FEBRUARY. 
37 
Flowering of Dasylirion longifolium. 
—A plant, believed to be of this species, 
flowered last year in the Botanic Garden at 
Liege, and during the development of the 
scape observations were made on its rate of 
growth. The plant had a stem upwards of 
3 feet high, and was first observed to be pre¬ 
paring to flower on the 18th of April, and on 
that day the height from the edge of the box 
in which the plant was growing to the top of 
the scape was 6 feet 8^ inches. By 7 a.m. 
on the 19th it had grown nearly 2 inches, and 
by 5 p.m. inches more. On the 20th at 
7 p.m. the increase since the last measurement 
was 2| inches, at 5 p.m. 3- x % inches; 21st, 
7 A.m. 2- x % inches, 5 p.m. 1 x % inch; 22nd, 
7 a.m. 2- x % inches, 5 p.m. 2 inches; 23rd, 
7 a.m. 2^ inches, 5 p.m. 4 inches; and this 
was the greatest increase between any two 
observations. The height from the edge of 
the box was now 8 feet 11 inches, or an in¬ 
crease of 2 feet 2 inches in five days. The 
rate of increase now became slower, averag¬ 
ing for the next five days 1,% inch from 
5 p.m. to 7 a.m., and very nearly the same 
from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the 29th at 7 a.m. 
the height was 10 feet 5- x % inches, and by the 
same hour on the 1st of May the increase was 
nearly 3 inches, on the 3rd about 1^ inch, on 
the 5th 31 inches, on the 6th 2 X % inches, on 
the 8th 2J inches; the total height attained 
being very nearly 11 feet 6 inches. As will 
be perceived by the above measurements, 
growth was very rapid, and most so in its 
earliest stages, and the increase was a trifle 
greater by day than by night, and amounted 
to 4 feet 9 inches in twenty days. 
Sophora japonica violacea. —M. Carriere 
describes in a recent Number of the “ Revue 
Horticole ” a variety of this well-known 
hardy tree, in which the flowers are produced 
much later in the season, and instead of being 
cream-coloured as in the ordinary form, have 
the wings and keel of a rosy purple colour. 
It is, he states, a distinct, very free-flowering, 
and it may even be said pretty, variety. The 
tree under his care, though only 6| feet high 
and 2 inches in diameter of stem, produces 
a profusion of flowers, whilst the common 
Sophora only flowers when the tree has be¬ 
come tolerably large. This variety was re¬ 
ceived from China some years ago. 
Doryanthes excelsa. —In the periodical 
above quoted there is also an account of the 
flowering of Doryanthes excelsa as well as a 
coloured plate of the flowers. This species is 
a native of New South Wales, and although 
introduced to Europe in the beginning of this 
century, M. Houlet, the’author of the article, 
states that it has only flowered five times— 
viz., in 1844 and 1833 in England, in 1862 at 
Orleans, in 1853 at St. Petersburg, and lastly 
in 1865 at the Museum of Natural History at 
Paris. It belongs to the natural order of 
Amaryllidacese, and has bright shining green 
leaves, 7 feet long and 3 inches wide. These 
in the plant which flowered were upwards of 
eighty in number, and gave it the appearance 
of a handsome Yucca. The flower-stem rises 
from the centre of the tuft of leaves and 
attains the height of 14 feet, terminating in 
a panicle divided into eight parts, each con¬ 
taining from ten to thirteen flowers. These 
are about 5 or 6 inches across, and of a fine 
purplish red, with a bract at the base of a 
deeper red. Altogether the plant had ninety- 
six blooms. It first began to throw up its spike 
about the beginning of June, 1864, and the 
flowers began to open at the end of the fol - 
lowing January ; they appeared in succession 
up to the beginning of July, when the flower¬ 
ing ceased, but no seeds were produced. The 
plant then commenced to die down, and at 
the end of August it was quite dried up, but 
the stool afforded some suckers for propagation, 
like the Agaves, to which the species presents 
a considerable analogy in its growth. The 
plant which flowered was very old; M. 
Houlet had known it for a quarter of a 
century, and would not be surprised if it were 
eighty years old. It requires a temperature of 
not less than 50°, peat soil, and frequent re¬ 
potting. The roots, as thick as the little 
finger, are like those of the Strelitzias, and 
should not come in contact with the sides of 
the pot; a deep rather than a wide pot is re¬ 
quired with plenty of drainage until the plant 
is large enough to be turned out in the winter 
garden, where it will produce a fine effect. 
High Prices of Flowers. —There was a 
great scarcity of flower? at Paris on New 
Year’s-day, when it is the custom to present 
bouquets to friends, and when, consequently, 
they are in great demand. This year, owing 
to the failure of forced Roses and Violets, it 
is stated on good authority that Rose du Roi 
and Rose de la Reine sold at 15s. per bunch 
of two dozen, and that Violets cost from 4s. 
to 8s. per bunch. These were the prices 
which the growers asked, but at the shops 
they were, of course, still higher. 
Mr. J. W. Mackey, the well-known nur¬ 
seryman and seedsman of Westmoreland St., 
Dublin, has just been elected to the distin¬ 
guished office of Lord Mayor of that city. 
It is pleasant to observe that horticulture can 
produce able citizens, fitted to fill the highest 
civic offices—a fact which has received illus¬ 
tration in the person of Mr. Charles Lawson, 
recently Lord Provost of Edinburgh, and now 
again in the person of Mr. Mackey of Dublin. 
OBITUARY. 
Mr. Thomas Bridges died on the 9th of 
November last, at the age of 60, whilst on 
his voyage back from a scientific expedition 
to Nicaragua. He commenced his botanical 
explorations in Chili, Peru, and Bolivia when 
only nineteen years old; and at a later period 
he made excursions in the Isthmus of Panama, 
