KITAIBELIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. KNIPHOFIA. 525 



ing bright yellow flowers in early 

 autumn, the five fleshy petals over- 

 lapping so closely as to .appear like 

 one, and measuring 2 inches long and 

 about half as wide. The plant is best 

 in moist, peaty soil, and in partial 

 shade, fierce sun heat scorching both 

 leaves and flowers. Increase by seeds 

 and division. 



KITAIBELIA VITIFOLIA. A 



large, coarse-growing plant, from 4 feet 

 to 6 feet or more high, with Grapevine- 

 like foliage. It bears in summer large 

 white blooms from the upper parts 

 of the stems. The plant is too coarse 

 for border culture, but adapted for 

 growing among shrubs or for naturalis- 

 ing. Seed or division. Hungary. 



KNIPHOFIA (Torch Lily]. Hand- 

 some and very distinct perennials, but 

 prevented by our severe winters from 

 becoming very popular. The genus, 

 as understood by botanists, is restricted 

 to the mountains of Abyssinia and the 

 Cape, with the exception of one species 

 found by Speke and Grant near the 

 Equator, and one or two kinds indi- 

 genous to the mountains of Madagas- 

 car. There are twenty or thirty 

 species, and none of the six found in 

 Abyssinia is identical with any sort 

 found at the Cape. The Kniphofias, 

 and especially the forms of K. uvaria, 

 are among the most striking of autumn 

 flowers. Large irregular groups in 

 open spots give a brilliant effect in 

 autumn, and they require no attention 

 beyond an occasional top-dressing of 

 rich soil or well-rotted manure. Dur- 

 ing the late winters many kinds have 

 perished from frost, but these dangers 

 may be averted by a covering of dry 

 leaves or ashes in late autumn. The 

 stemless kinds are easily propagated 

 by division and by seed when produced 

 in favourable seasons ; but not the 

 stemmed or caulescent kinds. How- 

 ever, those who wish to increase their 

 stock of the stemmed kinds need not 

 fear to behead them ; in fact, this is 

 the only way in which K. caulescens 

 can be propagated, as otherwise it 

 seldom develops off-shoots. When so 

 treated it will throw up a large number 

 of shoots, which, if allowed to remain 

 until a few roots are produced, may be 

 taken off and kept in a close frame for 

 a time, and then potted in a sandy 

 compost. K. sarmentosa is the easiest 

 to increase, as it throws out under- 

 ground shoots, which may be taken off 

 at any time. 



K. ALOIDES (Torch Lily). An excellent 

 border plant, suitable for all soils, and 

 while few plants are better for picturesque 

 grouping in the pleasure ground, in the 

 shrubbery, with a fairly open space and 

 with deep rich soil it forms handsome 

 groups. It begins to flower in late sum- 

 mer, and lasts for many weeks in perfec- 

 tion, and nearly 70 per cent, of the garden 

 varieties are traceable to it. K. pumila 

 is a pretty dwarf form. The variety 

 prescox flowers much earlier than K. 

 aloides, from the middle to the end of 

 May ; its leaves are broader than those 

 of the type, and are not glaucous, while 

 the raceme is shorter, the stems being 



Kniphofta grandis. 



about half as long as the leaves. The 

 variety nobilis, which very much resembles 

 grandis, if indeed it is not the same kind, 

 is a robust and noble plant, its leaves more 

 distinctly serrated than those of grandis, 

 its flowering stem 5 to 8 feet in height, 

 with flowers varying from scarlet to 

 orange-scarlet ; the anthers are pro- 

 minent. It blooms throughout August. 

 The variety serotina is interesting from 

 blooming a month or so after all the other 

 Kniphofias are over ; its flowers are 

 greenish-yellow, occasionally tinged with 

 red. The variety Saundersi has bright 

 green leaves and very rich orange-scarlet 

 flowers ; the variety longiscapa has very 

 long flower-heads, and is a most desirable 



