SPH^ROQYNE. 



Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 



31i 



root, and in this way cover a much larger 

 surface than they would do if only sup- 

 ported from the stem first rooted. The 

 soil through the growing season should be 

 kept moderately moist, but not too wet. 

 Syringe once a day, but only in bright 

 weather, so that the moisture may dry off 

 them soon, or sometimes the shoots will 

 damp if the water hangs on them too long. 

 To counteract this the plants should be 

 stood tolerably near the glass, but must be 

 shaded slightly from the sun when the 

 weather is hot ; they should have air daily 

 through the growing season, but must not 

 be where the air admitted will dry the 

 atmosphere too much. During the latter 

 part of spring and through the summer the 

 plants will bear a temperature of 70" in 

 the night and 85° by day. Nothing further 

 is required but to give additional pot- 

 room, as this becomes necessary, and reduce 

 the heat as the autumn comes on, and also 

 discontinue shading and syringing. In 

 the winter a night temperature of 60° to 

 65° will be sufficient. Young plants are 

 preferable to old ones, as the latter some- 

 times are liable to damp off after flowering ; 

 this is more likely to occur if, when the 

 flowers drop, the falling petals are not 

 shaken away, as if left to decay on the 

 shoots they will cause them to rot. But, 

 independent of this, young plants propa- 

 gated early each spring are preferable to 

 old ones. There are three varieties of 

 this plant — S. margaritacea, S. margari- 

 tacea alba, and S. margaritacea superba, 

 similar in habit, but differing in appear- 

 ance. 



Insects. — Scale, mealy bug, and other 

 insects -mW sometimes attack Sonerilas. 

 Those that can be destroyed by fumigation 

 are easily got rid of by that means, but the 

 scale and mealy bug are difficult to deal 

 with when they get established on the 

 brittle stems and leaves, which are im- 

 patient of any but very gentle handling ; 

 and, like other plants with delicate foliage, 

 they A\411 not bear the use of insecticide, 

 sponge and water being the best means by 

 which to clean them. 



SPARMANNIA AFRICANA. 



A handsome flowering evergreen green- 

 house plant that grows to the height of a 

 small tree in its native country, but blooms 

 freely in a small state under cultivation. 

 The flowers are quite distinct from those 

 of most other things ; they are produced 

 in large bunches at the extremities of the 

 shoots, and last for a considerable time in 

 fresh condition. The plant strikes freely 

 from shoot cuttings in spring, put singly 



in small pots in sand, keep moist, close 

 and shaded in a temperature of 70°. As 

 soon as well-rooted give more air, and in a 

 few weeks they will require mo\'ing to 

 6-inch pots. It does well in good ordinary 

 loam, to which has been added some rotten 

 manure and a good portion of sand. Keep 

 the young plants in a growing temperature 

 similar to that in which they were struck 

 until they get to movdng freely, when re- 

 duce the heat to that of an ordinary green- 

 house. Stop the shoots when they have 

 made a little progress — the plant has an 

 erect habit and requires attending to in this 

 respect. By midsummer more root-room 

 •will be required ; it is a free grower, and 

 10 or 12 inch pots will not be too large ;. 

 the soil now iised should be in a lumpy 

 state and contain more manure. Again 

 stop the shoots, tying them well out \ all 

 through the gro-\\ing season give plenty of 

 air and Ught, with a little shade in very 

 bright weather, and syringe well in the 

 afternoons before taking the air off. When 

 the flowering is over cut the shoots back 

 freely and keep the soil drier, entering in 

 a temperature of 40° by night. In spring 

 turn them out of the pots, removing part 

 of the soil, and give others a size larger. 

 The plant will last for many years if well 

 attended to. It comes from the Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



Insects. — Most of the insects that are 

 troublesome on indoor plants will live on 

 this Sparmannia ; the frequent syringing^ 

 ad^ased will keep down red spider and 

 aphides. If scale affect it syringe with 

 insecticide. 



SPELffiROGYNE. 



These handsome stove Melastomads are 

 remarkably distinct plants, especially S. 

 latifolia, which is much the finest and 

 most desirable species to cultivate. In 

 appearance it is like Cyanophyllum magni- 

 ficum, but its leaves, although not nearly 

 so large as those of the Cyanophyllum, are 

 more beautiful ; the colour of the upper 

 surface is a shade of olive-green, shin- 

 ing like velvet ; their beauty is much 

 heightened by the singular corrugation 

 which extends in a complete network over 

 the whole leaf, imparting to the plant a 

 particularly handsome and unique cha- 

 racter. Besides S. latifolia there are two 

 or three other kinds in cultivation — S. 

 ferruginea, S. imperialis, and S. cinna- 

 momea ; the latter comes from Costa Rica, 

 S. imperialis from Peru, and the two first- 

 named from South America. All are alike 

 as to their cultural requirements, and a 

 high temperature is necessary to grow 



