Pithecoctenium 



( 209 ) 



Pits 



Other Species, Varieties, and Hybrids : 



pul- 



albiflos, Sep., wh., Ivs. 



tufted, ir to 2' long, 



J" broad (syn. odcrata). 

 altit. Aug., bright red, 



Ivs. >' to 3' long, |" to 



1" broad, spiny (syn. 



Skinnuri of gardens). 

 Altensteinii, My., wh., 



Ivs. >' to 3' long, H" to 



2" broad (si/us, undu- 



latifolia and Puya 



Altensteinii). 

 angiistifolia, Sep., red, 



Ivs. 2' to 3' long, |" to 



i" broad, spiny, 

 araiata, car., yel., Ivs. 



2i' to 3' long, 3" to 4" 



broad (nyn. Newmauuia 



arcuata). 

 bracteata, Ap., bright 



red, Ivs. H' to 2' long, 



1" broad. " 



snlphurea, yel. 

 bromeliii'folia, Je., bright 



red, Ivs. 2' to 3' long, 

 j" to J" broad, wh. 

 beneath. 



platyphylla, Ivs. broad, 

 cernua (see heterophylla). 

 cinnabarina, Je., red, Ivs. 



1'.' long, y' broiul. 

 corcovadensis, 1', red, Ivs. 



3' to 4' long. 

 Dccaisnei (see fulgeus 



of Decaisne). 

 echinata, 5' to 6', sum., 



yel., red, Ivs. 2' to 3' 



long, U" broad, 

 excclsa (w pulverulenta). 

 cxsivipa (w heterophylla). 

 feiTiiginea, 6' to 10', Aug., 



wh., Ivs. 2' to 3' long, 



1.;" to 2" broad, 



largest member of 



gmiis (KI/H. Puya 



grandiflora). 

 flammea, Nov., red, Ivs. 



2' to 25' long, 1" to 15" 



broad, wh. beneath 



(si/n. Olfersii). 

 flavescens (we xantho- 



calyx). 

 floccosa, bl., Ivs. in 



rosettes, 2}' to 3' long, 



15" broad, spiny, 

 funckiana, My., wh., yel. 



gni., Ivs. 2' to 3' long, 



1 " to 1 5 ' ' broad, spinous 



(si/ii. macrocalyx). 

 furfuracea (see latifolia). 

 heterophylla, My., wh. or 



red, Ivs. 1' to 2 long, 



linear (syns. cernua, 



exscapa, and Morreuii). 



PITHECOCTENIUM. (MONKEY'S 



COMB.) 



Climbing shrubs (ord. Bignoniacesc) from tropical 

 America. They may be grown in the same way as 

 the tropical Bignonias. Few species are in cultiva- 

 tion ; clematideum is about the best, although it is 

 still a stranger to the majority of gardeners. 



Pitcher Plants (see Nepenthes and Sarrarenia). 

 Pitch Pine (see Pinus australis, P. paltistris, and 



P. riyidn). 



Pitch Tree, liitrgundy (sec Picea excelsa). 

 44 



imbricata, Oct., wh.. 

 tipped grn., Ivs. 1J' to 

 2' long, spinous. 

 Klabochorum (see 



veruleuta). 



latifolia, Aug., red, Ivs. 

 2' to 3' long, linear (syi/. 

 furfuracea). 



Lehman oii, bright red, 

 Ivs. 2' to 3' long, 1" 

 broad, spinous. 

 lepidota (see andreana). 

 longit'olia of Hooker (see 

 pulverulenta). 



macrocalyx (see funck- 

 iana) . 



maidifolia, My., grn., wh., 

 Ivs. 2' to 3' long, H" to 

 2" broad, spineless (SI/H. 

 zeifolia). 



Maroni, hybrid (corallina 

 X Altensteinii). 



moritziana, sum., red or- 

 reddish yel., Ivs. 1' to 

 1J' long, 1" broad. 



Morrenii (see hetero- 

 phylla). 



odorata (see albinos). 



Olfersii (see flammea). 



paniculatu (see pulveru- 

 lenta). 



pulverulenta, 6' to 12', 

 Dec., bright red, Ivs. 

 3' to 4' long, 14." to 2" 

 broad (si/ns. longifolia 

 of Hooker, and Klabo- 

 chorum). 



punicea, sum., bright red, 

 Ivs. 1' long, i" broad, 

 wh. beneath (*.'//'. 

 Pepinia punicea). 



recurvata, Ap., wh., Ivs. 

 2' long, 4" to 1J" broad, 

 wh. beneath. 



ringens (see karwinski- 

 ana). 



Eoezlii, Nov., coral red, 

 Ivs. long, stems red. 



Skinneri (see alta). 



staminea, Jan., brightred, 

 Ivs. 1' to 2' long, $" to 

 f," broad, tufted. 



sulphurea (see bracteata 

 var.). 



undulata, Jy., bright red, 

 Ivs. 1' long, 4" to 5" 

 broad, wh. at back (i/. 

 speciosissima of gar- 

 dens). 



undulatifolia (see Alten- 

 steinii). 



zeifolia (see maidifolia). 



Principal Species : 

 Catharinae, 10', My., wh., 

 Hushed yel., very fra- 

 grant, plant of slender 

 growth (SIJHS. Carolime 

 and Bignonia Carolina; 



Other Species : 

 bucciuatorium (now Big- 

 nouia buccinatoria). 



of Botanical Register 

 1844, 54). 



clematideum, wh., with 

 yel. throat, very large 

 and showy (*//. Anem- 

 opffigma clematideum). 



CarolinEe (see Catharines). 



PITHECOLOBIUM. (CURL BRUSH 

 BEAN and MONKEY'S EARBING.) 



A large genus (ord. Leguminosaa), very few mem- 

 bers of which appeal to the gardener. Propaga- 

 tion, by cuttings of the young shoots, taken either 

 in spring or summer, and rooted in sandy peat, 

 under a bell-glass, with bottom heat. Soil, loam 

 and sandy peat in equal parts. Firm potting. 



Principal Species : 



pniinosum, grh., wh., Ivs. bipinnate, branches, 

 foliage, and flowers covered with a rusty pu- 

 bescence ; a handsome tree. 



PITS. 



These are distinct from other houses by reason of 

 their smaller size, and are distinguished from frames 

 both by their size and the fact that they are built 

 usually upon walls. Pits are of various makes and 

 shapes. Their roofs may be either span, half- 

 span, hip-root, or lean-to. With regard to posi- 

 tion, they are governed by the same rules as 

 those relating to larger houses, e.g. the span should 

 run north and south, and the hip or three-quarter 

 span and lean-to east and west. The majority of 

 them should be where they can get plenty of sun, 

 but a pit facing north is of value ; in it flowering 

 plants can be retarded and bulbous plants stored 

 until the period of growth comes round again ; also, 

 where the bottom is an ash bed, Cinerarias and 

 Primulas do well in a north pit during the summer. 



It is a common plan to erect rows of lean-to pits 

 against the supporting walls of the larger houses. 

 This method precludes the necessity for putting any 

 piping in the pits, for, unless a high temperature is 

 wanted, the frost may be easily kept out by having 

 a few apertures in the common wall, which 

 apertures may be closed by ordinary wooden 

 shutters. In these pits the lights should lift up 

 at the front, two pegs in the sides, right at the 

 back, and fitting into slots, acting as a hinge. 



The larger pits may be divided into two sections 

 those simply standing upon the ground, and 

 those sunk below the surface. It is common to see 

 pits with the centre walk 3' below the soil surface, 

 and in that case the plunging beds are very little 

 above the surrounding level. Such pits are econo- 

 mical of heat, and are suitable for early or hard forc- 

 ing. They are not good if intended as cool houses, 

 for damp rages in them during autumn and winter. 



Melon and Cucumber pits may be taken as the 

 type used for forcing. They are built with a 

 central walk 2J' to 3' wide, a bed on one side from 

 3' to ti' wide, and on the other side a bed 2' to 4' 

 wide. The gross width may be from 9' to 13'. 



It is advisable that all independent pits should 

 be heated, as their usefulness is thus increased. 

 For early forcing, enough piping should be fixed to 

 keep up a winter night temperature of (iO. In such 

 houses bulbs and forcing material generally do 

 well. Figs and Vines in pots are included. For 

 pr<>p;igating purposes such houses are valuable, 

 and also as plant hospitals. For the latter purpose 



