MEYENIA ERECTA. 



Gree.nhouse and Stove Plants 



>i9 



necessity for stopping, except in the case of 

 any shoots that are taking the lead too 

 much. Raise the tempei'ature as solar 

 heat increases, and keep the plants up near 

 the glass, and in syringing see that the 

 water regidarly reaches the whole of both 

 the upper and under surface of the leaves. 

 Shade as before during the brightest por- 

 tion of the day, and give the necessary 

 support by sticks and ties to the branches, 

 without which sometimes the weight of 

 water in syringing will cause them to split 

 oflf. Treat as in the preceding sunmier, 

 dispensing with shade and syringing, as 

 the sun's power begins to wane, and give 

 less air. 



Winter as before, giving no more water 

 at the root than is requisite to keep the 

 leaves plump. This dry condition of the 

 soil is necessary to the free production of 

 flowers, but it must not be carried so far 

 as to cause the leaves to flag, or they will 

 fall off prematurely. Again raise the 

 temperature in spring, when the first 

 efforts will be directed to the formation of 

 flowers, which will make their appearance 

 at the points of the branches. "Whilst 

 these are in course of development too 

 much atmospheric moisture should be 

 avoided, and it is not advisable to syringe 

 them overhead, as any excess in this way 

 frequently leads to the blooms falling off 

 before they expand. The flowers will last 

 for two or three weeks, during which time 

 they have a grand appearance. After 

 blooming any strong growths may be cut 

 back, and as soon as shoot growth com- 

 mences another shift of 2 inches or 3 inches 

 should be given, getting away some of the 

 old soil from the upper portion of the ball 

 as far as it can be done without disturbance 

 of the roots. Treat them generally as re- 

 commended during the preceding summer, 

 giving manure-water once a week ; their 

 winter management should also be the 

 same as before. It frequently happens 

 that plants in the second and subsequent 

 years of flowering bloom more profusely 

 than during the first, as, in addition to the 

 bunches at the points of the shoots, quanti- 

 ties of flowers are often emitted from the 

 hard wood of the branches or main stem, 

 in which state they have a most singular, 

 yet beautifid appearance. Medinillas may 

 be retained for years, so as to occupy a 

 moderate space, by having their branches 

 shortened freely after flowering, and in 

 potting shaking out a portion of tlie old 

 soil and replacing with new material, 

 supplying the requirements of the roots by 

 the liberal use of manure-water in jjlace of 

 giving them inconveniently large pots. 



M. amabilis is a native of Java, ami may 



be said to be almost an exact counterpart 

 of the following better-known kind, except 

 that the panicles are borne perfectly erect 

 instead of pendulous. Though thus nearly 

 alike, the contrast between the plants when 

 in flower side by side is most remarkable, 

 each enhancing the beauty of the other. 



M. magnifica, a native of Java, is a 

 magnificent species. Its leaves measure 

 from 10 inches to 12 inches long, and 7 

 inches or 8 inches broad. The flowers, 

 which are produced in large, drooping, 

 branching panicles, are of a rosy-pink 

 colour, and the unopened buds are of the 

 same shade, and ai'e almost as handsome in 

 the advancing stages as when expanded. 



M. Sieboldii, from ^loulmein, is a hand- 

 some plant, but inferior to both the above. 

 It has rosy- white flowers. 



Insects. — All the species of MediniUa 

 are somewhat liable to the attacks of red 

 spider, unless the syringing recommended 

 in their cultivation is regularly attended 

 to. !Mealy bug and brown scale will also 

 live upon them ; for these, sponging the 

 leaves and a strong application of insecti- 

 cide in the case of old plants that, in cut- 

 ting back, have been denuded of their 

 foliage, will be found the most effectual 

 remedy. 



METROSIDEROS. 



These are evergreen greenhouse shrubs, 

 naturally somewhat straggling in growth, 

 and are most suitable for a large house, 

 such as a winter garden where there is 

 room to accommodate a large collection of 

 plants ; but, where space is limited, they 

 are not sufficiently attractive to deserve a 

 place. 



The method of propagation and after 

 treatment is similar to that ad\T.sed for 

 Myrtles, which see. 



Al. ciliata. Flowers crimson ; a summer 

 bloomer. From New Caledonia. 



M. florihunda. Bright crimson flowers, 

 borne in whorls towards the extremities of 

 the shoots. New Zealand. 



M. florida. Has scarlet flowers, pro- 

 duced in summer. A native of Xew 

 Zealand. 



MEYENIA ERECTA. 



There are two forms of this stove 

 Acanthad, one bearing purple flowers with 

 a yellow throat, the other white, but not 

 differing in other respects either in appear- 

 ance or in matters of cultivation. They 

 are erect evergreen shrubs that attain a 

 small or medium size ; they are very 

 nearly allied to Thunbergias, and the 

 flowers of both are much alike. They are 



