74 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
BONAPARTEA, 
BLECHNUM. 
A moderately handsome genus of Ferns, 
most of which require warm treatment. A 
few of them are sufficiently varied in ap- 
pearance to be worth growing. For pro- 
pagation and cultivation, see Ferns, general 
details of culture. 
STOVE SPECIES. 
B. Braziliense. Brazil. 
B. gracile. Brazil. 
B. lanceolatum. Brazil. 
B. occidentale. Tropical America. 
BOMAREA. 
These are climbing or twining plants, 
suitable for training to a pillar, or on the 
wall of a greenhouse or conservatory. The 
habit of the plant is to annually produce 
from the base shoots that come up through 
the soil like those of Lapagerias, and grow 
rapidly, producing their large umbellate 
cymes of flowers from the points of the 
shoots. The flowers are drooping, bell- 
shaped, something like those of Lapagerias, 
but the segments are not reflexed. 
Propagation may be effected by division 
of the roots, or by seed, which latter should 
be sown as soon as ripe in a mixture of fine 
peat and sand, be slightly covered and 
stood in an intermediate temperature. As 
soon as the seedlings are large enough to 
handle, move them singly into small pots, 
using soil similar to that in which the 
seeds were sown. They should be treated 
to a temperature that will keep them grow- 
ing until they get well established, when 
give them pots an inch or two larger, 
let them remain in those through the 
autumn, and winter them in a temperature 
of 45° or 50°. In spring move into pots 
2 or 3 inches larger, according to the 
strength of the plants. Although Bomareas 
will grow in a warm greenhouse heat, it is 
advisable to give them a little more warmth 
until the end of the second summer ; there- 
fore, if means are at command, give them 
an intermediate heat this season, which 
will enable them to make much more pro- 
ri From the time they are first moved 
rom the cutting pots, give plenty of light 
with air in the daytime, and syringe over- 
head in the afternoons while growth con- 
tinues, keeping them drier in the autumn 
and winter. 
In spring again pot on, as it will in most 
cases be better to keep them in pots for 
another season before turning out in a bed 
or border, where they should ultimately 
be located so as to receive the requisite 
root-room ; in the following spring move 
to a bed of this description, well-drained 
and made of loam, kept porous by the 
addition of enough sand and broken crocks. 
From this time nothing further will be 
required, except to keep the soil fairly 
moist from the time growth begins in 
spring until autumn, to give air as required 
by the other occupants of the house, and 
to make a free use of the syringe through 
the summer. The winter temperature may 
run say from 45° to 48° in the night; 
in this way the plants will last for many 
years. There is but a limited number of 
species in cultivation, and of these the fol- 
lowing are desirable :— 
B. acutifolia var Ehrenbergiana. Flowers. 
redand yellow, spotted with brown. Mexico. 
B. Bogotensis, Petals of a greenish tint, 
sepals crimson, spotted with black. Bogota. 
B. Bredemeryerana. Flowers orange- 
yellow, spotted with brownish crimson. 
Venezuela. 
B. Carderti. A fine twining species that 
produces very large heads of flowers, ground 
colour pink, spotted with brown at the 
extremities. United States of Colombia. 
B. conferta. Flowers bright crimson. 
United States of Colombia. 
B. Shuttleworth. The flowers of this 
fine new species are red, yellow and 
scarlet, spotted with green at the ex- 
tremities. Most likely it will require a 
moderate stove heat. Colombia. 
Insects.—The continuous use of the 
syringe advised through the growing sea- 
son will do much to keep down insects, 
but if this is found insufficient sponging 
must be resorted to. 
BONAPARTEA. 
The Bonaparteas are few in number. 
They are close, compact, yet elegant- 
habited greenhouse plants, occupying little 
room, and are exclusively grown for their 
leaves, which are rush-like in appearance, 
sharply pointed, and drooping so as to 
form a dense close mass. Bonaparteas 
come from the moderately warm regions. 
of America, and consequently do not like 
being kept very cool in the winter, and as 
they are very slow growers, taking a 
number of years to get up to an effective 
size, it is not well to run any risks by 
allowing them to be exposed to too low a 
temperature. If they are injured, the 
work of years is undone, as their natural 
formation is such that it takes long for 
them to recover their wonted appearance. 
A night temperature of from 45° to 50° in 
winter is best, with a rise by day propor- 
tionate to the weather; in summer they 
are also benefited by as much warmth as ~ 
