n8 
London  Botanic  Gardens. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I     March,  1906. 
The  conservatory  is  chiefly  used  for  the  display  of  ornamental 
plants,  but  it  also  includes  a  few  that  are  of  medicinal  interest,  such 
as  various  species  of  Aloe  ;  Cereus  grandiftorus,  Mill. ;  lllicium  verum, 
Hook.  f. ;  Peumus  Boldus,  Molina;  several  of  the  rubber-yielding 
plants;  various  Eucalypti;  Nopalea  coccinellifera,  Salm-Dyck ; 
Musa  sapientum,  L.,  and  varieties,  etc.  In  connection  with  the 
last-named  genus,  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that  it  was  from  a  plant 
grown  in  this  conservatory  that  the  late  Queen  Victoria  tasted  the 
banana  for  the  first  time.  At  the  rear  of  the  conservatory,  to  the 
east,  there  is  a  glass  corridor  flanking  the  exhibition  ground  on  the 
east,  and  leading  out  to  the  gate  at  the  north  end  of  the  gardens ; 
this  is  used  for  educational  and  other  exhibitions  from  time  to  time. 
It  is  ornamented  with  creepers  up  the  sides  and  roof,  and  with  a  row 
of  camellias  on  each  side,  which  can  be  removed  while  exhibitions 
are  being  held — otherwise  it  is  unoccupied. 
In  addition  to  the  economic  houses  and  conservatory,  and  situ- 
ated between  them,  there  are  houses  for  the  accommodation  of 
filmy  ferns,  succulents,  ferns,  orchids,  etc.,  and  a  large  Victoria 
Regia  House,  opening  into  the  corridor  of  the  conservatory.  These, 
with  the  exception  of  the  succulent  house,  contain  no  plants  of 
medicinal  interest,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  last-named  which  is 
not  equally  well  represented  in  the  Economic  Houses.  Other  adjuncts 
of  this  section  of  the  gardens  are  propagating  houses  and  frames,  a 
plant  hospital,  potting  sheds,  etc. 
The  secretary's  house,  and  the  adjoining  museum,  which  is  also 
used  as  a  council-room  and  as  a  fellows'  meeting-room,  was  erected 
in  1 85 1  to  take  the  place  of  the  cottage  of  wood  and  brick  men- 
tioned above.  The  specimens  in  the  museum  were  at  first  entirely 
educational  in  character ;  these  have  been  retained  and  added  to, 
and  comprise  an  interesting  series,  illustrating  the  natural  history 
of  plants.  In  the  course  of  time,  however,  this  special  collection  has 
developed  into  a  general  botanic  and  economic  one ;  it  comprises  a 
goodly  collection  of  drugs,  including  a  series  of  the  different  varie- 
ties of  aloes,  tea  and  india-rubber,  and  a  sample  from  the  first  con- 
signment of  gutta-percha  brought  into  this  country ;  the  collection 
of  gums  and  gum-resins  is  an  extensive  one,  as  is  also  that  of  vege- 
table oils  and  fats.  Of  secondary  interest  to  us  are  the  collections 
of  tropical  fruits  and  vegetables,  of  woods  and  dyes,  and  those  of 
tanning  materials,  fibres  and  fibre-plants  and  cereals.    In  addition 
