THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
August 9, 1913. 
blooms are ten inches across, and have a 
large number of broad petals. The colour 
is a soft rose-pink shade. Flowers are freely 
produced both early and late in the season, 
and they are sweetly scented. A.M., E.H.S., 
July 29. Leopold de Eothschild, Esq. (gar¬ 
dener, Mr. Jas. Hudson, V.M.H.), Gunners- 
bury House, Acton. 
NYMPHdEA ESCAEBONCLE. 
This comparatively recent introduction 
was also raised by M. Marliac. It has flowers 
of good size, and particularly brilliant 
colouring, the shade being very bright crim¬ 
son-red. It is one of the finest of richly- 
coloured water lilies. A.M., E.H.S. Leopold 
de Eothschild, Esq., Gunnersbury House, 
Acton. 
EOSE ANNIE CEAWFOEH. 
A splendid hybrid perpetual rose raised 
by Dr. J. Campbell Hall, of Eowantree 
House, Monaghan, Ireland. The parents are 
Mrs. J. Laing and Capt. Hayward. In size, 
substance, form, and breadth of petal this 
is an altogether fine rose, and one that ex¬ 
hibitors will welcome. It is of better form 
than Mrs. J. Laing, and the colour is soft, 
clear pink, but of a rosier shade than seen 
in Mrs. La’ing and similar roses. Fortunately 
this newcomer is sweetly scented. A.M., 
E.H.S., July 29. Mr. W. E. Hammond, 
Burgess Hill. 
CAENATION EOSY MOEN. 
A strong and free growing border variety 
with large full blooms of a pleasing and soft 
old rose colour. A.M., E.H.S., July 29. Mr. 
Jas. Douglas, Great Bookham. 
GLOXINIA, YEITCH^S STEAIN. 
A particularly fine strain of these popular 
flowers, including seifs, bicolors, and spotted 
forms, in a variety of colours. In shape, 
size, and erectness the flowers are first-rate. 
A.M., E.H.S., July 29. Messrs. Jas. Veitch 
and Sons, Chelsea. 
CLEMATIS TANGUTICA OBTUSIUSCULA. 
An interesting form with very elegant 
foliage and small yellow flowers, that do not 
appear to open out fully. Seeds were col¬ 
lected in 1911, in the Chow district of West 
Kansu, China, by Mr. Fenwick Owen. A.M., 
E.H.S., July *29. F. C. Stern, Esq., Goring- 
on-Sea. 
EED SUNFLOWEE. 
An interesting and striking annual ob¬ 
tained by crossing Helianthus aunuus with 
the red-zoned H. lenticularis ooronatus found 
in Colorado by Prof. Cockerell. : Messrs. Sut¬ 
ton and Sons have been selecting the strain 
very carefully, and expect shortly to secure 
over 90 percent, of “red” sunflowers true from 
seeds. The flowers have a blackish centre 
or disk, and the handsomest have a narrow 
yellow zone round the disk, then a wide 
band of bright red-brown, while the tips of 
the broad ray florets are bright yellow. 
Under bright sunshine the red colouring 
shows up most effectively. The leaves are 
purplish-green, and the stems of the richest 
hued forms are dark red-purple. A.M., 
E.H.S., July 29. Messrs. Sutton and Sons, 
Heading. 
SWEET PEAS. 
King White.—A fine white waved sweet 
pea that is destined to become very popular 
because of its purity, substance, and wavi¬ 
ness. It is the best wavy white variety, and 
was raised, we believe, by Mr. Alex. Mal¬ 
colm, of Duns. A.M., E.H.S., July 29. 
Messrs. Dobbie and Co., Edinburgh. 
True Lavender.—A light and bright laven¬ 
der-coloured variety. The shade of colour 
is most pleasing, and the flowers are nicely 
waved. A.M., E.H.S., July 29. Messrs 
Dobbie and Co., Edinburgh. 
GLADIOLI. 
Electra. — A very fine, large-flowered 
Childsi variety, with bold scarlet flowers 
borne in a stately spike. The lower inner 
segment has a cream-coloured base. F.C.C., 
E.H.S. and N.G.S., July 29. Messrs. P. 
Hopman and Sons, Hillegom, Holland. 
Prince of Wales.—A strong^owing, open- 
flowered form, with rich orange-salmon 
coloured flowers. A beautiful gladiolus. 
A.M., E.H.S. and N.G.S., July 29. Mr. C. 
van Zanten, Hillegom. 
Pink Perfection.—A refined flower of soft 
clear pink colour, the larger segments lightly 
flaked with deeper pink towards the margins. 
A.M., E.H.S., July 29. Messrs. P. Hopman 
and Sons. 
King of the Blues.—^This is the bluest of 
the blue gladioli, and the shade is velvety 
violet-purple. A striking flower. A.M., 
E.H.S. and N.G.S., July 29. Mr. K. Velt- 
huys, Hillegom. 
Liebesfeuer.—This is a large-flowered 
variety of rich coral-red colouring, with a 
faint line of purple down the centre of the 
lower segments. A.M., E.H.S. and N.G.S., 
July 29. Messrs, de Euyter, Noordwijk, Hol¬ 
land. 
Frank Paddleton,—Evidently a Childsi 
variety. The bold flowers are rich pink 
with a crimson blotch on each of the mid- 
lower segments. The individual flowers seem 
to be very short-lived. A.M., E.H.S. and 
N.G.S., July 29. Mr. P. Yos, Sassenheim, 
Holland. 
Incontestable.—A white variety, with a 
blotch of scarlet on the lower segments. 
A.M.. E.H.S. and N.G.S., July 29. Messrs. 
Alkemande and Co., Noordwijk, Holland. 
Loveliness.—This variety produces a splen¬ 
did spike, and the shapely flowers last well. 
The colour is light cream-yellow, with buff 
shading and some purple markings. A.M., 
E.H.S. and N.G.S., July 29. Messrs, de 
Euyter, Noordwijk. 
VARIATION AND 
ENVIRONMENT. 
This subject, touched upon in the interest¬ 
ing article by Mr. C. T. Druery, F.L.S., on 
page 492, will well bear a little discussion. 
TTie science of plant biology is hedged about 
by difficulties of a particularly stubborn 
nature, and it seems to me that a long time 
must eiapse before the sum of positive know¬ 
ledge concerning the variability of species 
will he materially increased. Many shades 
of opinion are held by clever thinkers, and 
nothing short of an extended series of very 
careful experiments and correctly-guided ob¬ 
servations can ever put the clue into our 
hands by which we may thread the labyrinth. 
At present, certain earnest workers are try¬ 
ing hard to construct something solid from 
the hazy nebula of theory, but so intricate 
is the problem they have set themselves that 
some of the most potent terms are probably 
still to be discovered. The student of plant 
variability Ts working almost in the dark; 
such glimmers of light as are borne in upon 
his labours are at b^t feeble and flickering, 
and may at times be positively deceiving. 
We often hear it advanced as a fundamen¬ 
tal proposition that in plants there is an in¬ 
herent tendency to vary. Now, I believe 
that the direct opposite is the case. No 
varietal difference ever occurs as the result 
of an innate directive force specially applied 
to that eud; on the contrary, I think that 
all natural tendencies in plant-growth com¬ 
bine to preserve the constancy and stability 
of a species. When a “ break ” occurs, it is 
always attributable to some influence operat¬ 
ing from without, but so subtle in its action 
that investigations have hitherto been fruit¬ 
less. A few wild species in their native 
habitat seem more inclined to vary than 
others—that is to say, their natural ten¬ 
dency to immutability is more easily broken 
down; but, on the whole, it is easy to per¬ 
ceive that a variety is an accident caused by 
some extraneous force acting on an indivi¬ 
dual specimen. 
I can, of course, only hazard a very ten¬ 
tative suggestion as to what the modifying 
agent may be; indeed, I suspect that there 
are several causes, which sometimes act 
singly, and sometimes in unison. We are 
aided somewhat in our pursuit of the variety¬ 
forming influences when we reflect that ther 
have been operating upon all forms of hit 
for untold ages, ever since the first speck* 
of neucleated protoplasm came into a liiekss 
world. They are, tUerefore, not new factor* 
but belong to all time. 
It is pretty certain, too, that varietiti 
sprang into existence in far greater nun- 
bers during the very early stages of evola- 
tion, when living structures were all oi 4 
comparatively simple kind. If this view be 
correct, we may advance the theory tkit 
the simpler the structure the more likely ig it 
to vary, because it is acted upon mow 
readily by the disturbing agent. Thus ooe 
would expect ferns To depart from the nor¬ 
mal type more frequently than tiowenng 
plants, and, on the same principle, mosse* 
and lichens should vary to a greater extent 
than ferns. As regards the unstable charac. 
ter of native ferns, as compared with wild 
species of flowering plants, Mr. DrucryV 
data seem fairly conclusive; what have tne 
students of mosses to say ? 
Coming to the main point, I would discard 
the idea that environment of itself is capable 
of changing in a permanent manner the 
form of a plant. Such modifications as maj 
be observed in a water-loving plant traiii- 
ferred to drier soil are but signs of physical 
distress, and I cannot think that unfavou- 
able symptoms of this sort can ever be tole¬ 
rated as a constant physiological characters, 
tic. It speaks peace where there is no peace. 
The variety-forming influence often select* 
one specimen from amongst many groinng 
under the same general conditions. Thi* 
does not point to environment as a cause. 
The change takes place in the very being or 
the plant, showing that the agent has pene¬ 
trated to the depths of its vital essenti K 
It seems to me that we can ‘, 
the phenomenon by supposing that a cnem 
cal disturbance and i«arrangeincnt ttl» 
place in the protoplasm of the , 
spore, and that morphological 
as a natural consequence. I do not ml' 
that an alteration in fu “t 4. 
the sole result. In fact, I 
modification of external members » W 
visible sign of a vastly *5° ^arwm tr«l' 
economic deviation within. As D 
states, “the nature of the bond of coml ^ 
tion is very frequently 
would go further and say t^ . *itk 
constitutional change, g ^ sealed 
altered form in a variety, is anvay 
book. Tliat is, we have chario- 
ascertaining the new consti^t 
teristics which are, in all cas^ 
a varietal departure from 
hiddf'en <^orrelati^ really 
the fresh-comer shall oust ite P . , 
it shall exist side by side 
form, or whether it shall sune 
Although the production of aoub' 
ties is ap^rently l^^phazard, E is ^ 
governed by an inexorable ligkl 
thought that the chemma^ 
may play a part. Me kno vegel*^ 
cises a peculiar ^^?^®^^j.in^ircunista®S 
cells, and, perhaps, in individuals^ 
it may chemically embryonic 
germ-^11, thus modifying ^ 
and subsequent growth. 
Elkington Hall Gardens. 
Achimenes 
mones is also known 
and widely removed from J g^all 
forms of achimenes, which have 
rhizomes, whereas this to . 
after the manner of for 
It is a very pretty t erect 
greenhouse, pushing up ^ ^ height, t 
eighteen inches to two ^ several l^ 
upper portion of which be 
flowers. Individually ^licse the 
about one and a-half inc ^'diite- 
panded mouth, and of J j-jng exaiuP . 
group of ten or a dozen sub^; 
associated with some J’f^ature."^'' 
