74 



Grcenliouse and Stove IHauU. 



BUNAPAKTEA. 



BLEOHNUM. 



A moderately handsome genus of Ferns, 

 most of which require warm treatment. A 

 few of them are sutficiently varied in ap- 

 pearance to be worth growing. For pro- 

 pagation and cultivation, see Ferns, general 

 details of culture. 



B. Braziliense. Brazil. 



/»'. (/racile. Brazil. 



B. lanceolatum. Brazil. 



B. occidentale. Tropical America. 



BOMAREA. 



These are climbing or twining plants, 

 suitable for training to a pillar, or on the 

 wall of a greenhouse or conservatory. The 

 habit of the plant is to annually 2)roduce 

 from the base shoots that come up through 

 the soil like those of Lapagerias, and grow 

 rapidly, producing their' large umbellate 

 cymes of flowers from the points of the 

 shoots. The flowers are drooping, bell- 

 shaped, something like those of Lapagerias, 

 but the segments are not reflexed. 



Propagation may be effected by division 

 of the roots, or by seed, which latter should 

 be sown as soon as ripe in a mixture of fine 

 peat and sand, be slightly covered and 

 stood in an intermediate temperature. As 

 soon as the seedlings are large enough to 

 handle, move them singly into small pots, 

 using soil similar to that in which the 

 seeds were sown. They should be treated 

 to a temperature that will keep them gi'ow- 

 ing until they get well established, when 

 give them pots an inch or two larger, 

 let them remain in those through the 

 autumn, and winter them in a temperature 

 of 45° or 50°. In spring move into pots 

 2 or 3 inches larger, according to the 

 strength of the plants. Although Bomareas 

 will grow in a warm greenhouse heat, it is 

 advisable to give them a little more warmth 

 until the end of the second summer ; there- 

 fore, if means are at command, give them 

 an intermediate heat this season, which 

 will enable them to make much more pro- 

 gress. From the time they are first moved 

 from the cutting pots, give plenty of light 

 with air in the daytime, and syringe over- 

 head in the afternoons while growth con- 

 tinues, keeping them drier in the autumn 

 and winter. 



In spring again pot on, as it will in most 

 cases be better to keep them in pots for 

 another season before turning out in a bed 

 or border, where they should ultimately 

 be located so as to receive the requisite 

 rout-room ; in the following spring move 



to a bed of this description, well-dr-iined 

 and made of loam, kejit porous by the 

 addition of enough sand and broken crocks. 

 Fi'om this time nothing further will be 

 required, except to keep the soil fairly 

 minst from the time growth begins in 

 spring until autumn, to give air as required 

 by the other occupants of the house, and 

 to make a free use of the syringe through 

 the summer. The wiirter temperature may 

 run say from 45° to 48° in the night ; 

 in this way the plants will last for many 

 years. There is but a limited number of 

 species in cultivation, and of these the fol- 

 lowing are desirable : — 



B. acutifolia var Ehrenhergiana. Flowers 

 red and yellow, spotted with brown. Mexico. 



B. Bogotensis. Petals of a greenish tint, 

 sepals crimson, spotted with black. Bogota. 



B. Bredemeryerana. Flowers orange- 

 yellow, spotted with brownish crimson. 

 Venezuela. 



B. Uarderii. A fine twining species that 

 produces very large heads of flowers, ground 

 colour pink, spotted with brown at the 

 extremities. United States of Colombia. 



B. conferta. Flowers bright crimson. 

 United States of Colombia. 



B. Shuttleworthii. The flowers of this 

 fine new species are red, yellow and 

 scarlet, spotted with green at the ex- 

 tremities. Most likely it will require a 

 moderate stove heat. Colombia. 



Insects. — The continuous use of the 

 syringe advised through the growing sea- 

 son will do much to keep down insects, 

 but if this is found insufficient sponging 

 must be resorted to. 



BONAPARTEA. 



The Bonaparteas are few in number. 

 They are close, compact, yet elegant- 

 habited greenhouse plants, occupying little 

 room, and are exclusively grown for their 

 leaves, wliich are rush-like in appearance, 

 sharply pointed, and drooping so as to 

 form a dense close mass. Bonaparteas 

 come from the moderately warm regions 

 of America, and consequently do not like 

 being kept very cool in the winter, and as 

 they are very slow growers, taking a 

 number of years to get up to an eftective 

 size, it is not well to run any risks by 

 allowing them to be exposed to too low a 

 temperature. If they are injured, the 

 work of years is undone, as their natural 

 formation is such that it takes long for 

 them to recover their wonted appearance. 

 A night temperature of from 45° to 50° in 

 winter is best, with a rise by day propor- 

 tionate to the weather ; in summer they 

 are also benefited bv as much warmth as 



