tered, and so peculiarly tinged with yellow as to appear as if slightly powdered with gold-dust. Interesting and curious.

NIGRA, The black-leaved ivy (syn. Willseana).-A dark form of pustulata, the leaves less blistered, the veins less distinctly marked, the colour much darker in the summer, and in winter deepening to almost black. This variety was received from Mr. Wills, of Edgbaston; it has always been constant in its characters. It is figured on page 72, and in the coloured plate at page 62.

CONTRACTA, Contracted-leaved ivy (syn. Sagittæ folia, Taurica, Helix minor.)— A pretty small-growing variety in the way of Gracilis; the leaves very variable in form, many of them resembling those of the typical helix, others much contracted and approaching the outline of an arrow-head. Figured at page 73.

SCUTIFOLIA, Escutcheon-shaped-leaved ivy (syn. Cordata).—A distinct but unattractive variety: it is not robust in growth. The leaves are of medium size, roundish triangular, or obscurely three-lobed, dull green, the veins obscurely marked. Figured at page 74.

DELTOIDEA, The blunt triangular ivy (syn. Rhomboidea-obovata latifolia).—One of the most distinct and peculiar in the collection, and, though a dull unattractive plant, strikingly interesting to an amateur in ivies. The stem is purplish and rather stout, the leaves rather distant, stiffly and uniformly set; in form bluntly deltoid or shield-shaped, usually overlapping at the base, a character quite unique. In substance the leaves are leathery, in colour blackish-green, changing in autumn to a sombre purplish bronze. Figured at page 75.

CINEREA, The grey-leaved ivy (syn. Himalaica).-Very distinct and interesting; scarcely robust, but growing freely. The leaves are smallish and peculiar in form and colour; in some instances they are three-lobed and nearly triangular, in others the central lobe is prolonged, and has a few sharp subsidiary lobes and notches on the side; the colour is greyish-green, the lines of the principal veins being a lighter grey than the blade, and inclining to a milky hue. most tender variety in the section, a severe winter damaging its considerably. Figured at page 76.

This is the

appearance

TRILOBA, The three-lobed-leaved ivy (syn. Baccifera lutea).-A neat variety, selected from a batch of seedlings of the yellow-berried ivy. The leaves are usually three-lobed, dark green and glossy. The leaf selected for the figure on page 76

presented a remarkably sharp outline. The figure at page 84 represents its ordinary character.

PALMATA, The palmate-leaved iry.-A neat, rather slow-growing variety, with

Contracta.

I

medium-sized three- to five-lobed leaves, which tend to a palmate appearance, owing to the breadth of the base and the obliqueness of the side lobes.

Scutifolia.

It belongs to a distinct group of three, consisting of palmata, crenata, and digitata, in all which there are points of resemblance; nevertheless they are quite distinct when they attain maturity, though they resemble each other closely when young. The colour of this variety is a dull deep green. Figured at page 77.

CRENATA, Wrinkled-leaved ivy (syn. Palmata, Vitifolia, Digitata, Digitata nova).This is intermediate in form and colour between palmata and digitata. The leaves are broad, usually five-angled and digitate, but less distinctly so than those of digitata; the edges are much crenated, and the colour is a light grass-green. A handsome free-growing variety. Figured at page 79.

DIGITATA, Finger-leaved ivy (syn. Palmata, Crenata, Pennsylvanica).-The finest variety in this group, and easily distinguished from the other two by its more decided digitate outline, and its fine dark blackish green colour, on which the whitish veins show up brightly. It grows freely, making a fine pot-plant, and is pre-eminently adapted for a ruin. Figured at page 80.

The three closely related varieties-palmata, crenata, and digitata-are so mixed up and confounded together at the nurseries that it is most difficult to obtain either of them true. This accounts for the confusion of synonyms, and for the frequent statement that the differences are in name only; yet the distinctive characters are easily traceable, Palmata being dull green and rarely digitate; Crenata being light bright green, and slightly digitate; Digitata being very dark green, deeply digitate, and larger-leaved than either of the other two.

CUSPIDATA MINOR.-A pretty small-leaved variety, distinctly cuspid. The young stems are purplish, and the leaf-stalks are bright reddish purple. The leaves are placed far apart; they are uniformly three-lobed, and the lobes are equal and crenated, the colour a deep rich glossy green with whitish veins.

ANGULARIS, Angular-leaved ivy (syn. Taurica).-A robust, free-growing, handsome plant; leaves of medium size, bright green, and glossy, having no peculiarity of conformation sufficiently striking to arrest the attention of a casual