100 
NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 
fibrous-rooted evergreen stove-climber, having the old stems nearly round, and covered with a slightly 
verrucose bark of a grey colour. The young shoots are slender dark red, and deeply channelled. The 
joints are furnished with a pair of blunt scales, pale green in the centre, and margined with pink. The 
tendrils are inserted opposite the leaves, and when fully grown are about six inches long, unequally 
divided near their extremities and of a transparent rose colour. The leaves are alternate, cordate at 
the base, serrated, acuminate, with the veins reticulated; the larger ones seven and a-half inches in 
length, by three and a-half inches at the widest part, but the medium-sized ones are about six inches 
by three : the petiole is from two to three inches 
long, channelled, and of the same colour as the 
young shoots. The under surface is a dark 
reddish purple, and on the upper surface the 
colours are disposed as follows:—First, there 
is a velvety band with an undulating margin 
down the centre, of a rich violet purple, cover¬ 
ing one-third of the entire surface, widest at 
the base, and gradually tapering towards the 
point of the leaf; from this ramify smaller 
bands down the side ribs, olive green, and be¬ 
coming beautifully interlaced at their extremi¬ 
ties. s The spaces between these ribs are raised, 
giving the leaf the appearance of having been 
embossed, and, in colour, resemble a lustrous 
pearl, stained (especially next the central band) 
with granulated purplish lake. The entire leaf, 
including the serratures, is surrounded with a 
well-defined narrow belt of lake. When the 
leaves become old the ribs are all margined 
with grass green, and the spaces between them 
“ silvery grey.” As the plant is a tolerably 
quick grower, and consequently has leaves in 
all stages of growth at the same time, this rather 
adds to, than detracts from, its merits as an 
ornamental plant, by increasing the variety of 
colour. 
However many vegetable beauties may still 
flourish unseen in the almost impenetrable 
forests and jungles of the East, certainly the 
Cissus discolor is by far the most striking 
variegated plant that has hitherto been seen 
in this country. The peculiar “ metallic” hue 
of the leaves, when viewed as a whole, is not to 
be found elsewhere, except it is among the endless colours of the Humming Birds. 
It may be urged that as those plants which have highly coloured, or otherwise, handsome foliage, 
have generally less attractive flowers, and are consequently of little importance for decorative purposes; 
but let any who has not done so try the experiment of arranging their plants (whether in the stove, 
green-house, or conservatory), not so as to form an uninterrupted mass of flowers, but with a propor¬ 
tionate number (not less than one-third) of plants having ornamental foliage regardless of their 
flowers interspersed, and the improved effect will be apparent. They impart that rich tropical ap¬ 
pearance to a collection which is at once appreciated by a person of taste, and the foliage of the 
majority being persistent, they are equally attractive at all seasons. 
CISSV:: KISCOLOR. 
S' 
