GERARDIA 



BB. Corolla glabrous outside ; perennial, 



c. Heiijht S-G ft. 



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



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



Dry woods, N. Am. 



cc. Height 1-2 ft. 

 IsBvigita, Raf. Not glaucous : Its. V,i-i in. long. 

 Oak barrens, etc., N. Am. 



AA. Fls. rosy purple rarely varying to white. 

 E. Height 1 ft. 

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

 Inflor. racemose : Ivs. mostly narrowly linear: corolla 

 Kin. long. Low or dry ground, N. Am. 

 BB. Height 2-J ft. 

 lini!61ia, 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 

 be a parent with Pentslemon 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. 

 GEKMANDEK. See Teucrium. 



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

 brated naturalist, and considered to be the originator of 

 the idea of genus in taxouoniy). GisnerAcem. Some- 

 times written Gesnera. Mure than 50 herbs of tropical 

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

 and showy tubular fls. 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 ou 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 Niegelia, which dif- 

 fers, amongst other things, in having an aimular 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- 

 stock. 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 haudsoinr folia;;. ■ as f'..r the 

 flowers. The inflorescence is gcni-rally a iTam-hed 

 corymb, and the flowers are tubular- la I. i:ni. w itli ili.' limb 

 rarely flattened, as in Achinienes. CrMarias arr not 

 nearly as popular as they once w. r,-, ]ir.il.alily ..n ar- 

 countof the transitory character of th. ii- .i.n.llas, Hliich 

 are continually falling, lasting but a day ur two. 'I'Ik- 

 roots must be kept in a moderately warm plar, , surli as 

 would suit Gloxinias. They should be kept in the pots 

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

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

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

 their vitality. When the roots show a tendency to send 

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

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

 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 

 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 



GEUM 



641 



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. 



cardinaiis, 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 iirojecting and the lower 



aln 



less 



flatcluster. Nativity unknown. Gn. 42:874.— G. 



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



H^ndersoni, 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, withdroop- 

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

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

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

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

 some it has been confounded with Isoloma longifolium, 

 Decne. 



AA. Lrs. richly colored, at least tmdertieath. 



Ldopoldi, Scheidw. Compact : stem erect from the 

 large, depressed tuber, thinly hairy: lvs. 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 rathi-r Ions,-. u}iili.l-liki- .•luster. Nativity not 

 recorded. F.S. 7:ii)(-.i. (in. .'p::;ll,tl. 



Donkelaeriina, 1,. in. •.'.'. /'.m/,. ;.(/■;/, Hook.). Stem 

 often 2 ft. tall : lvs. lar^'e. la.i .latr Dvate, crenate, hairy, 

 green and purple-tinged above an<l 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. 



Exoni^nsiB, Hort. Hybrid : lvs. velvety, with red and 

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



reMlgens, Hort. Hybrid: lvs. cordate-oval, red-hairy: 

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



G. cinnabarlna, Lind., is a Nasgelia.— G. OualemaUnsis. 

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

 fered bySaul.—G.jaamtwif/dro. Hort., "fls. of the pxirest white, 

 freely produced, beautiful," once offered by Saul.— (?. obldnea, 

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

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

 Saul.— G. zebrina. Past., see Nsegelia. The Gesnerias are much 

 confused by hybridizing and breeding, l_ jj^ g_ 



G£UM (Greek, geno, to have a taste ; referring to the 

 roots). Bos&eew. 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.; 

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

 ennial rhizome, sometimes stoloniferous : root-lvs. 

 i-ri>\v.l.il, <.dd-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. repfans 

 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 spreading by runners. 



rSptans, Linn. Root-lvs. interruptedly pinnatifld : 

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

 Gn. 45:9.'j6.-The purple styles are pretty. 



