CHAPTER XIII. 



JULY, AUGUST. AND SEPTEMBER. 

 Petunia to Tritoma. 



Petunia Thk garden annual petunia gets its 



P. rnjctnginiflova name froni petun, the aboriginal term 

 for tobacco. It belongs to the Night- 

 shade family, and is a near relative of common to- 

 bacco. The species P. nycta- 

 giniflora and P. violacea and 

 their hybrids are the common 

 petunias of our gardens. The 

 former variety is white, and 

 may still be obtained from the 

 seedsmen under that name. 

 The latter variety, with origi- 

 nally purple and magenta 

 flowers, has now become so 

 changed by supercultivation 

 that it is rarely presented in 

 its primitive form. The finest 

 of all the petunias are called Giants of California; 

 tliey are hybrids raised in that country by a lady 



188 



Giant of California, Petunia 



