STREPTOCARPUS 



STREPTOCARPUS 



3273 



neriaceae into two great tribes: Gesnerece, with ovary 

 more or less inferior and fruit a capsule; Cyrtandreae, 

 with ovary superior and fruit sometimes a berry. The 

 latter tribe, the species of which have been monographed 

 by C. B. Clarke in vol. V of DeCandolle's ''Mono- 

 graphiae Phanerogamarum," contains the genera Strep- 

 tocarpus, Episcea, Cyrtandra, JSschjTianthus, Ramon- 

 dia, and others. Streptocarpuses are of three groups: 

 the stemless monophyllous species, with one prostrate 

 leaf from the midrib of which the scapes arise (this leaf 

 is really an enlarged cotyledon, the other cotyledon not 

 enlarging); the stemless species, with several or many 

 radical more or less primula-like leaves (whence the 

 English name "Cape primrose") ; the stem-bearing 

 species, with opposite cauline leaves. The cultivated 

 species chiefly represent the first two sections. In the 

 American trade, four specific names chiefly occur, S. 

 Rexii, S. Galpinii, S. Dunnii, and S. Wendlandii; but 

 since the hybrids represent several other species, these 

 additional species are inserted in the following account. 

 Streptocarpus is an African genus. The stem-bearing 

 section is confined to central Africa and Madagascar, 

 and the others to South Africa. Clarke's monograph, 

 1883, describes nineteen species, but S. Dunnii, S. 

 Wtndlandii, S. Galpinii, and many others have since 

 been discovered. 



Streptocarpuses are not difficult plants to grow. They 

 are usually raised from seeds, the seedlings blooming in 

 eight to fifteen months from starting. The seeds are 

 very small, and care must be taken not to cover them 

 too deep. Give an open sunny place in an intermediate 

 temperature. They are not stove or warmhouse plants. 

 Of the new hybrid forms, seeds sown in February or 

 March should produce plants that will bloom the fol- 

 lowing fall and winter; after blooming, the plants may 

 be discarded, for better results are usually secured from 

 new plants than from those more than one season old. 

 The season of most profuse bloom is summer, but the 

 bloom continues until winter. The monophyllous spe- 

 cies can be propagated also by cuttings of the leaf. Some 

 fanciers of Cape primroses advise propagating select 

 types by leaf-cuttings or by division. 



achimeniflorus, 

 albus, 13. 

 biflorus, 2. 

 Bruantii, 14. 

 caulescens, 1. 

 cyaneus, 3. 

 Dunnii, 8. 

 Dyeri, 15. 



13. 



IN-DEX. 



Galpinii, ~. 

 Gardenii, 2. 

 giganteus. 13. 

 grandiflorus, 9. 

 grandis, 10. 

 Junodii, 6. 

 kewensis, 16. 

 luteus, 5. 



parviflorus, 4. 

 polyanthus, 9. 

 Rexii, 2. 

 roseus, 13. 

 Saundersii, 11. 

 Watsonii, 17. 

 Wendlandii, 12. 



3754. Streptocarpus Rexii, 



KEY TO .THE SECTIONS. 



A. Plants of native origin. 

 B. Sts. elongated: Ins. opposite. 



Section I. CAULESCENTES. Species 1. 

 BB. Sts. lacking or very short: hs. all radical, 

 c. Lvs. several, forming a rosette. 



Section II. ROSULATI. Species 2-6. 

 CO, Lvs. solitary. 



Section III. UNIFOLIATI. Species 7-12. 

 AA. Plants of hybrid origin. 



Section IV. HYBRIDA. Species 13-17. 



Section I. CAULESCEXTES. 



1. caulescens, Vatke. Caulescent, hirsute: Ivs. long- 

 petioled, oval-oblong, entire, rather repand, apiculate, 

 obtuse, base contracted to the petiole, puberulent above, 

 villous beneath: fls. blue, J^in. across; calyx hirtellous, 

 lobes linear; corolla up to nearly %in. long, 6 times 

 longer than the calyx, limb strongly unequal. Trop. 

 Afr. B.M. 6814. 



Section II. ROSULATI. 



A. Scapes 1-2-fld. 



B. Fls. blue or mauve 2. Rexii 



BB. Fls. pale lavender to rosy pink or 



rosy mauve 3. cyaneus 



AA. Scapes 3- to many-fid. 



B. Corolla-tube cylindric, nearly 

 straight, limb slightly 1-sided. 

 c. Lvs. not decurrent on the petiole.. . . 4. parviflorus 



cc. LTS. attenuated into the petiole 5. luteus 



BB. CoroUa-tube much curved, limb very 



oblique 6. Junodii 



2. Rexii, Lindl. (S. Gardenii, Hook.). Fig. 3734. 

 Acaulescent : Ivs. several, suberect, 8x2 in., oblong, 

 crenate, hairy on both surfaces: scapes several, 4-12 in. 

 high, 2-1-fld.: calyx-lobes narrowly oblong, hairy; 

 corolla 2 in. long, about as wide, blue or mauve, tube 1 J^ 

 in. long, very narrowly linear-funnel-shaped, lobes a 

 little unequal. S. Afr. B.M. 3005; 4862. B.R. 1173. 

 L.B.C. 14:1305. F.S. 12:1214. Var. bifldrus, Ortgies, 

 differs in having stouter 2-fld. scapes. Gt. 6:204. 



3. cyaneus, S. Moore. St. prostrate, slightly elon- 

 gated, bearing 4 Ivs. : Ivs. linear-oblanceolate, narrowed 

 below the middle into a narrow petiole-4ike portion, 

 apex obtuse: scape always 2-fld.: fls. varying from pale 

 lavender or blue to rose-pink or rosy mauve, with a few 

 streaks of red on the 3 lower lobes and a blotch of 

 yellow in the throat; calyx-lobes linear-oblong, pilose- 

 pubescent; corolla about 1J4 in. long, puberulent put- 

 side. Transvaal. B.M. 8521. G.C. III. 55:31. Allied 

 to S. Reiii. 



4. parviflorus, Mey. Acaulescent: Ivs. several, 

 spreading or suberect, nearly or quite sessile, elliptic, 

 up to 9 x 3^ in., crenate and bullate, shaggy, dark 

 green above, nearly white beneath: scapes several, 6-10 

 in. high, reddish, shaggy, bearing 3-10-fld. cymes: fls. 

 about %in. across; calyx glandular-pubescent, lobes 

 narrowly oblong; corolla-tube glandular-pubescent, 

 %-%in. long, cylindrical, obscurely widened upward, 

 purplish outside, mouth a little oblique, lobes orbicular, 

 white. S.Afr. B.M. 7036. 



5. luteus, C. B. Clarke. Lvs. several, petioled, 

 elongate-oblong, 8-13 x 2-2% in., obtuse, attenuate at 

 base, crenate, villous on both surfaces, almost tomen- 

 tose beneath: peduncles and fls. almost as in S. parvi- 

 florus: corolla shorter, white, throat yellow, or almost 

 white penciled with purple, tube slightly widened 

 upward: caps, densely silky. S. Afr. B.M. 6636 (as 

 S. parviflorus). 



6. Junddii, Beauverd. Acaulescent, caespitose: Ivs. 

 4-6, rugose, base attenuate, villous, veins prominent 

 beneath: peduncles erect from the If .-axils, pilose, 

 3-4H in. high: fls. 3-6, pendulous, blue-lilac; calyx 

 Departed, segms. unequal, linear, recurved; corolla 

 hirsute outside, 1H~2 in. long, arched, limb 5-lobed, 



