494 



FLOWERS OF GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE 



F. ELASTIC A (elastic). India-rubber Plant. Leaves 6 to 18 inches 

 long, long-oval, leathery, of a beautiful dark lustrous green, paler beneath. 

 Plate 234. There are several variegated varieties, of which the best is 

 foliis aureo-marginatis, which has a golden-yellow margin to the leaves, 

 an inch broad. Warm greenhouse. 



F. MACROPHYLLA (large-leaved). Australian Banian, or Moreton 

 Bay Fig. Leaves like those of F. ehistica, but thinner and less glossy, 

 veins slightly raised. Greenhouse. 



F. Parcelli (Parcell's). Leaves oblong, saw-toothed ; bright green 

 blotched with darker green, and white. Stove. 



F. RELIGIOSA (religious). Peepul. Leaves somewhat heart-shaped, 

 with a long-drawn-out terminal point. Stove. 



F. STIPULATA (having stipules). Leaves small, roundish, dark green. 

 Stem climbs walls, attaching itself after the manner of Ivy. Greenhouse. 

 Also known as F. repens. F. minima, usually described as a distinct 

 species, is merely a form of this. 



These plants are very easy to si"Ow under the propei- 

 Cultivation. _ . ^. , , -^ . . ■, , , 



conditions ot temperature. A suitable compost can be 

 made by taking three parts of sandy loam and one of leaf-mould and 

 well incorporating them. The pots should have a good layer of drainage 

 material. The greenhouse species may all be used during the summer 

 for outdoor gardening. For this purpose F. elastica is certainly the 

 best, and the pots should be sunk in the earth. It is also frequently 

 grown in town apartments amid dust and gas, but provided it is well- 

 supplied with water and the leaves frequently syringed or sponged, it 

 flourishes there and makes an admirable ornament for the window or 

 table. It must, however, have good light, and be kept in a warm room in 

 winter or the leaves will fall. Whilst these are small it is well to keep 

 the one straight, unbranched stem ; but as they get larger a more bushy 

 habit may be secured by nipping out the terminal shoot, and this 

 process may be repeated with the branches when they have attained 

 sufficient length. In the Tropics it forms a large Oak-like tree. It is the 

 source of Bengal India-rubber. All the species will thrive in com- 

 paratively small pots provided they have abundant watering ; there is 

 little danger of giving them an injurious quantity. Propagation is 

 effected by means of cuttings. These should be taken off of good 

 length, as these root more readily than short pieces. In the case 

 of F. elastica and other woody species the cuttings should be formed 

 of lateral shoots when about 6 inches long. The climbing species 

 should be used for covering inside walls, where they present an ever- 

 fresh appearance. 



