January 2, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
13 
The Best Flowering Plants at Kew. 
“ There are more plants in the garden than ye wot of.” 
Odontoglossum Pescatoreh 
This is a beautiful free-flowering species, resembling to a- 
great extent the noted 0. crispum, from which, however, it is 
readily distinguished by its larger orbicular lip and its oval¬ 
shaped sepals and petals. Like 0. crispum, it varies greatly 
in different varieties in the amount of spotting on its flowers, 
some forms being pure white, with the exception of the golden- 
yellow crest on the lip, whilst, for example, in Veitoh’s variety, 
the segments of the flowers were profusely spotted. It was 
first discovered in 1847 in the Oak forests that occur cm the 
higher declivities of the Eastern Cordillera of New Granada,. 
Its pseudo-bulbs give rise to two ligulate pointed leave® 8 in. 
to 12 in. long and to an arching slender scape 18 in. to- 24 in. 
long, usually racemose, and many flowered. The individual 
flowers are 2 in. to 3 in. in diameter, the petals being broader 
than the sepals and possessing an undulate margin, the lip 
being fiddle-shaped and emarginate. From a gardening op 
decorative point of view, it is one of the most desirable species: 
in cultivation. 
Odontoglossum Rossi. 
This, is a dwarfer and fewer-flowered species 1 , although -the 
individual flowers in size equal and sometimes surpass those 
of the 1 foregoing species'. The scape is erect, 6 in. to 8 ini. 
long, sheathed at each joint, and also at base of pedicle by a 
bract,, and terminated by two- to five flowers', which are very 
variable in colour, the sepals usually spotted all over, the 
petals only at their base, and the lip usually free from any. 
Mexico. 
Catasetum splendens. 
This is a handsome showy form supposed to be a na-t-ural 
hybrid between C. bungerothii and C. macrocarpum. Its 
numerous varieties display a vast diversity in the colour of 
their flowers, comprising white in album ; aurantia-cum,yellow ; 
atro-purpureum, dark purple, with some yellow on the lip; 
a-ureo- ma-culatum, yellow, spotted red-brown; and numerous- 
intermediate shades-. Venezuela. 
Laelia albida. 
The small clustered pseudo-bulbs each give origin, to: two 
coriaceous leaves. Scapes terminal, three, to- six flowered; 
sepals, oblong; petals, somewhat broader, entirely white, with 
the exception of a few yellow lines on the lip. Mexico. 
Daedalacanthus macrophyllus. 
As a pot plant this forms a useful addition to such as are 
suitable for decorating the stages of an intermediate house. 
A tall, somewhat spreading herb, with large -elliptic pointed 
pubescent leaves. Its flowers, are freely produced in panicles, 
pale blue, with the exception of the lower lobe', which is of a 
violet hue. Burma. 
Lachenalia pendula. 
This is one of the handsomest and most robust of the species, 
forming a useful pot, plant, for the greenhouse. Its, pendulous 
flowers are produced densely on a stout spotted scape, 4 in. to 
9 in. high, and contrast well with the erect, 1 orate, dark green 
leaves. South Africa,. 
Euphorbia fulgens (syn. E. jacquiniaeflorab 
This favourite stove plant is too well known, to merit any 
description. Like E. pulcherrima (Pom sett ia) it is grown for 
its highly decorative bracts, which in pulcherrima are large, 
red, and leaf-like, whilst in this species they resemble a 
flower consisting of a five-cleft, limb of ebc-ordate segments and 
having at the mouth five roundish, bifid, serrated, buff- 
coloured c-ounivent scales. Mexico. 
CHmonanthus fragrans grand!floras. 
This, as its name- implies, is a larger-flowered form than 
the type, and decidedly the beet. The fragrant flowers of this 
plant, appropriately called Winter Sweet, are so acceptable to 
all that every endeavour should be made to have at least doe 
plant trained on a, south-west wall. China and Japan. 
New or Little Known Plants. 
Galanthus cilicicus. 
The number of species of Snowdrop still keeps increasing, 
and they require a very close inspection to detect their dis¬ 
tinguishing characteristics ; but, although these differences are 
not great, if they are constant they are valuable from a botani¬ 
cal point of view. The flowers of t-hisi species are white, with 
certain green marking®. The outer -segments are oblong, 
elliptic, and clawed at, the base. The short inner segments are 
obovate, -emarginate, wavy at the edge, and plicate longitu¬ 
dinally, with a heart-shaped, deep green blotch on both surfaces 
just under the apical notch, and then very pale lines running 
lengthways through the green. The leaves are strap-shaped, 
blunt, and of a, rich, glaucous hue. It is a native of Cilicia, and 
bulbs were -sent to' Kew in 1902 by Siehe, a notable collector of 
plants. 
Galanthus byzantinup. 
Bulbs of this species were sent to Kew from Constantinople 
by Z an ten last year, so that it might very well be distinguished 
under the title of the Constantinople Snowdrop. The outer 
segments of the flower are obovate-elliptic, gradually narrowed 
to' a, short claw, and wholly white. The inner segments are 
spa.thulate, emarginate, and stand erect, forming a very narrow 
tube, slightly plaited longitudinally. These are -also white, 
with a heart-shaped green band just below the epical notch on 
■the outer face, while at the base is another obovate dark green 
blotch. On the inner face are two green bands, commencing 
near the top, and uniting in one piece or patch above the 
middle, and running to the base of -the segments. The green’s 
also lined with white veins. The leaves are strap-shaped, with 
a longitudinal plait on either side of the mid-rib towards the 
margin. They are also of a deep glaucous hue. The species 
seems to combine the characters of G. plica,tus and G. Elwesii. 
Both of the -above species are now flowering in the alpine house 
at Kew. 
Colchicum sieheanum. 
The flower® of this species are of small size compared with 
those which we are more familiar with in the autumn, as they 
only stand 2 in. to 2|- in. above 1 the surface of the soil. The 
flower is pale rosy-purple, with a, deeper purple tube. The 
outer segments are job long, and the inner ones only about half 
the width. It -comes from Asia Minor, and is now flowering in 
the alpine house at Kew. It cannot be classed as an autumn 
flowering, species, and, although very pretty, it is also very 
small, and only suitable for pot culture, or planting on the 
rockery, should it prove hardy. 
Spiraea assurgens. 
This belongs to the section Sorbaria, and is therefore a shrub 
with pinnate leaves, recalling the Mountain Ash or other 
specie® of Service Tree. Seeds were collected in 1894 in the 
mountainous regions of Central China, and sent home as a 
species of Spiraea notable for its abundant flowering, and leaves 
like a, Sorbaria. In comparing it with S. lindleyana, it may be 
described as much more erect in habit, with, very numerous 
straight branches, each terminating in a large branching in¬ 
florescence of white flowers. A good-sized plant often carries 
more than thirty of these inflorescences, either in bloom or on 
the point of expansion. It is offered as a novelty by Messrs. 
Vilmorin-Andrieux et Cie, Paris. 
Fruit Machinery. —A large consignment of fruit-handling 
machinery is stated to be in course of delivery by the Anderson- 
Barngrover Manufacturing Co., California, to the order of the 
Rhodes Farm Co., Rhodesia. 
Roof Garden for Londoners.— In about eighteen months’ 
time Londoners will have a public roof garden. On the 8th ult. 
the London County Council passed the plans of the Westminster 
Electric Supply Co. for the erection of a generating station abut¬ 
ting upon Balderton Street and other Mayfair thoroughfares, 
with an Italian terrace and garden on the roof. The condition is 
imposed that the garden shall be laid out within eighteen months, 
and maintained for the use of the public for ever. 
