USEFUL GREENHOUSE PLANTS 159 



Oxalis. A dwarf class of clover-like plants, most of which spring 

 from small tubers. The flowers of some of them are very pretty. 

 0. cernua, with yellow flowers about the size of a shilling, is called the 

 Bermuda Butter-cup, from the fact that it is extensively grown in 

 Bermuda and sent to this country in early autumn. It is popular for 

 the greenhouse. 0. Bowiei, rose ; 0. enneaphylla, white ; 0. Deppei, 

 reddish-purple; and 0. variabilis, white and red, are among the best 

 forms. 



Palms. Of late years Palms have greatly advanced in popularity, 

 being now largely used for the stove and the greenhouse as well as for 

 the dwelling-house, where some of them will keep in health for years, 

 provided they get a reasonable amount of attention. Good loam, 

 lightened by a little leaf-mould and sand, is suitable for the different 

 Palms. Care should be taken not to give too much soil, for good speci- 

 mens may be grown in comparatively small pots. They must never be 

 allowed to suffer from drought, though stagnant water is very injurious. 

 It is important to keep the leaves sponged with tepid water regularly. 

 The best greenhouse Palms are : Areca Baueri, Areca sapida, Chama- 

 rops excelsa, Fortunei, and humilis, Corypha australis, Kentia belmoreana, 

 and K. fosteriana, Latania borbonica, Plicenix canariensis, and Rhapis 

 fldbelliformis. 



Passiflora (Passion Flower). Well-known climbers, flowering 

 principally during the summer months. Passiflora cxrulea, blue ; 

 P. Constance Elliott, white ; P. Lawsoni, light purple ; and P. Iinpera- 

 trice Eugenie are all good. These strike from cuttings in the spring. 



Pelargonium. Owing to the many sections of Pelargonium now 

 in cultivation they form a most extensive class, and the uses to which 

 they can be put are varied. At one time the name of Pelargonium was, 

 at least from a popular standpoint, applied only to the large-flowered 

 show section, the term Geranium being generally used to indicate the 

 Zonal, Ivy-leaved, and others of this class. The Zonal Pelargonium 

 or "Geranium," as it is popularly called, is represented by numerous 

 varieties with flowers varying from pure white to crimson. This plant 

 can be put to many uses. It is admirably adapted for the greenhouse 

 or conservatory, and if the structure be kept at a temperature of 

 50 degrees to 60 degrees the plant will flower throughout the winter. 

 It is largely used for bedding out during the summer months, while 

 large, old plants will yield a wealth of blossom if planted out of doors 

 at that period, as one may see from the noble specimens put out for the 

 summer in the London parks. There are now a great number of double- 

 flowered varieties belonging to this Zonal section. These are valuable 

 for flowering in pots, but as a rule they do not bloom with the same 

 freedom as the single kinds if bedded out. 



luy-leaued Pelargoniums. The members of this section have 

 become very popular within the last few years, and the double-flowered 

 forms are now universally grown. Some of them are valuable for 

 clothing the pillars or back wall of the greenhouse, while for hanging 

 baskets they are largely used. Their drooping habit fits them for 

 window-boxes, the margings of large vases, and similar purposes, while 



