166 ORNAMENTAL GARDENING 



HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 



It is impossible always to draw the line between shrubs and 

 herbaceous plants, just as the line cannot be always marked 

 between shrubs and vines. Many things that are ordinarily 

 herbaceous occasionally become woody. 



Acalypha. A genus of plants containing a number of species 

 or varieties with richly variegated leaves. The names are in 

 some confusion in the catalogues so that it is sometimes difficult 

 to understand what is meant and the descriptions in the books 

 are too brief and vague. If I identify A. wilkesiana correctly 

 the leaves are broadly ovate and decidedly, though sometimes 

 bluntly, acuminate, not at all cordate, but often one-sided and 

 contorted. They are strongly and bluntly serrate, have a ground- 

 work of coppery or bronzy green, are variegated with a light and 

 dark shade of red, and within this red are angular flecks or mosaics 

 of the groundwork. Sometimes a whole leaf will be bronzy red- 

 dish or greenish ; in fact the diversity of color is very great. A 

 form which may be macafeana has leaves which are sometimes 

 almost cordate; they are broadly ovate and acuminate but not 

 so drawn out as in the last. It may be said that they are light 

 red blotched with bronzy crimson or the reverse, and sometimes 

 the bronzy crimson becomes bronzy green. There is a variety 

 cultivated here with large cordate leaves which are usually deep 

 bronzy red, or it may be splashed with light red, or the whole 

 leaf may be the latter color. This may be triumphans. A. 

 marginata has green, bronzy or reddish green leaves bordered 

 with white or pink and A . godseffiana is much like it but is glossier. 

 A form known as bicolor compacta has green leaves bordered 

 with yellow and A . miltoniana has similarly marked but narrower 

 and lacerated leaves. A. hispida bears long spikes of close set 

 carmine flowers. All are from the East Indian region and are 

 tender, A. marginata being hardiest. These are the poor man's 

 plants in lower Florida and there is scarcely a home here that is 

 not brightened by some of them. 



Achimenes. Rather delicate plants with large salver-shaped 

 flowers of considerable beauty which spring from scaly tubers. 

 They make their growth in the warm season and during 



