GUILIELMA. 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
light, giving a slight shade in the middle 
of the day in bright weather ; admit a 
moderate quantity of air, close the house 
early, and slightly damp them overhead at 
the same time. Reduce the temperature in 
the autumn to 55°, at which point they 
may be kept during the winter, and at the 
same time give as much water as will pre- 
serve the soil slightly moist. Give the 
young plants as long a season of growth as 
possible by placing them about the middle 
of February in a temperature of 60°, and 
giving a little more moisture to the soil as 
soon as they show signs of growing. In- 
crease the temperature both by day and 
night as the weather gets warmer, shading 
slightly as before and syringing a little 
when the house is closed in the afternoons. 
By midsummer they will most likely have 
so far filled their pots with roots as to re- 
quire moving into others of a larger size, and 
now the soil should be a little more lumpy, 
and should have added to it enough sand 
to keep it quite sweet. After this treat the 
plants through the autumn and winter as 
recommended for the preceding season, 
again starting them early ; or if there is 
the convenience of a house that is kept 5° 
warmer during the winter from the first 
than the temperature prescribed, they may 
with advantage remain in it, by which 
means they will make more progress. If 
the growth is satisfactory, the strongest 
plants will most probably flower in the 
autumn three years from the time the 
seeds were sown, although the bloom-spikes 
will not be nearly so strong as when the 
bulbs get fully grown, which will very 
likely be two years later, when they will 
increase by making offsets. After flower- 
ing each autumn they will make their 
growth, during which time they should be 
kept at about the same temperature as that 
already recommended, and supplied libe- 
rally with water until the growth is 
finished, which will be apparent by the 
leaves attaining their full size and solidity. 
When the plants have begun to bloom it 
will to some extent alter the time of their 
growth, retarding it considerably, so that 
it may not be completed before May, after 
which the soil ought to be maintained as 
before described in a slightly moist state. 
During the summer the increase of solar 
heat and the higher temperature necessary 
for the other occupants of the house will 
cause them to push up their bloom-stems, 
the flowers opening through the autumn. 
Each year after blooming they require 
larger pots, and until they begin to increase 
freely by offsets, an inch shift at a time 
will generally be enough, as they must 
never be over-potted, although as the speci- 
195 
mens get large they will make an abun- 
dance of roots and fine leaves, and require 
proportionate pot-room, while the flowers 
also will be proportionately strong. When 
the plants attain specimen size it will not 
be necessary to pot them every year. A 
very imperfect estimate can be formed of 
the beauty of Griffinias while they are ina 
comparatively small state with one or two 
flower-spikes as compared with large 
examples that will produce from a dozen 
to thirty, each proportionately larger than 
those borne by smaller plants. They may 
be grown on until they fill 18-inch or 
20-inch pots, or be divided as already de- 
scribed. Those who are fortunate enough 
to possess a good stock of these valuable 
plants will do well to grow both small and 
large specimens. When in flower they 
may be placed for several weeks in a con- 
servatory somewhat warmer than an 
ordinary greenhouse, but they should not 
remain too long, especially if the autumn 
is far advanced and the weather getting 
cold, as they will be commencing growth, 
which would get checked, and thus mate- 
rially interfere with their progress during 
the ensuing season. 
The undermentioned, if treated in accor- 
dance with the above directions, will be 
found an acceptable addition to any collec- 
tion of plants :— 
G. blumenavia. A smaller-growing 
species than G. hyacinthina maxima ; 
flowers a little earlier in the season. From 
Brazil. 
G. hyacinthina maxima. A large and fine 
species, with bluish-violet flowers, each 
petal having a white stripe from the base 
down the centre for a considerable portion 
of its length. A large specimen will bloom 
through the whole of the latter part of the 
year. A native of South America. 
G. ornata. A new introduction from Rio 
de Janeiro, with large heads of purplish- 
lilac flowers fading off to white. A very 
free bloomer, sometimes producing two 
scapes from a single bulb; it flowers in 
the autumn or winter. 
Insects. — When aphides affect the 
young leaves and flower-stems, they may 
be destroyed by fumigation and sponging. 
Thrips also attack the undersides of the 
leaves, and should be either cleaned off 
with a sponge dipped in tobacco water, or 
fumigated. Brown scale and mealy bug 
will also affect them ; these can be best 
removed by sponging. 
GUILIELMA. 
A small genus of stove Palms of tall, 
slender habit, presenting quite a contrast 
