February 20. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
305 
flowers. The finest specimen, perhaps, in Great Britain, 
is at Kew. I saw it three years ago, when full of flower, 
and a finer object was never seen. The foliage is large 
and very dense, and of a dark rich green, contrasting 
well with the rich golden-coloured flowers. Whoever 
has a large, roomy greenhouse, or a conservatory, should 
procure a plant of it. It is worthy of general cultiva¬ 
tion. It seeds freely, but seedlings do not flower so 
freely as plants raised from cuttings. If cultivated in a 
pot, it should be grown in pure sandy loam, and kept 
rather underpotted, and well stopped when young, to 
cause it to form branches down to the pot. By this 
treatment its growth will be moderate, branches 
numerous, and flowers will be produced in greater 
abundance. It forms a noble conservative-plant; but 1 
would advise, instead of planting it out, to plunge it in a 
large pot, which will circumscribe its great growth, and 
induce it to flower more freely. Such a noble plant 
would be a great relief to the plants usually seen at the 
great exhibitions in May. 
ACACIA LONGISSIMA (Longest-leaved). 
A few weeks ago, I saw, in a conservatory belonging 
to John Rhodes, Esq., at Pateruewton House, near 
Leeds, a splendid specimen of this little-known, fine 
species. The leaves are about an eighth-of-an-inch wide, 
and fully five inches long. The branches, also, are 
very slender and drooping, giving the plant a truly 
elegant appearance in the Weeping Willow style. The 
specimen is seven feet high, and furnished with branches 
nearly down to the pot. The flowers were just showing; 
they are produced in bunches very numerously, and 
the tree, for it deserves that name, must be a fine 
object when in full bloom. I was told its fragrance 
was very powerful. Here is another tine object for the 
exhibition tent. This species is scarcely known about 
London. 1 question whether any of the nurseries near 
the Metropolis even know there is such a beautiful 
plant in existence; at least, I have never seen a plant of 
it on sale. 
ACACIA TAXIFOLIA (Yew-leaved ). 
A very distinct and remarkable species, with very 
thorny leaves, and heads of golden - yellow flowers 
appearing in May. If many of the species I have 
attempted to describe are rapid growers, soon making 
large plants, this is remarkable for its slow growth. I have 
seen plants, five or six years old, not more than two feet 
high, forming a low, dense bush, almost without any 
stopping or training. This would be an excellent plant 
for the front row of a collection of fifteen or twenty stove 
and greenhouse plants. It is also a good plant simply to 
ornament the greenhouse stage of a small house. It is 
somewhat difficult to propagate ; but young shoots, with 
a hardened base, will root in time, in sand, under a bell- 
glass, in heat. It should be potted in loam and peat, or 
heath-mould, in equal parts, with a liberal addition of 
sharp silver-sand, to keep the compost open. 
ACACIA YESTITA (Clothed). 
All the species I have enumerated have dark or light 
green leaves, but this species has its foliage clothed 
with soft, short, silky, whitish hairs, giving it quite 
a distinct character, and adding a pleasing variety of 
colour to the general foliage of the greenhouse plants. 
The branches are long and half-drooping, and the flowers 
are produced from the axils of the leaves, and are of 
a lemon-yellow. It is a desirable plant, and not un¬ 
common in collections. 
I have now finished my selection from this large 
tribe of plants. I may, possibly, when I see some other 
species in bloom, add to it at some future time. I think i 
the plant-loving public will be glad to know that there 
are desirable species yet to add to their collections. 
T. Appleby. 
HARDY FERNS. 
(Continued from page 357 .) 
POLYPODIUM ALPESTRE. 
A Fern, found only on the mountains of Switzerland. 
Though that country is often visited by tourists and 
plant collectors, they bring home only flowering plants, 
such as the beautiful blue-flowered Gentian ; hence the 
Ferns of that country are comparatively scarce, and 
would well repay some future collector if he would bring 
lion wa, good batch, especially of the beautiful P. alpestre. 
FrofiR) lance-shaped, growing a foot high, bipinnate; 
piunai or side-wings sharp, lance-formed, shortest near 
the stem; the leaves deeply cut, and oblong in shape. 
Seed-vessels in the middle of the leaf in one row, and 
round in shape. Root-stock short and creeping. In¬ 
creased by division. There is a good plant of this 
interesting, scarce Fern at Kew. It is deciduous; that is, 
dies down, or loses its leaves in winter. 
POLYPODIUM CALCAREUM. 
Though this delicate Fern is common in some parts 
of Britain, it is also widely distributed over Europe, and 
is even plentiful in North America. The fronds grow 
nine inches high, are triangular in fo'rm, stand erect, 
the frond laying almost horizontal, with three branches; 
each branch is twice-cut, or doubly pinnate; leaves 
crenated or hollowed. Seed-vessels round, placed just 
within the edges of the leaves. Veins simple, or rarely 
forked. Root-stock rough, scaly, creeping very much; 
hence it is easily increased by division. It is deciduous; 
therefore the best time to increase it is in spring, just 
before the new fronds appear. I have found it in great 
abundance growing near rocks, in the neighbourhood of 
Pately Bridge, in Yorkshire, a locality rich in Ferns. 
POLYPODIUM DRYOPTERIS. 
This British Oak-leaved Fern is found also plentifully 
in all four quarters of the globe. There is no hardy 
Fern more lovely than this; the green is peculiarly 
beautiful. I can distinguish it at once by its lovely 
colour. It is also very easy to cultivate; all that is 
required is a dry, rather shady, situation, with a light 
soil to run in. Fronds teruate; that is, with three 
branches, broad and deflexed, bipinnate; leaves distant 
and partially crenate. Seed-vessels oblong; a rare 
circumstance in this genus, as now constituted. In¬ 
creases very freely by division. It is, fortunately, for 
such a beautiful Fern, plentiful and cheap. 
POLYPODIUM HEXAGONOPTERUM. 
We are indebted to North America for this hardy, 
deciduous, handsome Fern. Fronds a foot-uud-a-half 
high, triangular, bipinnate; with the pinnae opposite, 
and without stems or sessile; leaves bluntly oblong and 
scalloped. The whole plant is covered thinly with hairs. 
Seed-vessels round and placed near the margin. Root- 
stock creeping. Increased by division. 
POLYPODIUM PHEGOPTERIS (Sun-Fern). 
A British Fern, but very hardy, being found in the 
northern parts of Europe, as far as Sweden and Lapland. 
Fronds bipinnate, nine inches high; the lower pinnae 
project forward and reflex; leaves entire and very 
narrow. Seed-vessels incline to oblong, and are placed 
near the margin. Root-stock scaly and creeping freely; 
by it the species may be easily increased. 
POLYSTICHUM. 
A large assemblage of Ferns, separated from Aspidium 
by M. Schott, a German botanist. The distinguishing 
characters of this genus consist in round seed-vessels, 
with round cover, and leathery, thick, spiny fronds, and 
a great similarity of habit. Many well-known Ferns 
are included in this genus. The hardy ones are 
