380 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



617. Cordylines, botanical classification. Order, 

 Liliacese; genus, Cordyline (dub-like, referring to fleshy 

 roots), closely related to dracsenas. The principal species : 

 australis, known to the trade as Dracaena indivisa ; termi- 

 nalis, known as Draccena terminalis. 



618. Cordylines, botanical characters. The chief dif- 

 ference between Cordyline and Dracaena is that there are 

 three ovules in each cell in Cordyline while in Dracaena 

 there is but one. They are cultivated for their ornamental 

 foliage, which is in various shades of green, often beauti- 

 fully variegated with red, white and yellow. The same 

 general cultural directions are given for cordylines and 

 dracaenas. The flowers are small and insignificant. 



Habitat. New Zealand and East Indies. 



619. Propagation. Cordyline austrnlis is easily propa- 

 gated from seeds. They are sown in February in rather 

 sandy soil, and kept in a temperature of about 65. 

 They germinate easily and the seedlings make a rapid 

 growth. 



The broad-leaved sections are propagated by cutting 

 the ripened stems, from which the leaves have been re- 

 moved, into pieces from two to four inches long. These 

 are laid either in very light soil, or in sand in the propagat- 

 ing bench, where they receive a bottom heat of about 

 80. The stems are barely covered with sand or moss. 

 The buds or eyes soon start into growth, and when they 

 have reached a height of three or four inches, they are cut 

 off with a small heel attached, and again placed in the 

 propagating bench until rooted. They are then potted 

 into three-inch pots and kept in a close, moist atmosphere 

 in a temperature of 60 to 65 until they are well estab- 

 lished, when they are shifted into larger pots as needed. 



620. Culture. Cordylines may be grown in pots 



