June 5.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
151 
flowers of a bright orange, striped with reddish brown. 
The culture is the same as the rest of the genus. 
jEchmea discolor (Various-coloured A.).—The leaves 
of this plant are green on the upper side, and a rich 
chocolate purple on the under side, rendering it always 
a beautiful object. Culture. —Stove beat, 65° in summer, 
and 55° in winter. Flowers line, of a scarlet and purple 
colour. Soil. —Loam, peat, and leaf-mould, with some 
sand. It will grow best if plunged in a warm bed of 
tanner’s bark. Increased by suckers. 
A3, fulgens striatifolia (Stripecl-leaved Dazzling 
A.).—Foliage narrower and longer than the last, and 
beautifully striped with reddish brown. Culture the 
same as the last. 
Aspidistra variegata (Striped-leaved A.); Japan. 
The colours sport considerably on the leaves of this 
plant. Sometimes one half of the leaf will be white, 
and the other half green; at other times the two colours 
will be regularly alternate, and sometimes the white 
will be in broad stripes, and the green very narrow. 
Flower uninteresting. Culture. —Sandy loam, with a 
moderate heat. Being a persistent, herbaceous plant, 
it requires water all the year. Increased by division. 
iEscHYNANTHUs atrosanguineus (Dark-bloody-leaved 
A.) ; Java. The colour of the under side of the leaves 
is of a rich purple-red colour, which gives the plant a 
fine appearance. Culture. —Sandy rough peat, in 
baskets hung up in the stove. This method shows 
the colour of the leaves off to the greatest advantage. 
M. zebrinus (Zebra-leaved A.); Java. The leaves 
of this species are prettily striped with purple, on a 
green ground. Culture the same as the preceding. 
Increased by cuttings readily in sand, in heat, under a 
bell-glass. 
Bartolina maculata (Spotted-leaved B.); South Ame¬ 
rica. A persistent herbaceous perennial, with dark 
green, glossy leaves, blotched towards the lower part of 
the leaf with broad longitudinal spots of white. A 
beautiful new plant, with a head of small rose-coloured 
flowers. Culture. —A warm stove, in peat, loam, and 
leaf-mould. A very desirable plant. 
Begonia. —In a recent number we have given a de¬ 
scription of the party-coloured leaves of several species, 
and to that we must refer our readers. 
Billbergia zebrina (Zebra-striped B.); South Ame¬ 
rica. A pine-apple looking plant, with long green leaves, 
barred with spots of white. When in health, and a fine 
specimen, this is a noble looking plant. The flowers 
are surrounded with large pink bracts; they are blue 
and pale yellow, produced on a large drooping spike. 
Culture the same as for iEchmea. 
Caladiuji bicolor (Two-coloured C.); Madeira.—A 
splendid foliaged plant. The leaves are frequently a foot 
long and six inches broad. The colour is in the centre 
of a rich dark scarlet; the veins are of a light crimson; 
the whole shading off towards the edge into a beautiful 
pale green. Culture. —Moderate heat, 70° when grow¬ 
ing, and 60° when at rest. Soil. —Rich compost formed 
of turfy loam two parts, and well-decomposed dung one 
part; potted into rather large pots, and placed in pans 
of water when growing. In winter, during the season 
of rest, the plants should be kept tolerably dry, but not 
quite so. If too dry, they will become mealy and perisb. 
Increased by division. The plants, when growing, send 
up side shoots, or slips, which soon put forth roots; as 
soon as these are perceived take the slip off with a 
sharp knife; plant them in small pots, and place them 
under a hand-glass in heat. They will soon put forth 
roots sufficient to enable them to bear the full light and 
heat of the stove. 
C. variegatum (Spotted-leaved C.) ; South America.— 
The leaves are light green, with broad blotches of cream 
colour. Culture the same as C. bicolor. 
Calathea zebrina (The Zebra Plant, commonly so 
called).—This is often, but erroneously, called Maranta 
zebrina. The leaves are of bright green, with broad 
purplish stripes beautifully shaded. A plant that every | 
body admires. The flowers are dull purple bracts, not 
particularly handsome, the foliage being its great attrac¬ 
tion. Culture. —Soil; a rich compost of turfy and leaf- 
mould in equal parts; pot freely and often, and give 
plenty of water when the plants are growing, but mo¬ 
derate supplies in winter. It is a persistent herbaceous 
perennial, and, therefore, will not endure complete 
drought in winter. 
Croton picta (Painted C ); East Indies.—The leaves 
of this plant are more like the colour of flowers than 
leaves. They are reddish crimson, pale yellow, and 
green, blended and mixed together in a most fantastic 
and uncertain manner. Sometimes the bright colour 
prevails with only a shade or two of green; at other 
times the pale yellow, or almost white, is predominant; 
and in some parts of the plant the green colour is most 
abundant. It is one of our finest variegated stove plants. 
It is a shrub that often attains three or four feet in 
height; flowers small and inconspicuous. Culture .— 
Soil; a light compost of turfy loam and peat in equal 
parts is proper for it, and the warmest part of the toves. 
Water moderately. Increased by cuttings placed in 
white sand, under a bell-glass, and plunged in a bark- 
bed. 
C. variegata (Variegated C.) ; East Indies.—The 
variegation of tliis species differs materially from the 
preceding, inasmuch as there are only two colours, and 
they are nearly equal. The ground colour is bright 
green, striped and blotched irregularly with bright 
yellow ; a very handsome plant if not grown in too great 
a heat, or too much shade. There is a variety with the 
leaves much longer and narrower, named C. variegata 
angustifolia. Culture the same as for C. picta. 
T. Appleby. 
FLORISTS’ FLOATERS. 
MR. GLENNY’S REPORT OF PLORICULTURAL 
MEETINGS. 
The meeting of The National Floricultural Society 
on the 22nd was tolerably well attended, and there 
were established favourites in Geraniums, Cinerarias, 
Pansies, and other florists’ flowers. Among the seed¬ 
lings, many of which were of secondary, or even inferior 
character, there were several rather interesting. 
In Pansies, Hunt's Pandora, a very smooth edged well 
formed variety, with light yellow field, puce upper petals 
and border. The only real fault that is conspicuous is the 
yellow on the side petals being rather paler than that of 
the bottom. This was awarded a certificate. 
Hunt's Cardinal Wiseman. —A variety that will, perhaps, 
be seen better; but young and crumpled blooms were not | 
adapted to judge from. The colour is extremely rich, and, 
except the crumpling, there is something very promising, 
though it could not be noticed in that state. 
In Calceolarias, Mr. Gaines had several not much of an 
advance on scores already out. Circularity, of the com¬ 
monest colour—yellow and brown—but a good deal more 
inflated than the average run of these flowers, and free 
from ribs. Antiope, much of the same character, differing a 
little in the marking, but of the same general complexion. 
In Tulips there were several breeders and two or three 
broke flowers. A Rose-breeder named Juliet, from Mr. 
Willison, of Whitby, was desirable in form, texture, and 
colour. This was commended ; the others w r ere not worth 
particular notice. 
In Cinerarias, a certificate was awarded to Mr. Hender¬ 
son for Rosalind, a blue-edged flower, but the notch was too 
conspicuous to make it a favourite. It was this fault that 
deteriorated Lady Hume Campbell of last year. Mr. Ambrose, 
of Battersea, had a flower called Formosus —white centre, 
crimson edge, broad petals, reflexed, and a showy bedding ! 
