wn. It grows and flowers freely in
January, the flower stalks appearing before the radical foliage, and
attaining a height of nearly a foot.

The flower stems are a palish green, with purplish markings, are twice
branched and furnished with floral leaves; the latter have ample
stipules and seven longish divisions, which are well spread out,
distinctly veined underneath, and coarsely toothed. The flowers are 2in.
to 3in. across, sepals pointed, overlapping for about half their length,
and well expanded; their outsides are of a purplish colour, which
extends along the stalk; the inner surface of the sepals is a yellowish
green, the whole being suffused with a metallic hue or "bloom"; the
stamens and anthers are a creamy white, the petals short and
apple-green. The flowers droop gracefully, and are rendered all the more
pleasing by the floral leaves which immediately support them. The leaves
of the root are large and pedate, the divisions wide apart and unevenly
toothed; the under sides are distinctly veined with purplish-brown when
in a young state. The habit is robust, and the bloom is produced well
above the radical foliage. There is a peculiar beauty about a strong
flowering specimen which would hardly be expected from the above
description, and it is even more difficult for me to do it justice.

In a cut state a whole stem, with its flowers in different stages of
development, is fine. The youngest rosy-purple buds, about the size of a
cob nut; the more opened bell-shaped forms, just showing both the inner
and outer colours of the sepals; these surmounted by the longer-stalked,
fully expanded, but drooping flower, with its tassel-like bunch of
stamens, and all finely interspersed with young leaves of two distinct
colours, according to the side which meets the eye--all go to make it a
charming decoration for indoors, and if cut clean it deserves a place
for the whole week or more during which it remains in good form.

Cultivation, as for _H. Abchasicus_.

Flowering period, January to March.

Helleborus Dumetorum.

BUSHY HELLEBORE; _Nat. Ord._ RANUNCULACEAE.

One of the less showy species. It comes from Hungary, and has been grown
in this country about seventy years. It entirely renews its foliage
yearly, the flower stems appearing before the radical leaves. The
flowers are small, green, and drooping; the sepals are roundish. The
flower stems are twice branched, full-flowered, and furnished with the
"cut