364 



PLANT CULTURE 



Aristolochia Sturtevantii 



ARISTOLOCHIA 



(Birthwort). The Aristo- 

 lochias are interesting be- 

 cause of their strange 

 shaped flowers. A. macro- 

 phylla (sipho) is a native 

 species, The Dutchman's 

 Pipe, but it is far behind the 

 tropical ones in the beauty 

 of its flowers. Sometimes 

 we need a vine for covering 

 unsightly structures under 

 the shade of trees; this is 

 the best to be had, as it 

 luxuriates under those con- 

 ditions. It is most easily 

 raised from seeds. A . grandi- 

 flora var. Sturtevantii and 

 A . elegans are easy to grow, 

 and are almost certain to 

 produce an abundant crop 

 of their exceedingly curious 

 flowers. Both of these kinds 

 may be planted out in Sum- 

 mer to cover trellis work. 

 An intermediate house will 

 suit them in Winter. A. 

 elegans ripens seeds in the 

 open at Washington. Far- 

 ther north the seasons are 

 too short, unless large 

 plants are taken to start 

 with. 



Propagation. A. g. Sinrtevaniii has soft growth, more so than 

 any other species, and roots very readily from cuttings. A. elegans 

 gets hard soon after developing, and is a trifle ditlicult to root; but 

 seeds are produceds abundantly, and the seedlings are every bit as 

 floriferous as plants raised from cuttings. 



ASPARAGUS. (See page 63.) 



BIGNONIA (Pyrostegia). B. venusta is one of the most reliable 

 ol our warm greenhouse climbers. The flowers are reddish orange 



