May 10, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
595 
season, which in an ordinary way extends from April 
till the beginning of October. Throughout the 
winter months the water supply must be withheld 
for the judicious ripening of the growths is absolutely 
indispensable to a good show of flower. 
Pits and frames are, as may well be supposed 
filled to over-flowering with bedding stuff of all 
descriptions, whilst temporary erections have been 
made to accommodate a large proporiion and thus 
relieve the pressure upon the regular under-glass 
space. 
--S—- 
TULIPS. 
A large audience as c embled in the Drill Hall at 
Westminster, on Tuesday, May 5th, to hear Mr. 
J. G. Baker, F.L.S., of the Herbarium, Kew, lecture 
upon Tulips. The Rev. G. Henslow occupied the 
chair. The lecturer, in commencing, dealt with the 
geographical distribution of the Tulips, which he 
said was rather peculiar. Many allied bulbous 
plants, he went on to say, are concentrated at the 
Cape, no less than thirteen or fourteen hundred of 
them being found there. Many of the other genera 
of Liliaceae are distributed in a continuous zone right 
round the world. Erythronium, for instance, has 
its headquarters in northern temperate America, 
but one or two of its members are dispersed through 
Europe, Asiatic Russia, and China to Japan. L lium, 
again, is widely scattered throughout the northern 
temperate zone, including Japan and North 
America. Tulipa, on the other hand, is confined to 
the northern temperate regions of the old world, 
Aone being found in America. Curiously enough, 
the genus Calochortus, which has come so much 
into favour of late, appears to fill the place of Tulipa 
in North America, and thus Tulipa and Calochortus 
together belt the world. The two genera combined 
have thus the same geographical distribution as 
Lilium or Erythronium. 
Altogether, ihe genus Tulipa contains about a 
hundred species. Within the last twenty years 
many new ones have bsen introduced owing to the 
labours of Russian explorers who have added fully 
fifty per cent, to the number of our ksown species. 
Tber-e new introductions, however, all fall into the old 
groups. Many of them possess what to our English 
ears doubtless sound to be barbarous and jaw-break¬ 
ing names, as for instance, T. kolpakowskiana, 
T. ostrowskiana, T. Maximowiczii, etc. 
The genus Tulipa is divided into two subgenera, 
viz.—Orithyia, and Tulipa proper. In Orithyia, the 
ovary is narrowed at the top into a distinct style, 
whilst in the true Tulips the stigma is sessile upon 
the ovary. We find the same kind of style as 
exhibited by Orithyia, in Gagea, Fritillaria and 
many other monocotyledonous plants, and thus 
Orithyia serves as a connecting link between Tulipa 
and other related genera. Its members are of little 
horticultural value, however. 
The best primary division of the Tulips proper is 
into two groups, viz.—Leiostemoneae, in which the 
filaments of the stamens are glabrous; and 
Eriostemoneae, in which a tuft of hairs is apparent at 
the base of the filaments. In the first-named group, 
that of Leiostemoneae, most of our common types of 
Tulips fall. This might be sub-divided into four 
sections. 
Here, Mr. Baker continued, it was necessary to 
point out that the various species are extremely 
liable to variation, and it was necessary in order to 
correctly name them, to examine the leaves and the 
bulbs in addition to the flowers. It was also of great 
assistance in many cases when the native home of the 
plant to Le named was known. The four sections 
into which the group Leiostemoneae was divided, for 
instance, depended a great deal upon the character 
of the bulbs and their tunics. 
In section I., Eriobulbae, the outer bulb coats are 
densely packed with hairs. A black blotch bordered 
with yellow appearing at the base of the segments 
was another characteristic. Included in this section 
were T. Oculus-solis, T. montana, and T. praecox. 
T. maleolens closely resembles T. praecox, but 
flowers a good deal later. Two or three new species 
had been introduced of late from Central Asia, one 
of which was T. lanata. As a rule, these plants were 
not cultivated a great deal. 
Section II. might be called the Clusiana set. It 
included two species only, T. clusiana, from the 
Mediterranean region; and T. stellata, from the 
Himalayas. Clusiana® are characterized by stellate 
flowers usually white on the inside, and long, narrow, 
grass -1 ke leaves. Here, also, the outer bulb tunics 
are densely packed with soft hairs. 
Section III.—Gesnerianae, which have the bulb 
coats scarcely hairy at all,are the most important of all; 
for to them belong most of our garden Tulips. They 
might be divided into two sets, viz.—those having 
acute, and those with obtuse petals. To the first set 
belong T. Didieri, a Savoyan species with a bright 
red perianth ; T. brachystemon, and T. Kesselringii, 
both from Turkestan, the last-named closely allied 
to T. Didieri; T. cruciata, from Asia Minor; T. 
kolpakowskiana, from Central Asia; T. Elwesii, 
from Teheran ; T. uodulatifolia, from Asia Minor ; 
T. elegans, T. oxypetala, T. violacea, T. viridiflora. 
T. billietiana differs from T. Didieri in having yellow 
flowers. It also belongs to Savoy. T. acuminata is 
very distinct. It has all the segments of the 
perianth drawn out into a long fine point. 
T. gesneriana is the species that has most to do 
with the origin of our garden Tulips. It is late 
flowering, the peduncle is long, erect, and glabrous, 
the segments of the perianth are obtuse, and the 
leaves are glabrous. This species has been cultivated 
in our gardens for the last 200 years, ever since the 
time of Gerarde, and has run into a variety of forms 
under cultivation. It has given rise among others to 
the Parrct Tulips with their prettily fimbriated 
edges. T. macrospila, a very pretty form of unknown 
origin, differs from T. gesneriana in having a distinct 
star at the bottom of the perianth. This plant is 
probably a hybrid between T. gesneriana and some 
other species. It bears a resemblance to T. praecox 
in the flower, but differs from it in not having a 
woolly bulb. Other species which fall into this set 
are T. platystigma, T. ostrowskiana, T. Maximo¬ 
wiczii, T. tetrapbylla, T. Borszowskii, T. petalina 
and T. Schrenkii. 
Section IV., Scabriscapae, is characterised by the 
hairy leaves and peduncles. The bulbs closely 
resemble those of Gesnerianae, but the flowers are 
produced much earlier. The well-known scented 
Tulip, T. suaveolens is placed here. It is most 
probably the species from which the early flowering 
Due Van Thol Tulips have originated. T. pubescens 
is probably a hybrid between T. gesneriana and 
T. suaveolens, as the flowers are slightly scented, 
and have a downy peduncle, whilst the segments of 
the perianth resemble those of the former species. 
There is a number of fine garden forms of T. 
pubescens now known, such as Bride of Haarlem, 
and Pottebakker. These have very little hair on the 
insides of the bulb tunics, the leaves are glaucous, 
and the segments of the perianth are less acute, 
Many of them flower in April. T. strangulatais some¬ 
what rarer now than it was thirty or forty years ago. 
A large b ack blotch may be observed at tne base of 
its perianth segments. 
T. Greigi, introduced from Turkestan, has not 
acute segments, and the peduncle is not very hairy. 
The leaves are long, glaucous, and marked all over 
with small dots of dull brown. This species is most 
difficult to cultivate and increase, and although it 
was looked alter very carefully at Kew, the stock did 
not increase. He should be very pleased to hear 
from any of his audience who were practical culti¬ 
vators as to the best way of surmounting this diffi¬ 
culty. Ocher kinds belonging to Scabriscapae are 
T. altaica, T. maculata, T. boeotica, and T. Eicbleri, 
the last named species being very similar to T. 
macrospila. 
The second group Eriostemoneae,might be split up 
into two sections. T. sylvestris might be taken as 
the type of the first of these. This section was 
widely distributed and was of considerable impor¬ 
tance, for out of about a hundred known species 
fully twenty belonged to it. T. fragrans, from 
Algeria, is exceedingly like the type, and might be 
well described as a sylvestris in miniature. The 
yellow flowers are often flushed with red or green on 
the outer side of the segments. In ihe second 
section of Eiiostemoneae the plants are rather more 
showy than those which fall under the first. Some 
of the most important species are T. Hageri, T. 
Sprengeri, T. saxatilis, T. Hookeri, T. pulchella, T. 
polychroma, and T. orphanidea. 
In conclusion, Mr. Baker said that of all the 
species T. Greigi was the most promising plant from 
which to evolve a new type of Tulips, although the 
fact of its being so difficult of cultivation and 
propagation went a good deal against it. T. 
gesneriana, after all, covered a good deal of the 
ground, and through cultivation had run into a great 
number of pretty forms. 
The chairman in rising to propose a hearty vote of 
thanks to Mr. Baker for his admirable lecture spoke 
of the peculiarity of the genus Calochortus takirg 
the place of Tulipa in the New World, and suggested 
that this was another striking instance of the way in 
which differences of environment acted in calling 
into existence new species. Then again, thevestiture 
of the bulbs and leaves of the plants mentioned by 
Mr. Baker, was doubtless determined by the special 
conditions under which those plants were placed. 
Hairiness denoted that the plant exbibiiing it 
occupied a dry position. Nature went even farther 
than this in plants peculiar to desert regions, for in 
many cases their vitals were enclosed by a woody 
covering. Smoothness, on the other hand, suggested 
a damp and well-watered position. 
On being put to the meeting the vote of thanks 
was carried with unanimity. 
SUTTON’S PERFECTION CALCEO¬ 
LARIAS. 
For some years past the splendid strain of Calceo¬ 
larias, developed by the continual crossing of the 
finest types by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, has 
appeared at several of the leading London shows 
and elsewhere, so that our readers will not only be 
getting acquainted with them, but recognising their 
special merits. The dry, bright and hot weather to 
which the plants have been subjected for some time 
past has been hurrying them forward at a great rate, 
so that the fertilisation of the blooms has to a great 
extent been already effected. 
The display as usual, however, has been grand, 
and the wealth of blossom simply gorgeous, not only 
on account of iis quantity, but the variety of colour¬ 
ing. Sutton’s Perfection Calceolorias is the name 
given to the strain, and but \ery few of the varieties 
receive special cames. The namirg of the sorts 
would be an endless and almost futile task for the 
simple reason that scarcely two are exactly alike in 
colour. C'oth of Gold has been awarded a First- 
class Certificate by the Royal Horiicltural Society, 
and a good stock of this is raised every year. The 
great size of the flowers, their perfect form, rich, 
golden-yellow hue, and the robust and compact 
habit of the plant, are ample reasons for annually 
.raising a good stock of this handsome and useful 
decorative variety. Other seifs in various hues of 
red, crimson, rose, yellow, and oraDge are equally 
perfect in their way, and carry with them their own 
special recommendations. The parti-coloured or 
variegated flowers should please the most fastidious. 
Ihe various torts are characterised by spots, 
blotchts, streaks, leopard markings, veined and 
netted flowers of intricate and charming designs, 
such as are scarcely to be met in any other class of 
plants, the Gloxinias notwhhstanding. 
The collection is grown in a span-roofed house, 
kept cool, and shaded, but freely veniilated. No 
other type of building is better adapted for keeping 
herbaceous Calceolarias dwarf, compact, and 
equally balanced and shapely on all sides. The 
plants are of different sizes, and grown in 32, 48, and 
16-sized pots accordingly. This plan might well be 
adopted in private establishments on account of the 
different uses to which the plants may be put. 
When grown on liberally it is astonishing to what 
size a plant raised from so diminutive a seed may be 
grown ; and such plants are each a host in them¬ 
selves when transferred to the'*conservatory. The 
compost used consists principally of rich, friable 
loam, which nearly always gives most satisfaction 
with this class of plants. 
A fine strain of Streptocarpus in various stages 
may also be seen in the Portland Road Nurseries at 
Reading. They are grown in frames for great part 
of the year, and the hybrids of the ordinary type 
take only six months from the time they are sown 
to come into bloom. In other words, if sown in 
January or February, they come into bloom during 
June or July. The white, lavender, rose, red, violet, 
purple, and other shades are very attractive. On the 
other hand, S. Wendlandii, wiih iis huge solitary 
leaf, takes two years to come into bloom. Plants of 
one and two years old may be seen in one of the 
houses, the latter having been in bloom for months 
past. 
Another speciality here is a handsome race of 
Begonias of the B. semperflorens type, and known 
