68 



Garden and Forest. 



[February 5, 1890. 



may be, they surely dwindle away in a few years, and fresh 

 supplies have to be brought from their native habitat. The 

 best success has been attained by giving them abundance of 

 air and sunlight, plenty of water during growth, and rest in a 

 cool, dry house. F. Goldring. 



Kenwood, N. Y. 



Notes from the Harvard Botanic Garden. 



Cvcas revoluta. — A large specimen of this Cycad has been 

 in fruit in the Palm-house here for several months, and it has 

 proved of much interest to visitors. Last spring a series of 

 little leaves — downy and yellowish, from six to twelve inches 

 in length, and altogether different from the regular leaves — 

 appeared upon the crown of the plant ; and some weeks later 

 the fruits appeared upon the sides of these leaves, being ar- 

 ranged singly along two-thirds of their length, and heaving a 

 somewhat fasciated cluster of leaflets at the top. When young, 

 the fruits are hard and present the same downy appearance as 

 the leaves upon which they are borne ; but with age the exte- 

 rior covering becomes soft, and the fruits assume a brilliant 

 vermilion hue that can be easily seen through the loose 

 downy covering. In size and form they resemble a large flat- 

 tened prune, with two lobes at the top. Some time ago a vis- 

 itor spoke of them as tiny peaches a little deformed, and there 

 is some accuracy in the comparison. Though these fruit-clad 

 leaves add very materially to the appearance of this beautiful 

 plant, their production has a decidedly injurious effect upon 

 it, inasmuch as the development of the pleasing dark green 

 leaves is thereby considerably retarded. In the ordinary course 

 of events specimens that bear a crop of fruit will not assume 

 their normal appearance for two or three years. As this plant 

 is commonly known as the Sago Palm it is believed by many 

 that the sago of commerce is obtained from it. This is an 

 erroneous idea. It is true that a substance with the peculiari- 

 ties of sago may be obtained from the pith in the trunk ; but 

 the genuine sago is a product of Metroxylon Sagu (Sagus Icevis 

 and S. Rumphii), an entirely distinct Palm, from the East 

 Indies. 



Grevillea Thelemanniana. — The genus Grevillea includes 

 many handsome plants, but this species is by far the most 

 interesting. It is a dwarf shrub, of bushy habit and most 

 graceful outline, from Australia. The branches are slender, 

 though self-supporting, and thickly clad with fine, feathery 

 foliage of a glaucous hue. The flowers are borne in dense 

 globular clusters at the extremities of the young shoots, and, 

 as the slender branches arch outward gracefully with their 

 weight, the clusters, at a distance, look like huge tropical 

 insects hanging from threads. The individual flowers are 

 small and of a bright red color, and the long, slender pistils, 

 of the same color, with conspicuous green stigmas, add con- 

 siderably to the beauty of the flowers. The plant is almost 

 constantly in bloom, but the flowers are produced most freely 

 during winter and spring. With proper attention to soil and 

 other necessities it will thrive satisfactorily in any greenhouse 

 the temperature of which is not allowed to fall below forty-five 

 degrees. It may be readily increased from cuttings of the 

 young wood placed in a propagating frame any time during 

 spring. Established plants may be cut back slightly during 

 the latter part of spring, and if a shift is required it may be 

 given when they commence growth again. Two parts fibrous 

 peat to one of turfy loam and one of sand forms a suitable 

 compost. 



Manettia bicolor. — At the present time this is one of our 

 most attractive stove climbers. It is a plant seldom seen out- 

 side botanical gardens, and that cannot be due to its novelty, 

 for I saw it well grown on a globular trellis, in a private collec- 

 tion, a dozen years ago. It can hardly be said that lack of 

 merit is the cause of neglect, for it is a very showy thing when 

 liberally treated. Nor are its cultural requirements so exact- 

 ing that a novice in the management of stove plants may not 

 attempt to grow it. As the slender twining stems rapidly 

 cover a given space, it is a most useful plant for training on 

 rafters, pillars or trellis work of any description. The tubular 

 flowers are small, but their brilliant red and yellow colors ren- 

 der them very conspicuous. They are borne in the axils of 

 the leaves on the young shoots. Their production is period- 

 ical, and when a crop is past the plant should be given a short 

 season of rest, after which it may be pruned slightly and again 

 allowed to grow and flower. If planted in a bed or border, the 

 drainage 6hould be ample, and it would be well to confine the 

 roots to some extent, as members of this genus tend to the 

 production of leaves at the expense of flowers, when the roots 

 are allowed to ramble at will. A mixture of strong loam, 

 fibrous peat, leaf mould and sand will be found satisfactory. 



Pot bound plants are benefited by an occasional watering with 

 liquid manure. 



Oxalis versicolor. — This old favorite among the many 

 beautiful species of Oxalis appeals for a word in its favor as 

 its flowers open in the morning sunshine. It is a delicate little 

 plant, with its three inches of slender stem, surmounted by 

 little clusters of tender leaves and lovely flowers. The petals are 

 pure white, with the exception of a faint tinge of yellow inside, 

 at the base, and a narrow but showy margin of bright crimson 

 on the outer half of each. This species is usually described 

 as having a corolla white inside and red outside ; but any one 

 who takes the trouble to examine carefully a fully expanded 

 flower will soon find this description incorrect. The flowers can- 

 not be seen fully developed, however, unless the sun is shining, 

 and even then the plant must be so placed that the sunlight 

 falls directly upon it; otherwise the flowers will remain closed 

 or in a half opened state. Perhaps the inaccurate descriptions 

 are partly due to this fact. A casual glance at a folded flower 

 might give the impression that the outside of the petals is 

 wholly red. But, whether the flowers are folded, half opened or 

 fully expanded, they are very beautiful. If the roots are planted 

 thickly over the entire surface of the soil in pots, or, better 

 still, in shallow pans, the plants will form a compact mass of 

 flowers and foliage. If planted sparsely they present a strag- 

 gling and untidy appearance during the following season. 



Cambridge, Mass. M. Barker. 



Preparation for Bedding. 



A S the spring approaches, preparation will be in order for 

 ■£*■ out-door decorations in the way of bedding, and many 

 new plans and new plants will doubtless be considered. The 

 list, of plants available for this purpose has been largely 

 extended of late years, not merely by the introduction of new 

 ones, but also by the discovery from year to year that various 

 plants, not before used to any extent in this particular field, 

 are perfectly adapted to it. For bedding, and especially for 

 sub-tropical bedding, there appears to be a growing interest, 

 and as a varied effect is usually sought for, a large number of 

 species and varieties may be used. Of course groups of a 

 single plant are often effective. There are many places where, 

 for instance, a large mass of bronze-leaved Cannas or a clump 

 of Arundo donax may be just the ornament needed. 



Among the old plants not often seen is Hutnea elegans, a 

 truly elegant plant when in good condition, and peculiarly 

 effective in a sub-tropical bed, its graceful feathery-looking 

 inflorescence of brownish red being very attractive, and form- 

 ing quite a striking contrast with the large light green leaves, 

 which are somewhat similar in character to those of Tobacco. 

 Humea elegans is propagated from seeds, which are best sown 

 in the autumn, so that the plants may attain considerable size 

 before planting out, an operation which should always be 

 deferred until settled warm weather, or about June 1st in 

 this latitude. This plant grows well in a light, sandy soil, well 

 enriched, and the young stock should not be allowed to 

 become very much pot-bound at any time, else the loss of the 

 lower leaves usually follows. 



Acalypha Wilkesiana (or tricolor) is also a striking plant 

 when used outside in summer, growing as freely as a Coleus 

 and about as easily propagated. Acalypha marginata, the 

 leaves of which are quite large and showy, being brown or 

 bronze in the centre and surrounded by a light colored margin, 

 may be used in the same manner, and with equally good 

 effect. Cuttings of these plants should be put in now, and if 

 placed in a warm house they will root in a few days. The 

 Acalyphas are not fastidious as to soil, but they do well in 

 good loam, to which may be added a small proportion of peat 

 if convenient, to make the soil a little more open. Last sum- 

 mer I observed a large circular bed planted with Begonia sem- 

 perfloretis surrounded with a ring or edging of Acalypha 

 Wilkesiana. The Begonias were covered with flowers and 

 the contrast was decidedly pleasing. 



A striking plant when in flower is Lasiandra macrantha, its 

 large bright purple flowers being most showy. It seems a 

 pity that the flowers of this handsome plant should be of so 

 ephemeral a character, seldom lasting for more than a day 

 out-doors when the weather is bright, but still they are pro- 

 duced in such profusion that the plant is seldom out of bloom 

 during the summer. This plant has not been largely used for 

 bedding purposes, though its adaptability was proved a num- 

 ber of years ago. The idea which once prevailed, that the 

 Lasiandra was essentially a stove plant, was dispelled long ago. 



If not already sown, seeds of the Abyssinian Banana (Musa 

 Ensete) should be sown at once, so that the plants may be 

 strong and vigorous before planting out. The Musas require 



