August 1, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
661 
The Best Flowering Plants at Kew. 
“ There are more plants in the garden than ye wot of.” 
Haemanthus Katherinae. 
A handsome species, closely allied to H. multiflora, from 
which it is distinguished by the nervation, of its leaves, and the 
proportion, in length of its tube to limb of corolla. Its larger 
leaves, whose sheaths form an erect stem, have a, blade measur¬ 
ing frequently 10 in. to 12 in. long, by i in. broad. The flower- 
scape is stout, green, spotted brown, bearing a terminal umbel 
7 in. to 9 in. in diameter, of many scarlet flowers, which have 
a. cylindrical tube about 1 in. long, spreading segments and con- 
spicuous stamens with linear greenish anthers. It forms a 
showy pot plant for an intermediate house. Native of South 
Africa. 
Spiraea palmata, 
So named on account of its palmate leaves, is one of the 
most beautiful of hardy plants; the crimson-purple off its 
corymbose heads of flowers contrasts so well with its handsome 
foliage and appearing very conspicuous when planted, as it 
delights to be in a moist, shady position. Native of Japan. 
Cattleya Warscewiczii. 
One of the largest flowered of the labiata group, forming a 
handsome and showy plant, chiefly distinguished .by its longer 
lip, the anterior lobe of which is broader and more spreading, 
whilst the apicul sinus is deeper than in most of the other forms. 
Its flowers are 7 in. to 9 in. across, sepals and petals being of a 
delicate shade of rosy mauve; the anterior lobe of the sub- 
pandurate lip rich crimson, purple, and disc white, sometimes 
pale yellow. 
Crossandra undulaefolia. 
A handsome, free-flowering stove plant, which in small pots 
furnishes suitable material for side stages. The genus is 
closely allied to Aphelandra, which it resembles in habit and 
inflorescence. An erect shrub, having the lower leaves in 
whorls, those on the flowering stem being opposite, whose wavy 
or undulate margins gave rise to the specific name. The 
flowers are produced in dense, short, square spikes of a rich, 
reddish orange. Native of Malava and India. 
Erauthemum tuberculatum. 
A small, slender, very profusely-flowered stove shrub, 
copiously branched, with opposite or subverticillate, tubercu- 
lated branches. Its leaves, § in. to 1 in. long, are almost 
hidden from view by the abundance of its white flowers. The 
flower, about 1 in. in diameter, consists of a filiform tube and 
sub-bilabiate limb of five patent, ovate segments. Plants of 
this species, in 5-in. pots, form useful material for room decora¬ 
tion, giving a light and graceful effect. Native country un¬ 
known. 
Scutellaria Ventenatii. 
By reason of the rich colour of its deep, bright scarlet flowers 
this plant gives a brilliant effect in the greenhouse, where 
either in large or small-sized pots it is greatly appreciated. 
Generally speaking, it closely resembles some of the Salvias. 
Its flowers, which are borne on elongated, slender-stemmed 
racemes, suited for cutting, are tubular, the tube being mode¬ 
rately long and dilated upwards. Native of Colombia. 
Amasonia calycina. 
A splendid addition to our stove plants, which, besides being 
beautiful in flower, a state it maintains for fully two months, 
has the additional virtue of being highly ornamental for some 
time afterwards by the bright golour of its floral bracts. 
Beyond this, it is amenable to the cultivators’ art, so that 
plants may be had in flower in succession. Raceme 6 in. to 
12 in. long, curved, bearing tubular, whitish, noding flowers 
2 in. long, the calyx of which is scarlet, in the axils of pubes¬ 
cent, bright red, leaf-like bracts. Native of British Guiana. 
Aristolochia gigas Sturtevantii. 
A well-flowered specimen of this, the largest flowered ot 
climbing plants, is, despite its malignant odour, which, how¬ 
ever, is not widely diffused, both an imposing and attractive 
- plant. The flowers, in their unopened state, are interesting, 
being bent like a siphon in the tube, whilst the limb is thrown 
back so that it resembles the position of a Pelican’s head whilst 
resting; hence the name, ‘‘Pelican blower.” Flowers very 
large creamy-white and brown, having a dilated, contracted 
tube and a long-tailed, cordate-ovate limb, the centre of which 
has a blood-purple blotch. A stove climber, which delights in 
a moist atmosphere. Native of Guatemala. 
Backhousia myrtifolia. 
A pretty greenhouse shrub, which, besides flowering at a 
period when this class of plant is somewhat scarce, is of easy 
culture, and flowers in a small state. The flowers, as well as 
the leaves, have a superficial resemblance to those of the 
Myrtle, being small, white, and possessing an amount of con¬ 
spicuous stamens, which, along with the petaloid, nearly white 
calyces, are the prominent parts of the flower, the white petals 
being small and inconspicuous. The flowers are freely pro¬ 
duced in terminal and lateral corymbs, and have a light, 
feathery appearance. Native of Australia. 
Notospartium Carmichaeliae. 
A monotypic plant, endemic to New Zealand, where it is 
said to be one of the most beautiful members of the flora. 
Where it stands the severity of our winters, it forms a valu¬ 
able addition to our hardy flowering shrubs. It forms a 
medium-sized shrub, with cord-like, weeping, green branches, 
the nodes of which are marked by minute scales. Flowers of 
a pink-purple hue are very abundantly borne on subsessile 
racemes 2 in. long, each being in. long, and pea-shaped, the 
standard being obcordate and streaked with red. 
Spiraea nobleana. 
Closely resembling Douglasi, of which by some it is con¬ 
sidered a variety, from which it differs by its more lax panicle 
of purplish flowers. With its varieties, of which superbetuli- 
folia may be specially mentioned, it forms a rich-coloured, 
showy, hardy-flowerng shrub. Native of California. 
