February 4, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
67 
he 0ardening\!i^brld. 
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editorial notes 
’assion Flower for the Nerves. 
Our contemporary “ Health ” says that 
nost sleep-producing drugs leave after- 
ffects which are bad, and lead the victim to 
acquire a habit for them. It says, however, 
that a recent discovery points to a Passion 
Flower, which is quite common in the United 
States, as capable of giving the patient sleep 
without after bad effects like other drugs. 
The root is dried, ground to powder, and 
soaked in alcohol and water to extract the 
valuable medicinal ingredient, which is a 
resin. This, however, must be taken at a 
certain time of the year, otherwise it will 
be worthless. A moderate quantity will kill 
a horse at flowering time, though at any 
other season an unlimited quantity may be 
eaten with impunity. The medicine can 
only be compounded by a skilful apothecary, 
and should be taken only on a physician's 
prescription as a nerve soother and sleep 
producer. Tlie name of this remarkable 
plant is Passiflora incarnata, which has 
ymllow fruits about, the size of a hen’s egg. 
Two species are recorded under this name, 
but the first one named by Linnaeus, is a 
native of Tropical America, and the Southern 
United States. The other one is more cor¬ 
rectly named P. edulis, and comes from 
Brazil. 
Southampton Royal Horticultural Society. 
The annual report of this society for 1904 
is now on our table, and shows that it is still 
keeping up its former reputation. In addi¬ 
tion to its summer and autumn shows, it 
also conducts a Carnation show, originally 
started by the Southern Counties Carnation 
Society. The statement of accounts for last 
year shows that the society spent more upon 
the summer show than it received in return. 
In the case of the Carnation show, however, 
the receipts exceeded the expenditure by 
some pounds. The autumn show was rather 
an expensive one by comparison with the 
receipts. The society, nevertheless, has a 
balance in hand of £1G 14s. lid., with no 
liabilities. Prizes are offered in fifty-three 
classes for this year’s summer show, to he 
held on June 28th and 29th. The schedule 
embraces classes for groups of miscel¬ 
laneous plants, and classes for smaller 
numbers of different tilings. The feature 
of the cut flowers will he Roses. Fruit and 
vegetables have a number of classes allo¬ 
cated to them. The Carnation show will be 
held on July' 18th, and a large number of 
prizes is offered in thirty-six classes for the 
florist’s flowers, in its various sections, ar¬ 
ranged in usual exhibition style, while other 
classes provide for decorative arrangements 
of Carnations. The Chrysanthemum show 
will be held on October 31st and the follow¬ 
ing day. Numerous prizes are here again 
offered in fifty-seven classes. 
Two New Varieties of Arabis. 
Illustrations of two new varieties of 
Arabis alhida are driven in tlie “ Revue de 
PHorticulture Beige ” for January. The 
first one is a variegated variety of Arabis 
alhida flore pleno, although our contemporary 
prefers to use the name A. alpina, to indi¬ 
cate the species. The full length of the 
name, as here given, is Arabis alpina flore 
pleno foliis variegatis. This is certainly 
sufficiently lengthy, hut the plant appears to 
he an acquisition all the same. Tlie colour 
of the variegation is not here stated, hut 
we presume it is similar to that of the or¬ 
dinary single form of A. alhida so plentiful 
in this country, and describable as a creamy- 
wliite band round the edge of each leaf. 
The flowers are double, in the same way as 
the green-leaved form now so widely spread 
in this country. The flowers are produced 
in abundance in spring, but in a moist, warm 
autumn, especially after a dry summer, the 
plant blooms a second time. The variega¬ 
tion is here stated to remain good through¬ 
out the year, thus making the plant a very 
useful one. Tlie other new variety 7 is named 
A.a. grandiflora superba, and differs from 
the ordinary form in having much larger 
white flowers resembling those of a Verbena. 
The stalks of these flowers are 5 in. to 6 in. 
in length, and are very effective when pro¬ 
duced in a mass above tlie green foliage. 
Both varieties are being put into commerce 
by the Arm of W. Pfitzer, of Stuttgart, who 
recommends them for the spring decoration 
of gardens. 
The Ceriman (Tornelia fragrans), 
From Porto Rico, a correspondent of tlie 
“ American Botanist ” writes concerning the 
prospects and tlie features of the above 
plant. He say's he fell in love with it at 
first sight, in the dank jungles of Southern 
Mexico, where the plant embraces sturdy old 
trees merely for support, and never stoops 
to parasitism. The only fault of the 
fruit, he says, is that it is too rich, too aro¬ 
matic, and too fragrant, combining the rich¬ 
ness of the Banana with the perfume of the 
Pineajiple. It has a delightful way of dis¬ 
closing its whereabouts when one is riding 
through the forest at night, as the strong 
scent of the fruits can be detected fifty yards 
away. Under cultivation the plant is be¬ 
having splendidly in Trinidad, and the writer 
thinks that, if they have their way, Porto 
Rico will be able to send fruits to New York 
within two or three years. That is a long 
time to wait for a crop of fruit, but no doubt 
when once the plants have attained the fruit¬ 
ing state they will continue to hear re¬ 
munerative crops for an indefinite period of 
years, provided the market is equal to the 
supply'. 
—o— 
The Lenten Roses 
The various species of Helleborus, other 
than H. niger, are struggling bravely to keep 
their time of flowering, and will keep up a 
long succession between now and March. 
