THE FLORISTS MANUAL 



151 



Metrosideros, the Bottle Brush. 



divided or their roots and crowns get 

 very crowded. 



There are so many species that it is 

 unnecessary to single out any of them. 

 All are handsome and there is a range 

 in size from the diminutive M. micans, 

 with glittering leaves two to three inches 

 long to M. zebrina, with leaves three feet 

 long and eight inches broad. Every gar 

 dener will remember this old species, 

 probably one of the first introduced. 

 Here is a description of M. Veitchii, 

 from Nicholson s Dictionary of Gar 

 dening. 



&quot;Leaves large, ovate elliptic, over 

 one foot long, very rich, glossy green, 

 marked along each side the mid-rib with 

 crescent-shaped blotches of yellow, soft 

 ened by shades of green and white; un 

 der surface light purple. Height of 

 plant three feet. Introduced in 1866 

 from west tropical America. Probably 

 the handsomest of the genus. 



But there are any number of other 

 species with various beautiful markings, 

 and none difficult to grow where heat, 

 moisture, a porous soil and shade in 

 summer can be given. 



MARTINEZIA. 



M. caryotaefolia, a young plant of 

 which is illustrated, is one of a small 

 family of rather slender growing South 

 American palms, the species in question 

 having been found in parts of Peru and 

 also New Granada. Though this species 

 has been in cultivation since 1845, it is 

 not now largely grown, but few seeds 

 being offered in the market. 



The martinezia also possesses a dis 

 advantage in being so abundantly pro 

 vided with long and sharp spines, not 

 only the steins, but also the backs of 

 the leaves being armed with these needle- 

 like protectors, and nearly all plants 



having this characteristic receive but 

 scanty attention from the general pub 

 lic, and especially so if the price is held 

 above the average. 



Martinezia caryotaefolia may be de 

 scribed in a general way as bearing 

 some resemblance to Caryota urens, ex 

 cept that the latter is without spines, 

 but the peculiarly wedge-shaped pinnae 

 of the martinezia are arranged in irregu 

 lar groups along the leaf stem, there be 

 ing frequently from six to ten inches 

 of bare stem between these groups of 

 pinnae on a large leaf. The general 

 color of the leaves is deep green, and 

 the habit of the plant very graceful. 



This palm is not specially subject to 

 the attacks of insects, but if scale in 

 sects are allowed to infest it they are 

 likely to fix themselves along the stems 

 among the thorns, where it is very dim- 

 cult to dislodge them. In fact, with any 

 of the very spiny palms it becomes a 

 severe test of patience to eradicate scale, 

 and the use of strong insecticides can 

 hardly be recommended in such a case, 

 an experience with kerosene emulsion 

 some years ago on both martinezias and 

 daemonorops having proved disastrous. 



^Regarding the cultural requirements 

 of martinezias it may be said that they 

 belong among the warm-house palms, 

 and will flourish under suitable condi 

 tions for Areca lutescens, that is, tem 

 perature of 65 to 70 degrees, moderate 

 shading and abundant moisture. 



M. caryotaefolia is said to bear ex 

 posure very well as a plant for house 

 decoration, but I have not seen it tested 

 for such use, though a large plant of 

 this species would undoubtedly be a very 

 effective single specimen to be placed 

 on a pedestal, where its spines would be 

 out of reach of the passer-by. 



W. H. T. 



MAURANDYA. 



These are useful to us for summer 

 climbers and thrive in our hottest suns. 

 M. Barclayana is best sown in early 

 March in a heat of about 55 to 60 de 

 grees. When large enough to handle 

 pot into 2-inch. In this size they are 

 large enough for our baskets, but if 

 wanted for outside climbing can be 

 shifted into 3-inch and must have a small 

 stake or they get sadly tangled up. 

 They make a very quick growth and 

 cover quickly a small trellis. The flower 

 is not conspicuous, being of a greenish 

 color, about two inches long. 



M. scandens, often called Lophosper- 

 mum scandens, is a larger leaved, strong 

 er growing climber, and one of the very 

 best vines for our vases. The flowers 

 are pinkish violet. This can be raised 

 from seed precisely as we do M. Bar 

 clayana, but we prefer to take a few 

 cuttings from outside plants in the fall 

 and grow on during winter. It roots 

 easily from any part of the growth and 

 by this means we get much more serv 

 iceable plants for use in large vases 

 and veranda boxes. They winter very 

 well in 50 degrees, but grow faster, 

 when you want to propagate, in 60 de 

 grees. 



METROSIDEROS- Bottle Brash. 



This is one of the many hard-wooded* 

 evergreen shrubs that we get from the 

 Southern Pacific islands. The species 

 we import is M. robusta, and its pecul 

 iar, terminal, densely flowered spike is 

 so like in form to a bottle brush that 

 the popular name is often suggested by 

 people who have never heard it. It has 

 been for many years grown as a cool 

 greenhouse plant, but only within a 

 dozen years have the Europeans been 

 sending us the little, compact bushes 

 that now arrive with our azaleas. The 

 Belgians grow it in peat, as they do 

 most hard-wooded plants, but it does 

 very well in good turfy loam with a 

 fourth of leaf-mold. It will root from 

 the young growths in early spring, which 

 can be planted out in good soil the last 

 of May. But with tariff included we 

 can get fine plants landed here at a cost 

 that it would be impossible to grow 

 them as good for the same money. 



You don t want a great many of 

 them; about one to every ten Azalea 

 Indica you grow. Plants in 6-inch pots, 

 well flowered and fixed up with a red 

 ribbon, do look novel and attractive, and 

 a limited number find a ready sale. 



When they arrive soak the ball and 

 then pot firmly and put in a house at 

 about 45 degrees. To bring them in 

 for Easter you must watch them and 

 gradually give them more heat, but not 

 suddenly. Freshly imported plants if 

 forced in much heat, as you can an 

 azalea, will shed their flowers. 



Plants unsold the first spring will be 

 much better and more satisfactory the 

 second year. At the end of April cut 

 them back to within an inch or two of 

 the old growth and put them into a good 

 heat and and keep syringed. They will 

 make a bushy growth with a number of 

 shoots. Early in June plunge them out 



