8i8 



SOLANUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



SOLDANELLA. 



round leaves. The stems, branches and young 

 shoots often four-angled, the prickles are stout, 

 scattered, and sometimes a little curved. This 

 is a handsome strong-growing species, and I 

 have had fine specimens from Mr. Burbidge, 

 of the Trinity College Botanic Gardens, 

 Dublin. N. America. Syns. S. caduca and 

 S. qttadrangularts. 



S. TAMNOIDES, Under this name at Kew 

 in the Bamboo Garden is a plant of very 

 satisfactory qualities, growing freely and illus- 

 trating well how such a plant may be used to 

 ramble over tree stumps and help to make a 

 mass of picturesque vegetation. It has the 

 habit of a free-growing S. aspera, and at the 

 time of my visit was bearing numerous black 

 berries. 



S. WALTERI has stems angled, prickly 

 below, the branches usually unarmed. The 

 berries are bright red, but I am not aware that 

 they are produced in this country. N. 

 America. R. IR\VIN LYNCH. 



SOLANUM (Potato Tree).- A family of 

 many species that are graceful when young 

 and free-growing, but too ragged for a taste- 

 ful garden ; some kinds require a warmer 

 clime than ours. Most of the Solanums 

 may be raised from seed or from cuttings, 

 the latter making good plants by May. 

 The kinds named may be associated with 

 the larger-leaved plants, but do not as a 

 rule attain the height and vigour of those 

 of the first rank like Ricinus. As a rule, 

 they require a temperate house in winter, 

 and about the middle or end of May 

 should be planted out in a warm sheltered 

 position in rich light soil. The Potato 

 tree (S. crispum), a native of Chili, is the 

 only ornamental Solanum hardy enough 

 for the open air.. In the south and in 

 coast districts it may be grown without 

 any protection, but elsewhere it needs the 

 shelter of a wall. When fully grown, it 

 is 12 to 1 6 ft. high, and in late summer 

 has large clusters of fine purple-blue 

 flowers, which, in the most favoured spots, 

 are succeeded by small whitish berries. 

 When grown against a wall, it should be 

 pruned vigorously in autumn, or it will be 

 injured by frosts ; but when it thrives as 

 a standard this is unnecessary. S. jas- 

 minoides is the most beautiful of the 

 family we know of in England, and a 

 lovely hardy climber. With its delicate 

 white and starry flowers and trusses, it is 

 one of the most delightful things for 

 planting against the walls of the house in 

 borders of peat or other light soil. It is 

 frequently grown in greenhouses, but 

 thrives on walls in southern England 

 and Ireland generally. . Other Solanums 

 of note are the South American S. 

 betaceum, quite a small tree with oval 

 pointed leaves like those of the Beet, 



and deep green colour. It is suitable for 

 grouping in round beds with dwarfer 

 plants or shrubs at its base, but is much 

 more suitable for isolation on slopes, etc. 

 A rich soil is best. In the variety pur- 

 pureum the leaves are green, tinged with 

 violet, and in other varieties the flowers 

 are tinged with purple, the fruits being 

 striped with brown. S. crinitum, from 

 Guiana, is fine in medium-sized groups in 

 the south of England, and one may 

 mention also the late mauve-flowered 

 S. lanceolatum ; S. macranthum, which 

 grows in one year nearly 7 ft. high, the 

 elegant leaves deeply cut ; S. robustum, 

 and the ornamental S. Warscewiczi, 

 resembling S. macranthum, but dwarfer, 

 more thick-set, and with small white 

 flowers. The stem is armed with slightly 

 recurved strong spines. It is one of the 

 best and most handsome of the Solanums. 

 SOLDANELLA. Diminutive and 

 charming alpine flowers, at one time con- 

 sidered very difficult to grow, but not really 

 so if grown in peaty or sandy and moist 

 soil, and coarse vigorous plants are kept 

 away from them. They should always be 

 in the rock-garden, and also in the part 

 of the regular garden devoted to 

 dwarf-plants. So long as the idea pre- 

 vailed that the rock-garden was to be a 

 heap of burnt bricks and other like 

 rubbish piled up so that the first dry 

 wind thoroughly dried up every root and 

 plant upon it, these things could not be 

 grown. S. alpina is one of the most 

 interesting of the plants growing near the 

 snow-line on many of the great mountain- 

 chains of Europe. It is not brilliant, 

 but has beautiful pendent pale bluish 

 flowers, bell-shaped, and cut into narrow 

 strips. Three or four are borne on a 

 stem 2 to 6 in. high, springing from a 

 dwarf carpet of feathery roundish shining 

 leaves. The plants thrive best in moist 

 districts, and in dry ones evaporation may 

 be prevented by covering the ground near 

 them with Cocoa-fibre which is mixed 

 with sand to give it weight. The most 

 suitable position is a level spot in the 

 rock-garden near the eye. S. alpina 

 is increased by division, though being 

 usually starved and delicate from con- 

 finement in small worm-defiled pots, 

 exposed to daily vicissitudes, it is rarely 

 strong enough to be pulled to pieces. S. 

 montana is allied to S. alpina, having 

 larger leaves and purer blue flowers. Like 

 S. alpina it inhabits several of the great j 

 Continental chains, and thrives under the 

 same treatment. It is readily increased j 

 by division, but the cause that usually 

 renders S. alpina too weak to be divided, 





