1076 



NEPHROLEPIS 



NER1NE 



3. actita, Presl. (N. Bausei, Hort.). Lvs. 2-4 ft. long, 

 8-12 in. wide, on short slightly scaly stalks; pinnae K-l 

 in. wide, acute, with entire or slightly crenate margins, 

 the lower basal angle rounded, the upper auricled: in- 

 <lusia suborbicular. Fla. to Brazil and in the tropics of 

 the Old World. If. ruftscens, Presl., is a woolly variety. 

 JV. tripinnatiflda is said to be a variety of this species. 



BB. Margins pinnatifid. 



4. davallioides, Kunze. Lvs. drooping, 2-3 ft. long, 

 1 ft. or more wide; lower pinnae inciso-crenate, the upper 

 :narrower, with deeper lobes. In cultivation the pinnae 

 .are forked often several times and are sometimes irregu- 

 larly crested; their form resembles the horticultural va- 

 riety furcans. Java. Var. furcans multiceps is also 

 advertised. 



N. serruldta cristata, once advertised by John Saul, seems un- 

 known to the botanies. #. Wtttboldii, F.R. 5:247 (1900) ; 6:525, 

 is a variety of Boston Fern with fronds thrice as wide as the 

 type. The pinnae are said to .have characteristic convolutions. 



L. M. UNDERWOOD. 



be procured at little cost and is easily grown. It is prop- 

 agated by division or by the creeping rhizomes. This is 

 best done in early spring. The rhizomes may be pegged 

 down in small pots and when well rooted may be de- 

 tached from the parent plant. A good compost for pot- 

 ting consists of soil and leaf -mold, with some well-rotted 

 manure added. Shift into larger pots or pans as the 

 plants require. Secure good drainage and give plenty 

 of water, especially during the summer months. This 

 treatment will make specimen plants of 3-5 ft. in diam- 

 eter by October, with graceful fronds drooping in such 

 a manner as to hide the pot or pan. A well-grown speci- 

 men suspended in a bay-window is a sight long to be re- 

 membered. There are many plants in good condition 

 that have been in use for several years during the sum- 

 mer on the veranda and in the house during the winter 



J AMES DEAN> 



1476. Nerine curvifolia, var. Fothereilli (X %). 



The Boston Fern, JVephrolepis exaltata, var Bostoni- 

 en sis, is without doubt the most valuable ornamental 

 foliage plant for house and conservatory decoration that 

 Tthe trade has put on the American market for years. 

 Its many good points made it a welcome addition to 

 our list of plants, and the flower-loving public soon dis- 

 covered that it was a fit companion for the palms, en- 

 during with them equally well the dry atmosphere of the 

 house. Thriving under indifferent care, it has proved 

 itself a very valuable plant. It grows where many of our 

 best house plants had been failures. It is a plant that can 



NEPHTHtTIS (name borrowed from Egyptian my- 

 thology; Nephthys, mother of Amibis, wife of Typhon). 

 Aracete. About half a dozen species of tropical African 

 creepers, 2 of which are cult, in hothouses for their va- 

 riegated foliage. The Ivs. are all more or less halberd- 

 shaped or arrow-shaped, with scarcely any sheath on 

 the petiole. Inflorescence terminal : spathe concave-ex- 

 panded: ovary 1-celled; ovule solitary, pendulous. 



picturata, N. E. Br. The white markings form a pat- 

 tern resembling the tips of fern fronds laid between the 

 nerves, with their points all directed towards the base 

 of the midrib. Plant stemless, spreading by runners: 

 petioles 10-12 in. long: blade 6-12 in. long, 5-9 in. broad. 

 Congo. Var. angustata, N. E. Br., has smaller and nar- 

 rower Ivs. Figured in catalogue of 

 U. S. nurseries 1895. 



triplrylla, Hort. "A pretty stove 

 creeper with dark green thrice-di- 

 vided Ivs. marked with greenish 

 white in the exact shape of the leaf." 



NEPTtTNIA plena is a rare sensi- 

 tive plant of aquatic habit found in 

 the East and West Indies and S. 

 Amer. It has foliage much like that 

 of the common sensitive plant, Mi- 

 mosa pudica. The fls. are so odd 

 that no one at first sight would 

 imagine that they belong to the 

 legume family. They are more or 

 less egg-shaped in outline, 1% x 1 

 in., and borne singly on stalks 6 in. 

 long. They are drooping and have 

 numerous stamens. The singular 

 feature of these fls. is a mass of yel- 

 low petalage composed of 6 or more tiers of reflexed, 

 narrowly lanceolate strips, which are really transformed 

 and sterile stamens. The plant floats on the water and 

 has grooved stems, the portion under water being white, 

 spongy and full of air-cells. It is of difficult culture 

 and can probably not be secured in Europe at present, 

 but would make an interesting addition to our northern 

 botanic gardens. B.M. 4695. Leguminosce. 



NERINE (a nereid of Greek mythology). AmarylU- 

 dacece. A remarkable genus of tender bulbous plants, 

 of which the commonest species is N. Sarniensis, long 

 known as the Guernsey Lily from the island where 

 these bulbs are grown to perfection. They will never 

 become popular with florists, because the winter is their 

 growing season instead of flowering time. They belong 

 to the very small class of autumn-blooming bulbs. The 

 common kinds flower from Sept. to Nov. without any 

 foliage, and the Ivs. are developed all winter. About 

 May the Ivs. die down and the bulbs rest from May to 

 Aug. The fls. range from scarlet through salmon and 

 pink shades to white, and are borne in umbels of 4-20 

 fls., on scapes varying from 1-3 ft. long and averaging 1% 

 ft. The fls. are 6-parted, the segments more or less 

 rolled back and sometimes crimped or fluted. 



There are 10 species, all from South Africa. A com- 

 mon trade name is Nerine Japonica, which is really a 

 Lycoris since it has black seeds, while all the true 

 Nerines have green seeds. It, however, has the au- 



