638. FLOWERS OF GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE 
two to four in a spikelet. They are natives of Tropical and Sub-tropical 
Regions, chiefly African. Few of them are in cultivation, though 
P. cenchroides was introduced from the Cape of Good Hope one hundred 
and twenty years ago; P. setoswm,from Brazil, in 1817; P. compresswimn, 
from Australia, in 1820; P. latifolium, from Monte Video, in 1869. 
P. longistylum is a neisee of Abyssinia. 
PENNISETUM LATIFOLIUM (henna leaved). Stems stout, 
eane-like, purplish, 9 or 10 feet high. Leaves broad- 
lance-shaped, spreading, with a whitish line along the centre. Flowers 
in bushy nodding spikes. Perennial. 
P. LONGISTYLUM (long-styled). Stems 2 feet high. Leaves long and 
slender. Flowers in oval, plumy spikes; August. Perennial. Plate 300s. 
P. sETosuM (bristly). Stems erect, 3 to 4 feet high. Leaves slender, 
smooth or hairy. Flowers in dense plumy spikes, purple, 6 inches 
long. Perennial. 
Principal Species. 
Most of the species grown in this country are treated 
as annuals, the seed being sown in spring. The chief 
reason for this consists in the destruction of the plants by our winters, 
but in some favoured districts they survive outdoors if given a little 
protection. It is also quite possible to grow them outside during the 
summer, and take up the roots on the approach of winter, storing them 
in a safe place. They are not particular as to soil, but planting them in 
rich, well-dug borders, brings out the best thatisin them. P.longistylum 
is generally treated as though it were a half-hardy annual. 
Cultivation. 
PAMPAS GRASS 
Natural Order GRAMINEZ. Genus Gynerium 
GYNERIUM (Greek, gyne, a female, and erion, wool: in allusion to the 
woolly stigmas). A genus of three or four species of perennial Grasses 
distinguished by their showy flower-panicles, the spikelets of which are 
two-flowered, and the sexes on distinct plants. They are natives of 
Tropical and Sub-tropical America. 
Gynerium argenteum, the only well-known species, 
and the one that is cultivated in this country, is one of 
America’s contributions to modern gardening. Its introduction was 
due to Mr. Tweedie, who in the year 1843 sent seeds from Buenos Ayres 
to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, where they were raised, and 
some of the plants distributed to similar establishments elsewhere. It is 
History. 
