November 25. 1920 



11 n iri' I cvi.T ui? E 



313 



Quality and Service are the Founda- 

 tion Stones on which the House of 

 Penn has been constructed. 



BOSTON, MASS. 



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PERESKIA ACULEATA 



Cenus of the Cactus Family Make 

 Good Greenhouse Climbers 

 ■PeresUia aculeata, its variety God- 

 ^seffiana, and P. Bleo may be recom- 

 mended as greenhouse climbers, grow 

 ing luxuriantly and producing an 

 abundance of flowers despite low tem- 

 perature and drought, says a recent 

 bulletin of the .Missouri Botanical 

 Garden. These climbers are indigen- 

 ous to South America, in regions sub- 

 ject to dry seasons. The plants of 

 this genus are rarely regarded as true 

 cacti in view of their foliage character- 

 istics which resemhle the ordinary 

 type of climbers. Upon handling, how- 

 ever, their cactus habit is soon dis- 

 covered through the spines which are 

 arranged along the various nodes at 

 the base of the leaves. In the young 

 BTowth they are short, rigid, bicornute 

 and green. In the woody branches 

 they are arranged in clusters upon a 

 cushion of downy pubescence and are 

 <lark brown in color. In Peresliia 

 Blco the spines are more prominent, 

 being fully two inches in length. This 

 plant is a much stronger grower than 

 V. aculeata and produces larger leaves 

 and branches, Tlie flowers are mauve- 

 pink and at a distance may be mis- 

 taken for those of the common briar. 

 The spines of this and other cacti have 

 been tried as a substitute for steel 

 needles for phonograph machines but 

 have proven too brittle. 



Pereskia aculeata is a common 

 species in cactus collections, being 

 used as stock on which to graft vari- 

 ous other cacti. The favorite Easter 

 cactus. Epiphyllum truncatum. is 

 grafted upon the strong-rooting Peres- 

 kia stock to influence the growth and 



Green Wreaths 



Ribbons, Supplies 

 for Christmas 



Our illustration shows a 

 wreath made of Magnolia 

 leaves, trimmed with red box- 

 wood, thistle heads and pine 

 cones. The materials for 

 making these wreaths are 

 quoted in our eight page 

 Christmas List. Send for a 

 copy. Be ilp-to-date on all 

 the latest good things for the 

 Christmas trade. 



S. S. Pennock Company 



THE 



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 FLORISTS OF 



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 117 W. 28th Str.ct 



I'lIlL-XriKLI'lIlA 



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a greater production of flowers. Well- 

 ripened wood in lengths varying from 

 six to ten inches is selected for the 

 grafting stock. These hardw^ood cut- 

 tings will root readily in sand in the 

 ordinary propagating bench, or if the 

 operation is tried in the home, by 

 placing a glass covering over the pot. 

 The old spines are used to secure the 

 detached Easter cactus to the stock of 

 Pereskia. P. aculeata, from the stand- 

 point of a climber, is very satisfactory, 

 perhaps the only objection being its 

 deciduous habit during the winter. 

 This, however, is counterlialanced by 

 its ornamental as well as edible fruit. 

 When ripe it resembles the gooseberry 

 and is used for making jelly and 

 drinks. 



The branches are of a woody texture 

 when mature, bearing clusters of 

 spines about an inch long. The young 

 shoots have but two short, horn-like 



spines which are slightly curved and 

 of a dark green color. The flowers 

 are pale yellow, about an inch in 

 diameter, and hang in long festoons 

 five to six feet in length. The large 

 specimen in the succulent house at 

 the Garden is so fragrant that its per- 

 fume penetrates into the economic 

 house. This plant has frequently been 

 called the climbing orange blossort. 



The variety GodsefTiana possesses 

 leaves colored crimson, yellow, and 

 green upon the upper surface. When 

 first introduced at the Garden it was 

 planted in the experimental plot with 

 a view of using it as a bedding plant 

 in this section of the country. Ex- 

 perience showed, however, that its 

 foliage turned to a greenish yellow, 

 becoming deciduous in the fall. When 

 grown in a greenhouse with combined 

 heat and moisture its tricolors are 

 very prominent. 



