EVERLASTING FLOWERS 197 



together with the striking character of the plants 

 themselves, gives them peculiar attractiveness 

 for the experimenter. The possibility of mak- 

 ing still wider combinations, as in the case of 

 the cross with the amaryllis, and further selec- 

 tions, should of course not be lost sight of. 



THE SPECTACULAR IXIA 



Another tribe of interesting bulbous plants 

 are represented by the genus Ixia. These, like 

 so many other of the bulbous plants, are natives 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, being closely related 

 to the gladiolus, and resembling many other 

 Cape bulbs, including the Watsonias. There 

 are various species, but they have been so inter- 

 crossed that the experimenter need pay very 

 little attention to specific names and distinctions. 

 The bulbs are inexpensive, and are commonly 

 grown several in a pot in the house in winter in 

 the eastern States, but in California they grow 

 outdoors, and there is no occasion to transplant 

 them, except for propagation. 



A single bulb will spread by putting out new 

 bulbs, which in turn make offshoots in the samet 

 way, until a large and beautiful clump of plants 

 is often developed. The Ixia, indeed, can 

 never be seen at its best except when grown in 

 this way. 



