H E L 





H E L 



in their shape, the size of a man's fist in the 

 largest. It is a native of Brazil. 



Culhire. — All these flowery plants are easily 

 increased, the two first sorts by seeds, and the 

 others by dividing their roots. 



The seeds should be sown in the early spring 

 months, in the places where the plants are to 

 grow and flower, in patches of three or lonr 

 seeds together. When the plants are up they 

 may be thinned out to one or two of the best. 



'i'iuv may be had more forward by sowing 

 them on a modcraie hot-bed, under glasses, and 

 afterwards transplanting them to the situations 

 where they are to grow. 



The divided roots may be planted out in the 

 places where they are to remain, either in the 

 autiinm or the early spring months. 



These plants produce a fine ornamental effect 

 in the back parts of the borders, clumps, and 

 other parts of pleasure-grounds, and by sowing at 

 dilTerent times may be kept in flower for a con- 

 siderable length of lime. 



In the perennial sorts the decayed stems 

 should be cleared away when they begin to de- 

 cline. They continue long. 



The last, or tuberous-rooted sort, is increased 

 bv planting the smaller roots, or the larger ones 

 cut in pieces, a bud being preserved to each, 

 either in the spring or autumn, allowing a good 

 distance, as the roots multiply greatly. In the 

 autumn following, when the stems decay, the 

 roots may be taken up for use. 



When cultivated for a crop, the sets should 

 be planted in an open part of the kitchen-garden, 

 in rows three ieet or more asunder, and at least 

 eighteen inches distant from each other, to the 

 depth of four or five inches. The best time is 

 the latter end of March, in a light soil. The 

 roots may be taken up for use in September, and 

 the whole crop housed in October. When kept 

 in sand in a dry place, they continue the whole 

 winter verv good. 



IdELICONIA, a genus containing a plant of 



the tall herbaceous perennial kind, for the stove. 



It belongs to the class and order Pcnlaridria 



Monngynia, and ranks in the natural order of 



Scilaminece. 



The characters are : that the calyx consists of 

 conmion and partial spathes, alternate, distinct, 

 with herma])hrodiie flowers : there is no peri- 

 anth : the corolla has three petals, oblong, ehan- 

 ni-lled, erect, acute, equal : nectary two-leaved ; 

 one leaflet nearly equal to the petals ; the other 

 very short, channelled, hooked, opposite: the 

 stamina consist of five (or six) filaments, fili- 

 form : anthers long, erect : the pistillum is an 

 inferior oblong <verm: style shorter than the sta- 

 mens : stigma long, slender,, curved, with a 

 terniinatiug head : the pericarj)ium' is an oblong 



capsule, truncate, three-sided, three-celled : seeds 

 solitary, oblong. 



The species is H. Bihcii, Bastard or Wild 

 Plantain. 



It is a large herbaceous plant, from ten to 

 twelve feet in height: the leaves oblong, nar- 

 rower at both ends, entire, marked w ith parallel 

 lines, erect, thick, and very smooth. Petioles 

 the length of the leaves or more, round, thick, 

 channelled above. Scape upright, the length of 

 the petioles, round, thick, smooth : spadix sim- 

 ple, uprisht : conunon spalhes several (eight to 

 ten), rigid, cordate, embracing, from erect, 

 spreading, acuminate, distich, yellowish brown: 

 the flowers are in bundles concealed within each 

 spathe: partial spathes membranaceous, whitish, 

 the length of the flowers, which are distinct, 

 subsessile, pale or greenish yellow. It is a native 

 of the West Indies, flowering in spring. 



Cullure. — These plants are increased by 

 suckers arising from the root, particularly after 

 having fruited, which may be taken oft" any time 

 in summer, with fibres to them, planted in pots, 

 and plunged in the bark-bed, where they will 

 readily grow, and afterwards shifted into larger 

 pots as they advance in height. 



They aftord variety among other stove-plants, 

 HELICTERES, a genus containing plants 

 of the shrubby exotic kind, for the stove. 



It belongs to the class and order Gynandria 

 Decandria, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Colli mnif tree. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianthium,tubulous,half-ovate,obliquely 

 spreading, unequally five-cleft, coriaceous : the 

 corolla has five petals, oblong, equal in breadth, 

 fixed to the receptacle, longer than the calyx : 

 claws long, with a tooth on each side at the 

 base: nectary of five petal-shaped, lanceolate, 

 very small leaflets, covering the germ : the sta- 

 mina have five, ten, or more filaments, very 

 short : anthers oblong, lateral : the pistillum is 

 a filiform receplacle, very long, bowed back, 

 bearing an ovate germ at the lip : style subulate, 

 longer than the germ : stigma subquinqucfid : 

 the pericarpinm consists of five capsules, often 

 twisted spirally, one-celled: the seeds very many 

 and angular. 



The species cultivated are: 1. H. haruensis. 

 Small-fruited Screw-tree; 2. H. isora, Great- 

 fruited Screw-tree. 



The first is an upright tree, about twelve feet 

 in height, branching but little. The vounger 

 branches, peduncles, and petioles are tomentose: 

 the leaves acute, wrinkled, tomentose-, and 

 whitish underneath, somewhat hairy on the up- 

 per surface, petioled, alternate, deciduous : the 

 stipules awl-shaped : the peduncles many-flow- 

 ered, terminating, thick : about the pedicels are 



