Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 



187 



to any considerable size, as the sponging and 

 brushing necessary to keep down the in- 

 sects spoils the appearance of the plants. 



For propagation and cultivation, see 

 Ferns, general details of culture. 



STOVE SPECIES. 



G. dichotoma. The Tropics. 

 6r'. f areata. West Indies. 

 G. pedinata. West Indies. 



GREENHOUSE SPECIES. 

 G. circinata glaiica. New Zealand. 

 G. dicarpa longipinnnta. Tasmania. 

 G. flahellata. Australia. 

 G. hecistophijlla. New Zealand. 

 G. Mendelii. Australia. 

 G. microphylla. New Holland. 

 G. rupestris glaucescens. New South 

 Wales. 



G. semi-vestita. New Caledonia. 

 G. Speluncce. New South Wales. 



GLORIOSA. 



These consist of a limited number of 

 stove bulbous plants which bear handsome, 

 distinct, and somewhat singular-looking 

 flowers. They are deciduous, the stems 

 dying down gradually in autumn after 

 flowering, which they generally do in July 

 and August, a time when, there being 

 usually a comparative scarcity of flowers, 

 they are more useful for conservatory 

 decoration than they would be at any 

 other season. The peculiar character of 

 their blooms beflts them for association 

 with either fine-leaved or ordinary flower- 

 ing plants. They are especially adapted 

 for cultivation by those who have not a 

 large amount of stove room, as their roots 

 can be stowed away in winter so as to 

 occupy no more space than those of 

 Gloxinias and similar plants, and they are 

 likewise well suited for purposes of exhi- 

 bition. They are easily managed, and re- 

 quire no special treatment to ensure their 

 growing and flowering abundantly. 



They may be increased by division of 

 the roots in spring, just as they have 

 started into growth, in the same manner as 

 Gloxinias, cutting through the crown with 

 a sharp knife so as to secure to each piece 

 thus divided a bud or shoot. When raised 

 from seeds they should be sown in March, 

 in the stove, in small well-drained pots 

 filled with equal parts of finely-sifted 

 loam, leaf-mould, and sand ; cover the 

 seeds slightly, and place them in a heat of 

 70°. Keep the soil moderately moist, and 

 when the plants make their appearance 

 let them be near the light, in order to 

 prevent their being drawn up weakly, and 

 as soon as they are fit to handle put them 



singly into 3-inch pots in soil similar to 

 that in which the seeds were sown. They 

 will now, if well attended to, and given 

 the requisite amount of heat, moisture, 

 and shade, make rapid progress ; they only 

 require to be slightly protected from the 

 sun's rays during the middle of the day, 

 for if shaded to any great extent, as some 

 plants are, they will be weakened. Af. 

 their pots get filled "with roots, move them 

 into larger ones ; use the soil for this shift 

 in a more lumpy condition than hitherto, 

 but still let it contain more sand than 

 would be necessary for the generality of 

 plants, one-fifth not being too much to add 

 to the soil at all times. The most suitable 

 mixture in which to grow them after the 

 bulbs have attained some size is two-thirds 

 good turfy loam and one-third fibrous peat, 

 and the bulbs should be covered 2 inches. 

 They require plenty of water when in 

 active gro-\\i:h ; support the shoots as they 

 extend with some neat sticks inserted 

 round the outside of the balh Give a 

 moderate amount of air early in the day, 

 close the house in good time in the after- 

 noon, and syringe overhead at the same 

 time. The coolest end of the stove or the 

 temperature of an intermediate house will 

 answer better for them than hotter treat- 

 ment ; they wi\l grow in an ordinary green- 

 house, but so treated they do not "attain 

 the size and vigour which they do when 

 brought on in heat until the flowers are 

 about to open. Plants from seed, if well 

 managed, may be expected to produce a 

 few blossoms the first season ; but if not 

 allowed to flower they will make better 

 bulbs. As soon as they show signs of their 

 growth stopping in autumn, give less 

 water, but do not withhold the supply all 

 at once, or it will have an injurious efi'ect 

 by preventing the bulbs going through 

 their naturally gradual ripening process. 

 When ripe, allow the soil to become quite 

 dry, and keep it in that condition all 

 through the winter, lapng the pots on 

 their sides in a temperature of from 46° to 

 50°. In March they may be started ; put 

 them singly in 4-inch pots in soil such as 

 that recommended for the second shift the 

 preceding summer, use it in a rather dry 

 state, and give little or no water until 

 growth has commenced, as if too wet be- 

 fore the roots have begun to push, there is 

 danger of their rotting. Place them in a 

 heat of from 55° to 65°, when they will 

 soon begin growing, and keep them near 

 the light. As soon as they have made a 

 fair quantity of roots, four or five of the 

 bulbs may be put in a 12-inch pot ; in this 

 way while in a comparatively small state 

 they will make much more effective speci- 



