1240 



FITTONIA 



FLACOURTIA 



hardly sufficient drainage. They niay also be pegged 

 down in mossy coverings for tubs of pakns, as they can 

 stand much watering. 



Fittonias are most useful and ornamental plants for 

 growing in a deeply shaded place in the tropical green- 

 house. The beautiful markings of their foliage always 

 attract attention; and being of easy culture, they can 

 be used effectively for places in the foliage house in 

 which no other plant would thrive. The best time to 

 root fittonias is early spring, as after a year's growth 

 they are hkely to have a rather straggling appearance, 

 and need a general overhauling. Remove the points 

 of the shoots, with two leaves attached, and one joint 

 to insert in the sand. These make the best cuttings, 

 but any part of the stem will root and grow provided 

 there is a joint on it. After cuttings are rooted, which 

 will be in two or three weeks in a temperature of 65°, 

 pot them singly in 2-inch pots, in equal parts of loam 

 leaf-mold, and sand. — When they are well rooted in 

 these small pots, choose the size of pan they are 

 intended to grow in, and fill it with the same propor- 

 tion of loam, leaf-mold and sand, as advised for the 

 first potting. This time, however, the loam is better 

 to be more of fibrous and in a rather lumpy state, and 

 the leaf-mold should not be too well rotted, but rather 

 ^ flaky in texture. 



In filling the pan 

 with the com- 

 post, raise it in 

 the center above 

 the rim. This 

 gives the plant a 

 mound appear- 

 ance, which adds 

 to its beauty. 

 The small 

 plants should be 

 planted in the 

 large pan about 

 2 inches apart; 

 water them 

 gently with a 

 fine rose, so as 

 not to disturb 

 the earth in the 

 receptacle. As 

 stated above, 

 these plants re- 

 quire, at all 

 times, to be 

 grown in a shady position, and except in the dead 

 of winter should never be in a temperature of less than 

 60° by night. In severe zero weather, it will not harm 

 them to drop as low as 55°. — Pyramid-shaped plants 

 of some of the fittonias can be grown. Pot them along 

 singly and tie them to a stake. When about four or 

 five pairs of leaves are formed, pinch out the heart of 

 the plant. This will encourage side breaks to start, 

 which should be pinched after they have made three 

 pairs of leaves. After the leading shoot has been 

 pinched, two breaks will start away, and after two 

 leaves have been well formed, one of the shoots should 

 again have the heart taken out of it. The other must 

 now be taken for the leader and allowed to make three 

 or four more joints before it is stopped again by remov- 

 ing the heart. In this way the desired height will be 

 attained, and at the same time plenty of side breaks 

 will be encouraged to start. The side shoots must be 

 carefully watched; pinch back all the strong shoots, so 

 that a plant of symmetry may be formed. When these 

 plants are well rooted in the pans, or have attained the 

 desired size in pyramid form, water them occasion- 

 ally with soft-coal soot, a handful to an ordinary 

 watering-pot, which generally contains about two and a 

 half gallons. Water twice in between with clean water. 

 The soot tends to bring out the brilliancy of the mark- 



1S08. Fittooia argyroneura. ( X H) 



ings, making the whole plant have a glossy appear- 

 ance. Scale, and other insect pests are sometimes 

 found on these plants, but if fumigated with hydro- 

 cyanic gas, as advised for other plants, wiU give very 

 little trouble. (George F. Stewart.) 



A. Habit erect: height l}^ft. 

 gigantea, Lind. (Gynmostachyum gigantea, Hort.). 

 Sub-shrubby, branching, IJ^ ft.: sts. reddish violet 

 only between the joints, with 4 ranks of silky, white, 

 erect hairs: Ivs. opposite, elliptical, not notched at the 

 base, with 2 ranks of hairs, tapering more than in the 

 other species, dark, shining green; veins carmine-red: 

 fls. pale, with a reddish brown band in the middle of the 

 side and upper lobes, and a dark yeUow spot in the mid- 

 dle of the lower Up. R.H. 1869, p. 186. I.H. 16:611. 



AA. Habit trailing or dwarf: height about 6 in. 

 B. Veins of If. red. 



Verschaffeltii, E. Coem. (Fittbnia and Erdnthemum 

 rubronenmtn and rubrovenosum, Hort. Erdnthemum 

 riibro-veniiim, Veitch. Gyninostdchyum Verschaffeltii, 

 Lem.). Lvs. ovate, notched at the base, dull green, 

 often yellowish, veined carmine. F.S. 15:1581. I.H. 

 10:372. Var. Pearcei, Hort. (F. and G. Pcarcei, Hort.). 

 Lvs. fight, bright green; veins light, bright carmine; 

 imder surface somewhat glaucous. Var. Daveaaa, 

 Hort. (F. Ddveana, Hort.). "Foliage with light cen- 

 ter, bordered very dark green." More robust than the 

 type and with veins of stronger red. 



BB. Feins of If. white. 



argyronefira, E. Coem. Fig. 1508. Dwarf: lvs. dark, 

 shining green. F.S. 16:1664. Gn. 36, p. 527; 2, p. 319. 

 G. 11:7. — The velvetiness of the upper surface of F. 

 Verschaffeltii is due to large projecting epidermal cells 

 with an apical nucleus. Instead of these characteristic 

 cells, F. argyroneura has small cells and conical hairs, 

 which are partitioned off and have tubercles at the base. 



WiLHELM Miller. 



FITZROYA (Capt. R. Fitzroy, of the British Navy; 

 died 1855). Pinacese. Two evergreen trees or shrubs, 

 one of the mountains of S. Chile (F. patagdnica,_ilook. 

 f. B.M. 4616), and one of Tasmania (F. Archeri, 

 Benth.). Lvs. small, 3-verticillate or decussate-opi)0- 

 site, imbricated: catkins very small, globose. They are 

 fittle known in this country, and may be expected to 

 thrive only in the milder parts. The former species is a 

 tree, has lvs. mostly verticiUate, ovate-oblong, in 2-4 

 rows, anthers commonly 4-celled, 3 ovules, and seeds 

 2-winged; the latter is bushy, has opposite decussate 

 keeled lvs., anthers 2-celled, ovules 2, seeds 3-winged. 

 The Biltmore Nursery, N. C, lists F. patagonica. "a 

 tree of variable dimensions, native of the Andes, from 

 Chile to the Straits of Magellan. Lvs. dark green above, 

 with 2 white fines beneath. ... Its value in cult, in 

 the U. S. has not yet been fuUy proved;" but it is said 

 to possess sufficient hardiness to withstand the winters 

 in the S. It is reported as being hardy in S. England. 

 It is monoecious, the small cones consisting of about 9 

 scales; the lvs. on small trees are reported as varj'ing 

 much in the way m which they stand on the St., but 

 they are 4-rowed and decurrent; pollen-sacs mostly 4. 



FIVE-FINGER: Polenlilla. 



FLACOURTIA (Etienne de Flacourt, 1607-1660, 

 General Director of the French East India Company, 

 Governor of Madagascar and author of a history of 

 Madagascar). Flacourtidcese. Oneof the species, a shrub 

 with edible fruits, is cultivated in the tropics and has 

 been introduced in southern California and perhaps 

 elsewhere. 



Shrubs and small trees, often spine-bearing: lvs. 

 short-stalked, toothed or crenate, simple, alternate: 

 fls. small, dioecious, in small racemes or glomes or 

 panicles (the fertile ones sometimes solitary); sepals 



