736 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 18, 1891. 
hardy in Britain. The leaves are very small, lance¬ 
olate, and of a deep shining green. The flowers are 
pink in bud, white when expanded with pink anthers, 
and are produced in short racemes, crowded together 
at the apex of the branches. As seen in this country 
the bush is generally about eighteen inches high, but 
in its native country old specimens reach a height of 
three feet to six feet, forming a dense bush. 
P.^onia Madame Emile Galle. —In this we 
have one of the many fine double forms of Pseonia 
albiflora which now exist in gardens. The flowers 
are large, quite double, and of a delicate blush 
pink hue. The outer petals are broad, and the inner 
ones narrow and somewhat ragged. Both this and 
the two preceding subjects were exhibited by 
Messrs. Paul & Son, and received Awards of Merit. 
Banana, Lady’s Finger. —The fruit of this 
variety is smaller than the ordinary form of the 
Banana, but is considered as of fine quality. It 
is slightly curved, with a clear, pale-yellow skin 
as thin almost as a lady’s glove, and the flesh is 
rich, sweet and buttery, and quite seedless. A new 
stem is thrown up from the stool every year, 
bearing a large and heavy bunch of fruit. The 
bunch shown by Mr. J. Fitt, Gardener to Earl 
Cowper, The Gardens, Panshanger, Hertford, at a 
meeting of the Fruit Committee, weighed 30 
pounds and was awarded a First-class Certificate. 
IN FERN-LAND. 
The pine-wood wherein we rest is fern-land. The 
Bracken grows everywhere, and by the bank behind 
us the Hart’s-tongue flourishes amid its mossy invest¬ 
ment, and contrasts markedly with the more luxuriant 
fronds of its rival species. Mosses grow around us 
in plenty also. They flourish to-day as they did in 
the coal times, and seem to coat the soil in place of 
the familiar grasses that belong to a higher order of 
plant-existence and to a later stage of development, 
judged by the matter of time at least. There is a 
wealth of biological thought wrapped up in both 
moss-life and fern-life. Let us try to fathom some of 
the meanings of each grade of existence as we rest 
in the pine wood by the sea, and breathe in the 
balsam odours that fill the air. The Moss itself offers 
a fair starting-point for our biological ramble. It is 
a plant which possesses green colour, and that is a 
feature which at once separates it from plant-ground¬ 
lings like the Mushroom, which feed on decaying 
organic matter, and otherwise illustrate a very 
marked departure from the ways and works of 
respectable plant-existence. The Moss shoots upwards 
into the air a shortened stem, which gives off the 
leaves. Into the soil it sends root-hairs, which fix it 
and nourish it. Above the leaves are crowded to¬ 
gether, forming a kind of crown, and the growing 
point of the stem, had we a microscope handy, would 
be seen to consist of a single living cell, which, by its 
divisions, gives origin to new growths. 
Life in the Moss is simple enough. Its root-hairs 
drink up water and dissolved minerals from the soil, 
and its leaves drink in carbonic acid gas from the 
air, and split this gas into carbon, which is kept for 
food, and into oxygen, which, under the influence of 
light, is returned to the atmosphere. Mosses, how¬ 
ever, do possess a power which most higher plants 
want—that is, they can absorb water by their leaves 
as well as by their roots. Between the roots and 
the leaves our Moss is well nourished, and grows 
apace ; but the production of new Mosses is a study 
far surpassing in interest that which tells us how the 
mere individual Moss grows and multiplies. Mosses 
have no flowers corresponding to the popular defini¬ 
tion of these organs ; but if we look at the top of the 
stem of the Moss before us, we may find, enclosed 
within a tuft of reddish leaves, the organs which 
correspond to the floral belongings of higher plants. 
Here we see the parts which correspond to the 
stamens and pistils of other and higher forms. Fer¬ 
tilisation of the ovule, as we may call it, takes place, 
and a living cell is thus produced containing poten¬ 
tially or at a developmental distance, the future Moss. 
Soon this fertilized cell produces other cells, and a 
rod-like body is produced within the sac which still 
remains on the parent Moss. Later on, the free or 
upper end of the rod-like body~ expands and grows to 
form an urn-shaped receptacle, which is supported 
on a stalk; while below leaves have already begun 
to form. On the tip of the urn a lid next grows forth, 
and within the urn little living seed-like bodies or 
“spores” are produced. Ultimately these spores 
escape from the urn, and from each grows out a 
long thread, which consists simply of a row of cells. 
This thread begins to bud and to increase, and soon 
we perceive that out of each bud to which it gives 
rise a new Moss-plant has originated. 
Now, this is no doubt a complex history, and one 
which teaches us that it is a fallacious proceeding to 
judge of a plant’s real nature merely by its station 
in life. Our Moss itself, with which we started, and 
as it grows before our eyes, corresponds in its way 
with the ordinary flowering plant. It produces its 
“ seeds," or what corresponds with them, and out of 
these seeds arises directly, not another Moss-plant, 
but the urn, with its spores and the thread-like body. 
This latter in its turn gives rise, as we have seen, to 
the Moss-plant, so that the round of development 
here is from the moss to the urn-possessing structure, 
and from the latter to the Moss again. Meanwhile, 
the Fern is waiting our attention, and it will be 
instructive to see how affairs in the intimate policy 
of fernland proceed as compared with the course of 
matters in the domain of the Mosses. 
The Bracken before us is a goodly plant to see. 
Its elegant fronds wave to and fro, as if conscious 
of their superiority among the ground wood of 
the pine forest. Yet pride will have a fall, and 
when you get to know the Fern intimately, you 
may perhance be surprised to find that in all its 
fairness it really corresponds, not to the Moss, 
but to the insignificent urn-shaped body which 
the Moss produced. Physiologically, the Moss can 
afford to look down on the lordly Bracken, although 
structurally the latter may claim a fair equality with 
the Moss. This is the difference which life’s work 
makes, when compared with the nature of the 
agencies which carry on the work. The Fern leaves 
are “ fronds,” not leaves. While they act as leaves 
in feeding the plant, they are much more to the 
Fern than is the leaf to the ordinary flower or tree. 
Once again, when we turn to the Fern we are in the 
region of flowerless plants. True, your royal Fern 
may and does develop its fructification on branches 
or leaves separate and distinct from the ordinary 
fronds, but even then you can detect nothing in the 
Fern which reminds you of the blossoms of the higher 
plant life around. Away down in the earth is the 
thick root of the Fern, but this is really its stem, 
from which the fronds rise into the air. The Fern 
lives as do other plants, and as does the Moss. 
Its nutritive wants are provided for by its root 
and its leaves, and it grows luxuriantly and 
well in the shade of the trees, putting forth 
frond after frond till a whole wealth of green plumes 
marks the acme of its course. With the eye of 
scientific faith you and I to-day must glance forward 
in the history of the Bracken before us. That glance 
will lead us onwatds to the autumn time and to the 
season of golden reaping, when the green fields of 
to-day have become waving plateaux of yellow grain. 
It will take us onwards through the dull winter and 
the time of the snow. It will bring us to the spring¬ 
time and the reviving year, and it will set us in due 
season where we repose to-day in the pine-wood 
with those young fronds uncoiling their crozier-like 
heads before us, and starting with each hour into 
newness and fulness of life. The tiny fronds that 
are growing close by are the beginnings of new 
Ferns. We must ask them whence they have 
come, and go back to unravel the links that bind 
them in all their unconscious vitality to the Fern 
whose fronds are waving in the breeze.— Glasgow 
Herald. 
. _ _ 
♦ 9 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
ODONTOGLOSSUM CRISPUM GUTTATUM 
WILSON’S VAR. 
There is now a multiplicity of forms which must be 
ranged under O. crispum guttatum. The original 
variety to which the name was given had white 
flowers with from four to six roundish or oval, 
reddish-brown blotches on the centre of the sepals 
and petals, with a series of them arranged around the 
crest of the lips. Now the flowers vary considerably 
in the number, size, and shape of the blotches on 
different flowers of the same plant or even on the 
same raceme. The general character of the flowers 
and the blotches however remains the same. Wil¬ 
son's variety under notice differs in the sepals, and to 
a smaller extent the petals, being stained on the back 
with purple, which shows itself on the inner face. 
Other varieties of the O. c. guttatum do however 
agree in this respect. The flowers sent us by Mr. 
David Wilson, The Gardens, Westmount, Kelvin- 
side, Glasgow, measured 4J ins. across the petals. 
All the segments were notable for their length and 
their long acuminate points. The sepals were 
lanceolate, and the petals rhomboid-lanceolate, 
coarsely toothed at the edge of the wider part, and 
finely toothed to the tips. The lip is equally notable 
for its length and its finely toothed margin. The 
blotches were well defined on the sepals and lip, but 
generally reduced to numerous small specks on the 
centre of the petals. Mr. Wilson sent two others, 
which must be placed under O. c. guttatum ; but that 
labelled No. 3 we considered sufficiently distinct to 
receive a special name, and we therefore distinguish 
it as Wilson’s variety. At present there is a splendid 
display of cool Orchids at Westmount, with about 
100 specimens of O. crispum of the finest varieties in 
bloom. We can testify to the firmness of texture, 
and the cultural treatment given them from the 
racemes of bloom sent us. 
AERIDES MACULOSUM PREWETTS VAR., 
NOV. VAR. 
In general terms this may be described as inter¬ 
mediate between the type and the rare variet}- A. m. 
Schrcederi. The strap-shaped leaves are rigid, light 
green, 8 ins. to 9 ins. long, unequally and bluntly 
bilobed as in the type, and very closely arranged on 
the stem, so that the plant is very compact in habit. 
The sepals are oblong-oval, the lateral ones being the 
broadest, and all are white, faintly-tinted with rose 
towards the apex, and almost entirely without spots. 
The petals are much narrower, of a faint rose colour, 
deeper towards the apex, and spotted with rosy- 
purple also towards the apex. The lip has the broad 
claw and small, rounded auricles of the type, and 
these parts are white, with a few purple lines in the 
centre, both in front and behind the crest-like pro¬ 
cess ; the middle lobe is bluntly triangular, wavy at 
the margins, slightly deflexed there, and magenta- 
purple, fading slightly at the margins. The white 
and slightly-striped crest consists of two small teeth 
with a larger, slightly emarginate process between, 
blocking the entrance to the spur, which is strofigly 
curved forward, slightly compressed at the base, 
cylindrical and green at the tip. The column is 
white, with a pale yellow anther cap. The flowers 
are slightly, but sweetly, odorous. A fine plant was 
shown by Mr. J. Prewett, Swiss Nursery, Hammer¬ 
smith, at the exhibition and conference, held by the 
Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick, on the 7th 
and 8th inst. The flower scape was 17 ins. long, and 
had seven branches on the lower part, and the first 
branch bore twelve flowers, which will give an idea 
of the fine appearance of the whole. Owing to the 
pressure exercised by the leaves, the scape had 
pushed out the wrong way, and instead of being 
pendulous as usual, had assumed an ascending 
direction. The spots on the underside of the basal 
part of the leaves, and which had given rise to the 
specific name, were entirely absent. The variety 
originated amongst a mixed collection of Orchids 
imported from Bombay, the habitat of the type which 
was intoduced in 1840. The variety A. m. 
Schroederi came from the East Indies.— J. Fraser. 
ZYGOPETALUM MELEAGRIS ALBIDO- 
FULVUM. 
The inordinate length of the name of this Orchid 
is the most objectionable part of it; for when seen 
it is both distinct and handsome, and is far too 
seldom seen in cultivation. Before being united 
with Zygopetalum it was known under the name of 
Huntleya albido-fulva. The specific, or rather the 
varietal, name is expressive of the leading colours of 
the flower. The ovate, acuminate, spreading, flat 
sepals are white at the base, yellow in the middle, and 
fulvous or rich, bronzy-brown in the upper part. 
The petals are paler, slightly toothed at the margin 
and a little incurved there. The lip is white with 
exception of the upper margin of the triangular 
middle lobe, which is reddish-brown. The crest is a 
curious half cup-shaped organ, bearing long fringe¬ 
like white teeth. The column is white with broad 
pale yellow wings, uniting over the anther like a 
coal-scuttle bonnet. The leaves are numerous and 
arranged in two ranks much resembling those of 
MiUonja vexillaria. The flowers are borne singly on 
grapes fropr the axils of the leaves. The species of 
the' type just described are generally grown in, 
gardens under the name of Batemannia 
