y.  lirought 
into  tho  ottico  the  other  day  live  Dahlia  flowers 
upon  one  iiodunclo.  They  wore  so  crowded  to¬ 
gether  that  they  could  only  bo  distinguished  by 
the  groouish  centei-  petals  of  each. 
27u!  tscarlct  TAibvlia,  or  Uardinal  flower,  is  just 
now  making  the  swamps,  ditches  and  low  grounds 
throughout  the  Nortboru  Htates,  brilUuut  with 
its  showy  plumes.  It  lias  few  rivals  in  color, 
although  not  very  compact  av  elegant  in  form. 
• 
We  found  in  a  ramble  Ust  week  a  quantity  of 
the  little  Orcliid,  OooUi/ern  pubesce-n.'i,  now  iu 
bloom.  Tho  minute  flowers,  about  fifteen  of 
which  are  crowded  in  a  racuiuo  upon  a  scape  a 
foot  or  loss  high,  are  just  as  iuloresting  in  a  very 
small  way  as  are  those  of  the  Cypripodiuni  on  a 
larger  scale. 
We  see  In  the  Gardeners’  Chi'ouiolo  that  a 
correspondent  sent  the  editors  two  trusses  of  tho 
blooms  of  tho  Hydrangea,  cuttings  of  which 
^were  tskou  from  the  same  plant  and  both  of 
■  which  had  received  the  same  treatment  hi  every 
respect  —  having  been  iJoHoil  in  ordinary  tm-fy 
loam,  loaf-mold  and  sand,  and  watered  with  pure 
spring  water.  The  editors  state  that  one  was 
quite  pinli,  the  other  pure  blue.  If  no  mistake 
was  made  as  to  tho  cutthigs,  this  goes  to  prove 
that  iron,  the  soil,  etc.,  have  nothing  to  do  with 
changing  the  piuk  to  blim  in  the  flowers  of 
Hydrangeas,  iu  spite  of  tho  mass  of  supposed 
facta  that  from  time  to  time  lias  been  published 
in  substantiation  of  this  theory. 
Perhaps  Hydi'angcus  are  divided  among  thorc.- 
selves,  some  preferring  blue,  some  piuk.  Per¬ 
haps  they  are  mixed  us  regards  these  two  colors, 
sometimes  manufacturing  ono  -  somotimos  the 
other.  Perhaps  in  being  lifted  from  ono  posi¬ 
tion,  to  which  they  have  becomu  endeared,  to  an¬ 
other-  -they  grow  uieiuiicholy  and - blue.  This 
last,  as  we  study  upon  it,  Heouw  plausible,  and 
we  rospoctfully  offer  it  as  our  oxplauation  of  tho 
phenomenon. 
- -»-»  » - 
EXCHANGE. 
I  NOTICED  In  the  Ruual  of  July  8  a  letter  by 
“Mabion,  Noble  Co.,  Ind.,"  giving  a  dcBcriptiou 
of  ft  plant,  and  in  which  she  asks  for  tho  name.  I 
raised  it  years  ago  and  called  it  '•  .Shell  Flower.” 
1  have  since  lost  the  seed,  aud  have  anxiously 
looked  through  seed  stores  and  catalogues  for 
years,  but  iu  vain.  Ho  you  may  linow  how  de¬ 
lighted  I  was  on  roailiiig  this  description.  As 
the  little  shells  skeletonize  beautifully,  I  am  most 
anxious  to  procure  some  of  tlie  seed,  autl  deter¬ 
mined,  as  the  writer  of  tho  letter  alluded  to  did 
not  give  her  post-olUce  address,  to  write  to  you 
immediately,  begging  you,  through  tho  medium 
of  your  paper,  to  let  her  know  my  address,  which 
is  “L.  lir.NnEii,  Kalamazoo,  Mich."  If  she  will 
be  kind  enough  to  send  me  a  few  seeds,  I  will 
return  the  compliment  by  sending  her  some  of 
several  kinds  that  perhaps  she  has  not  yet  scon. 
[Kntered  according  to  Act  of  Conarass.  In  tho  yoiir  IS7K.  by  the  Rural  Publlahlng  o'nrapany,  in  the  ontoe  of  tho  I.lhrarlan  of  ConKress  ut  Wiishlndton.i 
VOL.  XXXTV.  No.  8.  I 
WHOLE  No.  1.386.  f 
NEW  YORK  CITY,  AUd.  19,  1876. 
I'ltrcE  I5SI3C  CENTS. 
Hit'i.O.'S  PEIt  YEAR. 
I 
