MITRARIA. 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 251 
MIRBELIA. 
A small genus of evergreen greenhouse 
shrubs that bear pretty flowers. They were 
much more in favour with cultivators in 
times past than at present. 
They can be struck from shoot cuttings, 
and grown on under conditions such as ad- 
vised for Coleonemas, which see. 
M. Bacterit. Has yellow flowers, which 
open inspring. A native of New Holland. 
M. floribunda. Flowers purple, produced 
in spring. From the Swan River. 
M. pungens. Yellow flowers ; asummer 
bloomer. Introduced from New Holland. 
MITRARIA COCCINEA. 
This is a dense-growing evergreen green- 
house plant that produces freely its hand- 
some mitre-shaped scarlet flowers during 
the summer and autumn. It was intro- 
duced about the middle of the present 
century from San Carl de Chiloe, and is 
another of the number of handsome things 
comparatively neglected. It is more re- 
markable for the length of time it con- 
tinues to produce a succession of flower 
than for opening them simultaneously, as 
in the case of most plants the blooming of 
which is of shorter duration ; for this 
reason it is more suitable for general de- 
corative purposes than for exhibiting. It 
is of comparatively easy growth, and suc- 
ceeds well in moderately close peat, con- 
taining a fair amount of fibre, with a good 
sprinkling of sand added. It isa tolerably 
quick grower when well managed, soon 
acquiring a useful size and flowering freely 
in even a small state. 
This Mitraria strikes freely from cuttings 
of the young shoots, such as will be avail- 
able about May from plants that have been 
cut back early in the spring. Put them an 
inch apart in moderate-sized pots; kept 
moist, close, and shaded in a stove tem- 
perature they will root in a few weeks, 
when remove the propagating glasses, but 
keep a moderately moist atmosphere, and 
give a little shade. About the beginning 
of July move them singly into 3-inch pots, 
stopping the shoots, after which encourage 
growth by keeping the material on which 
they stand moist ; syringe overhead in the 
afternoons when the house is shut up. 
After September comes in cease syringing 
and shading, and give more air. Keep 
through the winter at 45° in the night, and 
in March put them in 6-inch pots ; after 
they have begun to grow in the new soil 
admit more air than in the preceding 
season, syringe overhead daily, and keep 
the material on which they stand damp, 
with a little shade in bright weather ; 
again stop the shoots when a little growth 
has been made. Encourage growth during 
the summer as before, and in autumn assist 
them to get the wood ripened by the ad- 
mission of more air and by a drier atmo- 
sphere ; winter as in the preceding, and 
in March move into pots 3 inches larger 
than those they have hitherto occupied. 
This is a strong-rooted plant, and will bear 
the soil used in a moderately lumpy state ; 
mix the sand well with it previous to use. 
Put an inch of crocks for drainage, and 
ram the soil pretty firm. Cut back the 
shoots to a uniform length of 6 or 8 
inches from where they were last stopped 
to, and tie them well out. The wood is of 
a somewhat weak character, and conse- 
quently will require a moderate number 
of sticks for support. Be sparing of water 
until the roots are at work in the new soil, 
and keep the atmosphere a little close till 
the young growth begins to push, after 
which admit more air in the early part of 
day. As the weather gets warm close the 
house with sun-heat, and damp overhead 
with the syringe, at the same time keep 
the material on which they stand moist. 
Shade will not now be required, as in its 
larger stages, the plant will bear any 
amount of sun. 
As already stated, it is a free-flowerer, 
producing its blooms from the current 
season’s shoots, yet this season’s growth 
will rather be to get the plants on in size 
than to produce flowers ; consequently, 
about midsummer all the strongest should 
be again stopped, so as to cause them to 
break back. Continue to keep the branches 
well tied out, and also to use the syringe 
until the middle of August, when give 
more air night and day, so as to ripen up 
the growth, at the same time discontinue 
syringing and maintain a drier atmosphere ; 
keep on this treatment through the autumn, 
merely guarding against too low a tempera- 
ture on cold nights. Through the winter 
about 40° in the night should be kept up, 
and no more water given at the roots than 
is necessary to preserve the soil in a healthy 
condition. Again about the end of March 
repot, giving a 3-inch shift, in soil similar 
to that which was advised the preceding 
season, stopping and tying-out the shoots 
as before. Let the treatment during the 
spring be in every way as recommended 
last year. By the end of July they will 
most likely begin to show flower ; as soon 
as the blooms make their appearance dis- 
continue the use of the syringe, and give 
plenty of air and light. When the bloom 
commences to open, the plants, if required, 
may be placed in the conservatory, where 
they will keep on flowering for many 
