October 17, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
867 
cultivated Damsons and a Sloe. It might with equal truth 
have been said that it was a cross between a Damson and a 
Bullace, or between a common Plum and some other of these 
three forms which have just been named, and all of them are 
found on occasion growing in hedges and on the borders or 
near the vicinity of orchards or gardens, where some of them 
have been cultivated for many years'. 
It may be regarded, then, that its origin is very uncertain. 
Damson Faeleigh Prolific, 
What is a fact, however, is that it is a very profitable Damson 
to grow on account of its extremely prolific character. The 
fruit varies between round and oval, and varies considerably in 
size, according to whether it is grown upon its own roots or 
worked upon some other stock. When grown upon its own 
roots it is rather a thorny tree, but when budded or grafted 
on another stock the thorns disappear. The variety makes a 
beautiful pyramid well worthy of attention, whether in large 
Notes on the Illustrations in this Issue. 
Houstonia caerulea. 
Something like twenty species of Houstonia are known to 
science, but the above species is more frequently seen, in cul- 
livation than any of the others, and although a tiny, slender 
growing plant, it is extremely beautiful, and might be de¬ 
scribed as a pet plant for those whose hobby leans towards 
hardy herbaceous and alpine plants. The bulk of 
the species are natives of North-West America, but 
the subject of this note comes from Virginia., and 
was originally introduced in 1785. The plant is 
hardy, but. requires to be planted in small pockets 
amongst, stones on the rockery in a soil consisting 
chiefly of light sandy loam, leaf-mould and sand. 
The situation should be cool, or, in other words, 
retain its moisture during the warmer parts of the 
year for the well-being of the. plant, but at the same 
time there should be no stagnant moisture. Situa¬ 
tions answering to this description should not be 
difficult to find on any rockery of moderate or suffi¬ 
cient size that, is at all well arranged, so as to give 
variety of situation and aspect. 
When grown, in the open air the slender stems 
vary between 3 in. and 5 in. in height, are furnished 
with small opposite leaves, and terminate in a single 
flower. The latter is of a, pleasing light sky blue, 
but varies considerably in individuals raised from 
seed, some of them being pale and even pure white. 
It is also, very suitable for pot culture, and might 
he kept in cold frames to be taken into the cool 
Greenhouse or conservatory when in bloom. Those 
who have a regularly appointed alpine, house will 
find this a very suitable plant for such a structure 
during the spring and early summer months. The 
pots containing it should be placed as near the glass 
as possible', so as to. prevent drawing, and the house 
should be freely ventilated on all favourable occa¬ 
sions. 
The accompanying illustration shows a, plant that 
was grown in the Alpine House at Kew in the early 
part of last summer. 
Mar ant a insignis. 
The leaves of this beautiful species are narrowly 
lanceolate, 8 in. to. 12 in. long, and stand nearly 
upright, so 1 that the plant is very suitable for de¬ 
corative purposes. Its proper place is in the stove, 
and for such a. purpose it. will be found extremely 
useful where larger plants would be inadmissible'. 
The upper surface of the leaves is of a. light green, 
ornamented on the central portion with olive-black 
blotches, while small round blotches are also, placed 
opposite the midrib on either side. Thei under¬ 
surface is wholly purple. This latter is no- unim¬ 
portant feature of the plant, seeing that the leaves 
stand upright, and therefore show more or less of 
both surfaces according to the position, of the plant. 
It was recently introduced by Messrs. William 
Bull and Sons, King’s Road, Chelsea, in whose 
nursery our photograph was taken. This' gives a 
good idea, of the form of the plant, so that further 
description is unnecessary. It was introduced from 
Brazil, from whence so many plants of the same 
family are obtained. It. was. accorded an Award of 
Merit some time ago by the Royal Horticultural 
Society. 
Farleigh Prolific Damson. 
The above prolific and useful variety of Damson enjoys a. 
plurality of names, including that, given above, also Critten¬ 
den’s Cluster and Kent Cluster. The legend of its history is 
also variable, one story being that it was raised by Mr. James 
Crittenden, of East Farleigh, about the beginning of last 
century. Another idea is that it was picked up as a wildling 
in a hedge, and was probably a cross between some of the 
