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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



LltSKAKT 



(OF AMERICA) new yokk 



BOTANICAL 



Devoted to the Science of Floriculture artd'^'HSrticulture 



Vol. XXVI 



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JUNE, 1922 



No. 6 ■ 



Things and Thoughts of the Garden 



MONTAGUE FREE 



THE appearance of a fine show of bloom on 

 Clcrodcndnni Thoiiipsoucr (C. Balfoiiri) at this 

 time (Max) is a reminder of what a splendid 

 greenhouse climber we have in this species. In spite 

 of the fact that greenhouse climbers in general seem 

 to have fallen upon evil days and are less in public 

 favor than formerly, the Glory Vine, giving it its Eng- 

 lish appellation, is still fairly commonly grown. Those 

 who are unfamiliar with it niav perhaps obtain some 

 idea of its beauty from the following description: It 

 is a strong growing shrub, climbing by means of slightl\' 

 twining stems, with rich dark green foliage which pro- 

 vides a pleasing foil for its flowers. These are pro- 

 duced in loose cymes from the tips of short lateral 

 branches. The calyx which persists for a considerable 

 time after the corolla has fallen, is creamy white in 

 color, strongly five-angled rnid'in general outline pear 

 shaped. From its narrow end the brightly colored 

 corolla emerges with its three upper petals reflexed. The 

 protruding stamens and pistil serve to still further en- 

 hance the distinctive character of the inflorescence. The 

 color of the corolla is described in Bailey's "Cyclopedia" 

 as light crimson, which is probably accurate enough for 

 all practical purposes. An attemjit to match its color 

 in Ridgway met with partial failure and the nearest 

 approach found to it in that valuable book was 

 "carmine." The true color appears to be between "car- 

 mine" and "spectrum red." 



One satisfactory feature of this Clcrodcndron is its 

 good temper under cultivation — it may be greatly 

 neglected but it still continues to produce its crops of 

 bloom from ]May onwards throughout the Summer, year 

 after year. If abundant flowers are desired, it is good 

 to allow it to become somewhat pot bound once the 

 desired size is attained, as this tends to curb its rampant 

 vegetative growth and promotes the formation of the 

 short laterals on which the flowers are produced. It is 

 not especially ornamental when trained along the green- 

 house rafters as the inflorescences are erect and almost 

 invisible to anyone standing below because of the dense 

 mat of foliage. It is seen to best advantage when grown 

 in a pot or tub and trained upon a wire frame or a 

 supporting pillar. It is native to W. Africa, but thrives 

 even if subjected to a mininnnn Winter temperature of 

 50 to 55 degrees, when it is more or less dormant. 



Another indoor Clcrodcndron that is quite showy is 

 C. fallax. Tliis is a shrub that produces its terminal 

 c\mes of scarlet flowers throughciut the Summer. Like 

 the preceding it is noteworthy because of the lengthy 



period that it remains in bloom. Although a shrubby 

 plant it is perhaps best treated as an annual, as it ap- 

 'pears to better advantage, with a larger inflorescence, 

 when grown to a single stem. Old plants that have 

 been cut back tend towards irregular branching and an 

 ungainly shape. This species is indigenous to Java and 

 does best in a warm house. Incidentally the genus has 

 a fairly wide geographic distribution as representatives 

 are found in Africa, Australia, East Indies. India and 

 Japan. 



There is at least one member of the genus that is 

 comijaratively hardy, namely. C. Irichotomum from Japan. 

 This is an extremely attractive shrub and valuable in 

 its late blooming habit. It forms a bush with a rounded 

 head and is conspicuous when covered with white 

 flowers backed by the reddish brovvn calyces. It remains 

 in bloom for a long time and, after the flowers have 

 fallen, the bright, dark blue fruits seen against the per- 

 sistent red calyces provide another attractive display. 

 The fact that the leaves are held until well into the Fall 

 is another recommendation for this little known shrub. 



With regard to hardiness, here in the Brooklyn Botanic 

 Garden it comes through most Winters unscathed. Last 

 Winter, for example, the tips of the branches were killed 

 back from three to six inches, which is only to be expected 

 wdien growth is maintained until late into the Fall. In 

 very severe Winters it may be killed back to the ground, 

 but this does not necessarily mean the loss of a crop of 

 flowers, as these are produced on growth of the current 

 season. 



* * ■:: 



^Icntion of Clcrodcndron Thouipsoncr as a greenhouse 

 climber calls to mind other plants, suitable for this pur- 

 pose, some of which are all too seldom seen. 



The Calico Flower, Aristolochia elci^ans. from lirazil. 

 is extremely decorative and interesting, and is most valu- 

 able when a not too rampant climber is desired. Al- 

 though its flowers are not so spectacular as those of A. 

 gigas, for example, they are quite showy, and, as another 

 redeeming feature are devoid of the intolerable stench' 

 that makes those of A. gigas and many others of the 

 genus so objectionable in a closed greenhouse. It is a 

 free bloomer and the flowers, pendent in slender pedicels 

 are about three inches in. diameter. The ground color is 

 white, with curious purple markings, and a velvetv blotch 

 of rich purple at the throat. 



Another interesting stove climber is the Granadilla — 

 one of the Pas.'^ion Flowers — PassiHora quadrangularis. 

 The Cambridge (England) Botanic Garden is the only 



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