Stove and Greenhouse Plants and Flowers 161 



post or in leaf mould, coconut fibre, &c., and with a bottom heat of 

 about 80 F. Large pieces with several shoots will also root freely, and 

 in this way quite large plants are obtainable in a comparatively short 

 time. When well rooted they are potted up and grown on. 



Mealy Bug, Scale, and Red Spider are the worst enemies of the Croton, 

 but they can be kept in check by frequent syringings with warm or at 

 least tepid water, to which may be added some well-known quassia and 

 nicotine insecticide. Fumigating and vaporizing are also useful in keeping 

 these pests down, as well as Thrips, which are sometimes troublesome. 



The following are amongst the best kinds of Crotons grown: 



Broad-leaved. Andreanum, Williamsi, Thompsoni, Reidi, &c. 



Narrow-leaved, drooping, &c. Angustifolium, Aigburthense, Johannis, picturatum, 



Warreni, aneitense, Weismanni, Mrs. Dorman, ruberrimum, raajesticum. 

 Lobed leaves. Disraeli, Earl of Derby, Evansianum, illustris, F. K. Sander. 

 Twsted leaves. Chelsoni, caudatum tortile, spirale, Prince of Wales, &c. 

 Various. Queen Victoria, Sunset, undulatum, Sunrise, Flambeau, recurvifolium, 



volutum, Van CErstedi, Flamingo, Hawkeri, &c. 



Cuphea ignea (platycentra). (CiGAR PLANT.) A bushy little Mexican 

 plant with reddish stems, lance-shaped leaves, and scarlet cylindrical flowers 

 resembling miniature cigars with ashy tips. It is much used for bedding 

 out in summer and is raised from cuttings or seeds. 



Curculig'O recurvata. An ornamental Palm-like plant from the East 

 Indies, with broad green plaited arching leaves. There are two varieties, 

 namely striata, having a white band down the centre, and varieyata, 

 which has fine leaves, 3-4 ft. long including the stalks, the blade being 

 irregularly banded with white. They are not extensively grown, chiefly 

 because they can only be increased by division, but the plants sell readily 

 enough. They flourish in a gritty loamy soil with a little well-rotted 

 manure, leaf mould, or peat, and require abundance of moisture at the 

 root and overhead when growing freely. 



Cyanophyllum magnificum. A fine stove plant with large ovate 

 deeply ribbed leaves of velvety texture, rich olive green above, purple red 

 beneath. It likes peat and loam, and is increased by cuttings. 



Cycads. Outside botanic gardens and a few private collections Cy- 

 cadaceous plants are rarely seen in British gardens. On the Continent, 

 however, specimens are more commonly met with. As market plants 

 they are practically non-existent. A good trade, however, is done amongst 

 florists in the leaves of some kinds, notably in those of Cycas revoluta, 

 G. circinalis, and C. pectinata. The leaves of the latter drop naturally 

 every year, while they remain evergreen for several years on the two 

 first -named. For florists' work the leaves are chiefly used for wreath 

 work and other funeral emblems, either in their natural green colour or 

 in a silvered state. The leaves or fronds are gracefully arching and are 

 deeply divided in a pinnate manner into numerous closely arranged long 

 and narrow leaflets the entire leaf resembling a huge vegetable feather, 



VOL. II. 26 



