406 FLORA HISTORICA. 



grown : they have no shoots from the roots, which 

 allows the strength of the plants to go to the blossoms ; 

 a single stem rises from the pot, and at the height of 

 four or five inches branches off into two, three, or 

 more flowering stems, from one to two feet long, 

 terminated by large flowers, and covered in their 

 whole length by vigorous foliage." 



The Count de Vaude has had these plants culti- 

 vated in the highest perfection at his garden at 

 Bayswater, where they have always been flowered 

 in pots No. 38, which size seems best suited to the 

 Chinese manner of growing them. Mr. Loudon 

 says, in his Encyclopaedia of Gardening, '^ The 

 true mode of displaying the beauties of this charm- 

 ing flower is to keep it in pots, and train only one 

 or three stems erect, and branching regularly on 

 all sides. All suckers should be removed, and the 

 side branches, and top or head so arranged and 

 adjusted by a nice application of black thread or 

 wires, attached to the main prop, as to render the 

 figure of the entire plant perfectly symmetrical. If 

 three stems are not trained, one is better than three, 

 because it grows stronger; but three are better 

 than two, which do not compose a whole; and 

 better than a greater number than three, because, 

 unity departed from, there is no hmit to irregula- 

 rity. One and three are unity ; because one is 

 complete^ and three has a beginning, middle, and 



