Desfontainea
(named after R. L. Desfontaines, a celebrated French botanist, born 1752, died 1833). ORD. Loganiaceae. A very beautiful, hardy, evergreen shrub, of easy cultivation. It thrives in either a peat or loam soil, but preferably the latter. Cuttings will root if inserted in either of the soils above named, with the addition of a little sand; a gentle heat would accelerate the rooting. It forms an admirable plant for greenhouse or conservatory decoration, and even when out of flower its peculiar Holly-like appearance is most attractive.
D. spinosa (spinose). fl. showy, terminal, solitary, pedunculate; corolla scarlet, with a yellow limb, tubular. August. l. elliptic-oblong, coriaceous, glabrous, shining above, cuneated, and quite entire at the base, with spiny-toothed margins. h. 3ft. Andes from Chili to New Grenada, 1853. (B. M. 4781.)