GERARDIA 



GEUM 



641 



BB. Corolla glabrous outside : perennial. 



c. Height 3-6 ft. 



quercifdlia, Pursh. Stem at first glaucous: lower Ivs. 

 ; 3-5 in. long, 1-2-pinnatifid : upper Ivs. often entire. 

 Dry woods, N. Am. 



CC. Height 1-2 ft. 



laevigata, Raf. Not glaucous : Ivs. l%-4 in. long. 

 Oak barrens, etc., N. Am. 



AA. Fls. rosy purple rarely varying to white. 



B. Height 1 ft. 



tenuifdlia, Vahl. Height 1 ft. : branching, paniculate: 

 inflor. racemose : Ivs. mostly narrowly linear: corolla 

 %in. long. Low or dry ground, N. Am. 



BB. Height 2-3 it. 



linifolia, Nutt. Perennial: Ivs. erect, very narrowly 



linear, 1 line wide : calyx teeth minute ; corolla 1 in. 



long. Low pine barrens, N. Am. Not cult., but said to 



1 be a parent with Pentstemon pulchellus of G. hybrida, 



' Hort. Int. by Haage & Schmidt, 1899. The poor cut in 



S.H. 2:485 seems nearer Pentstemon than Gerardia. 



W. M. 

 GEEMANDEE. See Teucrium. 



GESNEEIA (Conrad Gesner, Zurich, 1516-1565, cele- 

 brated naturalist, and considered to be the originator of 

 1 the idea of genus in taxonomy). Gesneracece. Some- 

 times written Gesnera. More than 50 herbs of tropical 

 i America (chiefly Brazilian), with simple, opposite Ivs. 

 \ and showy tubular fis. in terminal short panicles or 

 . fascicles. Calyx campanulate, 5-parted ; corolla long, 

 .straight or curved, more or less ventricose, the base 

 often distinctly swollen or gibbous, the limb mostly 

 shallow-toothed and nearly regular or bilabiate; sta- 

 mens 4, didynamous (in pairs under the upper lip); 

 style 1, long ; glands on the disk in the fl. Handsome 

 warmhouse plants (mostly tuberous) allied to Achi- 

 menes, Gloxinia, Isoloma and Streptocarpus. Some of 

 the Gesnerias of the trade belong to Nsegelia, which dif- 

 ' fers, amongst other things, in having an annular or 

 ringed disk rather than a disk of distinct glands. 



L. H. B. 



Gesnerias are tuberous bulbous, or rhizomatous 

 ; plants. They are natives of tropical S. America and 

 Mexico, and all have a period of rest corresponding with 

 the dry season. The stems rise directly from the root- 

 etock. They are clothed with opposite, mostly heart- 

 shaped, sometimes ovate, leaves. They are densely hir- 

 sute ; the hairs often are brightly tinted, giving them a 

 ; sheen like the plumage of birds, so that they are quite 

 as much admired for their handsome foliaere as for the 

 flowers. The inflorescence is generally a branched 

 corymb, and the flowers are tubular-labiate, with the limb 

 rarely flattened, as in Achimenes. Gesnerias are not 

 nearly as popular as they once were, probably on ac- 

 count of the transitory character of their corollas, which 

 are continually falling, lasting but a day or two. The 

 ' roots must be kept in a moderately warm place, such as 

 f would suit Gloxinias. They should be kept in the pots 

 f in which they have grown, and be watered about once a 

 \ week during the resting period. It is a mistake to sup- 

 t pose the roots can be kept in dry sand and still retain 

 . their vitality. When the roots show a tendency to send 

 f up stems is the time to start them, picking out the ad- 

 I vanced ones first. In this way a long season can be se- 

 I cured. They need a light soil to start with, about equal 

 ' parts leaf-soil, loam and sand, and should be placed in a 

 :- moderate temperature. Very little water will be required 

 1 until they are well started. If it is desired to increase 

 | stock, smaller bulbs may be boxed off, and cuttings 

 ^made of surplus shoots. Seeds are produced rather 

 ;< freely, and some good hybrids are in cultivation. As 

 ' they advance in growth, larger pots will be needed, and 

 a little stronger soil, the mixture divided into four 

 parts, adding well-decayed manure. They will take 

 abundance of water and some liquid manure when com- 

 ing into bloom. If neatly trained they make handsome 

 ' specimens. Their beautiful foliage is liable to be 

 spoiled by impurities or sediment in water, so that we 

 avoid overhead syringing, particularly as they develop. 

 After blooming, a good light place should be given, and 



the plants watered until they show signs of going to 

 rest. As they are naturally an undergrowth, a light 

 shading will be beneficial in the hottest weather. 



Cult, by T. D. HATFIELD. 

 A. Lvs. green. 



cardinalis, Lem. (G. macrdntha, Hort.). Stem 6-12 in. 

 high, stout and hairy : Ivs. large, cordate-ovate, cre- 

 nate-dentate, petioled : fls. red, tubular, hairy, slender 

 (2-3 in. long), the upper lip projecting and the lower 

 one almost wanting, borne in a terminal, more or less 

 flat cluster. Nativity unknown. Gn. 42:874. G.Duvali, 

 Hort., is evidently only a slender form of this species. 



Henderson!, Hort. Lvs. velvety green : fls. 3 in. long, 

 brilliant scarlet, in a large truss. Probably of garden 

 origin. 



longifldra, Hort., is a small-leaved species, with droop- 

 ing, long-tubed nicotiana-like white fls. Gn. 33:644. 

 The botanical position of this plant is in doubt. It is 

 not the G. longi flora, HBK., which is purple-fld., nor 

 G. longiflora, DC., which is Achimenes longiflora. By 

 some it has been confounded with Isoloma iongifolium, 

 Decne. 



AA. Lvs. richly colored, at least underneath. 



Leopold!, Scheidw. Compact: stem erect from the 

 large, depressed tuber, thinly hairy: Ivs. verticillate in 

 4's, broadly ovate-acuminate, more or less unequal at 

 base, dentate, green above and purple beneath: fls. long- 

 tubular, thinly hairy, the lobes nearly equal; light scar- 

 let, in a rather loose, umbel-like cluster. Nativity not 

 recorded. F.S. 7:704-5. Gn. 53:1176. 



Donkelaeriana, Lem. (G. Ddnkelarii, Hook.). Stem 

 often 2 ft. tall : Ivs. large, cordate-ovate, crenate, hairy, 

 green and purple-tinged above and purple beneath : fls. 

 tubular-campanulate, the rounded lobes nearly equal, 

 dull red, 2 in. long, hanging from long pedicels in a 

 large panicle. Variable. Colombia. B.M. 5070. R.B. 

 21:97. F. 1853:241. 



Exonignsis, Hort. Hybrid : Ivs. velvety, with red and 

 purple hairs: fls. bright orange-red, in close clusters. 



reftilgens, Hort. Hybrid: Ivs. cordate-oval, red-hairy: 

 fls. deep red or vermilion. One of the best. 



G. cinnabarlna, Lind., is a Naegelia. G. Guatemalensis, 

 Hort., "a free grower and bloomer, fls. orange," was once of- 

 fered by S&nl.G.jasminiflbra, Hort., "fls. of the purest white, 

 freely produced, beautiful," once offered by Saul. G. oblonea, 

 Hort., fls. orange, offered once by Saul. G. robusta, Hort., 

 "vermilion, beautifully spotted and tigered," offered once by 

 Saul. 6?. zebrlna, Paxt., see Naegelia. The Gesnerias are much 

 confused by hybridizing and breeding. j j< jj_ g_ 



GEUM (Greek, geuo, to have a taste ; referring to the 

 roots). Rosacece. This genus includes some fine hardy 

 border and rock plants, some of which are valued for 

 their bright red fls. ; some for their pure yellow fls. ; 

 others for their long plumy fruits. Herbs, with a per- 

 ennial rhizome, sometimes stoloniferous : root-lvs. 

 crowded, odd-pinnate, the alternate lobes often smaller, 

 terminal ones largest ; stem-lvs. few, mostly of 3 Ifts. 

 or bract-like : fls. 1-2 in. across, solitary or corymbose. 

 More than 30 species, mostly in temperate and frigid 

 regions. 



The plumy kinds are all contained in the subgenus 

 Sieversia. G. Chiloense is the best species, and in the 

 gardens is commonly seen in double forms. A gardener 

 writes that " inferior forms show scarcely any duplicity." 

 Geums are of easy culture, and are prop, by division or 

 seed. It is said that they hybridize freely if grown 

 together. The dwarf kinds are suited only to the rock- 

 ery. Correvon, of Geneva, Switz., writes that G. reptans 

 is one of the best of the rockery kinds, and needs full 

 sunlight. For G. triflorum he advises half exposure to 

 sun and a light, moist soil. G. rivale grows naturally in 

 marshy places. 



A. Plumy Geums: style in fruit long and plumose. 



B. Fls. yellow. 



c. Plants spreadiny by runners. 

 reptans, Linn. Root-lvs. interruptedly pinnatifid : 

 upper Ivs. 3-lobed : fls. erect ; petals obcordate. Eu. 

 Gn. 45:956. The purple styles are pretty. 



