280 
THE GAKDENING WOKLD 
December 29, 1888. 
Indeed, it is not exactly certain whether it does not 
merely absorb the raw juices of the host plant, and 
manufacture them for its own use. The carbon is no 
doubt for the most part absorbed from the atmosphere 
by means of its leaves and green stems, as in the case 
of other green plants. Then it may be said that the 
Mistleto is entirely epiphytical, that is, fixed to 
another plant, but is not entirely parasitical, that is, 
not dependent on the host plant for the whole of its 
sustenance.— F. 
Cobasa scandens variegata. 
The variegated variety is even superior to the type for 
conservatory decoration, inasmuch as the foliage always 
wears a gay and lively appearance. The leaflets have 
a broad margin of creamy yellow until getting old, 
when the yellow changes to white, which is even 
more striking. For large conservatories it is specially 
well adapted, as it will ramble to any distance, and 
may be trained up the rafters or along any horizontal 
support, or even under the top ventilators of a span- 
roofed conservatory when not too high to be readily 
caught by the eye. In this position it does remarkably 
well, owing to the free change of air it gets from the 
opening of the ventilators. Small plants, may, how¬ 
ever, be utilised by growing them in pots, and training 
or staking them up in some way or other. If a batch 
of small plants were kept a few of them could be in¬ 
troduced to heat, so as to make a little fresh growth at 
any given time, and then introduced to the conservatory 
in winter by way of variety. "We noticed a fine batch 
of it iu the nurseries of Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, 
Swanley. 
Lambert’s Pine. 
Seeds of this magnificent tree were introduced to this 
country in 1827, when they were germinated in the 
Royal Horticultural Society’s Garden at Chiswick. 
The seedlings were distributed the following year, but 
most of them died after having attained a height of 
4 ft. or 5 ft. Further introductions having been made, 
there are happily some fine samples of it now in the 
country, which have long since proved it to be as 
hardy as any other North American Pine, including 
one of its near allies—P. Strobus. P. Lambertianais a 
native of California, on low hills, where it attains 
gigantic dimensions, almost rivalling the Mammoth 
Tree itself, the heights recorded ranging from 150 ft. 
to 215 ft. In Loudon’s time it had not flowered in 
this country, but a large tree at Dropmore, Bucks, 
produced cones last year measuring 9 ins. and 10 ins. 
in length. It is, however, only one of the many fine 
trees that have found their way to Dropmore, and 
succeeded beyond all expectation. The leaves are 
produced five in a cluster, long, slenderly needle shaped, 
and dark green, covering the branches with a wealth 
of foliage that resembles great fox brushes. 
Tillandsia Lindeni. 
The typical form of this plant is mostly always desig¬ 
nated T. Lindeni vera in gardens, in order, probably, 
to distinguish it as the true T. Lindeni ; but amongst 
gardeners it is generally supposed to indicate a variety, 
and that a very fine one. As to the latter qualification 
there can be no doubt, as a well-grown plant is really 
handsome. The leaves are densely arranged in a neat 
vasiform tuft, from the centre of which springs a flower 
stem about 1 ft. long. All the upper part of this is 
covered with boat-shaped bracts, closely overlapping 
each other in a two-ranked manner, giving the in¬ 
florescence a flat, blade-like appearance. These bracts 
are of a warm rosy carmine, and last a long time in 
perfection even after the flowers are gone. The latter 
are large, deep blue, and protruded from the axils of 
the bracts, forming a long succession of bloom. Both 
old plants and a large number of seedlings may be seen 
in the nursery of Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
The Double Rose-leaved Bramble. 
Several striking species of Bramble grow wild on the 
Himalayas, and this one is all the more interesting, 
from a horticultural standpoint, from the fact that it 
can be flowered at various times of the year, both 
summer and winter. A rather warm temperature is 
necessary at the latter period to bring it into flower, 
and it does best also if the house is tolerably well 
ventilated. It is the Rubus rosaefolius coronarius of 
botanists, and bears fully double, pure white flowers 
like a small white Rose. The single variety has only 
five small petals, and would be uninteresting but for 
the fact that very showy, red, Raspberry-like fruits are 
produced. They are, however, rather insipid, and only 
of ornamental value, but very interesting. Of the 
double variety there is a large batch at Swanley, in the 
nurseries of Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, with whom it 
is now flowering. 
Crinum Seed Germinating. 
At p. 262, “J. W. 0.” mentions a case where the 
ungathered seeds of Crinum latifolium had germinated 
while still in the capsule. This is not, however, a 
solitary instance of the kind, either in Crinum or in 
genera belonging to different natural orders. Crinum 
capense is even hardier, if anything, than C. latifolium, 
and it is quite a common thing for it to behave in this 
manner. There are several slight varieties of it as 
well, and when the capsules get large, they either bear 
the flower stalks to the ground by their weight, or they 
drop, and should the weather be dry and otherwise 
unpropitious, they will rest in that condition for a 
time ; but when the moist autumn comes, the seeds 
germinate in the capsules while lying on the surface of 
the ground. The seedlings will also continue growing 
for some time even if taken to a dry place under cover, 
in a drawer for instance. This they are able to do 
from the large amount of nutritive matter stored up in 
the seed. It is probable that Nerine would behave in 
the same way under similar conditions, as the seeds 
attain such a size that they burst the capsule before 
they are full grown. May we not consider it a provision 
of nature to enable the seedlings to germinate and 
establish themselves in a dry country ? Other plants 
whose seedlings occasionally or habitually germinate in 
the fruit, are the Ivy, Skimmia, Sechium edule, the 
Papaw, the Mangrove, and others.— F. 
The Gentian Lithospermum. 
Those who know this handsome hardy rock plant 
could hardly expect to see it in flower at Christmas. 
It is botanically the Lithospermum prostratum, and 
derives the above popular appellation from the fact 
that the intense blue of the flowers resembles that best 
seen in many species of Gentian. It is an old-fashioned 
subject, introduced from South-western Europe in 
1825, and thrives more satisfactorily in the northern 
counties than in the south, where the dry atmosphere 
is rather inimical to its welfare during the summer 
months. Its natural flowering period is about mid¬ 
summer, when, notwithstanding the wealth of flowers 
at that period, it is much appreciated for its intense 
blue colour and the profusion in which the blooms are 
produced. It has been flowering for some time in one 
of the houses in the nursery of Messrs. H. Cannell & 
Sons, at Swanley. The plant is rather an old one, 
forming a little standard trained to a stake, and has a 
drooping habit. Of course, when grown in the rock 
garden the shoots are perfectly prostrate. 
Echeveria retusa. 
Some of the more interesting succulent greenhouse 
plants are included in the genus Echeveria, and the 
species under notice is one of the best for indoor 
cultivation, from the fact that the leaves are not 
confined to the apex of the stem, as in E. gibbiflora or 
E. metallica. There is a tuft or rosette of leaves on 
the apex of the perennial part of the stem, but they 
are less formally or densely arranged than in the species 
named. All along the flower-stalks smaller oblong 
ones are arranged, taking off the nakedness of the stems 
and setting off the flowers to advantage. Perhaps the 
most interesting and pleasing plants are those that are 
grown on annually from strong cuttings to the flowering 
stage. In this case the rosette of leaves lies on the 
soil which it covers, while old plants have a more 
leggy appearance. It is a capital plant for those 
having only greenhouse accommodation ; and it bears 
scarlet and yellow flowers that last a long time in 
perfection.— J. 
The Winter Daffodil. 
In this we have another of the many instances of the 
wide application of English plant names, as the subject 
in question does not even belong to the same genus as 
the Daffodil, although it belongs to the natural order. 
The flower resembles a yellow Crocus, to which, how¬ 
ever, it is more distantly allied than to the Daffodil. 
The leaves are strap-shaped or linear, evergreen, and 
not unlike those of the last-named genus. From an 
horticultural point of view, it is valuable from the fact 
that it flowers in autumn and onwards into winter 
according to the season, when the bright yellow flowers 
pushing from amongst the leaves have a pleasing effect 
when flowers generally are scanty. It is also inter¬ 
esting from the fact that it is one of the many plants 
which is supposed to have been the Lily of the field 
mentioned in Scripture. It has now been cultivated 
in this country for upwards of 300 years, yet it is com¬ 
paratively infrequent in gardens. The accepted 
botanical name is Sternbergia lutea, but it has also 
been named Amaryllis lutea and Oporanthus luteus. 
When once established it should not be disturbed for 
many years, on account of its evergreen foliage.— J. 
The Cephalonian Silver Fir. 
Although by some regarded as a mere variety of the 
common Silver Fir, this beautiful tree is as markedly 
distinct as many others admitted as true species. The 
leaves are awl-shaped, and terminate in a sharp bristly 
point, and owing to a curious twist at the base they 
are more scattered round the branches than in the 
common Silver Fir (Abies pectinata), in which they are 
arranged so as to give the branches a flattened and 
comb-like appearance. The cones of Abies Cephalonica 
are also longer and proportionately narrower than those 
of its congener. It sometimes gets the name of the 
Mount Enos Silver Fir, from Mount Enos, the highest 
point of Cephalonia. As an ornamental tree it is 
invaluable, even in the climate of Scotland, where it 
grows with great rapidity, with a straight leader 
throwing out many side branches which it retains to 
the ground, giving it a beautiful pyramidal appearance. 
— Taxus. 
Aucuba japonica and A. himalaica. 
When the Japan Aucuba was first introduced it did not 
seem to have been done for the sake of its berries, but 
for its handsomely spotted foliage. The plant was 
accordingly barren from the time it was introduced in 
1783, or more than 100 years ago, till green-leaved 
and male plants were introduced in 1861 through 
the agency of the late Robert Fortune, who was 
instrumental in enriching our gardens with many 
beautiful hardy plants. A. himalaica rvas introduced 
about the same time as the male plant of A. 
japonica, but it does not seem to have found its way 
into many establishments during the last twenty-seven 
years of its culture in Britain. It flowers with great 
freedom, and produces a large quantity of oblong berries 
similar in colour to those of A. japonica, but much 
larger.— J. 
Jasminum grandiflorum. 
To the casual observer, this species bears much re¬ 
semblance to Jasminum officinale ; but the flowers are 
larger, pure white when fully expanded, and the leaves 
are divided into more nearly equal but broader leaflets, 
with the terminal ones confluent, than m the last- 
named species. It also greatly differs in habit, and 
may be grown as a dwarf bush, in the same way as the 
stove species, J. pubescens. It is, however, sometimes 
trained up the rafters, but never attains any great 
height. It would therefore be suitable for small green¬ 
houses or conservatories, and is really a greenhouse 
plant ; but to have it in flower at Christmas as we saw 
it recently at Swanley, it must needs be placed in a 
warmer temperature than that of a greenhouse. It is 
largely cultivated in many tropical countries, but is a 
native of the North-Western Himalayas, where it 
ascends to an altitude of from 2,000 ft. to 5,000 ft. 
-- 
ffoTES ON UrUITS. 
Warner’s King, Apple. 
Some idea may be had of the popularity of this fine old 
culinary Apple from the fact that there were 150 
exhibits of it at the Apple Congress, at Chiswick, in 
1883. At the recent Apple and Pear Conference it 
was certificated ten times, being the largest number 
given to any one Apple at the Conference. Cox’s 
Orange Pippin came nearest to it with eight certificates. 
These facts indicate how frequently it is grown in 
nurseries and private establishments ; but the bulk of 
the fruit is grown for private use, so that the fruit- 
loving public who have no means of growing their own 
(and they are by far the largest part of the community) 
have really no opportunity of getting it. What 
supplies of home-grown fruit reach the market, do so 
mostly in autumn, so that what fruits are grown in 
this country for market purposes are early kinds. It 
is, therefore, rather to be regretted that Warner’s 
King is not grown for market purposes, when it would 
come in for use from November to March. It is a 
large Apple, somewhat flattened at the crown, with a 
