56 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 26, 1891. 
duced in umbels make up in the aggregate what they 
lack individually. The fruit is of a deep reddish- 
purple, and begins to show itself on the margin of 
the umbel, long before the flowers in the centre have 
dropped. The leaves are three-parted and lobed, 
while the stems in the open ground, as seen at Kew, 
vary from 12 in. to iS in. high. 
SOLANUM ROBUSTUM. 
Ix a wet summer like what the past one has been 
the utility of foliage plants for effect is brought into 
prominence. The plant under notice is well charac¬ 
terised by the term robust, as implied by the specific 
name, for it has a robust and bold appearance when 
planted in a mass. One desideratum by which it 
might be improved would be larger plants when put 
out in spring in the sub-tropical garden. Beds of it 
are usually if not always flat topped, but there seems 
no reason why beds should always be flat topped. A 
few old plants might be preserved and planted out a 
second season, the tall ones being placed in the 
centre, while the others might be graduated in height 
towards the margin. When the ground gets covered 
the whole bed, if circular and not very large, might 
appear as if occupied with one conical specimen. 
The ovate-elliptic and lobed leaves, covered as they 
are with spines on both surfaces, have a formidable 
and striking appearance. The rusty, woolly hairs on 
both surfaces add considerably to the general effect. 
MICE EATING SCALE. 
Last week, on entering a house where I have a 
Peach tree trained against the wall, I noticed the 
leaves moving. I stood still a few feet off and 
opposite it, and saw a mouse engaged very actively 
in clearing the tree of scale. It would run up and 
down the stem and along the thinnest twigs searching 
for and devouring the scale. It would fix its hind 
feet and run its nose along the midrib of the under 
part of each leaf, eating its prey wherever it could 
find them. It never ceased for a second during the 
ten minutes I watched it, and I left it as busy as I 
found it. I shall be glad to hear if any of your 
readers have noticed a similar habit. Hitherto I 
have considered mice one of the gardener’s constant 
enemies, and I have suffered much from them in the 
spring.— William Jenhin, Rosehill Cottage, Falmouth, 
Sept. 17. 1891. 
AMICIA ZYGOMERIS. 
The foliage of this plant is even more ornamental 
than the yellow flowers, although some cultivators 
attach importance to the latter. Properly speaking 
it is a greenhouse plant; but in the warmer parts of 
the country it may be grown against a wall with even 
more success than under glass, for the simple reason 
that space cannot well be afforded to grow it to 
proper dimensions. Although the soft-wooded stems 
get cut down annually, yet if the root-stock is 
strong and vigorous, stout stems 3 ft. to 5 ft. long 
or even more will be thrown up in the course of a 
single season and flower towards autumn. The 
leaves are of a deep glaucous hue, and consist of two 
pairs of obversely heart-shaped leaflets of striking 
appearance and considerable ornamental value. The 
plant is used to some extent for mixing with other 
subjects in the sub-tropical garden, and is easily 
propagated from cuttings. Its native home is 
Mexico. 
ULMUS CAMPESTR1S UREDII 
The name here given is-applied to a golden-leaved 
Elm, a variety of that which used to be known as 
the Exeter Elm and botanically as Ulmus montana 
fastigiata. The shoots and the whole tree has a rigid 
upright habit, and what increases its rigid appear¬ 
ance is the curious behaviour of the leaves. All the 
normal-habited Elms have spreading branches with 
the leaves arranged in two regular rows, one on each 
side of the shoots of the current year. The erect 
habit of the Exeter Elm and also of the golden 
variety under notice, has disturbed the usual arrange¬ 
ment of the leaves, so that instead of spreading out 
flat in the usual way they stand closely up against 
one side of the shoots and partly curl round them. 
They are further strongly feather-nerved with boldly 
projecting ribs and rigid texture all of which combine 
to give the tree a characteristic appearance. The 
green form is very popular as a street tree in some 
of the towns along the south coast, including East¬ 
bourne. The golden variety under notice will 
commend itself to those who like the fastigiate, or 
pyramidal-habited Exeter Elm. ' - • 
DELPHINIUM CARDIOPETALUM. 
Like the Common Larkspur (D. Ajacis) this species 
is an annual, but a pretty one, and keeps on flowering 
from June till autumn. At the present time it seems 
as gay as ever. The stems range from 12 in. to 15 in. 
high, and are more or less branched in the upper 
part. The flowers are deep blue and sufficiently 
large to be of an ornamental character when the 
plant is fairly in bloom. The sepals are lanceolate 
and as highly coloured as any other part of the 
flower. The petals are five in number, of which the 
three lower ones are heart-shaped as implied by the 
specific name, while the two upper ones are spath- 
ulate ; all have long claws, and they are moreover 
variable in shape in different flowers on the same 
plant, but always considerably smaller than the 
sepals. 
, ♦ _ _ 
♦ 
THE NATURAL HABITS 
OF SOME N.S. W. ORCHIDS. 
I do not claim any great attraction for Australian 
Orchids as compared with those from other parts of 
the world, at the same time many are interesting and 
pretty, and they have much to recommend them for 
their delicious fragrance. It is not my intention to 
enter into details with respect to many difficulties 
attending the collection of Orchids ; my chief object 
is to show under what conditions they are found, and 
how they grow in their natural state in these parts. 
The collecting of Orchids is no childish work, what¬ 
ever the young enthusiast or the lover of nature who 
has had no experience in collecting these gems may 
think. Apart from malarious swamps, mountain 
ravines, and dangerous precipices, there is the deadly 
reptile, and the collector well knows what one plunge 
of its poisoned fangs means. The very nature of the 
collectors' search leads them into its most secluded 
domain, and not unfrequently so intent are they 
upon the object of their search that they are within 
the grasp of these monsters before they are aware of 
their presence. 
One very important fact in connection with the 
cultivation of Orchids from these parts is that the 
epiphytal section imbibe more moisture in the form 
of vapour than is generally supposed. I am con¬ 
vinced of this from observations made. It is not an 
unusual thing in this country of periodical droughts 
for them to be without even a shower of rain for 
from two to six weeks, and that during their growing 
period. During this time they get nothing but dense 
vapour durii.g the night, arising from the creeks run¬ 
ning through the less elevated ground, and varying 
from 200 to 600 yards below them, in what I may 
term the region of Palms and Ferns, where you 
will search in vain for a Dendrobe, a Cymbidium, or 
a Bulbophyllum. 
By no chance have I found an Orchid in these 
dense jungles of Palms and Ferns; much however, 
there is to admire in such a spot, from the most 
minute filmy Fern, Hymenophyllum tunbridgense 
antarcticum, to the gigantic Tree Fern, and Palms 
in the same way, from the seedling a year old and 
only a few inches high to the majestic full grown 
tree of fifty years and fully eighty feet high. Here 
nature again teaches us a very important lesson, 
which is that heat, moisture, and shade, with an 
oppresive atmosphere, are not essential to the well¬ 
being of Orchids, or they would be found associated 
with Palms and Ferns where these abound. On the 
contrary, they must have light and air, and as we 
ascend the side of the mountain (always skirting the 
ravines formed by rushing torrents during heavy 
rains), we see that the trees grow further apart, and, 
instead of having to cut our way step by step we 
can move about with comparative ease. Here and 
there we get gleams of sunshine penetrating through 
the dark green leafage above, rendering the surround¬ 
ings light and airy, but not arid. 
It is here that we get the first glimpse of what we 
have been toiling to reach, for glancing round on all 
sides we see vast numbers of Dendrobium speciosum. 
This species confines itself entirely to rocks of a 
gritty sandstone formation, where it spreads its roots 
on the flat surfaces or perpendicular sides. Some 
have a little moss and half-decayed leaves among 
them, but more frequently they are entirely bare. 
On a closer examination the largest specimens will 
invariably be found on the edges of fissure rocks, 
where the roots penetrate into every crevice. In 
this position they obtain more moisture in a prolonged 
drought than those growing on the flattened_ surface, 
which is incapable of retaining any moisture save 
what is absorbed by the rock itself. The species 
varies considerably in the colour of its blooms, from 
bright orange to ivory whiteness, with the lip more 
or less spotted or barred with rose. Its variety, 
Hilli, grows in the same way as the species, always 
selecting the warm districts for its home. 
We extend our search, and entering a more densely 
wooded part of the forest, we are not long in finding 
another species (Dendrobium tetragonum) fondly 
embracing what is known here as the Myrtle tree 
(Eugenia). So exclusively does it confine itself to 
this one species of tree that it is useless searching 
for it among any others. It grows about one foot 
high and continues to flower freely from the same 
stems for many years. The blooms are orange and 
brown and have-a delicious fragrance. A gorgeous 
Cattleya will please the eye, but this will more than 
gratify the olfactory senses of anyone partial to sweet 
smelling flowers. After we have helped ourselves to 
a few plants we make another move, but find we are 
too near the mountain watercourse and find nothing. 
Making our way again to the higher ground, we 
soon make our acquaintance with another kind, 
Dendrobium Kingianum. This is also a tree loving 
Orchid, and some immense pieces meet our 
eyes. It has not the peculiarity of the last-named 
kind but appears to be at home on almost any kind 
of tree. The pseudobulbs of this species attain the 
height of 2 ft., and it continues to bloom from the 
same stems for several seasons. Its flowers are of a 
dull yellow colour. After mounting a little higher 
all trace of Dendrobes cease. The atmospheric 
conditions suited to their growth exists no longer ; 
but another genera appears in Cymbidum sauve, 
which are seen in immense masses higher up among 
the arms of the trees. This species evidently 
delights in a much more light and airy situation than 
any Dendrobe that I am acquainted with. 
We seldom see a Dendrobe nearer the ground than 
4 ft. nor higher than 20 ft., whereas this Cymbidium 
suave is often met with 50 or 60 ft. higher. I have 
felled several trees to obtain specimens of it, and 
always found the roots so deeply imbedded in the 
living bark as to almost assume the character of a 
parasite. On one occasion finding the tree was 
a hollow one, I cut it open and found that the 
hollowed centre (which was 8 in. in diameter) was 
completely packed with roots to the depth of 6 ft. 
from the base of the plant. The flowers, which are 
borne on spikes about 15 ins. long, are of a yellowish- 
brown colour, and are delightfully fragrant. It con¬ 
fines itself entirely to a species of Melaleuca. There 
is a peculiarity about this species which is worthy of 
a student's consideration. In a natural state it seeds 
very freely, and in the natural course of events one 
would expect that, through the agency of wind 
currents, the seeds (which are very fine and dust 
like) would be pretty evenly distributed among all 
the genera represented in the forest, and there are 
many, yet I can find no evidence that the seeds ever 
germinate save on these soft barked Melaleucas. 
Again, why it germinates on the highest parts of these 
trees in preference to the lower branches and about 
the trunks, is one of Nature's problems hard to solve. 
After searching around this spot and finding noth¬ 
ing more of interest, and after having heard a friendly 
remonstrance from accompanying friends as to the 
slavish mode of spending what I was pleased to call 
a holiday, we commence our return journey by 
nearly the same route we ascended, but stepping 
aside into the ravine whose sides we had skirted on 
our way up, we come upon on a patch of Calanthe 
australis, which happened to be in bloom at the 
time, and appeared to be revelling in their compost 
of drift soil, composed mainly of decayed leaves and 
fragments of sandstone. From this position we scan 
the trees above, and espy one solitary plant, a species 
of Oberonia, with a small spike of almost micros¬ 
copic flowers. This I appropriated together with 
the branch on which it was growing. After placing 
it in a small house with Cattleyas, Saccolabiums, &c., 
it bloomed for two seasons, then disagreed with its 
companions and departed this life. Again glancing 
over the rocks which we had previously passed, we 
discover another pigmy, Bolbophyllum exigum, min¬ 
gled with Polypodium serpens, and the whole forming 
a dense carpet. Searching another' ravine on the 
other side of the valley, we came across some nice 
patches of that pretty little dwarf species, Dendrc- 
bium semulum. One huge fallen tree is worthy of 
especial notice, having over a'huti'dred plants studded 
