ADENANDRA. 



Greenliouse and Stove FUxnts. 



23 



from the cultivator's point of view are 

 inferior to many. 



For proi5a,f(ation and cultivation, see 

 Ferns, general details <if culture. 



A. cmreum. West Indies. 



A. flageUiferum. East Indies. 



ADELOBOTRYS LINDENII. 



A stove plant of secondary merit, that 

 bears wliite and purple flowers in the 

 spring or summer. 



It is a Melastomaceous species, requiring 

 the same treatment in propagation and 

 after-growth as Lasiandra macrantha, ex- 

 cei)t that it does better with a little more 

 warmth than the Lasiandra. A native of 

 Brazil. 



Insects. — Red spider, scale, and mealy 

 bug, will all live on tlae plant ; a constant 

 use of the syringe through tlie growing 

 season, with sponging, is the best means to 

 keep these pests down. 



ADENANDRA. 



Adenandras are strong-rooted green- 

 house plants, much more so than the 

 generality of hard-wooded kinds tliat are 

 also natives of the Cape, or such as are in- 

 digenous to New Holland. Consequently 

 they are not so delicate as the finer-rooted 

 plants, neither are they so liable to in- 

 jury from being used for conservatory deco- 

 ration, as is the case with such as are 

 naturally less vigorous in constitution. 



Adenandras are easily propagated from 

 cuttings of the young half-ripened shoots, 

 such as the plants produce after flowering; 

 these should be in right condition about 

 the middle of summer. Put the cuttings 

 an inch apart in pots filled with sand, 

 covered with a propagating glass ; keep 

 them moist, warm, and shaded. When 

 they are rooted move singly into small 

 pots, using peaty soil. Pinch out the 

 points as soon as the little plants begin to 

 grow freely , keep them near the glass 

 through the autumn and winter in a tem- 

 perature of 45°, or a little over ; about 

 March move them into 4-inch pots, 

 using soil as before. In midsummer again 

 pinch out the points of the shoots, and 

 subject them to ordinary greenhouse 

 treatment ; if full of roots in July move 

 them into pots two inches larger. En- 

 courage growth and winter in a tempera- 

 ture such as the general young stock 

 of hard-wooded plants require — fiom 40° 

 to 45° at night is about the range that 

 suits most species best while in a young 

 state. So treated their roots will be early 

 in action, and admit of their being potted 



by the middle of March. Some growers 

 use loam for Adenandras, others prefer 

 peat ; the latter we consider more in ac- 

 cortlance with the requirements of the 

 plants, as they will last and keep in good 

 condition longer in it than in loam. We 

 have also found them grow quicker in peat, 

 which should be of a good fibrous nature ; 

 but if a little harder for these plants than' 

 is required for some, it will be all the 

 better. Break it, as usual for young stock, 

 about the size of acorns, and add one- 

 seventh sand, which mix thoroughly with 

 the peat. Give them a 3-inch shift ; drain 

 well. This is the more necessary, as when 

 in full growth they require more water 

 than some others. Nip out the points of 

 all the shoots at the time of potting, so as 

 to induce them to break freely ; place in 

 a house where they can foi' a few weeks be 

 kept a little closer, standing them on the 

 usual bed of damp, moisture-holding, fine 

 ashes. This will prolong the time during 

 which they will not require water after 

 the shift, and enable the roots to take to 

 the new soil. Do not allow them to be- 

 come too dry, so as to flag at all, or their 

 leaves, which are more ample than those 

 of many plants of similar nature, will 

 most likely sufter. Shade slightly for two 

 or three weeks, and tie the strongest shoots 

 well out, bringing them right down to the 

 rim of the pot. It is necessary to see to 

 this early, as these plants are disposed to 

 an upright habit of growth, and if the 

 most \'igorous branches are not brought 

 down sufficiently low from the first, they 

 not only become too stiff to bend freely, 

 but the weaker shoots are not able to get 

 on more equal terms with the strong - a 

 necessary condition in hard-wooded plant 

 growing that should never be lost sight of 

 Adenandras are fairly even growers, and do 

 not usually require any stopping or train- 

 ing through the season after this spring 

 tying ; but if any of the shoots have a 

 tendency through the summer to outgrow 

 the others, despite the tying down, they 

 may be shortened back a little so as to 

 equalise their growth. 



As the sjjring advances give more air, 

 syringe the plants freely every afternoon, 

 close the house early, and damp the material 

 on which they stand in the mornings, 

 which will assist them through the hottest 

 weather. Shade slightly during the middle 

 of the day. By the end of June their roots 

 will have taken complete possession of the 

 new soil, and will require more room. 

 Move them on into pots 3 inches larger, 

 using soil in every resi>ect similar to that 

 into which thev were removed at the 

 earlier shift. Give extra shade for a few 



