RICHARDIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



aurcuin and R. sanguineum, is an old 

 and tolerably common shrub — interme- 

 diate in growth as well as in flowers, 

 which are an orange-red ; it is distinct and 

 showy. It is also known as R. Bcato?ii 

 and R. Loudoni. Of the numerous other 

 species there is none so fine as the 

 Californian Fuchsia Currant {^R. speci- 

 osii>n)y whose flowers so much resemble 

 miniature Fuchsia-blossoms that in some 

 places it goes by the name of R. Fuchsi- 

 flides. Its deep red blooms have protrud- 

 ing stamens, and hang from the leaf-axils 

 in clusters of two or three. In growth 

 and foliage it resembles a Gooseberry. 

 A densely-flowered bush is extremely 

 pretty and lasts in perfection a long time. 

 Though quite hardy enough to be grown 

 as a bush in the milder parts of England, 

 it is usually seen against a wall, and there 

 are few more elegant wall shrubs. Grown 

 thus it is 6 to 8 ft. in height. Another 

 and newer kind, also very like a Goose- 

 berry when out of flower, is R. Lobbii^ from 

 California, with very pretty purple and 

 white flowers like a little Fuchsia, followed 

 by small hairy fruits of agreeable flavour. 

 Most of the other varieties have incon- 

 spicuous flowers, but one or two are 

 worth growing- for the sake of their 

 autumn foliage, which dies away in 

 various shades of crimson. The Mis- 

 souri Currant {R. floridion)^ also called 

 R. missourcnse, is one of the best of these. 

 It is a stock plant in some of the largest 

 nurseries. The Flowering Currants are 

 really an important group of shrubs and 

 deserve the best attention, and instead of 

 being crammed in the usual shrubbery- 

 mixture, should be grouped by themselves. 



RICHARDIA (G?//(rj.— This name has 

 been accepted by botanists for the last 

 three-quarters of a century, although it is 

 not yet generally used by gardeners. 



The genus consists now of various 

 species. They all have a perennial 

 tuberous root-stock, not unlike that of 

 Caladium, from which spring the annual 

 leaves and scapes, the former with folding 

 stalks, which form a kind of stem, bearing 

 sagittate leaves, the latter erect, stout, 

 and bearing a large spathe. There is a 

 noteworthy difference between R. cethio- 

 pica and the others, the former having 

 a rhizome and never naturally dying 

 clown. 



R. sethiopica {Lily of the Nile) was first 

 introduced into Europe from S. Africa in 

 [687. It is emphatically a Cape plant, 

 and is not found within 1,000 miles or so 

 of the Nile, although it is commonly 

 known as the Lily of the Nile. In some 

 parts of this country, for instance Corn- 



wall, it has become naturalised in shallow 

 water, spreading and flowering witti the 

 same freedom as in the ditches and 

 swamps of the Cape. It varies consider- 

 ably in the size of its spathes. I have 

 seen them 10 in. long, and I am told that 

 larger even than this have been grown by 

 cultivators who cut off most of the leaf- 

 blades when the spathes were developing. 

 The plant is useful in ponds and fountain 

 basins in the warmer parts of our country. 

 Syn. Calla. 



RICINUS {Castor-oil Plant).— R. com- 

 iiiunis is a much-grown plant in warm 

 countries, growing out of doors in the 

 warm months in ours, and used for bold 

 and noble beds near those of the more 

 brilliant flowers, buf it is not well to 

 associate it closely with bedding plants, 

 because of its strong growth and the 

 shading of its leaves ; it is a good plan 

 to make a compact group of it in the 

 centre of some wide circular bed and to 

 surround this with a band of a dwarfer 

 plant, say Aralia or Caladium, and to finish 

 with flowering plants. A bold centre may 

 be thus obtained, while the effect of the 

 flowers is enhanced. It requires rich 

 deep earth to form its finest leaves, and to 

 raise the plants a brisk hotbed is needed 

 in February or March, in which to plunge 

 the pots in which the seeds should be 

 sown. The pots should be well drained, 

 and the soil pressed down firmly, with a 

 little sifted soil placed over the seeds. 

 When the plants are large enough, pot 

 them singly into 4-in. pots in soil com- 

 posed of sandy loam and leaf-mould or 

 rotted manure ; keep them in a warm 

 moist temperature, and give plenty of 

 water at the roots ; when the roots have 

 reached the sides of the pots, place the 

 plants in 6-in. or 8-in. pots. About the end 

 of May gradually inure them to a cool 

 temperature, and after a few weeks place 

 them in a sheltered position out of doors. 

 By the end of June they may be planted out 

 in the beds ; the more sheltered the situa- 

 tion the better. Dig out holes for them, 

 placing in the bottom a few forkfuls of 

 manure, and if this be taken from a warm 

 manure-bed, so much the better. Plant 

 and water them with soft rain water, and 

 mulch the surface with manure. During 

 hot weather manure-w ater will be of use. 



The best varieties are sanguineus, 

 borboniensis, Gibsoni (a very fine dark 

 variety), giganteus, Belot Desfougeres (a 

 very tall and branching kind), viridis (of 

 a uniform lively green), insignis, africanus, 

 africanus albidus, minor, hybridus, micro- 

 carpus, macrophyllus, atro-purpureus, 

 and sanguinolentus, all of which are forms 



