196 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
It was exhibited in the Horticultural Society’s rooms, and excited admir¬ 
ation from the beauty of the blossoms, which consist in the dark purple 
comb-like parts half covering the Lamium-like violet flowers. The leaves 
are large and drooping, of a lanceolate form, and dark green ; the plant con¬ 
tinues flowering during the spring and summer months. — Bot. Mag . 
4176. 
Lobeliace^e. — Pentandria Monogynia. 
Siphocampylos coccineus. This is perhaps the most beautiful of the genus 
which has yet been introduced to our stoves. It was sent from the Organ 
Mountains, Brazil, by Mr. W. Lobb, one of the botanical collectors of Mr. 
Veitch, in whose nursery at Exeter it first showed its large and scarlet 
flowers, in June, 1845. It is treated as a stove plant, and, as cultivated by 
Mr. Veitch, is not sparing of blossoms. — Bot. Mag. 4178. 
Cactaceje. — Icosandria Monogynia. 
Echinocactus myriostigma. One of the most singular of the curious 
family of Cactacece, and still considered a rarity in collections ; first described 
by Lemaire in 1839, but from very imperfect specimens, of which even the 
native country was not known, but which presented such remarkable cha¬ 
racters, independent of flowers and fruit, that he ventured to constitute of it 
a genus, under the appropriate name of Astrophytum. The flowers, however, 
(for we are still ignorant of the fruit,) seem to present no characteristic 
marks to distinguish it from Echinocactus, and I venture to follow the 
Prince de Salm-Dyck in considering it to form a section of that extensive 
genus which he has called Asteroidei. We owe the possession of our speci¬ 
men in the Royal Gardens to F. Staines, Esq., of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. 
The plant, eventually attaining a height of a foot, and probably more, is at 
first rotund, in age becoming more oblong, umbilicated at the top, the sides 
formed of five or six deep furrows, and as many broad projecting angles; 
the whole surface covered with white, scale-like dots, which, when carefully 
examined, are seen to be formed of matted and, as it were, interwoven hairs. 
The keel of the angles is not sharp, but flattened, as if cut off with a knife; 
and this is occupied by closely-placed transvetsely-oblong areolae, filled with 
a floccose substance, but bearing no spines. In the umbilicus alone, whence 
the flowers appear, there are a few small brown rigid setae rather than spines. 
The flowers are aggregated at the top of the plant, rather small, of a deli¬ 
cate straw-colour, sepals closely imbricated, oblong, tipped with a black 
point and a mucro ; petals resembling them, but longer, arranged nearly in 
one series, linear-, acute, but not mucronate nor sphacelate at the tip. — 
Bot. Mag. 4177. 
Orchidace^:. — Gynandria. Monandria. 
Epidendrum radicans, syn. E. rhizophorum. This elegant species belongs to 
that section of Epidendrum named Amphiglottium distinguished by “ the 
long leafy stem with distichous leaves, the want of every tendency to form 
pseudo-bulbs, a terminal peduncle covered with close sheaths, and a labellum 
entirely united to the column.*’ Its name is obtained from the singular cir¬ 
cumstance that the plant produces a root upon the stem opposite each leaf. 
The first plants were received in England in 1839 from Guatemala. Mi* 
Skinner says its habit is terrestrial, growing among long grass and dried 
leaves. It is a lovely plant, with dense heads of bright vermilion and 
yellow flowers. — Pax. Mag. Bot. 
Bolbophyllum umbellatum. A pretty species, from Nepal. Lt has pale 
straw-coloured flowers, spotted with purple. Originally found in 1821. — 
Bot. Reg. 44—45. 
