flower, and some other peculiarities, if we remember correctly, to I. insignis, noticed in Vol. I, pp. 350, 384. The leaves are trilobed cordate-subrotund; peduncles many, in aggregate clusters; corolla subcampanulate. "The flowers open in the morning." It is stated to be "not uncommon" in collections, under the name Aitoni. Native country unknown. Increased freely by seeds. (Bot. Reg., Oct.) CC. Polemoniacea.

PHLOX (from flame, on account of the brilliancy of the blossoms in some of the species). Drummondi Hooker Mr. Drummond's Phlox. An annual Plant; growing from one to two feet high; color of the flowers brilliant red or purple; appearing in September; a native of the Texas; introduced in 1835; propagated by seeds. Bot. Mag., t. 3441.

This is stated to be annual, only, in its duration,-a peculiarity in the genus Phlóx, as nearly or quite all the species are perennial. It is very splendid. The seeds were sent to England in the spring of 1835, by Mr. Drummond, whose death was noticed in I, p. 466, who discovered it in that fertile country, the Texas. The plants "blossomed most copiously, and with equal profusion and brilliancy of color, whether in the green-house or in the open border," the same season. The flowers appear in terminal corymbs; the under side of the petals of a pale purple, and the upper of several tints, from rosy red to deep red and purple, varying on different plants; the eye of a deep crimson. Dr. Hooker has named it in honor of the lamented botanist, to whose zeal and researches the botanical world are indebted for this and numerous other choice and beautiful plants. (Bot. Mag., Oct.)

GILIA

achillefolia Bentham Milfoil-leaved Gilia. An annual plant; growing about a foot high; flowers blue; appearing all summer; a native of California. Bot. Mag., t. 3440.

This pretty species, which has flowered in this vicinity the past season, and which has been frequently noticed, was discovered by Mr. Douglas, in North California. It resembles G. capitàta, but the flowers are larger and more conspicuous. (Bot. Mag., Oct.)

PRIMULA.

CCVII. Primulacea.

A seedling variety of the Chinese primrose, Primula prænitens var. purpùrea fimbriàta, raised by Mr. Thomas Dunlap, gardener to Wm. G. Buckner, Esq., Bloomingdale, N. Y., we have now in bloom at our garden. To Mr. Dunlap's kindness, we are indebted for this fine plant. It is of much stronger growth than the parent variety, the flowers more numerous, and much larger, and each petal finely cut or fringed in the manner of Caméllia fimbriàta. It is also a very profuse flowerer.

MIMULUS.

CCXI. Scrophularínea.

Mimulus luteus var. varigàtus is figured in the Botanical

Register for October. Dr. Lindley thinks it the "prettiest of the genus." The seed sown in a damp place, under the shade of a wall or fence, not fully exposed to the sun, it grows vigorously, and flowers beautifully in May and June. In a bright sun, it becomes a poor dwindling thing, not worth cultivation." From the latter cause, we believe, all the mimuluses are not truly estimated: we know of few more elegant or more desirable plants than these, when properly grown; and, if pains are taken with their cultivation, they amply repay the trouble.

SCHIZAʼNTHUS.

Schizanthus pinnàtus var. hùmilis is figured in Paxton's Magazine of Botany for October. It is a charming dwarf variety, raised from seeds, collected in Chili, in the garden of the Compte de Vandes, Bayswater, in 1831. We received the seeds of a variety last season, marked diffùsus, which we suspect are the same. We have plants which will be in bloom in a few weeks: they are very dwarf in their growth.

GLADIOLUS.

MONOCOTYLEDONOUS PLANTS.

CCXXXIX. Irideæ.

Gladiolus pudibúndus, a hybrid variety, between G. cardinàlis and G. blándus, is figured in Paxton's Magazine of Botany for October. It is a lovely variety, flowering with great freedom in the green-house for a long time the color of the flowers is a delicate rose, shaded into white near the base of the petals. It is yet rare.

CCXL. Orchidea.

We are extremely happy in being able to state that Mr. Wilder, of Hawthorn Grove, Dorchester, is enriching his collection with this curious and truly splendid family of plants. He has already several oncidiums, Renánthera coccinea, some bletias maxillarias, epidendrums, dendrobiums, &c. In our future numbers, we intend to notice some of the finest of the Orchideæ, figured in the London periodicals, as they will now be objects of much interest.

CA'NNA

CCXLI.

Scitamineæ.

glauca Willd. var. rubro-lùtea Hook. Reddish yellow-flowered. A stove perennial; growing five feet high; flowers red and yellow; appearing in August; a native of Jamaica. Bot. Mag., t. 3437.

"Among the handsomest of the genus." The foliage is very fine; the blossoms large, red, and orange yellow color. (Bot. Mag., Oct.)

ART. VIII. Calls at Gardens and Nurseries.

WE resume our calls at the various gardens in the vicinity, believing our accounts of them to be among the most interesting portions of our Magazine. From the number of communications with which we have lately been so kindly favored, we have been obliged to exclude this article, that our correspondents might be accommodated. We hope, however, from time to time, to have the opportunity of keeping our readers informed of every thing new relating to horticuitare or floriculture.

Brookline, Seat of the Hon. T. H. Perkins.-Jan. 20. We were unfortunate in calling when Mr. Cowan, the gardener, was not at home. A young lad, however, who has been for some time under his direction, and to whom the keys of the houses, as well as their care, are oftentimes entrusted, and who has acquired much knowledge in relation to forcing and gardening generally, showed us through the different departments, and was very apt in answering any questions we asked in relation to the plants. In the green-house, the plants have not yet begun to flower very profusely, and consequently we found not so much worthy of note. Owing to the intense cold during the month of December, and the dull, cloudy, wet weather which has prevailed nearly up to this date, during this month, the plants, at all places we have visited, have made but little growth, and show but few flower buds. Among the camellias here, we found in bloom, in addition to the double striped, Lady Hume's blush, myrtle-leaved, pompone-flowered, Greville's red and double white, the latter having expanded over fifty blossoms, Cliveiùna, Róssi, Elphinstònia, Egertònia, gloriosa, compácta, punctàta, ròsa sinensis, Préssi, and one or two others, the names of which we could not ascertain, and which were new to us. C. j. Cliveiùna is a beautiful variety: the flower fully expanded would measure at least five inches across: the color is similar to Woodsi, as is also the form, with this difference, that it is not so cup-shaped; the petals are few, but very large some of the smaller ones in the centre are faintly striped with white: punctata is in flower, for the first time here; we think it inferior to eclipsis; the flower on Elphinstònia was a coral red, without a blotch of white: Róssi is a splendid kind. The fine plant of Enkianthus quinqueflòra, in this collection only, is now in full bloom, and a more charmingly beautiful display we have never been gratified with: the end of every shoot, twelve in number, is terminated with an umbel of its pendulous, bell-shaped, waxlike flowers. We were surprised to notice, in Loudon's Magazine for October, that it had never flowered but once in the vicinity of London: even the Messrs. Loddiges, from whose unrivalled collection this plant was purchased, have not yet been successful in blooming it. Strelitzia augústa does not yet show buds. The new flowered sage, Sálvia involucrata, was in bloom, as also fúlgens and spléndens; Antholyza ethiopica was displaying a spike of its pretty orange and red blossoms. Sparmannia africàna, and Acàcia longifolia, were beginning to open their buds. We noticed that Mr. Cowan raises his ericas in the centre of the pots, as recommended by that excellent cultivator, Mr. McNab, in his treatise on Cape heaths. Notwithstanding the opinion of some intelligent gardeners, that heaths cannot be grown with success in our climate, we never saw any look more flourishingly.

Under the stage, Mr. Cowan has cut fine mushrooms all the winter: he had a bed built up, which he sowed with spawn, early in the fall: the crop has been very large, and he continues to cut several every week. We wonder that they are not more grown. Their cultivation is very simple, and easily within the means of any one who has a dry cellar or shed, where the frost does not penetrate. The spawn can be

placed in boxes, or upon beds made on purpose; either way, they will. produce sufficient for a small family.

The grape-house, next to the green-house, heated by A. M. Perkins's system of small inch pipes, Mr. Cowan began to force the first of the month: some of the eyes are just breaking: nothing can surpass this method for early forcing; the heat is completely at command. It can also be left with as much safety through the night as the system of large pipes. It is now much adopted in houses about London. The small house in the garden, from which the first fruit was cut last season, was also in about as forward a state as this.

In the forcing ground, but little has yet been done; some dung beds are being made, for the purpose of planting cucumbers, &c. The pits have not yet any thing planted in them.

Belmont Place, Watertown, J. P. Cushing, Esq.-Jan. 21. We were here also unfortunate in finding Mr. Haggerston, the gardener, confined to his bed by sickness. We are happy, however, in being able to state that he is much better, and will probably be able to attend to his duties in the course of two or three weeks. We walked through the range of houses, and noted down what we thought interesting, but presume many fine things escaped our observation, which he would have pointed out to us. In the green-house, E'pacris paludòsa, purpuràcens and grandiflora were in full bloom: they are all exquisite plants. E. paludosa is, we suspect, flowering for the first time here. Corræ a pulchella, two or three plants of, beautifully in bloom; Arbutus Andráchne is coming into flower; nearly every shoot is terminated with an umbel of its delicate white tubulous blossoms; it is a fine green-house shrub: Metrosidèros floribúnda, Pittosporum undulatum, the large Acàcia lophántha, and Azàlea ledifòlia, were finely in flower: Erica arborea and speciosa (?), with some other species, were in beautiful bloom. A variety of camellia is in flower, which goes under the name of cordifolia (?); it is somewhat similar to the double striped, but much more beautiful; we have never seen any thing of the kind in other collections, neither do we find the name in any catalogue; the flowers of the double white, &c., had been mostly cut. The schizanthuses, with the exception of a plant or two, have not yet begun to show their flowers; S. diffùsus, Hookèri, and retùsus, of which there are several plants, are growing finely. An abundance of several species of O'xalis are displaying their pretty blossoms; and pots of mignonette perfume the house.-The grape-house, between the green-house and stove, Mr. Haggerston intends to plant with the larger specimens of rhododendrons, camellias, &c., and one of the former had already been planted by his direction: preparations were also making to set out another fine specimen of the same, and a large white camellia. The object is to make a conservatory. The grapes, after they have produced this year's crop, will be taken out, and probably their place supplied with some kinds of ornamental climbers. We much approve of this: nothing, in our opinion, takes away so much from the beauty of a fine plant, as to see it elevated upon a stage, where its flowers can scarcely be seen, and where the elegance of the foliage cannot be viewed. We hope this plan will be more adopted. In the stoves the plants are in a very flourishing condition, and several rare species will be in flower in a few weeks. Euphórbia Poinsettii is now displaying its magnificent, showy, and vivid scarlet bracteæs, some of which are nearly twenty inches in diameter: on one plant, we counted seven shoots, all of which were terminated with bracteas and blossoms. A pot of orchideous plants, containing several pseudo-bulbs, which we took to be a species of Blètia, had thrown up five or six spikes of beautiful purplish flowers. Combretum purpureum is growing very vigorously, and will, in the course of a few weeks, have VOL. II. NO. II.

9

expanded a number of its racemes of exquisitely ornamental scarlet crimson blossoms: it has already grown upwards of eight feet. Hibiscus rosa sinensis var. rùbra plèna and lutea plèna have been all summer, and are now in full bloom: hundreds of flowers, we presume, have been cut, during the season, from two plants set in the back of the pine pit. Gésnera corymbosa we now saw for the first time, as also Plumbago ròsea: the latter is a charming species, which should be introduced to every collection: its mode of inflorescence is different from capénsis, the flowers appearing in dense racemes. That delicate little stove climber, Thunbergia grandiflora, had one or two flowers expanded. Of the more rare plants that will flower here during this month, we noted Astrapæ a Wallichii, and Solándra grandiflòra, the former having two fine buds: we lately understood that a large specimen in the unique collection of Mr. J. W. Knevel's, of Newburgh, N. Y., formerly belonging to Mr. Smith, of Philadelphia, would flower this winter, which it was supposed, would be the first in the country. We feel gratified in stating that we possess, in our vicinity, a plant which will also expand two of its said to be surpassingly splendid blossoms. The Solándra is a fine plant, and every branch is terminated with a bud. Amaryllis pulvurulénta psittacina is coming into flower: it is one of the finest in the collection here. Ardísia crenulata, with its umbels of berries, was exceedingly interesting: several pots of lachenalias are throwing up spikes of flower buds: in one of the stoves, a number of pots of moss roses and Persian lilacs are being brought forward to flower in the green-house.

The Passiflora quadrangulàris, which we have noticed before, is still growing vigorously, and is covered with buds and blossoms. The pine plants are looking better than we have ever observed them: since we were here last, an increase has been made to the stock, which, we should suppose, amounted now to nearly two hundred plants: some are almost large enough to show blossoms. The collection of Amaryllidea is very large. Mr. Haggerston has two or three hundred seedlings of the Amaryllis, raised from different species, which were cross impregnated. He will undoubtedly have some five varieties. We hope more attention will be given to this beautiful tribe than heretofore: they will richly repay all the trouble of their cultivation. A species of Mimosa was very pretty, with small globular heads of sulphur-colored flowers. We believe Mr. Cushing has a fine collection of hyacinths, ixias, &c.: some of the former were planted in small pots, and placed in the stove to force them into bloom. The utmost neatness is preserved throughout the different departments.

In the forcing ground, one hot bed only has been yet built. The numerous brick pits have cabbages, &c., wintered in them, which will soon be removed, and cucumbers, melons, lettuces, radishes, &c., planted. Owing to the absence of Mr. Haggerston from the grounds, not quite so much has been effected as usual.

Oakley Place, Wm. Pratt, Esq.-Mr. McLennan is here keeping the house as cool as possible, in order that the grape vines shall not be injured. From this cause, but few plants are in bloom, and we found not much interesting to notice. There are here sonte fine plants of that old but handsome species of heath, Erica medeterrànea: they were in full bloom. We would ask the question, if the trial has ever been made, whether this species will stand our winters in a sheltered situation, in the shrubbery, perhaps a little protected a year or two after first planted out. We have understood that the pomegranate Punica Granàtum var. plèno coccinea, well known as a green-house plant, stood the winter unprotected in the vicinity of Newburgh, N. Y.; this erica is, we presume, as hardy. Both bear the climate of England without injury. We hope that more attention will be given to the naturalization of 'many of our