THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



Martinezia Caryotaefolia. 



MARANTA. 



These very ornamental leaved hot- 

 house plants are now known botanic- 

 ally as calathea, but it is not likely 

 that we shall ever know them com- 

 mercially as anything but marantas. 

 There are many species, all from trop- 

 ical America, entirely grown for their 

 handsome leaves. They have creep- 

 ing rhizomes and when shaken out the 

 roots can be readily divided. June 

 and July is a good time for this oper- 

 ation. Some of the smaller growing 

 species make beautiful plants for table 

 decoration or for the larger ferneries, 

 but they do not thrive long in the dry 

 air of a living room. It is as fine plants 

 for the hot-house that they are chief- 

 ly cultivated. 



The essential to grow a fine plant is 

 a good coarse loam, to which can be 

 added a fifth of well decayed manure, 

 and some sand to keep the soil open. 

 As when growing they want abun- 

 dance of water and syringing there 

 should be ample drainage to let water 

 pass freely through. In a shaded, 

 sheltered place they will do out of 

 doors, but are far better suited in a 

 shaded houss where there is abun- 

 dance of moisture. In winter they 

 will do in a temperature of 60 degrees, 

 but as they are evergreen they must 

 not get dry, only a less quantity of 

 water. For a full development of their 

 velvety leaves the^ should every two 

 or three years be shaken out and di- 



vided or their roots and crowns get 

 very crowded. 



There are so many species that it is 

 unnecessary to single out any of them. 

 All are handsome and there is a range 

 in size from the diminutive M. micans, 

 with glittering leaves two to three 

 inches long, to M. zebrina, with leaves 

 three feet long and eight inches broad. 

 Every gardener will remember this old 

 species, probably one of the first intro- 

 duced. Here is a description of M. 

 Veitchii, from Nicholson's Dictionary 

 of Gardening: 



"Leaves large, ovate elliptic, over 

 one foot long, very rich, glossy green, 

 marked along each side the mid-rib 

 with crescent-shaped blotches of yel- 

 low, softened by shades of green and 

 white; under surface light purple. 

 Height of plant three feet. Introduced 

 in 1866 from west tropical America. 

 Probably the handsomest of the ge- 

 nus." 



But there are any number of other 

 species with various beautiful mark- 

 ings, and none difficult to grow where 

 heat, moisture, a porous soil and 

 shade in summer can be given. 



MARTINEZIA. 



M. caryotaefolia, a young plant of 

 which is illustrated, is one of a small 

 family of rather slender growing 

 South American palms, the species in 

 question having been found in parts of 

 Peru 'and also New Granada, Though 



this species has been in cultivation 

 since 1845, it is not now largely grown, 

 but few seeds being offered in the 

 market. . . 



The martinezia also possesses a dis- 

 advantage in being so abundantly pro- 

 vided with long and sharp spines, not 

 only the stems, but also the backs of 

 the leaves being armed with these 

 needlelike protectors, and nearly all 

 plants having this characteristic re- 

 ceive but scanty attention from the 

 general public, and especially so if the 

 price is held above the average. 



Martinezia caryotaefolia may be de- 

 scribed in a general way as bearing 

 some resemblance to Caryota urens, 

 except that the latter is without 

 spines, but the peculiarly wedge- 

 shaped pinnae of the martinezia are 

 arranged in irregular groups along the 

 leaf stem, there being frequently from 

 six to ten inches of bare stem between 

 these groups of pinnae on a large 

 leaf. The general color of the leaves 

 is deep green, and the habit of . the 

 plant very graceful. 



This palm is not specially subject to 

 the attacks of insects, but if scale in- 

 sects are allowed to infest it they are 

 likely to fix themselves along the 

 stems among the thorns, where it is 

 very difficult to dislodge them. In fact, 

 with any of the very spiny palms it 

 becomes a severe test of patience to 

 eradicate scale, and the use of strong- 

 insecticides can hardly be recom- 

 mended in such a case, an experience 

 with kerosene emulsion some years 

 ago on both martinezias and daemono- 

 rops having proved disastrous. 



Regarding the cultural requirements 

 of martinezias it may be said that they 

 belong among the warm house palms, 

 and will flourish under suitable con- 

 ditions for Areca lutescens, that is, 

 temperature of 65 to 70 degrees, mod- 

 erate shading and abundant moisture. 



M. caryotaefolia is said to bear ex- 

 posure very well as a plant for house 

 decoration, but I have not seen it 

 tested for such use, though a , good 

 sized plant of this species would un- 

 doubtedly be a very effective single 

 specimen to be placed on a pedestal, 

 where its spines would be out of reach 

 of the passer-by. W. H. T. 



MAURANDYA. 



These are useful to us for summer 

 climbers and thrive in our hottest 

 suns. M. Barclayana is best sown in 

 early March in a heat of about 55 to 

 60 degrees. When large enough to 

 handle pot into 2-inch. In this size 

 they are large enough for our baskets, 

 but if wanted for outside climbing can 

 be shifted into 3-inch and must have 

 a small stake or they get sadly tan- 

 gled up. They make a very quick 

 growth and cover quickly a small trel- 

 lis. The flower is not conspicuous, 

 being of a greenish color, about two 

 inches long. 



M. scandens, often called Lopho- 

 spermum scandens, is a larger leaved, 

 stronger growing climber, and one of 

 the very best vines for our vases. The 

 flowers are pinkish violet, This can 



