AS A DECORATIVE PLANT 45 



(as a greenhouse plant) A. medeoloides. This has long 

 been grown in England, and is described in Mawe's 

 "Universal Gardener" as well as in Hanbury's "Com- 

 plete Body of Planting." Both these authors advise 

 that it be removed to a warm greenhouse in the autumn 

 in order that it may be in perfection at Christmas time. 

 Hanbury, in particular, gives a good and interesting 

 description of the plant : 



"The Myrtle-leaved Climbing African Asparagus 

 admits of two principal varieties called the Broad-leaved 

 and the Narrow-leaved. The root of the Broad-leaved 

 is composed of several oblong, fleshy knobs, which 

 unite at the top. The stalks are weak, climbing, divide 

 into numerous branches, and will rise, if supported, to 

 the height of about five feet. The leaves are pinnated 

 and single; the folioles are oval, spear-shaped, pointed, 

 sessile, of a dark but glossy green colour on their upper 

 side, but paler underneath, and are placed alternately 

 along the midrib. The flowers come out from the sides 

 of the branches on short foot-stalks ; they are of a dull 

 white colour, appear in October, and are often succeeded 

 by ripe heart-shaped seeds in the spring. The Narrow- 

 leaved sort differs from the other inasmuch as the stalks 

 are smaller and less branching. The leaves are long, 

 narrow, and of a greyish colour. The flowers are of a 

 greenish-white colour, but are produced like the former ; 

 they appear about the same time, and the seeds ripen 

 accordingly. The stalks of both these kinds die to the 

 ground every summer, but fresh ones spring up in the 

 autumn, and continue growing and exhibiting their 

 flowers all winter." 



Among other kinds which are hardy in warm, light 

 soils is the very beautiful A. brousseroneti. 



One of the first of the greenhouse asparaguses to be 

 introduced into England was A. retrofracfus, which was 

 brought from the Cape in 1759; but, owm g to f he fact 



