ANTHURIUM. 



tTi-eeahuiiU'i and Stove Flaiit.^. 



43 



together, into 3-inch pots, half-filled with 

 drainage. Material similar to that in 

 which the seeds were sown should be 

 used. Keep the soil well moistened, 

 for this Anthurium is a swamp plant, and 

 cannot endure to be dry at the roots. Keep 

 through the winter in a temperature of 55° 

 or 60", and a few degrees Avarnier in the 

 day. This is considerably hotter than is 

 requisite for them when they get larger ; 

 but the object now is to push them on 

 without loss of time. About the begin- 

 ning of March move singly to small pots, 

 in material such as used before, with a 

 little fibrous peat added ; through the 

 spring and summer keep at about 60" or 65° 

 by night, v.-ith a proportionate rise in the 

 day. Treat as to moisture, light, air, and 

 shade as advised for last summer. By the 

 end of June give 4 or 5 inch pots, accord- 

 ing to the size they have attained ; the 

 soil they now require is one-half the best 

 fibrous peat to about an equal quantity of 

 chopped sphagnum, with a liberal addition 

 of sand and broken crocks or charcoal, 

 half-filling the pots with diainagc. Treat 

 as hitherto recommended up to the end of 

 September, wintering as before. Again 

 pot them in the spring, giving pots 2 or 

 o inches larger. This summer they may 

 be allowed to open a few fiowers. Most of 

 the plants will differ more or less in the 

 size, shaj^e, and depth of colour in the 

 blooms. Remove them before they form 

 seeds, as the i^rogress of the plants will 

 be stopped if they are allowed to do 

 so. Those that have the largest and best 

 formed flowers should be marked, and 

 have special encouragement. As they grow 

 up into a useful decorative size they may 

 be kept at a temperature of 50° in tlie 

 night during the winter, and should not 

 receive so much water, but still enough to 

 keep them growing. They will make the 

 strongest leaves in the winter; through the 

 sjiriug and summer let the temperature be 

 10° or 15° higher in the night, and pr<i]ior- 

 tionately moie in the day. They will go 

 on making larger leaves and flowers until 

 they get five or six years old, as well as 

 forming numbers of cro%vns, increasing the 

 bulk of the plants for an indefinite time, 

 provided the soil is never allowed to 

 become sour and adhesive — in which case 

 the roots are sure to perish. To avoid 

 this, each year when repotting get as much 

 of the old exhausted material away as can 

 be done without injuring the roots. From 

 the time the plants have got to a useful 

 flowering size, the best time to repot is in 

 the summer, after the principal blooming 

 is over ; when this is will depend ujion 

 the temperature they are kept in during 



the early spring, as the warmer they are 

 the earlier they throw up the main lot of 

 flowers. 



The white form of A. Scherzeriani;m 

 requires treating in every way like the 

 reel variety. Both can be increased b}' 

 division of the croums, and by pieces of 

 the rhizrmie in the manner described for A. 

 candidum and A. florilnmdum. 



A. Andrceanum. This is a most beau- 

 tiful species, quite distinct from all others. 

 The spathes are large, heart-shaped, corru- 

 gated on the suriace like the cartilage of 

 the human ear, bright scarlet in colour, 

 and shininj^ as if newly varnished. The 

 lower portion of the spadix is white, 

 towards the extremity yellow ; it droops 

 in front of the spathe, and by the contrast 

 in colour seems to intensify the brightness 

 of the latter. It is one of the most remark- 

 able and beautitul plants that has appeared 

 in recent years. It will require keeping 

 somewhat warmer than A. Sch«rzerianum. 

 From Colombia. 



A. ornatum. Has medium-sized leaves. 

 The spathes are 6 inches long, Avhite in 

 colour ; spadix purple. A native of 

 Venezuela. 



A. Scherztrianuni Wardii. Is a very 

 distinct and desirable form of the red 

 species, with immensely broad spathes, 

 which are bright scarlet in colour. 



I>'SECTS. — Thrips and greenfly are both 

 partial to the leaves and flowers ; but the 

 cf)ntinuous syringing advised is generalh' 

 sutficient to keep them in check, otherwise 

 they may be killed by fumigation. Brown 

 scale thrives upon the leaves, and must be 

 kept under by sjxmging ; so may mealy 

 bug, should they become affected with it. 



ANTHURIUM. 



(Ornamental leaved.) 



Amongst Anthuriums there are many 

 very handsome and distinct plants hardly 

 surpassed by any of the fine-leaved stove 

 subjects now so much cultivated. Numbers 

 of the species are of an evergreen herbaceous 

 habit, producing large handsome foliage of 

 a beautiful velvety texture ; they are mostly 

 from warm countries, and need a good 

 amount of heat in which to grow satis- 

 factorily. They are increased by division 

 of the crowns and by suckers, which most 

 of the species when strong produce more 

 or less freely. They may be divided, or 

 suckers may be taken oft', at any time 

 during spring or summer, when growth is 

 active, but spring is preferable, just as 

 growth is al.iout to commence. It is not 

 well to remove tlie suckers until they 



