June 22, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
673 
NEW OR RARE PLANTS. 
Acineta Wrightii, Fraser, n. sp.'* 
This is a strong-growing species, with ovate pseudo¬ 
bulbs, furnished on either face with two strong median 
ridges, having a more slender one on either side of 
them in large specimens, and from ins. to 4£ ins. 
long. They soon lose their basal sheaths, and are 
surmounted by two to four, generally three, lanceolate, 
acute, strongly three-nerved leathery leaves, with more 
slender nervures between, tapering into short petioles, 
and 8 ins. to 14 ins. long by 1£ ins. to 4 ins. wide in 
the middle. The scape is pendulous from the base of 
the pseudo-bulb, 2§ ft. to 3 ft. long, many-flowered 
(forty-six in the specimen examined), thinly scurfy, 
and bearing the shortly pedicillate or sub-sessile, hori¬ 
zontal or ascending flowers on its upper half. The 
bracts are imbricated at the base of the scape only, where 
they are shortly connate and sheathing, scattered 
upwards, and smaller, lanceolate, dry, and brown by the 
time the plant is in full bloom ; those subtending the 
flowers are considerably shorter than the ovary, which 
is slightly curved at the base and apex, six-furrowed 
and scurfy. Lateral sepals ovate, sub-acute, concave, 
spreading, obliquely projecting at the base on the 
anterior side, but scarcely connate ; 1 in. long, ^ inch 
wide, pale straw-yellow, almost white, with a few small 
purple dots internally on the lower half, and thinly 
scurfy externally; posterior sepal slightly shorter, 
roundly ovate and equal at the base, otherwise similar 
to the lateral ones. The petals are much smaller, ovate- 
elliptic, obtusely pointed, narrowed to a short claw, 
arching over the column, pale straw-yellow with three 
lines of numerous purple spots along the middle of the 
inner face, about § in. long. The lip is the most 
distinct organ of the species, and is three-lobed, erect 
on a short curved claw ; the lateral lobes are small, 
rounded, turned inwards, and touching the edges of the 
column, decurrent, and margining the upper part of the 
claw, whitish, except at the base internally, and 
shining like ivory. The terminal lobe or epichile 
is ovate-triangular, acute, convex, spreading at right 
angles to the column, convex and revolute at 
the apex, somewhat hinged to the hypochile, purple, 
pubescent in the middle, with a white edge. The 
hypochile is furnished with an oblong, truncate, 
emarginate, maroon-coloured crest, densely pubescent, 
with purple hairs and projecting over the hinge of the 
epichile. The column is dilated upwards, somewhat 
sharply edged, but scarcely winged, pale yellow, and 
densely spotted with purple on the concave face. The 
pollinia are acutely furrowed or sulcate, laterally, and 
attached by a slender pedicel to a cordate pale yellow 
gland. 
The specimen was imported from Mexico in February, 
1888, under the name of Stanhopea by E. H. Watts, 
Esq., Devonhurst, Chiswick, and is named in compli¬ 
ment to his gardener. The spike commenced showing 
at Christmas last; the first flower opened on May 26th, 
and the plant is still in full bloom. I have examined 
all the figures, drawings, and specimens of Acineta in 
the Herbarium at Kew, and found nothing comparable 
to this species except a single, dried, and unnamed 
specimen.— J. Fraser. 
PAPAVER NUDICAULE CROCEUM PLENUM. 
Specimens of a double form of the Iceland Poppy have 
been sent us by Mr. William Caudwell, The Ivies, 
Wantage. It first appeared amongst a batch of the 
orange or saffron-coloured variety about two years ago, 
ago, and has maintained its characters since. The 
flower is perfectly double, and consists of the outer 
or true petals, which are undulated and crumpled in 
the usual way, and form a guard to the numerous 
linear or lance-shaped segments occupying the centre 
of the bloom. There is no question as to the origin of 
these small petals, for although they are of a deep 
orange almost to the base, most of them are surmounted 
by the yellow anther lobes. Mr. Caudwell makes no 
statement as to whether it can be raised from seeds ; 
but seeing that the ovary is perfect, and that many of 
the petaloid stamens bear pollen in the anther cells, 
there seems no reason why this variety should not 
produce fertile seeds like other double Poppies. When 
once a double variety has been obtained we may soon 
* Acineta Wrightii, Fraser , n. Sp. —Scapo ad basin pseudo- 
bulborum deflexo, racemoso. 2J-3 ped. longo ; floribus pro genere 
mediocribus, numerosis (46 in specim. observ.); bracteis iino 
scapo vaginantibus, sursum gradatim minoribus, ovario brevi- 
oribus, per anthesin desiccatis ; sepalis lateralibus ovatis, basi 
obliquis vix connatis, postica rotundo-ovata; petalis ovato- 
ellipticis sepalis inulto minoribus; labello trilobo, erecto, 
laciniis posticis parvis, rotundatis, ungue decurrentibus, 
columnam vix amplectentibus ; epichilo ovato-triangulari, con- 
vexo, apice revoiuto, medio pubescenti; disci appendicula 
truncata, emarginata, dense pubescenti, articulum epiehili 
obtegenti; columna vix alata, utrinque apice obsolete apiculata. 
expect to get double white and yellow, as well as 
orange, and there can be little doubt that the public 
will appreciate them. Double Iceland Poppies would 
have a more refined appearance, because smaller than 
the doubles of Papaver Rhajas and P. somniferum. 
Cereus Claudiana. 
Under this name a form of Cereus has been grown by 
Mr. G. Fry, Lewisham, for the last twenty or thirty years. 
It was originally raised from seed by a gentleman 
residing in the Channel Islands, after one of whose 
sons the plant is named. The ovary during the period 
of flowering is cylindrical, ins. in length, ribbed, 
and furrowed longitudinally, and covered with small 
bracts, in the axils of which are tufts of straw-coloured 
bristles and spines. Above this the flowers are 2J ins. 
in length, with very numerous petals. The outer ones 
are of various lengths, from those that are mere bracts 
at the base to others which are oblong, and equal the 
flower in length. All the larger of these are of a bright 
crimson-scarlet, and terminate in acute points. The 
inner ones on the contrary are of a bright or clear rich 
rose, more or less tinted with scarlet along the midribs, 
terminating in three or more small teeth or points. They 
are much broader than the outer petals, are obovate, and 
arranged in two or three rows. The stamens are very 
numerous, declinate, and white ; the style is pale 
scarlet, and the twelve or more stigmas are white. 
-->$<«- 
MAURANDYA BAROLAYANA. 
About six species of Maurandya are known, but with 
the exception of that under notice and M. scandens 
they are seldom seen under cultivation. They are 
slender climbing herbs, suitable for cool greenhouses, 
but if raised from seeds every spring, and treated as 
Maurandya Barclayana. 
annuals by being planted outside, they will make a 
fine display against a wall, fence, or trellis. M. 
Barclayana branches very freely, producing long 
slender shoots that keep on flowering for months 
together. The flowers are tubular or funnel-shaped, 
with an oblique, five-lobed, and somewhat two-lipped 
limb of a violet-purple'colour. There is also a white 
variety of it under cultivation, but with the exception 
of colour it differs in no other respect. All the larger 
leaves are five-angled or shallowly lobed, and may not 
inaptly be compared to those of the common Ivy, only 
much thinner or membraneous. Seedlings may be 
raised on a hot-bed early in spring ; but those who 
cultivate their plants out of doors may perpetuate 
them by cuttings, which may be wintered in a green¬ 
house after beiug rooted. Our illustration represents a 
bunch of flowering stems. 
-►»$«-- 
BEE-KEEPING. 
I was rather surprised to see in your last issue that 
you have taken up the strain of “A. D.” and Mr. J. 
Kipling in regarding the practice of bee-keeping as of 
little or no aid in fertilisation, and as having little or 
no profit attached to it. Now, I think all gardeners 
who have an abundance of flowers should keep bees, as 
they collect and convert into honey the nectar which 
otherwise would be lost. And as to their fertilising 
capabilities, I quite agree with your correspondents as 
regards our hardy fruits, whose organs of fertilisation, 
being fully exposed to the wind, set all right should the 
weather be favourable. But to make more certain, is 
it not better to have two agencies at work than one ? 
Again, how are we going on with flowers whose organs 
of fertilisation are beyond the reach of atmospheric in¬ 
fluence 1 In such cases we must call in the aid of bees 
or some other insects. For some years large crops of 
the broad-leaved red Clover were grown in Australia, 
but all the seed was imported from England, because 
they were unable to secure any themselves ; the reason 
being that, although they had bees, the organs of 
reproduction were beyond their reach, and it was only 
when they imported a colony of “humble bees,” which 
soon increased, that they were able to harvest their 
own Clover seed. 
A word as to bee-keeping from the remunerative 
point of view. I have known one stock of bees to have 
produced from 80 lbs. to 90 lbs. of saleable honey in 
one season. This was made in the 1 lb. section boxes, 
and was sold at Is. per lb. Considering the little 
trouble they are, surely there is some profit attached to 
bee-keeping. Last year was, perhaps, the most un¬ 
satisfactory season on record ; but what of that ? The 
gardener, as a rule, is a too far-seeing man to be dis¬ 
heartened by one or two failures. He is used to that, 
and I am sure that people who like honey would rather 
have it gathered from their own flowers than buy that 
cheap “ splendid’’-looking stuff which spoils the 
market for British honey, and which is made of Potato 
starch and oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid), enveloped in 
those exquisite white combs, often made of paraffin 
wax.— II. Osborne, Yattendon Gardens, Newbury, 
Berks. 
-- 
A GIANT AROID (AMORPHO- 
PHALLUS TITANUM). 
The proportions of this plant are handsome, but un¬ 
fortunately the huge leaf and flower are not developed 
contemporaneously, but separately. When growth 
commences in spring the flower is first developed if the 
corm or tuberous rootstock is sufficiently strong to 
flower at all. A single leaf only is produced from a 
tuber, with a cylindrical stalk about 10 ft. in height, 
from the top of which an enormous blade spreads 
horizontally and umbrella fashion. The lamina 
divides into three main branches, and these again 
divide and sub-divide into numerous oblong-elliptic 
segments. The branches radiate in such a manner 
that the whole blade is circular in outline, and good- 
sized specimens measure 45 ft. in circumference. We 
can well understand from this fact why a single leaf 
only is produced. The whole space at the command 
of the plant for properly arranging this huge organ 
in the best position with regard to the light is fully 
occupied. Were two such leaves produced the one 
would displace the other, and instead of the stem¬ 
like petioles being perpendicular, as the solitary one 
is, they would be made to assume an ascending 
direction, rendering themselves liable to be broken 
or thrown down by storms. The leaf-stalk is in 
itself a beautiful object, being smooth green, and 
marked with orbicular white spots. The leaf lasts in 
perfection about a twelvemonth or more, and after 
dying down, the tuber rests for a time before starting 
into growth again. The tuber itself of large plants in 
a wild state measures 4 ft. or 5 ft. in circumference, 
although under cultivation we can hardly expect to 
realise such colossal dimensions. 
The flower-stalk is of no great length, but from the 
base of the huge spathe to the end of the thick and 
fleshy spadix the length is nearly 6 ft., or the height 
of a man. Some idea of the colossal proportions of 
this Aroid may be conceived by comparing them with 
those of Arum maculatum, the Cuckoo Pint, or Lords 
and Ladies of our hedges. The spathe is nearly 1 yard 
in diameter, campanulate, open and spreading at the 
top, not convolute as in Arum, and the margins are 
deeply toothed. A plant is now flowering for the first 
time in Europe in the Victoria house at Kew. 
When we examined it on the 14th inst. it was nearly 
ready to expand. The base of the spathe was sur¬ 
rounded with two large bracts of a deep green, and 
blotched with white. The huge spathe itself was 
closely wrapped round the spadix, and much plaited 
longitudinally to accommodate itself to the available 
space in the expanding bud. The whole was of a pale 
green externally, but when fully expanded the blade of 
the spathe will or should be of a deep blackish purple 
internally, with the exception of the lower internal 
portion, which is pale greenish. The outer surface 
does not much alter in hue. 
The spadix was also pale green, of great thickness, 
and tapering to a blunt point. It should ultimately 
become of a blackish purple ; but, as in the case of 
other Aroids, may be liable to variation. The plant is 
grown in a large pot, partly submerged in the water of 
the tank, and on the above date the tip of the spadix 
stood exactly 5 ft. above the surface of the soil in 
which the plant was growing. It increases in length 
