174 



BOUVARDIA 



BOWIEA 



flowering greenhouse plants. Though they may be prop- 

 agated by cuttings inserted in sand in a propagating 

 frame with bottom heat, yet a better and more expedi- 

 tious way is to cut up the largest roots of a healthy 

 plant into pieces about 1 inch in length, placing 

 them thickly in pans of light, peaty soil and covering 

 them to the depth of 1 inch with the same mixture. If 

 the pans are then placed in a warm temperature with 

 bottom heat, every piece will quickly develop one or 

 more buds and grow into a young plant. March is per- 

 haps the best time for propagating. As soon as the 

 young plants are well rooted they should be potted 

 singly into small pots and grown along in a tempera- 

 ture of about 60. By the end of May the plants may be 

 planted out, either in spent hotbeds or frames prepared 

 with a goodly proportion of leaf -mold mixed with the 

 soil, if fine pot plants is the ultimate aim ; or if grown 

 for cut-flowers only, they may be planted out in the 

 greenhouse benches about 15 inches apart, giving all 

 the air possible and a plentiful supply of moisture. In 

 both cases, the plants must be kept well pinched back 

 to induce a bushy habit, and also to insure a greater 

 profusion of flowers. Towards the end of September 

 those intended for pot plants should be lifted and potted 

 and placed in a close frame for a week or ten days, 

 keeping them moist and well shaded until they have re- 

 covered from lifting. Before the approach of frost they 

 should be removed to the greenhouse and given a tem- 

 perature of 50. They are very subject to the attacks of 

 mealy bug and green fly. They therefore should be 

 sprayed once a week with an insecticide, with a vapor- 

 izer sprayer, choosing fine mornings for the operation. 

 After flowering, the plants should be rested by keeping 

 them almost dry. Towards the end of April they should 

 be well pruned back, and in May again planted out for 

 the summer. The same plants may be grown in this 

 way for several years, when in 4 or 5 years' time they 

 will make very fine specimens. 



Cult, by EDWARD J. CANNING. 



The Bouvardias of florists do not represent any of the 

 type species. They are sports, hybrids, and other types 

 of variations. The Latin-form names in American 

 trade catalogues nearly all belong to these garden forms. 

 The species which are of most import to the horticul- 

 turist are mentioned below: 



A. Fls. in shades of red. 



B. Lvs. normally in 3's (except, perhaps, on the 

 branchlets). 



triph^lla, Salisb. (B. Jdcquini, HBK.). Small pu- 

 bescent shrub, 2-6 ft. high : Ivs. in 3's or 4's (or oppo- 



The genus Bouvardia was founded upon this species, 

 which was introduced into England about 100 years ago. 

 It is evidently the most important parent strain, al- 

 though it is probably not in cult, in its original form. 

 Figs. 251 and 252 partake very strongly of this species. 

 In fact, Fig. 251 compares well in botanical characters 



251. Common garden form of Bouvardia. 

 Terminal truss. 



site on the branchlets), lanceolate to lance-ovate, glabrous 

 above : fls. an inch long, pubescent, red. Mex. , and reach- 

 ing N. to Ariz. B.M. 1854; 3781 as B. splendens, Grah. 



252. Bouvardia. 

 Cluster from a side growth. 



(except less long-pointed Ivs.) with the early pictures 

 of B. triphylla. 



leiantha, Benth. Much like B. triphylla ; more bushy 

 and better grower : stems hairy : Ivs. hairy above : fls. 

 glabrous. Mex. E.H. 1851: 81. Perhaps only a form of 

 the preceding. 



Other red-fld. 3-lvd. species are : B. angustifdlia, HBK. 

 Lvs. lanceolate, revolute, glabrous above and fine-pu- 

 bescent below : branches nearly glabrous. Mex. B, hir- 

 te"lla, HBK. Very similar : Ivs. pubescent on both sur- 

 faces. Mex. B. scdbra, Hook. & Am. Lvs. ovate, 

 short-stalked: fls. large, in dense clusters, pink : stem 

 hairy. Mex. 



B. Lvs. opposite. 



Cavanillesii, DC. (B. multiflbra, Schult.). Hairy: 

 Ivs. ovate-acuminate, broad at base, short-stalked, edges, 

 hairy: fls. 1% in. long, very slender, glabrous. Mex. 



AA. Fls. yellow. 



flava, Decne. Lvs. opposite, ovate-lanceolate or lance- 

 elliptic, very short-stalked, ciliate : fls. very long,, 

 drooping, in 3-5-fld. racemes, bright yellow. Mexico. 



AAA. Fls. white. 



longifldra, HBK. Glabrous, branching shrub : Ivs. 

 opposite, ovate-acuminate, stalked : fls. l%-2 in. long, 

 with a very slender tube and a wide-spreading, large 

 limb, 2 or 3 together and aggregated into a terminal 

 cyme. Mex. B.M. 4223. F.S. 2:123.-Gray supposes 

 (Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sci. iv., p. 314) that this 

 species belongs to the genus Houstonia. Not known to- 

 be in the American trade. 



Humboldtii, Hort. Lvs. opposite, ovate-acuminate : 

 fls. very large, fragrant, in a large, terminal cluster. 

 G.C. 1873:717. This is a choice conservatory plant, and 

 is in the Amer. trade. It is usually catalogued as B. 

 Humboldtii corymbi flora. Blooms from summer to- 

 winter. Probably a derivative of B. longiflora. B. can- 

 didissima, Hort., white-fld., is said to be a hybrid, with 

 B. Humboldtii as one of its parents. 



jasminifldra, Hort. Compact and dwarf, very florif- 

 erous, the fls. in close, terminal clusters. G.C. 1872:215. 

 Probably a derivative of B. longiflora. T TT _. 



L. H. B. 



BOWIEA(afterJ. Bowie, collector f or Kew). Liliacece. 

 A monotypic genus containing one of the most curious 

 plants in the vegetable kingdom. A round, green bulb 

 4-5 in. thick throws up yearly a very slender, twining 

 flower-stem 6-8 ft. high, with many compound, forked, 

 curving branches below, and numerous small green fls. 

 above. The st. is somewhat asparagus-like. There are 



