120 THE CULTURE OF POT-PLANTS 



and coloured. They require more moisture and more 

 warmth than other begonias, and as the leaves are liable to 

 be spoiled by strong sunshine, they should be shaded in 

 summer. It will be seen that the conditions that suit them 

 are those that suit tender ferns, with which they are often 

 associated. They can be propagated by means of cuttings of 

 the stems or of the leaves alone. Some of the older leaves 

 should be taken off when they are ripened, cut across at 

 different parts of the principal veins, and then pegged down 

 fiat on the surface of slightly moistened sand. In a warm 

 greenhouse small plants will form at the cuts. When they 

 are large enough they should be potted. 



Carex (Sedge). — The best of the genus for pots is the 

 variegated form of C. tristachya, often called C. japonica. 

 The grass-like leaves are striped with white. It is hardy, 

 and will grow in almost any kind of soil if it is supplied with 

 plenty of water. 



Chlorophytum elatum variegatum. — It appears in 

 some catalogues under the name of Anthericum variegation. 

 It is grown for its grass-like leaves, striped with white, 

 not for its flowers, which are small. See Anthericum, 



P- 35- 



Coleus. — The beautiful plants which are so largely 



grown in pots or beds are hybrids. They can be raised 



from seed sown in spring in a warm greenhouse, but if it is 



desired to perpetuate any particular variety, this must be 



done by means of cuttings. The plants require a fairly high 



temperature in winter, and as they are almost sure to become 



shabby, it is best to propagate them annually. They need 



sunshine to bring out the full colour of their foliage, and for 



this reason they should not be kept in a room more than a 



few days at a time. Even when the position is a window, a 



change to the greenhouse will benefit them, if only because 



the air there contains less dust and more moisture. There 



is one species, C. fhyrsoideus, which is grown for its flowers — 



blue flowers, produced in winter. 



Cordyline. — A genus of handsome foliage plants, mostly 



requiring stove treatment. There are, however, two species 



