Plate 196. 
CAMELLIA, CONTE DE GOMEL. 
We have been very much surprised to find that, notwith¬ 
standing the liberal encouragement given by the Loyal Horti¬ 
cultural Society to the exhibitors of Camellias, they have been 
brought forward so sparingly. In several cases no competi¬ 
tion has taken place, and in others where prizes have been 
awarded, as in cut-blooms, the flowers were by no means of that 
first-rate character that we should have expected, and yet there 
is not a flower more universally admired, or which, when well 
grown, with its beautiful glossy foliage, makes a more conspi¬ 
cuous object; nor can it be for want of novelty, for many new 
and beautiful varieties are being continually introduced from 
the Continent. 
In visiting the new plant establishment of Mr. William Bull, 
at Chelsea, in the month of March, we noticed, amongst other 
interesting plants, the new variety of Camellia which we now 
figure, and which will be found, we think, an interesting addi¬ 
tion to those already grown. The striped varieties have of late 
years been more of those on white grounds,—such flowers as 
Countess of Derby and Contessa Lavinicc Maggi ,—most beautiful, 
indeed, and well meriting the favour with which they have been 
received, but in Conte de Comer we have a flower of an entirely 
different character. It was raised in Brescia (Italy) by Conte 
Bernhardino Lecchi, a well-known and ardent horticulturist. 
The colour is a soft beautiful rose, striped with both broad and 
narrow bands of crimson ; it is of large size ; the shape of the 
petals is good, and the flower itself well imbricated. It was a 
little confused in the centre when we saw it, but probably that 
was an exceptional case. The foliage is large and handsome, 
of a deep green colour. 
