MISCELLANEOUS FLOWERING PLANTS 129 
ripe cuttings, and require liberal watering and rich fibrous 
soil. As pot-plants they must be sprayed or washed often. <A 
slight rest in the fall to ripen the young growth is beneficial. 
The plants, if well ripened, produce quantities of large, double, 
fragrant flowers of a milky white color. 
The Gesnera- or Gloxinia-family is a very beautiful one. 
Numerous species with brilliant flowers and fine foliage are 
common in cultivation. A number of these plants grow from 
fleshy tubers or stolons, and need absolute rest for a certain 
period of the year. Others grow and remain ornamental all 
the year round. All can be propagated by means of seeds and 
cuttings, or by the division of tubers. They should be grown 
in well-drained pots in equal parts of loam, leaf-mould, and a 
mixture of peat and sand. ‘They require liberal watering and 
a shady position during the growing season. Those needing 
rest should be stored away in a dry, cool place, after flowering, 
and the tubers must be cleaned and repotted in spring as early 
as growth commences. After potting and watering old tubers, 
keep in a warm and shady position ; remove gradually to a 
cooler and lighter place. Zydea, Naegelia, Lsoloma, and Ges- 
mera are typical mostly tuberous-rooted plants of this family. 
These and other Gesneracee may be started at different times of 
the year to produce a succession of flowers. The Gesnera fam- 
ily is almost unsurpassed in richly colored flowers, neat habit, 
and easy culture. 
Hibiscus, or Chinese rose, is one of the most gorgeous 
green-house plants, and when small and bushy is one of the 
best for house-culture. Propagated by cuttings of young wood 
and grown rapidly in rich fibrous soil, it soon reaches a flow- 
ering size. It requires large pots and plenty of moisture dur- 
ing the growing season. ‘There are varieties of many colors, 
