PELECYPHORA 



648 



PELL^A 



General Culture: the House. Pelargoniums, like all 

 other large families of plants, require a house to them- 

 selves, and one peculiarly adapted to produce fine 

 specimens. The span-roofed form is the best, and for 

 this satisfactory reason that the plants in such a house 

 grow on all sides alike. The sides of the house should 

 be of glass, the side windows should move up and down, 

 to allow a large circulation of air, and the top lights 

 should also be movable, to let out the upper stratum 

 of heated air. The plants should be placed upon stages 

 near to the glass. These stages ought to be broad 

 enough to allow large specimens to stand clear of each 

 other upon them. The size of the house will depend 

 upon the means of cultivation, and the number intended 

 to be grown. To exhibit collections of ten or twelve 

 in number, three or four times during the season, the 

 house should be at least 50 feet long, and 20 feet wide. 

 This will allow a stage in the centre 10 feet wide, walks 

 round it 2 j feet wide, and a platform all round t\ feet 

 broad. This will leave the stage 10 feet wide, and 40 feet 

 long, which will be ample space for three rows of twelve 

 plants in each, full-sized and well-grown specimens. On 

 the platforms next the front light smaller-sized plants 

 may be placed, to succeed the others when they become 

 unsightly through the bloom being over. 



The only heat wanted is just enough to keep out the 

 frost, and the best mode of obtaining that heat is by hot 

 water circulating in cast-iron pipes. (See GREENHOUSE.) 



Compost. Procure from an old pasture, where the 

 grass is of a fine texture, as much turf, 3 or 4 inches 

 thick, as will serve to pot the collection for one year ; 

 cast it into the compost-yard, and have it immediately 

 chopped up into small pieces, and. as it is done, lay it 

 up in a long ridge, facing east and west, so that the sun 

 can shine upon each side morning and evening. The 

 ridge or bank should not exceed 2 feet high, on a base of 

 3 feet wide. The grassy surface and green roots will 

 soon begin to ferment during the process of decomposi- 

 tion, and the gases arising will penetrate to every particle 

 of soil, and moderately enrich it, quite sufficient to grow 

 geraniums. Let it be turned over every three months for 

 a year, and then it will be fit for use. Unless it be very 

 heavy, or of a close texture, it will not require any addition. 

 If too heavy, add sand to render it of an open texture. 



Culture of Established Plants. Cut them down in July, 

 leave them in a cold pit, and in eight or ten days after 

 being cut down, and receiving moisture about the tops 

 rather than among the roots, the pots may receive a fair 

 watering as much as will reach every good root. When 

 the buds break, gradually give air. When i inch in 

 length or so, take the plants to the potting-bench, shake 

 the soil from the roots, examine and prune the roots a 

 little, re-shift into similar, or, what in general will answer 

 better, smaller-sized pots ; place them again in the cold 

 pit, and keep close until the fresh roots are running in 

 the new soil; then give air gradually, until at length 

 you expose them entirely to the atmosphere, steering 

 clear, however, of cold rains and anything like frost. 

 Plants cut down in June and July, if transferred to small 

 pots, will require to be placed in blooming-pots in the 

 end of October. Those cut down in the end of July, or 

 during August, will not want repotting until the new 

 year has brought lengthened sunshine ; and from these 

 different successions of bloom may be expected. To have 

 it fine, cleanliness, air, light, room, and a temperature 

 seldom below 45*, must be leading considerations. 

 Through the winter, unless during sunshine, the tempera- 

 ture should never be higher. After a sunny day it may 

 be from five to eight degrees lower at night with impunity. 

 In the case of large plants, little stopping will be required 

 after repotting. Thinning instead will often be neces- 

 sary. Hence old plants generally produce the earliest 

 bloom, as every general stopping of the shoots, as well 

 as every shift given, retards the blooming period. 



PELECY'PHORA. (From pelekiK, an axe, and phoreo, 

 to bear ; in allusion to the form of the tubercles. Nat. 

 ord. Cactaceas.) 



Greenhouse succulent perennials. Cuttings and offsets 

 allowed to get dry for some days before insertion in sand. 

 Loam, leaf-mould, or peat, with one-fourth finely broken 

 bricks, and sand. 



P. asellifo'rmis (little-ass-formed). $. White, rose. June. 

 Mexico. 1843. 



co'ncolor (one-coloured). $. Purple. Mexico. 1873. 



i, peclina'ia (comb-like). . Rose. Mexico. 



PELE'XIA. (From pelex, a helmet; the dorsal sepal 

 and the petals are united in the form of a helmet. Nat. 

 ord. Orchidaceae.) 



Terrestrial stove orchids. Divisions. Fibrous peat,, 

 fibrous loam, sphagnum, some charcoal and sand. 

 P. adna'ta (adnate). 1-3. Pale green. White. W. Ind. 



1823. 

 macula'ta, (spotted), i. Green, tipped with pink. 



1893. 

 oliva'cea (olive-coloured). Sepals olive- green, the rest 



white. Andes. 1891. 



ro'seo-a'lba (rosy-white), i. White. Brazil. 1892. 

 sacca'ta (sack-like). $. Green; lip white. Guate- 

 mala. 



seta'cea (bristly). 1-2. Pale green. Brazil. 1834. 

 spiranthoi'des (Spirantbes-like). See P. ADNATA. 

 Travasso'sii (Travasoss's). See P. ROSEO-ALRA 

 ,, tri'loba (three-lobed). Green. Brazil. 1870. 

 wendlandia'na (Wendlandian). 2. Greenish-brown; 



lip white. 1892. 



PELICAN FLOWER. Aristolo'chia grandiflo'ra, Lo'tut 

 Berthole'tii, and Securi'gera Coroni'lla. 



PELIOSA'NTHES. (From pelios, livid, and anihos, a 

 flower; the colour of the flowers. Nat ord. Haemodo- 

 raceas.) 



Stove perennial herbs of tufted, grass-like habit. 

 Divisions or suckers. Loam, leaf-mould, and sand 

 P. a'lbida (white). x. White Malay Peninsula. 



1885. 



Ba'keri (Baker's), i. Himalaya. 

 hu'milis (low), i. Pale green. May. Penang. 1809. 

 javn'nica (Javanese), x. Java. 

 lu'rida (lurid), x. Lurid purple. Penaog. 

 stella' ta (starry). Penang. 



Te'ta (Teta). x. Pale green. April. India. 1807. 

 mantegazzia'na (Mantegazzian). Leaves less rigid. 



Malaya. 1905. 



viola' cea (violet), x. Deep violet. India. 

 ,, Cla'rkei (Clarke's), x. Dark purple. Assam to 

 Malay Peninsula. 1909. 



PELL^E'A. (From pelios, brownish or tawny ; in 

 allusion to the dark leaf-stalks. Nat. ord. Filices.) 

 Stove and greenhouse ferns. See FERNS. 



GREENHOUSE. 



P. adiantifo'lia (Adiantum- leaved). See P. HASTATA. 



andromedafo'lia (Andromeda-leaved). May. Cali- 

 fornia and S. Africa. 1840. 



atropurpu'rea (dark-purple). $. May. N. Amer. 

 1770. 



be'llum (pretty). California. 1873. 



brachy'ptera (short- winged). California. 1873. 



Bridge' sii (Bridges'). California. 1875. 



calome'lanos (beautiful-black). Cape Colony to Zam- 

 besi Land ; Himalaya. 1830. 



,, de'nsa (dense). N. Amer. 



,, falca'ta (sickle-shaped), i. May. Australia. 1820. 



,, gra'cil is (slender). North temperate zone, 9-10,000 ft. 



hasta'ta (halbert-shaped). Fronds twice or three 

 times pinnate. S. Africa. 1822. 



macrophy'lla (large-leaved). Fronds once pinnate ; 

 pinnae much broader. 



mucrona,' to, (mucronate). California, &c. 1865. 

 Almost hardy. 



orni'lhopus (bird's-foot). California. 1875. 



parado'xa (paradoxical), i. May. Australia. 



rotundifo'lia (round-leaved), ij. New Zealand and 

 Norfolk Island. 1824. 



robu'sta (robust). Fronds very dark shining green, 

 1904. 



wrightia'na (Wrightian). See P. MUCRONATA. 



STOVE. 



P. alabame'nsis (Alabama). Alabama, Georgia, and 



Tenessee. 

 corda'ta (heart-shaped), ij. May. Mexico to Peru. 



1820. 

 , flexuo'sa (flexuous). Stalk zigzag. May. Peru. 



1838. 

 sagitta'ta (arrow-shaped). Segments narrowed to 



the point. S. Amer. 1826. 

 geraniafo'lia (Geranium-leaved). Tropics. 



