THE 



GARDEN GUIDE. 



Mat, 1864. 



CULTUEE OF EPACEIS. 



jHE genus Epacris is noted for the strong and deci- 

 sive family likeness of its various species, as much as 

 for their elegance, the delicate and lively colouring 

 of their blossoms, and their great value as early 

 flowering and nearly hardy shrubs. The genus is 

 the most conspicuous and notable of the natural 

 y £ order Epacridacece, to which it gives its name, 



as it is also the most important genus of that order. In 

 the Linnsean system the Epacris belongs to the class Pentandria, 

 and the order Monogijnia, having five stamens and one pistil, hence 

 is easily operated on for purposes of hybridization, which is not 

 usually the case when either stamens or pistils are more numerous. 

 The epacrises are all natives of New South "Wales, and adjacent parts 

 of the great Australian continent, where they enjoy an equable tempera- 

 ture, and are rarely subjected to extremes of either heat or cold, damp 

 or drought. Hence, when cultivated in this country they are classed as 

 hardy greenhouse plants, requiring to be as nearly as possible acclima- 

 tized, and assisted more by protection from the vicissitudes of the season 

 than aided by artificial heat. There are over thirty species known 

 among cultivators, aud there are many varieties which are more valued 

 than the species. E. andromedceflora has andromeda-like flowers. E. 

 bicolor has pretty crimson and white flowers. E. campanulata has bell- 

 shaped bluish flowers of great beauty, and there are varieties of it with 

 white and crimson flowers. E. densiflora, with the flowers blush and 

 white, is very effective and is well named. E. grandiflora has large blos- 

 soms of a fine scarlet colour, with greenish white tips, and is remarkably 

 ornamental. E. miniata and its variety E. miniata grandiflora are the 

 two most generally cultivated of all the species and varieties, and they 

 fully deserve the high esteem in which they are held. E. nivalis, with 

 snow white flowers, is a charming species for winter decoration, as are 

 also E. purpurescens, purple, and E. variabilis, which may be had in bloom 

 from January to April. 



VOL. VII. — no. v. r 



