126 STOVE PLANTS. 



GOMPHIA. 



This genus contains a great many species, though few have 

 up to the present time found their way into our gardens. 

 They are widely distributed, being found in Ceylon, Sumatra, 

 the West Indies, in South America, and Madagascar. They 

 are all handsome-growing shrubs, some attaining to even the 

 height of twenty feet, and all have yellow flowers. Oomphias 

 require to be potted in a compost of two parts fibrous loam, 

 and one part peat, with a little silver sand, and may receive 

 the treatment of ordinary hard-wooded stove plants. They 

 may be increased by cuttings, which should be inserted in 

 sand, and the pots plunged in strong bottom heat. 



O. decora. — A very handsome shrubby plant, which attains 

 the height of ten or fifteen feet in its native country. It 

 has bright shining dark green, alternate, broadly lanceolate 

 leaves, about five inches long, finely serrulate at the margins, 

 and leathery in texture. The flowers are produced on large 

 terminal branching panicles, very dense, and are of a rich 

 bright yellow. As an ornament to our stoves in early spring, 

 it is a most desirable plant, and there is little doubt, if due 

 care and attention were paid it, but it would become a 

 valuable exhibition plant in May. It is found in some collec- 

 tions under the name of Oomphia olivaiformi-s. Native of 

 Brazil. 



O. Theophrasta. — A fine plant, eminently adapted for the 

 decoration of a plant stove. It is a native of South America, 

 where it probably becomes a small tree. The leaves are 

 oblong-lanceolate, from ten to twelve inches long, three or 

 four broad in the widest part, and of a bright shining green. 

 It produces much-branched panicles nearly a foot long, on 

 which are borne the clusters of golden yellow flowers, 

 rendering it a most conspicuous object. There can be little 



