April 30, 1890.] 



Garden and Forest. 



215 



seminal varieties of B. stricta. The only way known to me 

 of obtaining the greater part of the true species of this and 

 other genera of Cape bulbs is to order them from the sales 

 division of the Cape of Good Hope botanic garden, which by 

 the niggardly policy of the government is compelled by this 

 means to make up for a miserable half-appropriation. 



B. sambucina is one of the best species, horticulturally 

 speaking; its flowers are large and showy, purple with a dark 

 line traversing each division of the flower. It is strongly per- 

 fumed with the fragrance of the Elder, and like many other 

 species, produces auxiliary bulblets. B. spathacea, B. titbata 

 and B. tubiflora are very curious and interesting when in 

 flower, but the blossoms are inconspicuous and produced on 

 very short stalks, so that the plants frequently bloom unob- 

 served by those who pass them daily. The flowers of these 

 three species have tubes four inches long - and their colors are 

 straw or cream or faint purple. B. disticha also has light 

 colored flowers, produced on spikes six or eight inches long, 

 and the plant is well worth growing. B. plicata with large 

 purple and yellow flowers is one of the finest kinds. 



Mr. Baker considers the plants known as B. villosa, B. rubro- 

 cyanea, B. obtusifolia, B. purpurea, B. sulphurea and B. plicata 

 mere varieties of B. stricta, and I know from experience that 

 some of these may be raised from the seed of that species. 



bell-glass, say, or in a propagating frame. Plants from seed 

 require somewhat similar treatment, but need a little watch- 

 ing when quite small, because much moisture on the foliage 

 causes them to damp off. Bertolonia marmorata is an old favor- 

 ite, and, though not quite so showy as some of the more recent 

 introductions, yet is well worthy of cultivation. It has ovate, 

 slightly hairy leaves of a light green color, and variegated with 

 irregular markings of white, the underside of the leaves being 

 purplish. This plant has also been known as Ericenema mar- 

 morata, and is a native of Brazil. 



Bertolonia margaritacea is another excellent sort, and, though 

 very pretty as an individual plant, is more effective when sev- 

 eral are massed in a pan, which is decidedly the best way of 

 growing for exhibition. B. margaritacea produces leaves 

 from four to six inches in length, olive green in ground color 

 and ornamented with lines of pure white spots. 



B. superbissima, while resembling the last named in some 

 particulars, is even more beautiful, the spots on the leaves 

 being bright pink and the under surface being uniformly col- 

 ored with a similar tint. 



But the gem of the genus is a hybrid of garden origin, 

 B. Van Houtteana, which has the largest foliage and the 

 brightest variegation as well. This consists of streaks and 

 dots of purplish pink or magenta, which contrasts effectively 



Bridge at Topsfield, Massachusetts. — See page 211. 



Some of these forms are very beautiful. B. plicata is white or 

 nearly so; others have the divisions of the flower alternately 

 white and purple or yellow and purple; another is very dark 

 purple with black blotches. B. rubro-cyanea is a very striking 

 flower whose colors are blue and crimson, much like those of 

 Geissorrhiza Rochensis. The genus is said to be named from 

 fhe Dutch word for baboon, because the animal feeds upon the 

 bulbs of these and other plants. Tr _ 



Canton, Mass. W. E. EndlCOtt. 



Bertolonias. 



THE Bertolonias form a group of beautiful small-growing 

 -*• stove-plants, their simple ovate or obovate leaves being 

 remarkably attractive on account of varied colors and mark- 

 ings. The flowers are not .of any special value, the chief 

 beauty of the plant being found in its foliage, and unless seed 

 is desired it is best to pinch out the flowers as they appear, as 

 their perfection is usually attained at the expense of the fol- 

 iage, which suffers both in size and vigor if the flowers are 

 allowed to develop. The Bertolonias luxuriate in a warm, 

 moist house and should be well shaded, as the foliage is too 

 tender to endure full sunlight. They are readily propagated 

 from seeds, or from cuttings, which root freely if placed in a 

 good bottom heat and kept rather close for a time under a 



with a ground color of olive, and forms a combination seldom 

 equaled among variegated plants. These four varieties would 

 make a good beginning for any one who wishes to try this 

 class of plants, though several others may be added to the list 

 if desired — for instance, B. guttata, B. Mirandcei, B. Marchandii 

 and B. vittata, all of which are good. 



Bertolonias prefer a light, open soil of equal portions of peat 

 or leaf-mould and loam, with enough sharp sand to make the 

 compost open and easily drained. The pots or pans should 

 be well supplied with drainage material, and the plants lib- 

 erally watered, though it is advisable to keep the water off the 

 leaves as much as possible, and especially so during the 

 winter. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. Taplltl. 



Hardy Plants for Cut Flowers. — II. 



A MOST useful spring-flowering plant is Trillium grandi- 

 florum, the best of the genus, owing to the size of its 

 flowers and their pure white color when first opened ; this, 

 however, turns to purple with age. T. ovatum and T. stylo- 

 sum are both good, and also white. Trilliums usually appear 

 to the best advantage when well established, and this is usually 

 the second or third year after planting. They thrive best in a 

 shady position, and a virtue may be made of necessity by 



