Plate 195. 
NEW ITALIAN VERBENAS. 
Amongst the flowers exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of the 
Imperial Society of Horticulture in last May, we particularly 
noticed some Italian Verbenas which seemed to us to be in an 
entirely new strain, being mottled, striped, and dashed in a very 
peculiar manner. We obtained some of the most remarkable 
of them from the well-known establishment of Rougiere-Chau- 
viere, and of them we have selected the three most meritorious 
for our present illustration. 
We understand that they, with many others of a similar cha¬ 
racter, were originated by the firm of Cavagnini Brothers at 
Brescia, and while in many respects defective in the eye of a 
florist,—for they want that shape, contour, and substance which 
are obtained in the self-coloured varieties of English and French 
origin,—yet, as indicating a step in an entirely new direction, 
they are very valuable. It has generally happened that the 
first flowers of these variegated kinds, in whatever section they 
have originated, have generally been deficient in these points, 
but the skill of hybridizers, and the impulse given by the great 
demand there is for anything of novelty of really sterling merit, 
has soon overcome this. Fancy Pansies are the latest evidence 
of this. They were at first complete “ragged jacks,” but, 
owing to the perseverance of Mr. Dean and others, we are now 
obtaining them with outlines almost as good as the older varie¬ 
ties. The very few striped flowers amongst Verbenasunake us 
feel the more desirous of seeing these novelties more cultivated. 
If we could obtain flowers with white grounds, striped with 
scarlet, crimson, blue, etc., as regularly as stricta perfecta , a 
great gain would be made ; and knowing what has been done, 
we do not despair of seeing this accomplished. 
