BERTOLONIA 



the ovary is 3-celled. Gravesia has a 5-ceIIed ovary, 

 and Souerila is trimerous. In Bertolonia the connective 

 ot the anthers has no appendage ; in Salpinga there is 

 a spur below and behind the connective ; in Mouolena 

 there is a spur ia front, and the calyx is not hairy. 



Bertolouias are essentially fanciers' plants. It is 

 somewhat difficult to briug out their true characteristics 

 under ordinary stove treatment, as they require a more 

 humid atmosphere than can usually be maintained, even 

 in a small house. The additional shelter of a small 

 frame should be provided, where the atmospheric con- 

 ditions will be much more easily regulated. A plentiful 

 supply of water at the roots is necessary ; syringing or 

 sprinkling overhead is not advisable. The most con- 

 venient method of propagation is by cuttings, which 

 strike readily, in a moderately close propagating case 

 filled with sharp, clean sand. The pots should be thor- 

 oughly clean and drained, and the compost open and 

 porous. Thrive in dense shade. Old plants are not so 

 brilliant as young ones. 



Bertolonias and their allies furnish an excellent ex- 

 ample of Van Houtte's triumphs in hybridization. The 

 two species described below have probably been im- 

 portant factors in the plant-breeding, and Gravesia gut- 

 tata even more so. Gravesia is a Madagascar plant, 

 and has, perhaps, been crossed with the Brazilian Ber- 

 tolonias. Unfortunately, the pictures in Flore des 8er- 

 res show no flowers, and the pedigree is not given. The 

 Bertonerilas figured and described in l.H. 43, pp. 188 

 and 189, with colored plates 64 and (iS, are presumably 

 hybrids between Bertolonia and Sonerila. Excepting C. 

 inaciitata and C. marniorata, the following are hybrids. 



110^ lined on both sides with a eotored band. 



marmorMa, Naudin. Stem less densely hairy than 

 the above : Ivs. more narrowly ovate, or ovate-oblong, 

 acute, sparsely hairy, streaked with white along the 

 veins : calyx sparsely hairy, not glandular : petals 

 somewhat blunter, dilute purple. R.H. 1848: 381, as 

 Eriocnema marniorata, Naudin. F.S.7: 750, as B. niacii- 

 lata, var. marniorata, Planchon. Coigneaux recognizes 

 two varieties, var. genuina, with Ivs. green above, and 

 banded with white along the veins ; var. sen^a (Erioc- 

 neiiiii a'uea and B. a'iiea>, Naudin), with Ivs. dark green 

 with a coppery cast, but not spotted or only slightly so. 



Mirdndaei, Van Houtte. Spots red on the lower Ivs. 

 and white on the upper or younger ones : Ivs. purple 

 beneath. F.S. 21 : 2235 ( 1875). 



AA. Veins lined on both sides with a white or colored 

 band. 

 B. Blinds and spots magenta or purple. 

 macul&ta, DC. Stem short, decumbent, rooting at the 

 base, densely clothed with rusty hairs : Ivs. long- 

 petioled, cordate, broadly ovate, obtuse, hispid above 

 and at margins, dark velvety green above, often spot- 

 ted; calyx densely clothed with glandular hairs: petals 

 obovate, somewhat acute, rose-colored. B.M.4551. 



Houtteina, Van Houtte ( B. Van Eouttei, Hort.). 

 Lvs. purple beneath. This was the sensational plant of 

 1874, and Van Houtte refused $2,000 for his stock of it. 

 It was originated by his propagator, Marchand. F. S. 

 20:2120. 



BB. Bands and spots silvery white. 

 c. Spots very distinct. 

 Hruby&na, Van Houtte. This has bars of white con- 

 necting the veins. The under side of the Ivs. seems to 

 be green instead of purple, at least toward the tip. P.S. 



!381. 



Sodecki&na, Van Houtte. Distinguished from the 



above and all others of this group by the abundance of 



dark red color in the upper surface of the lvs. Veins 



of the under side prominent and green. P.S. 23: 2382. 



CC. Spots very faint. 



LegrelleS.na, Van Houtte (B. Legrdle, Hort.). There 

 are a few longitudinal bars, but they do not connect the 

 veins. Reterred to Gravesia guttata by Coigneaux. 

 F.S. 23:2407. 



Other trade names are B. guttata. Hook. f.=Gravesia gut- 

 tata.— B. margaritacea, Hort. Biill.=Salpinga margaritacea.— 

 B. priniuliefldra. Hort.= Mouolema primulseflora. — B. pubes- 



BESCHORNERIA 157 



cens, Hort., with long white hairs and a chocolate band down 

 the center. Equador.— .B. punctatissima, Hort.— B. superbis- 

 sima. Hort. (B. superba ? Hort.), with rose colored spots, which 

 are larger and brighter near the margin. F.M. 151 (1875).- 

 Prohal.ly a var. of Gravesia guttata. 



Wm. Scott, Tarrytown, N. Y., and W. M. 



BEBTONERlLA. A class of handsome foliage plants, 

 presumably hybrids between Bertolonia and Sonerila. 

 l.H. vol. 43 (1896). For culture, see Bertolonia. 



BESCHORNftRIA (after H. Beschorner, German 

 botanisi ). .1 ma rii/lid()cew. Succulent desert plants, al- 

 lied to Hraviia and Uoryanthes. Lvs. in a rosette, glau- 

 cous, roughish at the margins, not so thick, firm or 

 fleshy as in Agave (which has a strong end-spine and 

 horny marginal prickles): rootstock short, tuberous. 

 In Beschorneria, the perianth is usually reddish green, 

 with scarcely any tube and with long, oblanceolate seg- 

 ments; in Doryanthes the perianth is bright red, the seg- 

 ments long, narrowly falcate ; in Bravoa the perianth 

 is red or white, the tube curved, subcylindral, and the 

 segments short. J. G. Baker, Amaryllidea), 161. Culture 

 similar to Agave. The species are very closely allied, 

 and difficult to distinguish. The following are the only 

 kinds well known, and they are all from Mex. They flower 

 at long, irregular periods, as do century plants. 



The species succeed best when treated similarly to 

 Agaves, with the exception of the soil, which may be 

 made richer by the addition of crushed bone and a 

 little vegetable mold. All of the species need green- 

 house protection in the northern states. Useful for 

 bedding. 



A. Soughish on both surfaces of Irs. 



tubifldra, Kunth. Lvs. 12ormore, lK-2 ft. long, 1 in. 

 broad, linear, long-acuminate, narrowest ot the genus. 

 B.M. 4642. — The oldest and best known species. 



AA. Boiighish beneath and on the margins of lvs. 



B. Z/vs. very glaucous. 

 Ton61ii, Jacobi (B. Tonelidna, J acohi). Allied to B. 

 tubiflora , hut with looser habit and much broader lvs. 

 Lvs. 15-20, 1-1^ ft. long, 2-2>2 in. broad, short-acumi- 

 nate, and more boldly contracted below the middle. 

 B.M. 6091. 



BB. IAjs. less glaucous. 

 c. Base of lvs. thick, about K inch. 

 Dekosteriana, C. Koch. Lvs. 15-20. 2-4}^ ft. long, 

 2-2}^ in. broad, oblanceolate, long-acuminate, very grad- 

 ually tapering both ways from the middle, l-lj^ in. 

 broad above the base ; the bases thickest in the genus. 

 B.M. 6768. 



CC. Base of lvs. thinner. 

 D. y^arrowed. to less than 1 inch above the base. 



bracteata, Jacobi. Lvs. 20-30, lK-2 ft. long, 2 in. 

 broad, short-acuminate ; texture thin but firm. B.M. 

 6641. — In the picture the margins are rougher than in 

 any other species, and they are also wavy or revolute at 

 intervals. 



DD. jVarrowed to ^ inch above the base. 



yuccoldes, Hook. f. Lvs. about 20, 1-lK ft. long, 2 in. 

 broad, lanceolate, short-acuminate. B.M. 5203. — The 

 lvs. are broader than in A. tnbiflora, shorter acuminate, 

 and more boldly narrowed below the middle. In the 

 picture cited, the lvs. seem more spreading and less 

 revolute than in the rest of the genus. 



B. Califdrnica is offered by Dr. Franceschi, Santa 

 Barbara, Calif., without description. 



As Beschornerias can be certainly identified only 

 when in flower, the following key is added : 

 A. Inflorescence racemose. 



B. Fls. highly colored, purple and reA—Touelii. 

 BB. Fls. dull-colored, reddish green — tubiflora. 

 AA. Inflorescence panicled. 



B. Fls. 2 or 3 in a cluster— Z>c&o.'ife'r(a)ia. 

 BB. Fls. more numerous in the cluster, 3-7. 

 c. Peduncles bright ved — yuecoides. 

 CC. Peduncle dull reddish hrown — bracteata. 

 G. W. Oliver and W. M. 



