January 30, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
349 
regions ? ” " Is it credible that in the short interval 
since the close of the Glacial period, hundreds of 
very distinct species and several genera have been 
developed in the Alps, and—what is no less hard to 
conceive—that several of these non-Arctic species 
should still more recently have been distributed, at 
wide intervals, throughout a discontinuous mountain 
chain some 1,500 miles in length, from the Pyrenees 
to the Eastern Carpathians ? ” Many of these non- 
Arctic types are, moreover, represented in the moun¬ 
tains of distant regions, not by the same but by 
allied species, which must have had a common 
ancestor. Wulfenia, for instance, has one species in 
the Alps, another in Northern Syria, while a third 
allied species has its home in the Himalaya. 
The origin of the flora of the European Alps 
remains an unsolved problem ; but towards its solu¬ 
tion Mr. Ball’s table will, in the right hands, afford 
considerable help. — Natural Science. 
- — I —- 
ARDENING §flSCELLANY. 
RHODODENDRON GRANDE. 
The corner of the temperate house at Kew which is 
devoted to the Himalayan Rhododendrons is just 
now brightened with the noble trusses of large white 
flowers of Rhododendron grande. These flowers are 
between 2 in. and 3 in. in depth, and from in. to 
2 in. in width. The leaves are ovate in shape, and 
run from 6 in. to 10 in. in length. On the Kew plant 
they have a peculiar drooping habit that is decidedly 
singular. Undoubtedly, this Rhododendron is one of 
the noblest of its kind, for even in this country it is 
more or less arborescent in character, while in its 
native home, Sikhim, it attains the height of 30 ft. 
HELICONIA ILLUSTRIS RUBRI-ACAULIS. 
One of the most conspicuous features of the stove at 
Kew, is certainly a well-grown plant of this 
Heliconia, which received a F.C.C. at the Temple 
Show in 1894. Tne Kew specimen is fully 3 ft. in 
height. The leaves are elliptic in shape, green, and 
transversely striped and margined on their upper 
surfaces with bright rosy-pink. The under surface 
is red, the veins and midribs standing out by reason 
of their deeper hue. The sheathing petioles are of a 
deep carmine shade. The whole plant, indeed, is 
exceedingly beautiful; and as it is not at all difficult 
to grow, only requires to be better known to be 
widely cultivated. 
VEITCH’S CHINESE PRIMULAS. 
A splendid strain of well grown Chinese Primulas 
belonging to Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd., 
came under our notice the other week. Four 
of the varieties at least were notable for their 
great size, the individual pips or blooms 
measuring 2J in. in diameter. Two blue varieties 
were notable for their rich dark blue colour, but the 
smaller of the two had a bronzy-yellow eye which is 
quite an uncommon feature. A rich dark purple 
variety was also very good, and the pink sorts were 
charming in the delicacy and clearness of their 
colouring. There were three or four in this group 
ranging from a delicate blush to a rich rosy-pink. 
A salmon coloured variety was notable for the depth 
of its colour. The darkest was of a brilliant Ver¬ 
million, and as is usually the case with dark flowers, 
was the smallest of the blooms. It had its counter¬ 
part exactly in a semi-double form. There were 
also semi-double purple, blush, and pink varieties, 
all very useful and beautiful in their way. The 
substance of the flowers was no less remarkable than 
their size, enabling them to remain fresh for many 
days even in a cut state, if not exposed to a drying 
atmosphere. 
COCCOCYPSELUM REPENS. 
This plant is more curious than pretty, although it 
is not entirely unornamental. As the name indi¬ 
cates, it is of creeping habit. The leaves are broadly 
ovate in shape, rather succulent in texture, and are 
covered, like the stems, with long, somewhat stiff 
violet-coloured hairs. The flowers are small, blue, 
produced in the axils of the leaves, and nearly 
sessile at first. They lengthen considerably, how¬ 
ever, when the fruit is formed. It is a native of the 
West Indies. We noticed it quite recently growing 
with Messrs. John Laing & Sons, Forest^Hill. 
THUNBERGIA LAURIFOLIA. 
Curiously enough, a large number of the Acanthad 
family flowers with us during the winter, and the 
more beautiful and dwarfer kinds are grown in pots 
for the decoration of the stove, greenhouse, and con¬ 
servatory during winter. That under notice, how¬ 
ever, is a tall stove climber, but reaches its flowering 
stage during the winter months, and from that point 
of view is valuable, where a due amount of head- 
room can be accorded it. The leaves are narrowly 
ovate, entire, and bear some resemblance to those of 
Laurus nobilis as the name would imply. The 
large, light blue flowers are irregular, with an oblique 
5-lobed lamina and produced in axillary clusters 
along the upper portion of the long, slender shoots. 
In order to reach a flowering stage, the plant must 
be allowed to run up to a considerable height, 
trained to pillars and rafters, after which the shoots 
should be left free, so that when they come into 
bloom they may be seen to best advantage after the 
manner of a Passionflower, or Tacsonia. A coloured 
plate of the species is given in the September 
number of the Bullettino della R. Societa Toscana di 
Orlicultura, accompanied by historical and descrip¬ 
tive details. 
SOLANUM GIGANTEUM. 
This is an arborescent species, a native of the East 
Indies, from whence it was introduced in 1792. 
Owing to its great size, the space it would occupy, and 
that it requires stove or greenhouse temperature, 
prevent it from being grown to any extent in this 
country as a flowering plant, though it might profit¬ 
ably be grown as a bedding plant for the subtropical 
garden, judging from the rapidity of its growth, as 
stated in the Tijdschrift voor Tuinbouw. The plant in 
its native country varies from 10 ft. to 25 ft. in 
height, but the journal just mentioned states that it 
grows to tree size in two } ears. An illustration in 
No. 17, p. 170, shows a plant about 15 ft. or 16 ft. in 
height. The leaves are about 8 in. long and deeply 
lobed, almost resembling those of some species of 
Oak. The flowers are blue, under an inch in 
diameter, and produced in dense cymes terminating 
the branches. 
THE OTAHEITE ORANGE. 
This is the popular name applied to Citrus japonica, 
for which we are indebted to China and Japan. It is 
very suitable for culture in small pots, as it is 
naturally of dwarf and compact habit. While it 
revels in a high temperature during the summer 
months, it will stand a deal of cold, even frost, 
during the winter. It is thus of considerable value 
for furnishing in conservatories in which the tem¬ 
perature is apt to drop rather low during cold nights. 
The bright orange yellow fruits hang on for a long 
time and are very ornamental. They have the 
additional recommendation of being very pleasant to 
eat if gathered soon after they are ripe. If not taken 
then,.they lose their juice and become somewhat 
insipid. They possess, at their best, a pleasant 
acidity and an unmistakable aromatic flavour. 
Messrs. John Laing & Sons, of Forest Hill, have a 
fine stock of shapely and symmetrical plants of this 
charming miniature orange. 
APHELANDRA FASCINATOR. 
A small specimen of this Aphelandra in the stove 
at Kew, well exemplifies the decorative value of some 
of the members of this genus, that under notice in¬ 
cluded. The leaves are produced in large, dense, 
terminal spikes. The flowers are very large, and 
bright vermillion scarlet in colour. The leaves, also, 
are attractive in no small degree. They are ovate to 
ovate-elliptic in shape, and acuminate. The under 
surface is a rich purple violet, the upper a lively 
green banded in the neighbourhood of the midrib and 
the principal veins with broad bands of silvery white. 
Such a plant is well worth growing in quantities for 
winter flowering. In small pots it is especially elegant 
and very effective. It deserves to be extensively 
grown. 
BAUHINIA FERRUGINEA. 
Many of the Bauhinias make very pretty stove 
climbers, their foliage being so different from that of 
the ordinary run of plants devoted to the furnishing 
of walls, pillars, and roofs. A small specimen of B. 
ferruginea growing in a pot in the stove at Kew is 
very distinct. The characteristic lobing of 
the leaves of the members of this genus 
is here carried to a great depth. The leaves 
usually run to about four inches in length, 
by as many in width, when the plant is in a young 
state, although they doubtless are bigger upon the 
more mature plants. The great point about the 
leaves, however, is their curious colour. The under 
surfaces exhibit a shade as of rusty iron which shines 
through the green of the upper sides when the sun is 
shining, giving a peculiar tint of bronzy green. 
A LATE FLOWERING TREE. 
The Mulberry is very late in coming into leaf, and 
still later in coming into blossom. For this tardiness 
it makes amends by being amongst the first of trees 
to ripen its fruit. The latter, although appearing 
very complex, is really very simple. Nothing is 
wasted. - The fruit itself is very small, and sur¬ 
rounded by a perianth of four leaves, green at first, 
but becoming succulent, juicy, red, and ultimately 
black. These little fruits are crowded in a head like 
a Blackberry, which is the outcome of a single 
flower. 
CALAMUS F1SSUS. 
The great objection with regard to the Calamuses, 
and one that at least cannot be said to lack point, is 
their spiny nature. It is impossible to handle them 
without danger to the skin of the operator. The 
above species, however, is beautiful enough to make 
up for a certain amount of personal discomfort. It 
has its full complement of spines, especially upon 
the petioles, where they are black in colour and very 
stout. The pinnate fronds have very narrow pinnae, 
and thus present a most elegant appearance. When 
they first make their appearance they are bright 
cinnamon in colour, but ultimately change to a deep 
green. Like the rest of its congeners, C. fissus will 
grow well in a compost of equal parts of loam and 
leaf soil with sand. Plenty of water throughout the 
summer months is an absolute necessity, and a high 
temperature all through the year is much to its 
liking. We recently saw some very shapely speci¬ 
mens at the establishment of Messrs. John Laing & 
Sons, at Forest Hill. 
PRUNUS NANA. 
For conservatory decoration in the early part of the 
year Prunus nana is a little gem. It forces fairly 
well and blcoms very freely. True, the habit of the 
plant may be too straggling to please all, but this 
defect is more than atoned for by the good points. The 
light rosy-pink of the flo vers is very bright and 
pleasing. This Prunus is well utilised at Kew, and 
at the time of writing a batch of plants in full 
flower is one of the most conspicuous features of 
greenhouse No. 4. 
FICUS CANONI. 
We have not too many stove plants with foliage of 
the colour exhibited by this Ficus, which is similar 
to that seen in the Copper Beach. Hence it is of 
value in a stove if only for the sake of variety. 
The leaves are ovate-elliptic in shape, and are 
covered with tufts of stiff hairs. The plant is 
inclined to get leggy as it gets older, and therefore it 
is advisable to propagate it pretty frequently. Well 
grown specimens in 48 or 32 sized pots are valuable 
material, and are certainly more effective than one 
or two of the Acalyphas that often find a place in 
private gardens. 
CINERARIA KEWENSIS. 
The garden Cineraria has not only been much talked 
about of late, but it has been the subject of numerous 
experiments by the hybridiser and cross-breeder. 
The results of one of these experiments is now to be 
seen in the greenhouse at Kew. A cross between C. 
cruenta and the garden Cineraria has yielded some 
highly decorative plants. They are dwarfer and 
sturdier in habit than C. cruenta, and the dwarfing 
influence of the garden Cineraria is very evident in 
this direction. The inflorescence, on the other hand, 
is more compact, and there is no doubt that the 
flowers themselves are larger and finer. The multi¬ 
plication of colours is not surprising, when we con¬ 
sider the wondrous range of hue exhitfcd by the 
garden Cineraria. A word of comment should also 
be made upon the evident health and vigour of the 
plants. They are accommodated in 8 inch pots, and 
are sturdy specimens throughout. 
