scarcely leaving room for a leaf. Indeed, but few leaves appear; perhaps not more than half-a- 
dozen on each of the branches. The flowers are very small, pink and white, but surrounded with, 
a large shell-like calyx, as we have attempted to show in the engraving. Underneath each calyx 
is a singular whorl of spines. The plant has a strong smell of balm. It is a very curious plant,, 
and has attracted much attention wherever shown. 
DOUBLE SCABIOSA. 
Almost every one is acquainted with the old-fashioned flower, the Sweet Scabiosa, or Mourning 
Bride. This flower remained without improvement for at least a century, and up to within a very 
few years, but the 
improvement has 
been rapid and 
important. T h e 
new varieties are 
more compact in 
habit than the old 
sorts, while the 
flowers are more 
dense, the head 
being covered 
with fully devel¬ 
oped dowel's quite 
to the center. We 
give an engraving 
of one of the bet¬ 
ter sort, which we picked in the autumn, after several severe frosts. The plant is so hardy that 
those that have not been exhausted by flowering will often endure the winter and flower freely the 
second summer. The Scabiosa will never take a very high rank among our floral treasures, but 
will always have a good many friends, and these we know will be pleased with a truthful repre¬ 
sentation of one of the newest and best varieties. Scabiosa has been so long in cultivation that 
its native country is unknown. The doubling of the Scabiosa is simply the enlargement of the 
central flowers, as will be seen by the illustrations we give of the old and the double flowers. 
THE BULBOUS BEGONIA. 
All our readers are acquainted with the Begonia family, so deservedly popular, rendered so- 
by the elegantly marked and colored foliage, which characterize so many of its members. Within, 
a few years a new class has been intro¬ 
duced to the floricultural world, called 
New Bulbous Begonias , and we believe 
all grown by L. Van Houtte, of Bel¬ 
gium. These new Begonias may be 
treated like Dahlias or Gladioli, the 
bulbs being planted in the spring in the 
open ground, producing fine plants and 
flowering freely until autumn. The plants 
are from a foot to eighteen inches in 
height, quite branching, and always in 
flower. They 
bear the sun 
without inju¬ 
ry. In north¬ 
ern climates 
it is well to 
pot the bulbs 
so as to give them a good start before setting out. Indeed, this would be good practice any¬ 
where. The bulb appears as shown in the engraving, and is some two inches across. The large 
engraving shows the appearance of a strong plant. As we have had this new Begonia in our 
18 
