370 



CORDYLINE 



CORDYLINE 



decayed cow-manure, with a liberal sprinkling of sharp 

 sand. A warm, moist atmosphere suits them best while 

 growing, but towards fall the finished plants must be 

 gradually exposed to full sunshine and a dry atmos- 

 phere, which develops their high colors. 



The kinds enumerated below are such as are mainly 

 grown in large quantities for decorative purposes, and 



546. Stem-cutting of Cordyline. 



are sold principally during the winter months, especially 

 during the holiday season, when plants with bright 

 colored foliage are always in strong demand: Cordyline 

 amabilis.A strong-growing species with broad green 

 foliage, which is prettily variegated with white and deep 

 rose. One of the hardiest varieties, either for decorations 

 in winter or for outdoor work, vases, etc., in summer. 

 C, imperia Us. Another strong-growing species, with 

 deep olive-green foliage, which changes to deep rose 

 with white edge. D. fragrans. An African species with 

 broad, massive, deep green foliage which makes noble 

 decorative plants, being frequently grown into speci- 

 mens from 6-8 ft. high. Its foliage is cf heavy texture, 

 making it a useful plant for the dry atmosphere of a 

 living-room. Two handsomely variegated forms of the 

 above are D. Lindeni and D. Massangeana, both very 

 desirable varieties. C. terminalis. This is the most 

 popular variety, and is grown in immense quantities. 

 The foliage on well- matured plants is of an intense 

 rich crimson marked with lighter shadings. C. australis 

 (commonly called C. indivisa). Used principally as an 

 outdoor decorative plant in summer, but extensively used 

 for furnishing vases, window-boxes, etc. It succeeds best 

 when planted out in the open border during summer, 

 potted in the fall and stored during winter in a cool 

 greenhouse. It is propagated almost exclusively from 

 seed, which germinates freely if sown during the early 

 spring months in sandy soil, in a temperature of 60 to 

 65, growing them on during the first season in small 

 pots. These, if planted in the open border the second 

 season, make fine plants for 6- or 7-inch pots. There 

 are a number of varieties of Indivisa, among them sev- 

 eral handsomely variegated forms, which, however, are 

 but little distributed yet. 



Among the principal varieties and species besides the 

 above which are grown to some extent in a commercial 

 way are : Baptistii, Cooperi, Porphyrophylla, Shep- 

 herdi, Stricta grandis, Youngi, Goldieana, Congesta, 

 Bruanti, Marginata and Lord Wolseley, the latter a most 

 beautiful, graceful, high-colored variety, undoubtedly 

 the most distinct and useful commercial sort yet intro- 

 duced and which, as soon as it becomes more plentiful, 

 is certain to be very popular. j. D . EISELE. 



Cordyline australis and its allied forms are easily 

 raised from seed, which is readily obtainable in a fresh 

 state. The seed should be sown rather thinly in a light, 

 sandy soil, and, as there is little danger of the seedlings 

 damping off, they may be allowed to grow in the recep- 

 tacles in which they are sown until large enough to go 

 into 3-in. pots. If sown early in spring, the plants will 



be large enough for 6-in. pots by the end of the follow- 

 ing September. 



Dracaena Knerckii, C. canncefolia, D. Lindenii and 

 D. Massangeana are among the best decorative plants 

 for the dwelling house. D. Knerckii and the two varie- 

 gated forms of D. fragrans are rooted from cuttings 

 taken from headed -back plants. In propagating C. can- 

 ncefolia, when seed cannot be obtained, old plants 

 should be mossed so as to produce roots before the top 

 is taken off, as it is a shy-rooting species from cuttings. 

 D. Goldieana should be topped and rooted in a good 

 bottom heat, and the stems cut into pieces small enough 

 to be put in pots when the shoot is of sufficient length, 

 instead of cutting off the shoots and rooting afresh. D. 

 Godseffiana and D. maculata evidently belong to the 

 same section ; every little branch of these will root in 

 sharp sand. Long stems of D. ensifolia and D. Bcer- 

 havii, when cut in sections of from 4 to 6 in., with the 

 leaves kept on, will root quickly and may be used as 

 stock plants. C. Brasiliensis, an elegant species with 

 broad green Ivs., is best propagated by adopting the 

 method practiced on the colored-lvd. kinds, of which C. 

 terminalis is perhaps the best known. This method 

 consists of cutting up the stems into small pieces and 

 placing them in sand, with a brisk bottom heat. Small 

 shoots are developed in a short time, which will fre- 

 quently be found to have small roots at their bases, but 

 they are of little use for the subsequent nutriment of 

 the plantlet. The shoot, when large enough, should be 

 separated from the piece of stem and inserted in the 

 sand-bed, where it will develop thick feeding roots. 

 Afterwards they are potted and kept in a warm, moist 

 atmosphere. Cuttings may be put in at any time when 

 bottom heat is at command. The soil used should be 

 light and enriched with rotted cow -manure. 



G. W. OLIVER. 



A. Foliage of sessile, thick, sword-shaped Ivs. 

 B. Lvs. glaucous beneath, broad. 



indivisa, Kunth. Arborescent, 10-20 ft. high : Ivs. 

 dark green, densely crowded, 2-4 ft. long, 4-5 in. broad 

 at the middle, 1K-2 in. at the base, rigid, coriaceous ; 

 midrib stout, colored red and white, veins on each side 

 of it 40-50 : panicle nodding : pedicels .5-1 line long ; 

 bracteoles lanceolate, 3-4 lines long, membranous ; peri- 

 anth 3-4 lines long, white ; tube very short, campanu- 



547. Cordyline australis C. indivisa of the trade. 



late ; segments equal, spreading : ovules 5-6 in each 

 cell. New Zealand. Gn. 49,p.86. Lowe, 52.-Coolhouse ; 

 valuable for vases. Rare in cult. 



BB. Lvs. green on both sides, narrower. 

 stricta, Endl. (D. congesta,Hori.). Slender, 6-12 ft. 

 high : Ivs. less crowded than in the next, acuminate, 1-2 ft. 



