508 
THE GARDENING YvORLD 
April 9, 1887. 
and somewhat slender growth. The leaves are of a 
silvery green colour, lanceolate in form, and about as 
large as common Fuchsia leaves. The flowers are borne 
upon the ends of the young growths, and arise from the 
axils of the leaves. The calyx is green, and consists of 
five partially-divided sepals ; while the corolla, which 
is of a delicate blue tint streaked with light and dark 
purple, consists of a trilobed lip with two horn-like 
lobes converging at the base. The pistil and four 
stamens rise from the base, and arch over gracefully 
towards the lip. The plant delights in loam with a 
little sand and leaf-mould.— M. Barker, The Gardens, 
Watcombe Park, Torquay. 
Fancy Pansies.— Pansies are beautiful at any 
time, but exceptionally so at this season of the year ; 
and a boxful sent us the other day by Messrs. 
Dobbio & Co., Rothesay, created a lively glow in our 
rather dull atmosphere. The individual blooms 
measured from 2 ins. to 2J ins. in diameter, and 
were remarkable for the intense colouring on the 
three lower petals especially. Dr. Hunter has the 
latter deep bluish purple, almost black, edged with 
pale yellow, while the upper appeared of a deep violet- 
purple. John Brown is a large fine yellow flower ; and 
Mrs. Maxwell is notable for the indigo-blue margin 
to the dark ground colour, while the margin is cream. 
Lord Roseberry is also a large bold flower, with the 
upper petals purple. A very telling fine round flower 
is that named Mrs. T. McComb, with dark centre, 
clear yellow margin, and maroon-purple upper petals. 
A very striking large flower is the deep yellow 
J. Spence, with a broad black centre ; and Evelyn 
Bruce, with black centre and flamed margin and upper 
petals. Tom Bell is a large dark flower, wfith a 
creamy yellow margin ; while Maggie White is 
variously shaded with blue, black and white. Princess 
Beatrice, Mrs. McTaggan, and several others made up 
a showy and interesting lot. 
Staphylea colchica. —The fine masses of white 
flowers produced by this species is a great recommend¬ 
ation to growers who desire to add variety to a collection 
of suitable forcing plants. The flowers are also fragrant, 
and the plant is much dwarfer and more manageable 
in pots than S. pinnata, which has graced old-fashioned 
shrubberies for many years. The trifoliolate leaves are 
also produced at the same time as the flowers if the 
plants have not been subjected to forcing too early or 
too hard. 
Lomaria gibba platyptera. — The ordinary 
form of this useful decorative Fern is well grown by 
Mr. Bones, gardener to J. Donaldson, Esq., at Tower 
House, Chiswick, and they form spreading well-finished 
heads on stems of some elevation, constituting specimens 
resembling the true tree Ferns. The variety under the 
above name is notable for the great breadth of its fronds 
and pinnae, which gives a plant of small dimensions 
even a leafy and massive appearance. Good cultivation 
also conduces to the retention of the older fronds in a 
healthy condition. 
Nicotiana affinis. —To have a few plants of this 
in flower at this time of the year is very handy where 
there is a lot of greenhouse or conservatory decoration 
to be done. A well-grown plant in a 7-in. pot, -with 
its large light green leaves and conspicuous spike of 
white, waxy and deliciously fragrant flowers can hardly 
be passed unnoticed at this season of the year. Such 
may be had by sowing a pinch of seed in August, and 
growing on in a moderate temperature. The best soil 
is that of a rich loamy nature.— M. Barker, The 
Gardens, Watcombe Park, Torquay. 
Psychotria jasminiflora.— P. cyanococcus is 
noted for its handsome blue berries, which last some 
time in perfection, and constitute the real value of that 
species for horticultural purposes. The present kind is 
equally valuable and ornamental for its terminal cymes 
of pure white flowers, which somewhat resemble those 
of a Bouvardia with a long slender tube. It is generally 
known in gardens under the name of Gloneria jasmini¬ 
flora, and is now flowering in a stove at Devonhurst. 
Crotons at Gunnersbury House. —The 
huge and handsome specimen plants, formerly grown 
and exhibited at the local shows by Mr. Hudson, have 
been disposed of to make room for large quantities of 
table decorative stuff. Crotons form a chief feature of 
the house containing this class of plants ; and the 
dwarf condition of the plants, coupled with the maxi¬ 
mum size and fine colouration of the leaves, reflects 
great credit on their management. Whenever the 
plants become bare at the bottom or leggy, the top is 
cut off, inserted in small pots with their leaves intact, 
covering the stems to the very soil, and placed in a 
close propagating pit. Here they soon root—furnished 
with leaves equal in size to those grown on large 
specimens ; and after being potted into a larger size, 
grown for a short time and hardened off, they are fit 
to be utilised for decorative purposes. Numerous 
varieties with broad and narrow, long and short leaves 
are grown. 
Illicium floridanum. —The showy character of 
this evergreen shrub might insure its presence in green¬ 
houses more frequently than is the case. It is a member 
of the Magnolia family, but a very unusual type, from 
Alabama, while Drimys Winteri, its nearest ally, comes 
from Chili. The flowers have numerous deep purple 
petals, resembling those of Calycanthus in colour. They 
are produced laterally close to the growing points of the 
branches, and assume a pendent position. There are 
few species, growing in widely separated parts of the 
world, and with this exception yellow-flowered. It is 
conspicuous amongst the smaller specimens planted 
out in the cool conservatory at Pendell Court, where 
Mr. Ross has always a great variety of plants in 
season. 
Scoliopsis Bigelowi.— It is to be regretted that 
this curious Lilywort has not flowers to match the 
showiness of its leaves. The latter spring up from the 
rootstock, three or more together, and are beautifully 
blotched with brownish purple, reminding one of the 
Dog’s-tooth Violet: but the flowers are. much less 
showy. They are of a brownish or blackish purple 
hue, with three spreading and three linear-erect seg¬ 
ments, also three very curious reflexed stigmas. There 
are two known species, natives of North America, and 
worthy a place amongst hardy plants. The rootstock 
is a rhizome, and the leaves are deciduous. Flowering 
specimens were recently shown at Regent’s Park. 
Semele androgyne.— In gardens, this handsome 
Lilywort usually goes under the name of Ruscus, but 
compared with our native species of that genus, the 
Butcher’s Broom, it is a stately and majestic plant, 
attaining a height of 12 ft. to 20 ft. or more. Two 
magnificent specimens at the Crystal Palace have been 
an important feature of that huge glass structure for 
many years, and at the present time are in excellent 
condition, and as healthy and larger than ever. The 
Ruscus proper produces its flowers on the middle of the 
flattened branches, whereas those of Semele are borne 
all along the margins of these leaf-like cladodes. The 
latter are arranged alternately and distichously on 
horizontal branches, so that the whole branch assumes 
the appearance of a long, feather-like, compound leaf, the 
effect of which on a large plant grown in a cool house is 
very striking indeed. 11 is much to be regretted that 
an easy means of propagating this fine plant has not 
yet been discovered. 
Gesnera elongata. —Seldom do we see this fine 
old-fashioned winter-flowering shrubby species grown 
in gardens where its usefulness might be called into 
requisition for various purposes. The tubular scarlet 
flowers are produced in axillary cymes during several 
of the winter months. A specimen in a conservatory 
at Gunnersbury House having been placed in con¬ 
tiguity to a damp wall, threw out roots and climbed up 
the wall in a similar manner to that pursued by many 
of its near family relatives. 
Fuchsia arborescens. —For a large cool con¬ 
servatory this forms a magnificent object, and flowers 
profusely every year, as shown by a tall specimen at 
Pendell Court. It is a native of Mexico, and is figured 
in the Botanical Register, t. 943. The flowers are 
comparatively small, and pale rosy purple, but produced 
in terminal panicles in such profusion as literally to 
hide the ample foliage all over the upper part of the 
plant. 
Centropogon Lucy anus.— We occasionally 
hear of the utility of this plant for winter flowering ; 
but for this purpose it is generally, if not always, grown 
in pots. Even under these conditions, when the treat¬ 
ment is liberal, the plant, owing to its vigorous con¬ 
stitution, produces a great amount of bloom from the 
apex of every stem, and these are succeeded by lateral 
branches which also flower freely. When planted out, 
however, in a house with plenty of light, as at Pendell 
Court, Bletchingley, the size attained by the plant, 
and the enormous quantity of bloom produced is truly 
surprising. The scarlet tubular flowers backed up by 
healthy foliage are very attractive. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Lycaste mesochlsena. —The flowers of this 
species cannot compare with those of L. Skinneri, 
either in breadth of the floral organs or the rich and 
varied tints of colouration ; but the flowers are decidedly 
large for the genus, and different in appearance from 
the general run of these Orchids in cultivation. They 
are pure white, or nearly so, with the upper sepal 3 ins. 
in length, and the others only a trifle shorter. The 
labellum is fimbriated and similarly coloured to the 
rest of the flower. We recently saw a flowering 
specimen at Sudbury House, Hammersmith. 
Odontoglossum triumpbans.— The range of 
variation in the flowers of this species is remarkable, 
and the more of them we see the higher is our opinion 
of their value for decorative purposes alongside of other 
popular species. A very fine form at Sudbury House, 
Hammersmith, in Mr. Peacock’s extensive collection, 
is notable for the number and intensity of the chocolate 
blotches on the sepals and petals, and the large blotch 
on the tip of the labellum was also very intense. 
Another form flowering at Devonhurst, Chiswick, is 
conspicuous for the roundness of the flowers, and the 
broad imbricate, not starry, sepals and petals, which 
measure £ in. in diameter. The labellum is also un¬ 
usually broad, and the blotches are large and well 
defined, though not more numerous than usual. 
Oncidium unguiculatum. —This variety of 0. 
tigrinum, although the flowers are not so large as the 
type, yet makes up in quantity what it lacks in size 
of individual blossoms. On Tuesday, March 22nd, I 
removed a plant of three spikes from the conservatory, 
where it was placed a few days before Christmas, and 
which has still several blossoms in good condition on 
each spike. I did not count the flowers, so that I 
cannot say for certain what number there were, but the 
two best spikes must have had from thirty to forty 
flowers on each, whilst the smaller had from twenty to 
thirty. I am under the mark rather than over. Whilst 
in the conservatory it stood on a stand by itself, and 
added much to the general appearance of the structure. 
I had others of the same variety there, but which were 
cut some time since. Two or three plants help to make 
a good effect, more especially in a small house as ours 
is.— E. Dumper, Summerville Gardens, Limerick. 
Vanda tricolor. —A very fine variety of this 
useful Orchid has been flowering for some time past at 
Pendell Court, the seat of Sir George Macleay. It 
possesses a vigorous constitution, and, although of 
considerable size, is furnished with leaves down to the 
very base of the stem. The leaves are 12 ins. to 14 ins. 
in length, nearly 2 ins. in breadth, and Mr. Ross may 
well be proud of the specimen. The flowers are closely 
aggregated on stout peduncles, and heavily spotted with 
purple on a pale yellow ground. The segments are so 
long, and the delicious odour emanating from the flowers 
so strong, that we are deterred from calling it Y. suavis 
only because the ground colour of the sepals and petals 
is yellow and not white. 
Maxillaria acutipetala.— At first sight this . 
species very much resembles M. picta, and is by no means 
unattractive, while a great profusion of flowers are pro¬ 
duced by a small specimen. The leafage is abundant, 
and retained during the flowering period, so that the 
plant possesses a double value on that account. The 
sepals aud petals are creamy yellow, deeper coloured 
internally, but rather heavily blotched with purple ex¬ 
ternally. The labellum is white spotted purple. There 
is a figure in the Botanical Magazine, t. 3966, and a 
profusely flowered specimen in the collection at Pendell 
Court. 
Odontoglossum Wardianum. —We have 
just received a bold and striking flower of this species 
from Messrs. Ireland & Thomson, Edinburgh. The in¬ 
dividual petals measure 2 ins. in length by 1 j ins. in 
breadth, while the expanse of the two somewhat 
exceeds 4 ins. They are, furthermore, nearly of uniform 
width, and not narrowed to the point, while they, as 
well as the other organs of the flower, are of a firm and 
wax-like consistency. The labellum, when flattened, 
was orbicular in outline, and measured quite 1-J ins. in 
diameter. Although in colour it exhibits nothing 
unusual, the flower certainly speaks of superior culti¬ 
vation. 
