1872 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
421 
Lyon’s Turtle-head (Ghelone Lyoni). 
The common Turtle-head, Snake-head, or 
Balmony ( Chelone glabra) is very frequent in 
wet and swampy places, where its clusters of 
white or rose-colored flowers are quite conspi- 
splendens compacta alba. That is a good deal 
of a name, and none hut a very fine plant could 
carry it. We have seen only a small pot-plant, 
but have no doubt that it will be found very 
effective when used in contrast with the well- 
known brilliant scarlet one. Mr. Cliitty exhi- 
Buckwheat Family, one which contains the 
Persicaries, Knot-weeds, Smart-weeds, and 
other well-known aggressive plants. This spe¬ 
cies, as its name indicates, came from the East, 
and is said to have been introduced into Europe 
by Tournefort, who found it at the base of 
ORIENTAL polygonum. — (Polygonum orientale.) 
lyon's turtle-head.—( Chelone Lyoni.) 
cuous during the late summer and the autumn 
months. Last spring we received from Iloopes, 
Bro. & Thomas, of West Chester, Pa., a speci¬ 
men of another species, which is much showier 
than the one just referred to, and which pos¬ 
sesses sufficient beauty to entitle it to a place in 
our herbaceous borders. This species, Ghelone 
Lyoni , which we may call Lyon’s Turtle-head, 
is found in the mountains of North Carolina. 
The stem, which in favorable soil grows three 
feet or more in high), is more or less branched, 
and produces its flowers in dense spikes at the 
ends of the branches. The flowers, which are 
rather smaller and more erect than in our 
Northern species, are of a bright purple color, 
and these, together with the ample foliage and a 
pleasing habit, make the plant a very desirable 
one in a collection of herbaceous perennials. 
A White “ Scarlet” Sage. —While our 
garden was all aglow with the brilliant flowers 
of the Scarlet or Mexican Sage, Salviasplendens, 
in one of its several garden forms, W'e were 
much 'pleased to receive from Mr. H. E. Chill}’, 
of the Bellevue Gardens, Paterson, N. J., a 
flowering plant of a variety of the same Sage 
with pure white flowers. To call it a white 
“scarlet” sage is rather a contradictory nomen¬ 
clature, but we prefer it to that given it by the 
European florist who originated it — Saltia 
bited the plant at the recent annual exhibition 
of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 
where it attracted much attention, and re¬ 
ceived from the society a first-class certificate. 
"■ . " <»-«-— - - 
The Oriental Polygonum, or Prince’s 
Feather. 
Some of the old-fashioned plants that were 
formerly very common are now becoming quite 
rare. Some of these old plants we would not 
willingly spare, while we are glad to see the 
places of others occupied by more pleasing 
ones. Sun-flowers, Love-lies-bleeding, the large 
yellow Marigold, and the Prince’s Feather are 
in our minds associated with tumbled-down 
fences and neglected front-yards, and where 
these arc the extent of the attempt at flower 
culture we expect to see the missing window- 
panes supplied by an old hat or a bunch of 
rags. Those who do not thus associate the 
Prince’s Feather with poverty-stricken dwell¬ 
ings may find in it something of a certain coarse 
kind of beauty. A good specimen has a strong 
stem six feet or more high, large leaves, each of 
which has at its base a sheath surrounding the 
stem, and long spikes of bright rose-colored 
flowers. The botanical name for the plant is 
Polygonum orientale, and it belongs to the 
Mount Ararat. Besides the name Prince’s 
Feather, it is also called “Ragged Sailor” and 
“ Kiss-me-over-tlie-garden-gate.” The plant 
comes readily from self-sown seeds, but does 
not show much tendency to spread and become 
a troublesome weed, though it is sometimes 
found naturalized in waste places near towns. 
-- .-—a Ot—-- -- 
The Willow-leaved Amaranth. 
In an article upon Amaranths, we gave last 
month an account of our experience with three 
species or varieties, and the reasons for our 
lack of satisfactory results. Since then, we 
have seen in the grounds of others specimens so 
fine as to make us feel that for once a plant has 
fully warranted the extravagant descriptions 
given it abroad. Indeed, as our climate is much 
more favorable for such plants than that of 
England, we have no doubt that the TV'illow- 
leaved Amaranth (Amarantus salicifolius) at¬ 
tains greater perfection here than there. The 
finest specimen we have seen was at Wood- 
netlie, the country-seat of H. IV. Sargent, Esq., 
at Fislikill Landing, N. Y. He has several 
specimens, but one in particular is full ten feet 
high, with branches of proportionate length. 
The leaves at the top of the main stem and the 
branches are of a most brilliant carmine color. 
This plant was indeed a fine sight, whether seen 
