ROMNEYA 



RONDELETIA 



2979 



Cofilteri, Harv. MATILIJA POPPY. Fig. 3426. Sts. 

 flexuous, more branched above: Ivs. rather papery than 

 subcoriaceous, somewhat glaucous; the lower trijugate, 

 the lobes lanceolate, the terminal one ovate: calyx 

 rather glabrous, sepals purplish at the apex; petals 

 white, membranaceous, thickened toward the base: 

 caps, spreading, setose. Calif, and Mex. G.C. III. 

 7:131 0.8:603; 35:3. Gn. 13:494; 26:400; 29, 

 pp 207, 211; 46, p. 405; 55, p. 208; 56, p. 239; 57, p. 

 263; 62, p. 63; 68, p. 89; 76, p. 611. G.M. 43:36. Gn.W. 

 20:19 G.F. 10:353. F.M. 1877:252. A.F. 5:397. A.G. 

 19:314 (suppl. April 16, 1898). C.L.A. 1:76. Though 

 not considered hardy in the eastern states, it has been 

 successfully grown outdoors in northern states. 



trichocalyx, Eastw. Sts. stout, erect, more simple 

 above: Ivs. subcoriaceous, 3-lobed or 3-dentate: calyx 

 subglobose: caps, appressed setose. Calif. G.C. III. 

 42:414. G. 35: 571; 37: 65. Gn. 77:291. G.M. 54:186. 



F. TRACY HUBBARD. 



ROMULEA (a name commemorative of Romulus, 

 one of the mythical founders of Rome). Iridaceae.. 

 Crocus-like bulbs, suitable for outdoor planting. 



Leaves narrow, usually overtopping the fls.: sts. 

 produced, simple or branched: spathe of 2 lanceolate 

 valves: fls. lilac, purple, yellow or pale, always solitary; 

 perianth funnel-shaped, about 1 in. across; ovary 

 3-celled: caps, globose or ellipsoid. About 90 species, 

 Medit. region, Trop. and S. Afr. They are closely 

 allied to Crocus, but differ in being less hardy and in 

 having a long peduncle and short fl.-tube. Very little 

 known in cult, in Amer. 



A. Fls. rosy or crimson. 



rdsea, Eckl. (Trichonema rdsea, Ker). Conn globose, 

 J^-J^in. thick: Ivs. J^-l ft. long, setaceous: peduncle 

 1-6 in. long, 1-3-fld.; outer spathe %in. long; perianth 

 with a short funnel-shaped tube with a yellow throat 

 and a red-lilac limb, about 1 in. long, the outer segms. 

 with 3 faint purple stripes outside. S. Afr. B.M. 1225 

 (as T. roseum). F.S. 8:799 (as R. Celsii). G.C. III. 

 58:37. Gn. 79, p. 232. Var. specidsa, Baker (T. spe- 

 cipswn, Ker), has a larger perianth and outer segms. 

 with 3-5 dark purple stripes of which the outer are 

 feathered. B.M. 1476. 



AA. Fls. yellow or white. 



Clusiana, Baker (Trichonema, Clusiana, Lange). Fls. 

 bright yellow, tipped with lilac. Spain. A white variety 

 has been intro. abroad by Barr. 



Macowanii, Baker. Sts. very stout, 1-fld. : fls. bright 

 golden yellow in the lower part, paler upward and 

 sometimes tinged with red; perianth-segms. oblong. S. 

 Afr. G.C. III. 58:35. 



R. Bulbocodium, Sebast. & Mauri (?), has pale lilac fls. with a 

 vellow center, tinted golden brown, striped with blue outside. 

 Italy and Spain. G. 34:307. B.M. 265 (as Ixia Bulbocodium). 

 There is another R. Bulbocodium, that of Kunze, which is the same 

 as R. Clusiana. R. Leichtlinii, Hort., has cream-white crocus fls. 

 with a golden center. F TRACY HUBBARD. 



RONDELETIA (named in memory of William 

 Rondelet, 1507-66, a French physician and naturalist). 

 Syn. Roffiera. Rvbiacese. Evergreen shrubs and trees, a 

 few of which are grown in the warmhouse or outdoors 

 in the extreme southern United States. 



Leaves opposite, rarely ternately whorled, sessile or 

 petiolate, coriaceous or membranaceous: infl. corym- 

 bose or paniculate, axillary or rarely terminal cymes; 

 fls. red, yellow or white; calyx-lobes equal; corolla- 

 tube usually slender, swollen or not, throat glabrous 

 or bearded; limb 5-lobed (in some species 4-lobed); 

 ovary 2-celled: caps, loculicidal. About 85 species, 

 Trop. Amer. The whole family is noted as furnish- 

 ing numerous desirable stove plants, and Ronde- 

 letia is a highly esteemed genus. The following species 

 are shrubs growing 4 ft. or more high. The fls. are 

 generally fragrant, and the clusters 4 in. or more across. 



In the favorite species (R. odorala) the fls. number 

 10-30 in a cluster, each fl. being fully an inch across; 

 in the other species the fls. may number 150-200 to a 

 cluster, each fl. being less than l /a\. across. R. cordata 

 is often said to have a 4-lobed fl., a mistake that dates 

 back more than half a century to a typograpical error. 

 Rondeletias are of slow growth, and not many culti- 

 vators of plants care to give time and space to raise 

 them; nevertheless some of the species, notably R. 

 odorata var. major, deserve to be more widely grown. 

 Cuttings from the half-ripened wood may be rooted at 

 any time of the year. Spring, however, is considered 

 the best time, as one has the season's growth ahead, and 

 good plants may be had in the fall. Insert the cuttings 

 in a 3-inch pot, in a mixture of finely sifted peat and 

 sand and place them in a tight propagating-bed, in a 

 temperature of 70. Water them thoroughly and shade 

 them from the sun. In a few weeks the cuttings will be 

 rooted, when they may be potted in small pots, in the 

 siftings of the root of the osmunda fern, with enough 

 sand to keep it open. If a good fibrous peat can be 

 procured, it answers the same purpose. A night tem- 

 erature of 60 is best for these plants. Large plants, 

 however, will winter safely at 50 to 55. The advantage 



of keeping small 

 plants warmer is that 

 they may be grown 

 more quickly. As 

 soon as the young 

 plants have a good 

 hold on their first 

 pot, cut them back 

 to two joints above 

 the soil. Place them 

 close to the glass and 

 syringe two or three 

 times a day. When 

 the sun gets strong, 

 shade them lightly in 

 the middle of the day. 

 As soon as 

 they are 

 well rooted 

 in their first 

 pot, shift 

 them into a 

 size 2 inches 

 larger, 

 which will 

 carry them 



through until the following spring. They would flower 

 in this pot if allowed to do so, but it is advisable to 

 keep them growing right along the first year. They 

 may be cut back as soon as the shoots are long enough 

 to leave two sets of leaves, after the heart has been 

 taken out of them. As the plants grow larger, a third 

 part of good fibrous loam may be added to the peat, 

 and at all times they must be potted very firmly. After 

 the plants have reached the size of an 8-inch pot, 

 they may go two seasons without repotting, if they are 

 fed with liquid manure as advised for ixoras. After 

 color shows in the flowers, it is best to withhold manure 

 until they have finished flowering, as the flowers will 

 last much longer. After the flowers decay, if they are 

 removed without cutting away much of the stem, they 

 are liable to flower a second time the same year. It is 

 preferable, however, to cut them well back, and if they 

 require potting, do so, after they have broken into 

 growth. When the young breaks have made four pairs 

 of leaves, take out the heart of them. This treatment 

 will double the number of shoots, and give a far better 

 appearance when they come in flower. Mealy-bug 

 will sometimes be found on rondeletias. They may be 

 easily gotten rid of if the plants are removed to a house 

 that 'is being fumigated with hydrocyanic gas. (George 

 F. Stewart.) 



3427. Rondeletia cordata. 

 (XJi) 



