March 11. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
429 
Gardeners’ Dictionary, Flore de Nice, Lindley’s School 
Botany, Catlow's Popular Field Botany (containing many 
usetnl directions), Moore’s British Ferns, and Sowerhy’s 
hlnglisli Botany. I also procured Bvo copies of the London 
Catalogue of British Plants, and cut them up so as to make 
one alphabetical list of the whole, to mark off the sorts as 
procured. As you may think this communication long 
enough for the present, I will onlj’ add, I shall he willing to 
give any further information in my power.—E. Coi’land, 
Bcllefield, Chehnafurd, 
NEW PLANTS. 
CnnscEXTiA MVCRoniYLLA (Lnuje-leaved Calabash-tree). 
This belongs to the Natural Order of C rcsccnliads ( Crescen- 
tiacecp) and Didynamia Angiospermia of Linnams. “Its 
native country is still unknown ; but, judging from the habit 
of the plant, we think it must be Tropical America. 
Cresceiitia macropln/lla must, on account of its fine foliage, 
rendering it what German gardeners term a “ Blattpflanze,” 
be regarded as a desirable acquisition to our hothouses, and 
we have no doubt that it will soon make its way into almost 
every horticultural establishment. 
DnscnrrTxox. The largest of the plants cultivated in the 
stoves of the Uo 3 'al Botanic Gai'dens at Kew is about seven 
feet high ; but we have received information that, in the 
Botanic Garden at Schiineberg, near Berlin, there are speci¬ 
mens growingwhich measure more than twelvefeetin height, 
making it probable that this species attains the size of a tree. 
The petioles and young branches are purple ; and the leaves, 
which are alternate, simple, obovate-lancet, with a short 
acumen, and cuneate at the base, measure occasionally 
fifteen inclu's in length, and in tlie broadest part from 
two to three inches across. The ■peilnncles, growing out 
of the old wood, are about one and-a Imlf-inch, and the 
calyx one inch, long; both calyx and corolla (the latter 
being greenish) are furnished witli glandular dots. 'The style 
and the stamens are as long as the tube of the corolla. The 
ovary is unilocular. The ripe fruitis still unknown. Sevmann.” 
(Bd. May. t. 4822.) 
OuviRANDRA FENESTUAT.is {Lnttice-Hke Ouviranclro). 
Natural Order {.Tnncayinete) and llexaudria Monogynia 
of Linnams. This plant was discovered in Madagascar, 
some sixty years since, by M. A. du Petit Thouars. Its 
leaves are a series of beautiful network, or veins, Avithout 
any parenchyma between them. Living plants Avere first 
introduced into this country by the Rev. AVilliam Ellis, of 
Hoddesdon, in 18")."). Stock is being raised from them by 
Messrs. Veitch, and it is thus spoken of by Sir W. Hooker:— 
“We shall be surprised if all who are curious in horti¬ 
culture and botany do not possess themselves of so beautiful 
and cuiious an object, and which is cultivated with the 
greatest ease in a stove (or possibly a Avarm greenhouse), 
in a shallow pan of rain-Avater, inchuling a moderate quantity 
of e.arth for the roots to feed upon,—being entirely aquatic, 
the leaves even submerged; and Ave cannot doubt but it 
may be cultivated iu glass Aquaria, and even in a glass jar 
placed in the draAving-room, as is done Avith the Vallisneria 
spiralis, etc. 
“The natives describe this plant as groAvingon the margin 
of running streams. Tlie root, or rhizome, is about an inch 
in thickness, and six or nine inches long, often branching 
in ditferent directions like the roots of ginger or turmeric, 
but in one continuous groAVth, not a succession of distinct 
formations, .attached at the termination of one ami the com¬ 
mencement of another. The root is composed of a Avhite 
Heshy substance, apparently Avithout large or tough fibres, 
and is covered Avith a rather thick light broAvn skin. The 
plant is attached to the sides of the streams in Avhich it 
groAVS by numbers of long, fine, fibrous radicles, Avhich 
penetrate and adhere firmly to the lf)am or clay of the banks. 
Entangled amongst these roots Avere large quantities of 
decayed leaves, ami other vegetable substances, from Avhich 
the plant may probably derive some portion of its nutri¬ 
ment, though, from tlie bubbles of air frequently found 
under the leaves, it Avould seem to possess the property of 
decomposing a portion of the Avater in which it groAvs. I 
Avas informed that it also gi'CAV in places which were dry at 
certain seasons of the year ; that the leaves then died doAvn, j 
but tlie root Imried in the mud retained its vitalitj’, and ' 
Avhen the Avater returned fresh leaves burst forth. The | 
natives spoke of it as tenacious of life, and said, that wlien- | 
ever the earlli around, even the smallest portion of it, ; 
remained moist, that portion Avould put forth leaves Avhen 
again covered Avith Avater. i 
“ Tills plant is valuable to the natives, Avho at certain j 
seasons of the year gather it as an article of food, the j 
fleshy root, Avlieii cooked, yielding a farinaceous substance : 
resembling a yam. Hence it native name, Onvirandrano ,— 
literally, IVater-yam, or yam of the Avater: onvi, in the 
IMalagasy and I’olynesian languages, signifying yam; and 
rano, iu the former, signifying water. | 
“The Onvirandra is not only a rare and curious, but a 
singularly beautiful plant, both in colour and structure. 
From tlie several croAvns of the branching i-oot, groAving i 
often nearly a foot deep in the Avater, a number of graceful ' 
leaA'es, nine or ten inches long and tAvo or three inches 
broad, rise on slender stalks, and spread out horizontallj’, 
jnst beneath the surface of the ivater. The floAver-stalk rises 
from the centre of the leaves, and the branching or fork-like 
inflorescence is curious; but the structure of the leaf is 
peculiarly so, and seems like a living fibrous skeleton, 
rather than a perfect leaf. The longitudinal fibres extend 
in curved lines along its entire length, ami are united by 
thread-like fibres or veins crossing them at right angles, 
from side to'side, at short distances from each other. The 
Avliole leaf looks as if composed of fine tendrils, wrought 
after a most singular pattern, so as to resemble a piece of 
bright green lace or open needleAvork. Eaclr leaf rises from 
the croAvu on the root like a short, delicate-looking, pale 
green, or yelloAV fibre, gradually unfolding, its feathery sides, 
and increasing in size as it spreads beneath the water. 
The leaves in their several stages of groAvih pass through 
almost every gradation of colour, from pale yellow to a dark , 
olive, becoming, befoi-e they finally decay, broAvn or nearly 
black; Avhile air-bubbles of considerable size frequently 
appear under the full-formed and healthy leaA’es.” {Ibid. t. 
48!J4.) j 
Ci.iA’iA Gardeni {Major Carden’s Olivia). 
Natural Order Amaryllids {AmarylVulace(e) and Hexandria 
^lonogynia of Linnaais. A greenhouse bulb from Natal, 
introduced by M.ajor Garden. FloAVtrs yelloAV and scarlet. 
It blooms during the AAdnter months. {Ibid. t. 48!);5.) | 
! 
Weigera AMabii.ts {Lovely or 71 rinhled-leaved JJ'eiyela). 
Natural Order Caprifoils {Caprifoliacew), Pentandria 
Monogynia of Linnaeus. A shrub from Chin.a, or Japan, as 
h.ardy as JVeiyela rosea. Introduced by Messrs. Loav, of the 
Clapton Nursery'. FloAvers rose-coloured. {Ibid. t. 4890.) * 
THE WALTONIAN PROPAGATING CASE. 
The first account aa'c heard of this simple and most use¬ 
ful contrivance Avas at page 4 of the 14th volume of The 
Cottage Gardener, at the beginning of April, 1855. 1 j 
said then, that “ on seeing the oilginal sketch, there Avere 
some slight improvements Avhiidi occurred to me, to Avhich 
Mr. Walton assented, and .another apparatus is uoav in the i 
hands of a skilful mechanic avIio Avill set it up in Ids oavu 
shop the moment it is ready. As soon as Ave shall ascertain 
the exact poAver of the Case, the cost of making, and the 
cost of Avorking .at Surbiton, I shall draAV up a report of it, and ^ 
Ave shall give an engraving to explain the Avorking of it.” | 
The skilful mechanic alluded to in tliis passage is Mr. West, j 
our chief ironmonger, &c., here, Avho made the first Case for ; 
Jlr. Walton. The second Case referred to Avas “ put up” in 
his shop last IMay; but, like other clever men, Mr. West 
Avould have his idea of the apparatus experimented upon, as | 
Avell as Avliat I suggested on the original. It Avas, therel’ore, 
proposed hy Mr. iS^alton, that Mr. West and I should hold a i 
Peace Conference on the apparatus, Avhich Ave did, and the , 
result of our deliberations is uoav before you. A Peace | 
Convention ought to “sit” a month, at least, if only for the 
look of the thing, and to make believe in the difficulty of 
