NICOTIANA 



NIDULARIUM 



1089 



tomentdsa, Ruiz & Pav. (JV. colds sea, Andre"). Peren- 

 nial, rarely blooming in the North, but easily propagated 

 by cuttings and treated as a tender annual: 8 to 10 ft. 

 and more, very stout and branchy, viscid - pubescent : 

 Ivs. obovate-oblong and acuminate, narrowed to clasping 

 and decurrent base, 1-3 ft. long, pale and reticulate be- 

 neath : fls. short, the tube inflated at the top and slightly 

 curved, pubescent, the lobes ovate and obtuse and nearly 



1489. Nicotiana sylvestris (X %). 



or quite equal, the color of the tube pale green and of 

 the limb yellowish outside and pale rose within. Brazil. 

 B.M.7252. G.C. III. 9:83. Gng. 1:97. A.G. 11:117.-A 

 most remarkable plant for large and rapid growth. Very 

 useful in making subtropical effects. The plants came 

 up in soil in which Brazilian orchids were shipped to 

 France, and it began to attract general attention in France 

 about 1889. It usually has reddish stems, thereby adding 

 to the bold effect. Seeds should be started under glass, 

 There is a var. variegata, Hort., with mottled and mar- 

 gined foliage. R. H. 1893, p. 9. G.M. 37:61. 



N. acuminata, Hook. Slender: Ivs. petioled, broad-lanceolate, 

 acuminate: fls. long-tubular, with small obtuse lobes, white. 

 Argentina. B.M. 2919. N. fragrant, Hook. Three to 4 ft.: Ivs. 

 sessile, obovate or spatulate: fls. with very long, slender tubes 

 (as in N. sylvestris) and a large spreading regular limb with 

 emarginate lobes, white. New Caledonia. B.M. 4865. A/". Langs- 

 dorfii, Schrank. Two to 3 ft., viscid: Ivs. sessile, oval or ovate: 

 fls. trumpet-shaped, the tube enlarging at the top, the limb flar- 

 ing and nearly entire, yellowish green. S. Amer. B.M. 2221. 

 2555. N. paniculdta. Linn., from S. Amer., is allied to N. 

 Langsdorfii, but is smaller and all the Ivs. are stalked. 



Several Nicotianas are native to the Texan-Californian region. 

 One, N. guadrivdlvis , Pursh, B.M. 1778, is native as far north 

 as Oregon, and was cult, by the Indians for tobacco. j^ jj g^ 



NICOTtTNIA is a name given by the undersigned to 

 hybrids of Nicotiana and Petunia offered in 1893. They 

 were originally described as follows: "The plants have 

 slender, drooping or trailing tomentose green, red and 

 purple stalks and leaves twice or three times as large 

 as the Petunia; the flowers are handsome, white, pink, 

 carmine or striped and borne in plenteous profusion. 

 No seed is ever produced, but they are very readily 

 multiplied by cuttings." 



These plants have unfortunately vanished from culti- 

 vation. They were, of course, annuals. They were 



semi-trailing plants, the leaves covered with abundant 

 short, woolly hairs. The cross was Petunia hybrida, 

 var. grandi flora x Nicotiana wigandioides, var. nibra, 

 the former probably being the seed parent. The singu- 

 lar thing about the cross was the fact that the root 

 seemed in all cases to be paralyzed and very defective, 

 though the tops in all the many hybrids produced grew 

 with much vigor. The blooms were beautiful, and it is 

 a pity that the plants were not grafted on tobacco roots. 



LUTHER BURBANK. 



NIDULAEIUM (from Latin nidus, a nest). Bro- 

 meliacece. About 15 Brazilian epiphytes, by some re- 

 ferred to Karatas and other genera, but by Mez (DC. 

 Monogr. Phaner. 9) kept distinct. The flowers are per- 

 fect, borne in simple or compound heads, the petals 

 joined at the base and not ligulate (in all the typical 

 species) : anthers attached mostly on the back (in some 

 related plants attached mostly at the base). Leaves 

 strap-shaped, ovate or oval, in dense rosettes, the flowers 

 mostly sessile, red, blue, or white. The inner leaves of 

 the rosette, here called bract-leaves, are usually highly 

 colored and constitute most of the merit of some species. 

 Warmhouse plants, requiring the treatment of Billbergia, 

 which see. 



In the following account, the genus is held to comprise 

 the species referred by Mez to Aregelia, having simple 

 flower-clusters, whereas Nidularium proper has com- 

 pound clusters. 



A. Flower-cluster simple (Aregelia). 

 B. Length of flower 1% in. or less. 



triste, Regel (N. marmoratum, Hort., not Morr. 

 Karatas tristis, Baker. Aregelia tristis, Mez). Lvs. 

 6-12, from 6-12 in. long and half as broad in the middle, 

 green dappled with brown, somewhat scurfy beneath: 

 flower purple: bract-1 vs. narrow-linear: fr. oblong, white. 



BB. Length of flower 1% in. or more. 



Morrenianum, Makoy (Karatas Morreniana, Ant. 

 Aregelia Morreniana, Mez). Lvs. many in a dense 

 rosette, with few very minute spines, not striped, densely 

 scurfy beneath : fls. many, dark purple : bract-lvs. linear- 

 lanceolate. 



N. Caroline, Lem. (N. Meyendorfii, Regel. Karatas 

 Carollnce,Ant. Guzmdniapicta,Hort. Billbergia Caro- 

 llnce, Beer. B. blens, Hook.). Lvs. several to many, 

 strap-shaped, rather thick, finely spiny-toothed, 12 in. 

 long, bright green on both surfaces, the bract-lvs. bright 

 red: fls. blue-purple, in a short head nestling in the 

 bright leaf -cup. B.M. 5502. I.H. 7:245. 



princeps, Morr. (N. spectdbile, Hort. Karatas prin- 

 ceps, Baker. K. Meyendorfii, Ant. Aregelia princeps , 

 Mez). Lvs. 15-20, about 10-12 in. long, broadest at 

 the middle, firm, spiny-toothed, lightly glaucous: fls. 

 numerous, violet-purple, surrounded by about 8-10 oval, 

 bright red bract-lvs. 



Bindti, Morr. (N". Maltoyanum, Regel. Karatas Binbti, 

 Morr. Aregelia Binbti, Mez). Lvs. 15-20, strong-spiny, 

 scurfy and transversely banded on the back, the inner 

 ones similar in color: fls. many, white. Not to be con- 

 founded with Bromelia Binoti. 



AA. Flower-cluster compound. 



B. Petals joined below. 



c. Flowers white. 



Innocentii, Lem. (Karatas Innoctntii, Ant.). Stem- 

 less and stolonif erous : Ivs. about 20, in a dense rosette, 

 strap-shaped, about 1 ft. long, broadest near the middle, 

 with many small, spiny teeth, green but more or less 

 tinted brown or red, the oval bract-lvs. bright red: fls. 

 in a dense head, white. I. H. 9:329. Named for the 

 Marquis de St. Innocent, amateur, of Autun, France. 

 There is a form with yellow-striped Ivs. I.H. 41:5. 

 This species is one of the best Nidulariums. 



Striatum, Baker (N. MaTcoyanum, Morr., not Hort. 

 Karatas negUcta, Baker). Lvs. 8-12 in. long, strap- 

 shaped, fine-toothed, prominently striped with central 

 bands of white and shading to cream-color towards the 

 margin, the body color deep green and not brown-tinted. 

 G.C. III. 8:183 (desc.).-A good species. 



