CACTUSES AND OTHER SUCCULENTS 163 



latter are usually strap or tongue shaped, 

 four to six inches long, dark green in colour, 

 and covered more or less with small white 

 spots. In all of the gasterias the leaves are 

 produced in two ranks one above the other. 

 In April and May, and sometimes later in the 

 season, a long flower spike is produced on 

 which are scattering red flowers, which are 

 rather interesting but do not make much of 

 a show unless one has a number of plants in 

 flower at the same time, in which case mass 

 them. 



The apicras and haworthias have short 

 leaves, one and a half inches long, roundish, 

 tapering to a point and are arranged in spiral 

 form around a central axis which sometimes 

 is three or four inches tall. 



COTYLEDON, ECHEVERIA 



Another interesting plant which I like to 

 grow is Cotyledon gibbiflora, var. metalltca, 

 but known by the florists as Echeveria 

 metallica. It has some curiously shaped 

 flowers which are interesting but not showy. 

 Its interest lies in its beautiful glaucous, 

 purple, obovate-spatulate leaves which are 

 sometimes six inches wide and seven inches 



