July 9, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
713 
DAVALLIAS. 
Amongst the many species of Ferns that are grown 
for the purpose of cutting fronds from to mix with cut 
flowers, scarcely any exceed, in firmness of texture, 
some of the species of Davallia, many of which make 
fronds of considerable size, and have a bright shining 
appearance with them which makes them so very 
valuable, either as exhibition or as decorative plants. 
All the species have running rhizomes, which, in all. 
cases, are covered with brown or white and brown 
scales, which lend a peculiar look to the said rhizome 
as it lies upon the soil or stones, amongst which they 
are generally planted. Large masses on rockwork 
show up the plants in splendid form, the fronds 
attaining their full dimensions when treated in this 
manner ; and the rhizomes hanging over the edges of 
the rockwork, have a peculiar and rather animated 
appearance. 
Nearly all of the species succeed best when grown in 
scarcely he surpassed, the fine arching fronds showing 
to immense advantage when the plant is growing freely 
on rockwork. 
D. Fijiensis is a charming plant, with very finely 
divided pinnae, the whole frond being a splendid bright 
green ; the rhizomes, not being so strong as the two 
preceding kinds, are, consequently, much closer set, 
the fronds springing up from them thickly, making the 
plant very dense and massive. This is remarkably 
elegant in character and outline. 
D. Fijiensis plumosa is finer cut in the pinnae, which 
overlap each other, giving the appearance to the frond 
of being more feathery than the preceding type. 
The rhizomes are also much stronger, more erect, and 
of a peculiar shade of brown, which makes it an 
attractive object. It is a highly decorative form 
which will make a capital exhibition Fern, and is one 
of the many good things sent out by Mr. Bull. 
D. elegans makes a handsome patch or pan, the 
D. hemiptera. —An extremely curious and pretty 
sort is D. hemiptera ; it grows close to the ground, 
and makes a very nice pan, but being slower in growth, 
jt takes longer to make a specimen than the other 
kinds. The pinnse appear as it they were split in 
two, the lower part of the pinnae only being there, and, 
this being curvilinear in outline, gives the whole frond 
a remarkably curious appearance. 
Nearly all the above may be grown as basket Ferns, 
their rambling rhizomes making them specially adapt¬ 
able for the purpose of suspension. All may be 
increased by the division of the rhizomes, and this 
operation should be done just as the plants are 
commencing to make their new fronds. They are better 
for being kept rather close after dividing, as they 
establish themselves much quicker than when left in 
the open house or Fernery. 
There are other species of Davallia not mentioned in 
this article, but as I have not had much experience 
Davallia Fijiensis plumosa. 
heat, and the soil into which they are potted or 
planted should always contain a fair amount of broken 
sandstone, crocks, and charcoal. The soil itself being 
broken up rather rough as well, should be composed of 
peat, loam, and leaf-soil in equal parts, and should be 
well mixed together with the broken stones, &c. In 
potting it is always advisable to place a few pieces of 
the sandstone under the rhizomes, to which they 
ultimately cling, and for which they seem to have a 
very particular liking. The species called 
D. canariense is, perhaps, one of the best known, 
hardiest and strongest-fronded of the genera, and after 
it has become established in pots it may be kept and 
grown in a cool greenhouse or room for a long time, 
without showing any signs of suffering from the effects 
of the cool treatment. It can be highly recommended 
as a Fern for window decoration, the strong leathery 
fronds being very easy to clean from dust, which will 
always settle upon them when grown as window plants. 
D. Mooreana is, undoubtedly, one of the very finest 
species yet sent out, the peculiar light green fronds 
attaining a great length, making it a very valuable 
plant for exhibition purposes. For rockwork it can 
fronds being of an exceedingly bright green, and being 
produced freely, makes it a capital subject for cutting 
from. The rhizomes run quickly, thus rendering it 
doubly valuable for growing in quantity for the before- 
mentioned purpose. 
D. Tyermanii has strong, stout fronds, which are of 
a very dark green colour ; but not being of a very 
great length, they make extremely useful fronds for 
cutting for button-hole work. D. dissecta and D. bullata 
are both extremely useful kinds, making fronds in 
abundance, which are of great utility when mature. 
D. Nova Zelandice makes a capital plant for pans, 
the fronds being so finely divided, that they put one 
in mind of that elegant Fern, Pteris scaberula. It 
grows very well in a cool house, and shows to great 
advantage when grown upon rockwork. It does not 
like a position that is damp, for the fronds are rather 
apt to go black if too much moisture hangs about them. 
D. pyxidata has fronds of a bright shining green 
colour, the frond, on the whole, being rather coriaceous. 
The rhizome grows erect, making it a valuable sort 
for covering walls, or straight thin stone pillars that 
may be erected amongst rockwork. 
with them at present, I have confined my notes to 
those that have proved of sterling merit. — IF. G. 
Choisya tern at a. —In the interesting gardens of 
Colonel Puget, atTotteridge, there is a plant of Choisya 
ternata growing in the open air, on a wall with a north 
aspect, and which has no winter protection. Mr. 
Diddams, the head gardener, tells me it was a very 
small plant when planted there four seasons ago. It 
has since grown very vigorously, and flowered this 
season very freely, now covering several square yards 
of wall. It has stood the test of severe winters— 
especially the last—with little or no injury, keeping its 
foliage well, the cold spring winds but slightly browning 
the edges of some of the leaves. This is one of the 
remarkable incidents of the comparative hardiness of 
some plants which have been introduced to us from 
tropical climates. When first imported from Mexico, 
it was treated as a stove plant, afterwards as a green¬ 
house subject, and now we find it will stand severe 
winters on a north wall in the open air with little or 
no injury. —Alfred Gaut, The Gardens, Copped Hall, 
