e 
PERESKIA. 
— 
315 
PETRAA. 
zaoisture, or, as the gardeners ex-| P. aculedtus, the commonest kind, 
press it, “‘ sour,” the roots should be | has white flowers; but the flowers 
washed quite clean before replanting. 
Where the roots are to be divided, it 
may be done, if they are large, with 
the spade, or if they are small, with 
a knife; and, at all events, they 
should be cut smooth, and trimmed | 
(that is, all the bruised parts re- | 
moved) with a sharp knife, before 
replanting.—See PLanrine. 
Pereuta‘r1a.—Asclepiddee.—P. | 
odoratissima has, perhaps, a sweeter 
fragrance than any other plant 
known. 
of no peculiar beauty, but they are 
most valuable for their delightful | 
fragrance, which is chiefly percep- 
tible at night. The Pergularia is a 
stove-climber which should be grown 
in a large pot (a 12) with holes in 
the sides, which should be plunged 
into the centre pit of the stove and 
kept moist. The soil should be 
sandy loam or chopped turf mixed 
with leaf mould; and it is propa- 
gated by cuttings struck in sand 
with bottom-heat, and covered with 
a bell-glass. It should be cut back 
every year when it has done flower- 
ing ; and it will shoot out vigorously 
in spring. 
Peri'ptoca. — Asclepiddee.— P. 
gre‘ca is a handsome hardy climber 
with velvet-like flowers of a very 
singular colour, being a dark 
purplish maroon. It will grow in 
any light rich soil, and it is very 
suitable for covering arbours. It is 
said to be fatal to flies, and that a 
number of dead flies may be swept 
The flowers are green and | 
of P. Bleo are of a beautiful pink. 
The fruit resembles a gooseberry, 
and is very good to eat. The 
Pereskias are quite hardy, growing 
in the same temperature, and re- 
quiring nearly the same treatment 
as the Opuntia or Common Indian 
Fig ; (see Opu/ntra ;) and P. acu- 
ledtus is frequently used as a stock 
for graiting on it the more tender 
kinds of Cacti. 
Periste‘r1a.—Orchidicee—The 
Dove Flower. Beautiful Peruvian 
epiphytes, which should be grown 
on wood.—See Orcuripeous Ept- 
PHYTES. 
PERIWINKLE.—See Vi'nca. 
Perne'ttya. — Ericdcea. — A 
pretty little evergreen bush, a na- 
tive of Terra del Fuego, with white 
_heath-like flowers. It is quite 
fae and only requires to be 
/ 
grown in a bed of peat soil. 
: Persica‘ria.—See Poty’Gonum. 
Petrr2\s.— Verbendcee.—P. vo- 
libilis isa climbing plant with long 
_ and beautiful racemes of dark pur- 
ple flowers, and large dark green 
leaves. It is a native of Vera Cruz 
and Martinique, where it ascends to 
the summit of lofty trees, hanging 
|from branch to branch in graceful 
_festoons, and producing its flowers 
vin great abundance. In England, 
| though it has been introduced since 
1733, it is rarely seen in flower for 
want of proper management; but 
| to make it flower freely, it only re- 
| quires to be pruned like a common 
up every day in bowers covered by | grape-vine, that is, to have the lead- 
af. 
Isles, and it is propagated by layers 
or cuttings, both of which grow 
freely. © 
_ Pere'skra.—-Cactacee.—-The Bar- 
does or West India Gooseberry. 
This plant bears very little resem- 
It is a native of the Canary | ing shoots stopped at the second 
| 
joint to make them throw out side 
shoots, and to have these stopped in 
the same manner, in order to have 
what the gardeners call spurs, dis- 
tributed over all the branches ; for 
it is on these spurs only that the 
blance to the other kinds of Cacti, | flowers are produced. This plant 
as it has thin leaves and a round | is called, in the Antilles, the Easter 
stem, like any other ligneous plant. | Flower, because it flowers about 
we 
