CAliLICABPA. 88 



great beauty when in flower. The soil best adapted for 

 them is a mixture of loam and peat, with the addition of a 

 little sand. 



B. capensis. — The present species attains the height of 

 four or five feet, and is called by the natives Buffel-hom, on 

 account of the hardness of its wood. The leaves are oppo- 

 site, oblong-ovate, somewhat hairy, and dark green in colour. 

 The flowers are disposed in heads, tubular in shape, and of a 

 deep scarlet colour. It is a very desirable plant, flowering 

 in March and April, continuing in full beauty for a long time. 

 Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 



Callioaepa. 



C. purpurea. — This plant belongs to the Verlenacem, and 

 is the only member of the genus we purpose alluding to in 

 these pages ; this, however, should be grown in every col- 

 lection where plants are required for winter decoration. 

 Through bad management and neglect many plant growers 

 have been led to discard it as worthless, but this is certainly 

 a mistake. It is of shrubby habit, with opposite ovate- 

 acuminate leaves, serrated at the edges, and both sides of 

 the leaves, as well as the stem, are profusely clothed with 

 hairs. The flowers are borne in cymose clusters, upon foot- 

 stalks which issue from the axils of the leaves, and are 

 themselves very insignificant, but they are followed by 

 bunches of from fifty to a hundred bright glossy deep violet 

 coloured berries, which literally bear the plant down with 

 their weight, and remain in full beauty from November to 

 May. The soil best adapted for its growth is a mixture of 

 loam and peat in equal parts, with a little sand added. 

 If care is taken to train the plants into a compact shape, 

 they form some of the most attractive objects which can be 



