











June 29, 1912.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



425 



ALOE DIGHOTOMA AND A. BAINESII. 



Among the many noteworthy plants in the 

 Cape Town Municipal Botanical Gardens several 

 aborescent Aloes claim attention by their size, 

 and by their beauty, when in flower. 



Aloe dichotoma, Linn. f. (see fig. 199), and A. 

 Bainesii, Dyer (see fig. 200), are represented by 

 several handsome specimens. The former species 

 occurs wild, either as solitary specimens or in 

 dense groves, in the dry water-courses or stony 

 slopes of Little Namaqualand in the western 

 region of Cape Colony, extending northwards 

 into Damaraland, and especially abundant 



branches being terete, smooth and yellowish, and 



by their repeated dichotomy forming a dense 



ovoid or globose crown, the ultimate branch lets 



terminated by a tuff of succulent 

 leav 



by a tuft' of succulent glaucous 

 about 6-12 inches long, smooth or slightly 

 warted above, convex below, with small, 



The 



white 

 flowers, which are 

 disposed in dense 



deltoid marginal spines, 

 of a vivid lemon colour, are 

 racemes 3-6 inches long. The specimen illus- 

 trated is approximately 20 feet high, and flowered 

 for the first time in 1878. since when it has 



time in 1878, 

 borne flowers and fruit annually. 

 In about the same latitude, 



but in the 



eastern provinces of the Cape Colony, the abores- 



in the neighbourhood of Pella. There, ac- cent Aloe element is represented by A. B 



i 

















■ 





% 





W^^y 





■ • 



Fig. 2oo— aloe bainesii in the botanic gardens, cape town ; height 35 feet. 



cording to Marloth, one of the most striking 

 features is the paucity of seedling plants, 

 despite the floriferousness and fertility of the 

 mature specimens, which has led the author 



P re dict a comparative early extinction of the 

 species. It occurs also in scattered groves on the 

 ancient and extinct porphyritic volcano of Gubib, 

 north of Bersaba. In habit A. dichotoma is not 

 unlike the Dragon-tree of Teneriffe, averaging 



5 feet ™ height, although Scully records some 

 exceedingly old specimens 60 feet high with a 

 trunk girth of 20 feet. 



Ine bark is irregularly and longitudinally 



* S ^ re ^ of a S^yfeb colour, and resembles that 

 of Celtis occidental to a remarkable degree, the 



(see fig. 200), of which Sim records specimens 

 attaining to a height of 60 feet, and with a trunk 

 diameter of 2-3 feet in Griqualand East and 

 Natal. The extension of the sugar and coffee 

 industries and consequent land monopoly, how- 

 ever, threatens the extinction of many of these 

 handsome specimens. 



The trunk of A. Bainesii has smoother bark 

 and a more spreading open crown than A. dicho- 

 toma; and its further characteristics— longer, 

 more-recurved, greenish-red, ensiform, deeply- 

 grooved leaves, and brick-red, more tubular 

 flowers, which are invariably disposed in panicles 



-render the species easy of identification. 



botanical gardens throughout the colony, but the 

 finest is probablv that at the CaDe Town 



Cape 

 the illustration 



o 



is probably that at 

 Municipal Gardens, of which 

 conveys a tolerably good idea. This plant is 

 about 35 feet high with a trunk circumference of 

 10 feet, exceedingly fertile, flowering and fruiting 

 abundantly each year. R. Diimmtr. 



PLANT NOTE. 



CALCEOLARIA CLIBRANII. 



Of all the types of Calceolaria, none gives a 

 better display than does C. Clibranii. Its extra- 

 ordinary floriferousness is an outstanding 

 feature, and, when added to the brilliance of 

 colour and splendid lasting qualities, it must 



indeed be classed as one of the most meritorious 

 of greenhouse plants. It is equally effective a§ 

 a subject for the adornment of the mansion or 

 flowering-house, and is specially pleasing if 

 tastefully arranged with a groundwork of Ferns. 

 The culture is of the simplest nature, for cool 

 treatment suits it best. At no time must it be 

 subjected to a close atmosphere, and no artifi- 

 cial heat is necessary except on very cold nights, 

 when just sufficient to keep out the frost is all 

 that is required. 



As the plants pass the flowering period the old 

 flower-spikes should be removed, the plants 

 themselves should be placed in a cold frame, 

 shaded from bright sunshine, and syringed occa- 

 sionally to encourage them to produce growths 

 suitable for cuttings. The latter should be taken 

 off when about 3 inches long, inserted in a 

 sandy compost and placed in a close frame. They 

 should be shaded from all sun, and syringed each 

 evening until root formation has commenced. 

 After this stage, a little air should be given, 

 gradually increasing it until full air is ad- 

 mitted on 



the young 

 be potted 



increasing il until iun air is 

 all possible occasions. As soon as 

 plants are well rooted, they should 

 off singly into 5-inch ]>ots, using 

 a compost of two parts loam and one part 

 leaf -soil, with sufficient sand to make the whole 

 porous, and again kept close until they have 

 recovered from the check caused by the trans- 

 ference, when the same process must be adopted 

 as was practised with the rooted cuttings. The 

 pots will be large enough until about the end of 

 January, when the plants should be shifted into 

 6-inch pots to flower, using a similar compost as 

 before, but of a much coarser nature, and with 

 an addition of a 6-inch potful of a good chemical 

 manure to each barrowful of the mixture. The 

 old plants, after having produced cuttings, should 

 not be discarded, as it is from these the best 

 results will be obtained, and in them the extra- 

 ordinary floriferousness and value of the variety 

 become apparent. Remove all damaged foliage, 

 prune back below the point from which the cut- 

 tings were taken, and keep the roots somewhat on 



the dry side until young growths appear, 

 when the supply of water may be increased as 

 growth advances. As soon as growth is again 

 active, repot the plants into 7^-inch pots, using 

 similar compost to that advised for the flowering 

 pots, but omitting the concentrated manure. In 

 January, repot them into 9-inch pots, using fer- 

 tiliser as before. Great care must be exercised 

 after each potting to avoid over-watering. 



C. Clibranii is a gross feeder, and the plants 



either in the form of 



assistance 



require 



liquid manure or top-dressings of a good fer- 

 tiliser. I prefer the latter method, using finely- 

 sifted soil and fertiliser in equal proportions, 

 and applied every 8 or 10 days, watering each 

 application in immediately. Give the maximum 

 amount of air whenever possible, and shade from 

 bright sunshine. Stake each spike separately 

 and neatly ; the naturally branching habit of the 

 flower-spike will prevent any appearance of stiff- 

 ness or formality. Z). Wilmshurst, East-well 



Several fine specimens occur in the various Pari Gardens, Kent. 



* 



