1076 



NEPHROLEPIS 



3. acdta, Presl. (i\r. £«HSf/,Hort.). Lvs. 2-4 ft. long, 

 8-12 in. wide, on short slightly scaly stalks; pinnse H-l 

 in. wide, acute, with entire or slightly crenate margins, 

 the lower basal angle rounded, the upper auricled : in- 

 dusia suborbicular. Fla. to Brazil and in the tropics of 

 the Old World. -i\r. ruf^scens, Presl., is a woolly variety. 

 iV. tripinnatifida is said to be a variety of this species. 



BB. Margins pinnatifkl. 



4. davallioldes, Kunze. Lvs. drooping, 2-3 ft. long, 

 1 ft. ormore wide; lower pinnas inciso-cren.ate, the upper 

 narrower, with deeper lobes. In cultivation the pinnae 

 are forked often several times and art- soinctiiiu-s irregu- 

 larly crested ; their form resenit'lis tin- li.-rticultural va- 

 riety fiircans, Java. — Var. furcans miilticeps is also 

 advertised. 



N. serrulttta cristata, once advertised by John Saul, seems un- 

 known to the botanies.-JV. WUtboldii, P.R. 5;247 (1900) ; 6:525, 

 is a variety of Boston Fera witli fronds thrice as wide as the 



NERINE 



be procured at little cost and is easily grown. It is prop- 

 agated by division or by the creeping rhizomes. This is 

 best done in early spring. The rhizomes may be pegged 

 down in small pots and when well rooted may be de- 

 tached from the parent plant. A good compost for pot- 

 ting consists of soil and leaf -mold, with some well-rotted 

 manure added. Shift into larger pots or pans as the 

 plants require. Secure good drainage and give plenty 

 of water, especially during the summer mouths. This 

 treatment will make specimen plants of 3-5 ft. in diam- 

 eter by October, with graceful fronds drooping in such 

 a manner as to hide the pot or pan. A well-grown speci- 

 men suspended in a bay-window is a sight long to be re- 

 membered. There are many plants in good condition 

 that have been in use for several years during the sum- 

 mer on the veranda and in the house during the winter 



months 



James Dean. 



type. The pinnse are said to ha 



? characteristic convolutions. 

 L. M. Underwood. 



1476. Nerine curvifoli 



. Fothereilli (X tQ. 



The Boston Fern, Nephrolepis exaltata, var Bostoni- 

 CH,si.«, is without doubt the most valuable ornamental 

 foliage plant for house and conservatory decoration that 

 the trade has put on the American market for years. 

 Its many good points made it a welcome addition to 

 our list of plants, and the flower-loving public soon dis- 

 covered that it was a fit companion for the palms, en- 

 during with them equally well the dry atmosphere of the 

 house. Thriving under indifferent care, it has proved 

 itself a very valuable plant. It grows where many of our 

 best house plants had been failures. It is a plant that can 



NEPHTH"?TIS (name borrowed from Egyptian my- 

 tli"l(i^'\ ; Nrphthys, mother of Amibis, wife of Typhon). 

 A ri'ii-rii . Aliout half a dozen species of tropical African 

 creepers, 2 of which are cult, in hothouses for their va- 

 riegated foliage. The lvs. are all more or less halberd- 

 shaped or arrow-shaped, with scarcely any sheath on 

 the petiole. Inflorescence terminal: spathe concave-ex- 

 panded ovary 1-celled; ovule solitary, pendulous. 



picturata, N. E. Br. The white markings form a pat- 

 tern resembling the tips of fern fronds laid between the 

 nerves, with their points all directed towards the base 

 of the midrib. Plant stemless, spreading by runners: 

 petioles 10-12 in. long: blade (y-\2 in. long, 5-9 in. broad. 

 Congo Var. angustita, N. E. Br., has smaller and nar- 

 rower lvs. Figured in catalogue of 

 U. S. nurseries 1895. 



tripli;^lla, Hort. "A pretty stove 

 creeper with dark green thrice-di- 

 vided lvs. marked with greenish 

 white in the exact shape of the leaf." 



NEPTtNIA plfina is a rare sensi- 

 tive plant of aquatic habit found in 

 the East and West Indies and S. 

 Amer. It has foliage much like that 

 of the common sensitive plant, Mi- 

 mosa puciica. The fls. are so odd 

 that no one at first sight would 

 imagine that they belong to the 

 legume family. They are more or 

 less egg-shaped in outline, 1% x 1 

 in., and borne singly on stalks C in. 

 long. They are drooping and have 

 numerous stamens. The singular 

 feature of these fls. is a mass of yel- 

 low petalage composed of 6 or more tiers of reflexed, 

 narrowly lanceolate strips, which are really transformed 

 and sterile stamens. The plant floats on the water and 

 has grooved stems, the portion under water being white, 

 spongy and full of air-cells. It is of difScult culture 

 and can probably not be secured in Europe at present, 

 but would make an interesting addition to our northern 

 botanic gardens. B.M. 4695. Leguminosfv. 



NERINE (anereid of Greek mythology). AmarylU- 

 dilcea-. A remarkable genus of tender bulbous plants, 

 of which the commonest species is JY. Sarnievsis, long 

 known as the Guernsey Lily from the island where 

 these bulbs are grown to perfection. They will never 

 become popular with florists, because the Winter is their 

 growing season instead of flowering time. They belong 

 to the very small class of autumn-blooming bulbs. The 

 common kinds flower from Sept. to Nov. without any 

 foliage, and the lvs. are developed all winter. About 

 M.ay the lvs. die down and the bulbs rest from May to 

 Aug. The fls. range from scarlet through salmon and 

 pink shades to white, and are borne in umbels of 4-20 

 fls. , on scapes varying from 1-3 ft. long and averaging 1 % 

 ft. The fis. are 6-part.ed, the segments more or less 

 rolled back and sometimes crimped or fluted. 



There are 10 species, all from South Africa. A com- 

 mon trade name is Nerine Japonica, which is really a 

 Lycoris since it has black seeds, while all the true 

 Nerines have green seeds. It, however, has the au- 



