1379. ] 
GARDEN GOSSIP. 
05 
— !9[nother genus Washingtonia —this 
time a Palm—has been proposed by Mr. 
Wendland, in the Botanisclie Zeitung (January 
31, 1879). This name is sugge-stecl for the Palm 
erstwhile called Brahea filifera, then Pritcliavdia 
filifera, and now Washingtonia filifera. Mr. Wend¬ 
land is now convinced that the differences in the 
leaves are sufScient to indicate that this Palm is not 
a Pritchardia. Besides, the fruit is quite different, 
being a black-blue oval, somewhat laterally com¬ 
pressed drupe, from three to four lines long, with 
remains of a terminal stigma. The principal dis¬ 
tinctive characteristics of this fruit are its small 
size, its oleaginous mesocarp, its thin crumbling 
endocarp, the small hilum, and the position of the 
embryo. This Palm was originally introduced by 
Mr. Linden in 1899, but immense quantities of seeds 
and yonng plants have since been imported, so that 
it is now in most collections. It is easily cultivated, 
JL’. Wendland adds, provided it is put out-of-doors 
in the summer, and in the Agave-house in w'inter. 
A very rich soil suits it, with plenty of water and 
not too small a pot. 
— ^The South African Senecio concoloe is 
a handsome-looking perennial plant, somewhat 
in the style of S. pulcher, but with downy 
leaves which are bluntly oblong, and either toothed) 
incised, or lyratoly-pinnatitid. The flower-heads 
are in loose corymbs, large, radiate, the ray consist¬ 
ing of about fifty florets, of a lilac-purple colour, and 
very showy. The plant is a native of Natal, whence 
it was introduced to Mr. Bull’s nurseries. 
— ®HE new Mexican Begonia Roezlii is a 
very ornamental species of perfectly distinct 
character, as we learn from flowering specimens 
scut by Mr. E. Beuary, of Erfurt. It has thick fleshy 
stems, and large one-sided leaves, 10 in. long, dark 
green, veined beneath with red. The rich crimson 
flowers grow on longish peduncles, each supporting a 
short-branched dichotomous inflorescence, which in 
the bud state is enclosed by large coloured bracts ; 
the bright colour and compact arrangement of the 
flowers renders them attractive. M. Beuary states 
that plants raised in February or March flower con¬ 
tinuously from October until spring. The buds of 
the inflorescence resemble an opening Pmouy, being 
enveloped in a dark-red spathe, and they rapidly 
expand into a beautiful umbel of large size, composed 
of luminous deep red flowers. In a temperate-house, 
the flowers are freely produced in uninterrupted 
succession through the winter. 
— ®he magnificent Eockwood Lily of 
New Zealand, Eammculus Lj/aUii., has just 
been flowered for the first time in Europe by 
Messrs. Veitch and Sons, of Chelsea. It grows from 
2 ft. to 3 ft. high, and has the root-leaves peltate, 
bright green, sometimes as much as 13 in. or 14 in. 
across, resembling those of a Nelumbium, but quite 
glabrous. The flowers, w'hich measure 3 inches and 
more in diameter, are in loose, erect, much branched 
panicles, and of a pure white colour, something like 
those of Anemone Honoriue Jobert, but of a more 
opaque porcelain-like appearance. The plant grows 
in moist shady gulloys at a height of 3,000ft. to 
3,600 ft., and is in its native country really magnifi¬ 
cent. Messrs. Veitch’s plants are growing as bog 
plants with sphagnum in a cool frame, and plants 
at Kew are grown under similar conditions. 
— ®HE Expoet of Dutch Bulbs has grown 
into an important trade. According to the 
1'lines., the official returns show that the export 
of flower bulbs during the sixteen years from 1861 
to the end of 1876 amounted in value to 19,610,000 
Dutch florims, or about £1,636,000, which gives an 
annual average of over £100,000. It appears that 
the value has been annually rising. Thus the ex¬ 
port for 1876 is set down at 1,666,000 florins (nearly 
£139,000). According to the latest survey, the 
laud devoted to rearing bulbs of tulips, hyacinths, 
and similar flowers amounts to 210 hectare.?, or 
nearly 600 acres. Of these about 10 acres are in 
the neighbom’hood of Egmont, about 90 around 
Velsen; while the remaining 500 acres are in the 
neighbourhood of Haarlem, Schoten, Bloemendaal, 
and Heemstede. But besides these special locali¬ 
ties, where the cultivation of the bulb is carried out 
on a large scale, there are innumerable small patches 
scattered all over the comitry, w’here tulip and 
hyacinth bulbs arc reared with great success. 
— ®HE Australian Maeia Palm, Lluistona 
Navice, is found in the country inland from 
Nicbol Bay, and in the Macdonnell Ranges in 
Central Australia. This noble palm is dedicated 
to H.R.H. the Duchess of Edinburgh, and we shall 
soon be able to place it along with L. australe and 
the Alexandra palm in European conservatories. It 
attains a height of 60 ft., the leaves being as much 
as 6 ft. long. It is remarkable that no Fan-Balms 
are knowm from the north coast of Australia, all 
being confined to the east-coast regions, except the 
Maria Palm, which seems quite restricted to a 
solitary locality in Central and in West Australia. 
Dr. Mueller also states that the Areca Normanhijana 
is now found to belong to Ftychosperma, and is to 
be called PUjehospertna Normanhijana •, it is the 
Saguerus australasicus of Wendland and Drude. 
— ^The Eavenea Hildebeandti, an elegant 
dwarf new Palm, discovered by Mr. J. M. 
Hildebrandt, the African traveller, on Johanna 
Island, one of the Comoro group, situated midway 
between Madagascar and the mainland of Africa, has 
recently been figured in Der Beutsche Oarten. In 
its native country it grows 8 ft. to 10 ft. high. The 
pinnately-divided leaves are described as dark green, 
beset with prickles on the underside, and in healthy 
plants nearly as broad as long. It grows quickly in 
a moderate temperature, and is recommended for 
the temperate house. Both of the horticultural 
societies of Berlin awarded it the prizes offered last 
summer for new plants. Only a small stock of it 
e.xists in Europe at present, but it is expected that 
Mr. Hildebrandt will soon send more seeds. 
— ®HE New Fastiqiate Silvee Poplae 
has, according to Professor Sargent, been called 
Fopulus alba Bolleana, in compliment to Dr. 0. 
Bolle, of Berlin. Several very finely grown speci¬ 
mens of this pyramidal Silver Pojdar may be seen, it 
is said, in the public garden of Tetti.s, and as tlio 
garden was laid ont and planted by a fugitive Per¬ 
sian prince, whose name it still bears, it is probable 
that this tree was originally brought from Persia. 
The Fastigiate Poplar is perfectly hardy, grows 
rapidly in any slightly moist soil, and is particularly 
remarkable for its habit and great size, completely 
dwarfing the Italian Poplar with which it is asso¬ 
ciated. The bark, even in old specimens, is smoothed 
as if it were polished; it is of a clear bluish- 
green colour, without spots or cracks. The ramifl- 
cation is strong and characteristic. The brilliant 
