300 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
April, 4, 1903, 
and recorded in such an easily accessible form. The 
distinction between A. Tricho-manes and A. viride is very 
well made. Hitherto it has mostly been sufficient for writers 
to state that the petiole and midrib of the last-named should 
be green, to distinguish the Green Spleenwort from the Maiden¬ 
hair Spleenwort. The author states that the pinnae of A. 
viride are finally attached to the midrib in life and death, 
whereas in the other type they fall off as the frond gets old. 
Very numerous varieties of A. Trichonianes have been gathered 
in a wild state, including A. T. inbisum, of which a full-page 
illustration is here given. A. T. Moule-i is another extremely 
beautiful form which we cultivated three decades ago-, and are 
pleased to learn it is still in existence. 
It is somewhat paradoxical to mention British Ferns that 
tre not. hardy. It is, nevertheless, true that when certain 
Ferns are carried away from their native habitats and placed 
upon rockeries or similar places in the open air, they mostly 
die during the first winter. Under this category we should 
place Adiantum Capillus-Veneris- and Asplenium marinum. 
Notwithstanding the leathery character of the fronds of this 
last-named species, it. is wonderfully pliable under cultivation, 
and may be 1 grown under either cool or warm conditions. In 
the cool house it. remains dwarf, but in the intermediate or 
even warm place the plant assumes somewhat the character of 
an exotic species. Many years ago. a, number of forms were 
grown under different names, and whether all were permanently 
distinct, it would have been interesting to- prove by means of 
experiments. Only three varieties are mentioned under this 
species by the author, but there were several tall-growing 
forms only seen in perfection when grown under fairly warm 
conditions. The author mentions having seen one in a. vinery 
at Kew ; but, if vinery is correct, he must have seen it when 
Kew was vastly different from the Kew of to-day, for there 
has been no- vinery during the past twenty years at least. 
The Lady Fern (Athyrium Filix-foemina) is one of the.mo-sit 
variable of all Ferns, native or exotic, and the author elsewhere 
speaks about its being prominent for versatility. Her lady¬ 
ship has seemingly invented no end of fashions, new and o-ld, 
and secured the copyright for all the world. He is strongly 
against classing this Fern with the Spleenwort®, as was strongly 
advocated on page 203 of The Gardening World, and we are 
much of the same- opinion. No- better picture of the versatility 
of this Fern could be given titan the photograph of four pinnae 
of as many different forms on page 47 of his book. A com¬ 
parison between the wild type and A. F.-f. plumosum Druery 
reads like a fairy tale, so- vastly different do- the pinnae of the 
two forms appear. The author gives a large number of the 
best varieties of the Lady Fern, tabulating them in the manner 
above recorded. Only those who are perfectly familiar with 
this type can conceive the extreme variability of this British 
species. The method of describing the varieties is usually 
very simple, but the author has so-me pet forms of expression 
to- define some of the singularly distinct forms. For instance, 
the variety Kalothrix is described as lucent, like floss-silk. It 
is impossible here to mention even the names of a select few 
forms of the Lady Fern, but- those interested will find it worth 
their while to read the descriptions in the original. On page 
50 we find that a. magnificent plant of A. F.-f. plumosum Druery 
was accepted by the late Queen Victoria. The variety was 
raised by Mr. Druery from A. F.-f. superbum. 
The Hard Fern (Blechnum Spica.nt), a native of the barren 
heaths, moors and mountains, is more- variable than one would 
have readily imagined, and if we are not mistaken it was the' 
finding of B. S. eo-neinnum Druery that first fired the author 
with that enthusiasm for collecting that has since impelled 
him to ramble over many parts o-f Britain in search of Ferns. 
Several forms of it have been found at one time or other, but 
Mr. Druery’s find is the best. 
The Male Fern he discusses under its three leading forms-, 
including the type Lastrea Pseudo-mas and L. pro-pinqua. The 
second of these, in the form named L. Pseudo-mas cristata, he 
describes as the king of the Male Ferns, and if nobility of aspect 
counts for anything, a large plant of this well deserve® the title- 
of' king, for old specimens assume veiy much the character of 
a Tree Fern. The book is well edited as a rule, though we do 
not agree with the use of small letters in certain cases where 
the names had been used in a generic sense by our forefathers. 
It must be a mistake, however, where the Hay-scented Fem 
was spelt. Lastrea oemula. The Li no-type and the paper used 
leave little room for fault-finding. 
'Coleus thyrsoideus. 
(See Coloured Plate.) 
The mere mention of a Coleus serves to bring up visions 
in the minds of gardeners of plants with highly-coloured foliage, 
blotched, banded, splashed, and variegated in a great number 
of ways. All these forms or colour variations have been de- 
rived from C., blumei, a native of Java. A few green-leaved 
ones have been in cultivation for many years, and are grown 
principally for the sake of their foliage, which is agreeably 
scented, as a rule. They are often compared to the- Nettle, 
owing to the general resemblance of the foliage to that of the 
common species, well known for its stinging propensities. 
An entirely different use has been found for the C. thyrsoi¬ 
deus, which was introduced from Tropical Africa a few years 
ago, and is now finding its way into gardens as a winter-flower¬ 
ing plant- of quite an uncommon, colour. About, fifty or mom 
species are known to science, and fresh additions continue to 
be made from time to time as fresh countries or districts come 
to be explored. The species come chiefly from Tropical Africa, 
the East Indies, and the Malayan Archipelago-. One species, 
at least, extends as far south as Australia 
The general habit of C. thyrsoideus may be compared to that 
of a Salvia, but the flower is totally different. The flowers 
of a Salvia have only two- stamens, while those- of the Coleus 
have four. The boat-shaped or concave form of the lower lip 
gives the Coleus an entirely distinctive character, from a 
botanical point of view. 
The value of C. thyrsoideus as a garden plant depends solely 
upon the showy character of the thyrses or panicles of deep blue 
flo-we-rs that reach their best development during the dullest 
period of winter. It continues in bloom for ten or twelve 
weeks if the precaution is taken to propagate a few batches 
of plants at different periods. By this means plants of various 
sizes and suitable for different purposes may be obtained. 
A splendid group of it was exhibited by Messrs, J. Veitch A 
Sons, Chelsea, at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society on January 13th. An Award c-f Merit had previously 
been accorded it, but on this occasion the excellent form of the 
plants, and their splendid display of bright blue flowers, in¬ 
duced the Floral Committee to give it a First-class Certificate, 
which was certainly well deserved. 
The plants shown on this occasion, or, at least, the largest of, 
them, had been struck from cuttings in May, and varied from 
2 it. to 3 ft, in height. Coming as it do-es from a tropical 
country, it likes> a little warmth, but may better be described 
as an inmate of the intermediate house rather than the stove. 
The temperature at night should not be lower than 50deg., 
otherwise it is liable to lose the lower leaves, as many soft- j 
wooded plants are liable to do. 
For the warm conservatory, maintained at a temperature 
sufficiently high to keep the plants in flowering condition, it 
will prove a valuable acquisition ; and the- blue colour is quite 
an uncommon feature during the winter months. Some cul¬ 
tivators have not succeeded with it to their satisfaction, but 
that is due, we think, to the practice of keeping it in too 
high a temperature, with insufficient ventilation during its 
early stages of growth. The species- of Coleus generally are 
liable to be unduly excited if kept in too humid an atmosphere. 
The check to this is plenty of ventilation, and free exposure 
to sunshine, under which conditions they will be happy, and 
make sturdy, short-jointed growth. 
I or arranging with white flowers in the intermediate house 
or warm conservatory, one can scarcely 7 conceive of a more 
beautiful contrast. For lack of a better comparison in winter, ■ 
we may liken this Coleus to a Delphinium or perennial Lark¬ 
spur, which flowers, however, at the opposite period of the 
yeai\ The plants under notice were grown at the Feltham 
Nursery, fairly recently acquired by the firm. 
