540 



ERIANTHUS 



the plants before they flower. The general appearance 

 of Erianthus is striking: and unique, and for the plume- 

 like character of its flowers it has few if any rivals. 



Bavfinnae, Beauv. {Siicrliarum Bavinnw, Muir. ). 

 Wool Grass. Plume Grass. Ravenna Gkass. A tall, 

 hardy grass, 4-7 ft. hieh, very ornamental, either planted 

 aloue or in company with other grasses : Ivs. very long, 

 linear, pointed, band-like, sometimes violet, with a strong 

 white rib in the center. The foliage forms graceful 

 clumps, from which rise long and handsome plumes, 

 resembling the pampas grass {Gijnerium argenteum). 

 Southern Europe. R.H. 1890, p. 546. Gn. 54, p. 496.- 

 Its cultivation is not difficult in ordinary garden soil. A 

 sunny situation is preferable. May be propagated by 

 division or by seed. It is exquisite for lawns, and flowers 

 the first season if sown very early. The plumes are fine 

 for winter use when dried. 



P. B. Kennedy and W. M. 



ERtCA (practically meaningless; probably not from 

 ereilci), to break, as commonly stated). Jijricdceis. 

 Heath. This is the genus that the gardener usually 

 means by "Heath." The Heath or heather of English 

 literature and history belongs to the closely allied genus 

 Calluna. The next most important group of cultivated 

 "Heaths" is Epacris, which, however, belongs to a dif- 

 ferent order. Ericas are low-growing, evergreen, much 

 branched shrubs, with needle-like Ivs. in whorls of 3-6, 

 and great numbers of small rosy, white, or rarely yellow 

 fls., of which the most important types are the bell- 

 shaped, the tubular, and the ventricose, the last being 

 swelled at the base, and then tapering to a narrow neck 

 just below the 4 spreading lobes. Erica is an enormous 

 genus, and the hybrids are past reckoning. 



Only a few of the European Heaths are hardy in 

 America, and we have no native Heaths at all in this 

 hemisphere. Of about 14 kinds of Erica grown outdoors 

 in Europe to produce large showy masses, only 3 are 

 hardy here, and it is safest to cover these with ever- 

 green boughs in winter. Two others (-&'. Mediterranea 

 and £j. Itusitaniea) we grow under glass somewhat. 

 The tree Heath of southern Europe (E. arborea) will 

 probably never be a feature of our southern landscapes. 



The lialcyon days of the Heaths were from about 1806 

 (when the English took the Cape of Good Hope) until 

 the middle of the century. Andrews' colored engrav- 

 ings of Heaths (1809) marks the first flush of their popu- 

 larity. Practically, if not absolutely, all the Heaths that 

 are grown on a large scale have been developed from 

 the South African species. The old English gardeners 

 still lament the glorious days when the hard-wooded 

 plants of Australia and the Cape formed the chief fea- 

 ture of European indoor horticulture. They complain 

 that the present generation is not willing to give them 

 the care they deserve. This is especially true of 

 America. Nevertheless, according to William Watson, 

 of Kew (in Garden and Forest, 1892, p. 136), Heaths are 

 still grown in surprising quantities. Speaking of E\ 

 hyemalis, he says: "It may be said with truth that no 

 other plant is grown in such enormous quantities for the 

 London market. At least a dozen nurserymen might be 

 named whose annual output of this one Heath amounts 

 to from 20,000 to 30,000 plants each." He pictures a 

 plant in a 5-inch pot, with about 15 shoots a foot high, 

 and loaded with perhaps 1,000 flowers. Such plants 

 sell at Christmas for about 36 cents. "The flowers re- 

 main fresh for at least a month. The popularity of this 

 Heath is thus easily accounted for: it is cheap, very 

 pretty when in flower, and lasts ,iust long enough to 

 satisfy the masses who like window-plants and change. 

 The plants perish almost as soon as the flowers — that is, 

 all those which find their way into the window of a 

 house, or into a small greenhouse. And this accounts 

 for the enormous number disposed of every year. In 

 England A*, hyemalis is certainly one of the most valu- 

 able plants ever introduced." (In America Heaths are 

 of minor importance, even at Easter, and the kind grown 

 most extensively for Christmas seems to be E. nie- 

 lanthera.) Watson adds: "It is strange that a plant 

 which has enjoyed an exceptional popularity in England 

 for something like fifty years should never have been 

 figured in any English publication or "work until now. I 

 have not been able to trace the origin of the plant, nor 



ERICA 



find any picture of it in any book to which I have access 

 here. Nor can any of those who have paid attention to 

 garden Heaths assist me." 



The great trouble with Heaths is the immense amount 

 of care they need. Few, if any, classes of plants require 

 more attention. Hence the growing of Heaths for the 

 market is extremely specialized, and there is not a re- 

 tail catalogue in the country that offers more than one 

 species. Nevertheless, all the kinds described below are 

 grown commercially, and are of the first importance 

 in the genus. The stock is largely imported from Eng- 

 land. Germany has a very difi'erent set of varieties, and 

 France still another, and there are few cases among 

 cultivated plants showing so great a difference in the 

 three countries. The ri.sks of importation are consider- 

 able, and the tendencies toward American independence 

 in this line seem to be gaining. 



Another difficulty in Heath culture is the poor quality 

 of peat obtainable in America. In England the peat is 



771. Erica hyemalis. 



more fibrous, and has been formed in past ages largely by 

 the decay of the native heather. 



The soft-wooded kinds are the ones most grown. The 

 hard-wooded sorts require a longer period of growth and 

 more thorough ripening of the wood. 



Apparently only one yellow-fld. Heath is cult, in 

 America, E. CavendisheAna. Unless otherwise stated, 

 the species described below come from the Cape. 



In general the Ericas do not grow well in this climate 

 on account of the extreme heat of the summer months, 

 but some varieties grow and flower even better here 

 than in Europe. The choice of the soil is very important. 

 A light peat, mixed with sharp, coarse sand is about the 

 best we can get here. After flowering, the plants should 

 always be cut down to keep them bushy at the base and 

 well shaped. They will then receive a good repotting, 

 using always very clean pots and plenty of drainage. 

 Cuttings are made from December to April, preferably 

 from young plants, the tender shoots, about 1 inch in 

 length, being best. These are planted firmly in a pan 

 filled with clean, fine sand, and covered with a bell-glass, 

 or in a box covered tightly with a pane of glass. Bottom 

 heat is not necessary. When rooted, the cuttings should 

 be potted in small pots, and when well started should be 



