July 24. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
301 
: Australia, as well as in Madagascar, Abyssinia, and French 
i Guiana. Sir W. Hooker says, “We have only reared a few 
plants in pots in a warm greenhouse, comparatively of small 
size; and, if they ripen seed, we shall try them in the 
open air, where they would flourish, probably, in summer, 
and greatly improve in the size of the flowers as well as of 
stem and foliage.” It belongs to the Natural Order of 
! Borage-worts ( Boraginece ) and to Pentandria Monogynia of 
Linnseus. It has “ numerous branches terminating in 
j panicles of bright blue, Borage-like flowers.” {Ibid. t. 4820). 
Empogon Ghelini ( Gmelin’s Epipogon). 
' This is a hardy ground Orchid. Even upon the continent 
i of Europe, Dr. Fred. Nees calls this “ planta rarissima; ” 
1 and it is singularly gratifying to us, that the first figure of it 
| published in this country should be from a specimen, an 
j undoubted native of England. It was discovered on the 
I 0th of September of this year (1854), as related in the 
| “ Journal of Botany ” for October, by Mrs. Anderton Smith, 
I the lady of the Rev. Anderton Smith, at Tedstone Dalamere, 
| Herefordshire. “ All the specimens were found at the foot 
of a very steep woody bank, close to a brook; the soil very 
wet and stiff.” That it has remained so long undiscovered 
in this country, and that it is still considered so rare on the 
Continent, is due to the fact of its having no foliage and no 
conspicuous colours to attract attention; or it may have 
j been passed by for some of our other colourless and 
j aphyllous plants. Once known to be a native of Britain, 
I other stations may be expected to be soon detected. Various 
I localities are given in the middle and north of Europe, from 
J Switzerland, Austria, the Caucasian Provinces, to Sweden, 
and westward as far as Lake Baikal, and the River Irkut, 
I Province of Tunica. It was first known as a Siberian plant, 
admirably described and figured by Gmelin (/. c .) under 
the name of “ Epipogum* a little more than a century ago. 
Linnmus referred the plant to Limodorum, and called the 
species Epipogium,—quoting the synonym of Gmelin also 
incorrectly as Epipogium. This spelling of the word has 
by authors been adopted, till Richard, in his ‘ Annotationes,’ 
as quoted by Lindley, named the plant “ Epipogum Gmelini." 
At length Ledebour gave the generic name the usual 
termination, “ Epipogon but he refers to authors whom I 
have not the means of consulting “ Patze, Meyer et Elkan 
Flora d. Provinz Preussen, p. 93,” in justification of the ; 
change. I have adopted the same as the most correct, and I 
quite in accordance with that of the original author. It is | 
observed by M. Sohlauter, in Fred. Nees’ ‘Flora Europaui,’ ! 
that the plant does not appear annually in the same spot, 
but every two years: the swollen branches of the root 
eventually becoming new flower-stems, and requiring two ! 
years to be perfected. {Ibid. t. 4821.) 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
GARDENING. 
GREEN CENTRE IN ROSES.—CLOVER AND ITS 
ENEMIES. 
“What ails the enclosed Rose ? There are about 200 ! 
: blooms on the bush in the same state. A Rose in the 
greenhouse, this spring, had every bloom in just the same 
state. 
“ What is the enclosed Wild Clover ?■ It is white. I 
found one plant of it in an upland old pasture.—W.” 
“ Is it true that Clover is used for dying; and has it any 
insect enemy besides the Fly and Turnip Beetle?— 
Agricola.” 
[Your Rose is deformed by the “ Green centre,” a mal¬ 
formation we noticed last week. We doubt very much if 
i Roses grown on their own roots are subject to it. If any of 
our readers can give us information on this subject we shall 
be much obliged by their doing so. 
I The While Clover is only a variety of the Common Red 
; Clever (Trifolium pratense ) ; both this white variety and a 
j cream-coloured one are mentioned by Withering in his 
! “Arrangement of British Plants.” 
* “ Epipogum dixi, quia barba (by which he means the labellum) 
- hujus floris inverso ordine disposita est.” Gmel. 
..JIM -- -— ■■ ■' 1 ' » ■ ' ■ ■ Ill . . ' 
It is quite true that Clover is a dye plant. In Sweden its 
flower-heads are used to produce a green colour on woollens. 
With alum they give a light green to the wool, and with 
copperas a dark green. Besides its young leaves being 
liable to the ravages of the Turnip Beetle {Ilaltica ), its 
seeds are preyed upon by a small Weevil Apion Jlavfcr- 
moratum ]. 
SHRUBS AND FERNS FOR SHADED GARDEN. 
“ X. Y. Z. would be glad of an answer to the following 
queries:— 
“ He has a part of his garden with an east aspect, very 
much shaded with trees, all deciduous, such as Horse- 
Chesnuts, &c., which render the ground under them very 
bare ; in fact, nothing grows there. He has thought of one 
or other of the following plans: either to trench the soil 
and plant laurels, or any other plants you may suggest. 
What plants of this kind will do ? Or, to make a rock-worlc 
for such Hardy Ferns as like the shade. Will they stand 
the drip of trees ? There are plenty of large stones in the 
neighbourhood. Or, to raise on the surface of the soil a 
mound of peat earth, kept up in its place by rough stones 
covered with Ferns, and plant Rhododendrons. Will they 
stand the “ drip ? ” In the first case, the fresh soil would 
soon be monopolised by the large trees. Are there any of 
the Vinca tribe that are suitable ? Would Hollies grow 
there? Is water boiled in a copper boiler injurious either 
to the roots or leaves of plants ?” 
[In addition to Laurels under your trees, you may plant 
Tree Box, Dwarf Box, Evergreen Berberry , and Holly. 
Hardy Ferns would also succeed under the trees, planted 
as you propose, and so would Rhododendrons, and all the 
varieties of the Periwinkle, or Vinca. 
Water boiled in & clean copper boiler is not injurious to 
plants, whether applied to the roots or to the leaves.] 
LONDON MARKETS. —July 23ud. 
During the past week the arrival of home-grown Fruit 
has been very abundant, particularly of Cherries, of which 
there is a large supply of Black Hearts and Kentish ; the 
former are now being hawked about the streets at 2d. per 
pound. Strawberries are on the wane, and in the course of 
this week the Queen's and Keens' Seedlings will be over; 
but there is still a supply of the Ellon, which will last for a 
little while longer. West India Pines continue to arrive 
in large quantities, and excellent fruit may be bought at from 
Is. Gd. to 2s. Gd. each. We also observed several parcels of 
Pears from Oporto, which, we have no doubt, are the Windsor, 
but we could not ascertain the name under which they had 
been imported. Grapes are also plentiful, and of excellent 
quality; as are also Peaches, Nectarines, and imported 
Apricots. Flowers are very abundant, and consist of Roses, 
Pinks, Carnations, Heliotropes, Fuchsias, Heaths, Mig¬ 
nonette, and Stocks. 
COVENT GARDEN. 
FRUIT. 
Apples, kitchen, 
per bushel .... — to — 
„ dessert, doz. — „ — 
Pears.— „ — 
Apricots, per doz.2s. „ 2s. Gd. 
Peaches, per doz. 12s. „ 15s. 
Nectarines, doz. 12s. „ 15s. 
Cherries, lb.4d. „ Is. 
Plums .— „ — 
Pine-apples, lb... 3s. „ Gs. 
Grapes, hi. 3s. „ Gs. 
Melons, each.... 2s. „ Gs. 
Figs .o. — „ — 
Gooseberries, per 
quart. 2d. „ 4d. 
Currants .4d. „ Gd. 
Raspberries .... — „ — 
Strawberries, per 
pottle.2d. „ Gd. 
Oranges, per 100 4s. „ 10s. 
Lemons, doz... Is. to Is. Gd. 
Almonds, per hi.. 2s. „ — 
Nuts, Filberts, hi. — „ — 
„ Cobs, lb. .. — „ — 
„ Barcelona, 
per bushel.... 20s. „ 22s. 
„ Brazil, per 
bushel .12s. „ 14s. 
Chestnuts .— „ — 
to Is. 
„ 4s. 
3s. 
VEGETABLES. 
Cabbages, per doz. 9d 
“ Red, per doz. 2s, 
Cauliflowers, doz. 2s 
Brocoli .— 
Savoys . — 
Greens . — 
Spinach, per sieve Is. 
Peas, per half sieve 
Is. Gd. „ 2s. Gd 
Beans. — „ — 
is. 
