GLOXINIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



GLYPHOSPERMA 



seeds may be sown in January, 

 February, and March, and again in 

 June and July if necessary. Clean, 

 well-drained pots or pans may be 

 used. They should be filled to within 

 half an inch of the rim with a com- 

 post of fibrous loam, with a little leaf- 

 mould, peat, and silver sand well 

 mixed together, and made fairly firm. 

 The surface must be made quite fine, 

 and may be either flat or slightly 

 arched or raised in the centre. Water 

 with a fine-rosed can, and afterwards 

 carefully and thinly sow the brownish 

 dust-like seeds over the moistened sur- 

 face. The faintest sprinkling of sifted 

 compost maybe strewn over the seeds, 

 and the pots or pans may then be 

 placed in a temperature of about 

 65° to 70° in a moist position, where 

 they can be easily shaded from the 

 sun. Daily sprinklings will be 

 necessary to keep the soil properly 

 moist. When the seedlings appear 

 more light may be given, but not 

 strong sunshine, to make them sturdy. 

 WTien the young leaves are about 

 half an inch or so long, the little 

 plants should be carefully lifted with 

 a pointed stick and transferred either 

 singly to 3-in. pots, or several in a 

 large pot or pan in which the surface 

 of the soil has been made convex. 

 In due course the young plants will 

 become large enough by May, June, 

 or July, according to the period of 

 sowing, for moving into 4-in. or 5-in. 

 pots according to size. The compost 

 and general treatment onward is 

 then the same as described above for 

 old-established plants. One point to 

 observe when potting on is to keep 

 the leaves on the surface of the soil, 

 taking care at the same time not to 

 cover up the crowns of the plants. 



Gloxinias from leaf-cuttings are 

 easily secured. Any leaves taken off 

 during the summer may have the 

 stalk inserted up to the base of the 



blade in a gritty compost of loam and 

 leaf-soil, and covered with half an 

 inch of silver sand. If placed in 

 bottom heat about 70° to 75° E., 

 roots soon develop from the base of 

 the leaf -stalk and fairly large tubers 

 will form by the autumn. 



Leaves may also be placed flat on 

 the surface of the soil or in a bed of 

 coco-nut fibre or leaf-mould, and if 

 the midrib is cut through in several 

 places underneath, roots and tubers 

 will form in due course. It is neces- 

 sary, however, to keep the leaf-blade 

 in close contact with the soil, and 

 this may be done by placing a 

 pebble or piece of broken pot over 

 the midrib at the cut places. 



Insect Pests. — Greenfly (aphides) 

 and thrips are sometimes troublesome, 

 the latter chiefly if the air is too dry. 

 Both pests are kept in check by 

 vaporising or fumigating, and by 

 syringing or washing the leaves with 

 nicotine and soft-soap washes. 



Amongst Gloxinias proper, mention 

 may be made of the following : — 



G. glabra {G.fimbriata). — A species 

 about 9 ins. high, having white 

 flowers with a yellow throat spotted 

 with purple {Bot. Mag. t. 4430). 



Gr. maculata. — About 1 ft. high, 

 with purple -blue downy blossoms 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 1191). 



G. palUdiflora. — Flowers pale blue 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 4213). 



GLYPHOSPERMA {glyphe, carving ; 

 sperma, a seed ; in allusion to the 

 markings on the seeds). Nat. Ord. 

 Liliace*. — The only species known is 

 G. Palmeri, a remarkable hardy plant, 

 closely related to the Anthericums. 

 It is a native of N. Mexico, and has 

 clusters of fleshy and fibrous roots, 

 and slender soft, bright green grass- 

 like leaves channelled on the upper 

 surface, and from 12 to 18 ins. long. 

 The white starry flowers, each about 



259 



