54 Encyclopaedia of Gardening 



Butterfly Flower, Schizanthus. 



Butterwort. See Pinguicula. 



Buxus. See Box. 



Cabbage. See Brassica and Kitchen Garden. 



Cactus. Cactus is not a genus, but a class. The term is applied 

 collectively to a number of genera which have a common character, 

 such as Cereus, Echinocactus, Echinopsis, Epiphyllum, Mamillaria, 

 Melocactus, Opuntia, Pereskia, Phyllocactus, Pilocereus, and Rhip- 

 salis. All of these plants are Cacti. The majority of them were 

 originally grouped in one genus, called Cactus, in allusion to the 

 spininess of the first member so named. They are fleshy plants, 

 mostly of slow growth, thriving in a cool, airy house. One or two, 

 notably Epiphyllums, are good room plants. The Cactuses require 

 a, plain, gritty soil, such as loam with a good sprinkling of shattered 

 brick and sand. They may be given water in summer when the 

 soil becomes dry, but should be kept with hardly any in winter. 

 They are propagated by seeds, grafting, cuttings, and division. 

 When seeds are available they may be sown in very gritty, porous 

 compost in well -drained pots, preferably in a greenhouse in spring. 

 Kinds that form stems may be propagated by 

 cuttings of these growths, which should be laid in 

 the sun for a few days to get rid of some of the sap, 

 otherwise they may damp off; they should then be 

 inserted in gritty soil. Species of tufted habit may 

 be divided when the plants are repotted in spring. 

 Epiphyllums are generally grafted on to stocks of 

 Pereskia or Cereus. As natives of arid districts, 

 Cacti are used to a dry atmosphere, but they may 

 have a moist one when growing in summer. The 

 following are some of the principal species: 



Cereus flagelliformis, pink flowers in spring. 



grandiflorus, white, summer, a night 



bloomer. 



,, Macdonaldiae, white and red, summer. 

 , , nycticalus, white, summer, a night bloomer. 

 ,, speciosissimus, scarlet, summer. 

 Echinocactus gibbosus, white, autumn. 



nobilis, white, autumn. 

 ,, Leeanus, yellow, spring. 



Echinopsis cristata, cream, summer. 



,, ,, purpurea, purple, summer. 



,, Eyricsii, white, summer, sweet. 



flore pleno, double. 

 Pentlandii, white and red, summer. 

 Epiphyllum Russellianum, rose, spring. 



,, truncatum, rose, spring and summer. 



(The latter is a popular Cactus for rooms, and produces its 

 brilliant flowers on the edges of the branches, hence the name, 

 which comes from epi, upon, and phyllon, leaf. There are 

 several varieties, differing in colour from the original species. 



DRAFTING AN EPI- 

 PHYLLUM ON A 

 PERESKIA STOCK. 



The grafts are pinned 

 on with spines 

 from the stock. 



