1544 



R03IXEYA 



nONDELETIA 



EOMNfiYA (after the astronomer T. Romney Roli- 

 iiisi'u, friend of T. Coulter, who discovered it alMiut 

 1845). I'tiiiai-erucpw. Tlie Califokxia Tkee Phi'I'V 

 (Fiir. 2142) is a somewhat slirubljy idaut wiih sjden- 

 did G-petaled "wliite lis. measuring (1 in. or iiiDre aiu-oss. 

 Botanically, the trenus is unique, havinij; only one spe- 

 cies and i:ieing distinguished from the rither lueniliers of 

 the popp5' family hy the fact tliat the ninnernus stiguias 

 are connate at tiie hase into a lutle ring, and are diver- 

 gent at the api-x. It is one of tie' few hmg-known plants 

 that has acciuiretl no syu'Ui\ni. (lenorie cliaracters : 

 sepals 1^, with a liro;id. nieuihranous, il(U-sal wing; I'ct- 

 als 0, all alike: stamens very numerous, fi-oc; tilamenls 

 liliform hut tliiekened above; stigmas frie: eaiisuie 

 7-U-loeuled, deliiseing to the middle, l he vah'es sejia rat- 

 ing b;' their margins front the lirm porsistent idacenfas. 



Coulteri, Rarv. CALii^riExi.v Tkep: roppy. ^Matielta 

 Piil'PV. 1j\'s. gl.MUrous, ;>-.") in, huig, pinn;itrl\- out: 

 petals broadh-obovale: seeds lilark, a line m- less 

 long. (in. l:;':lL'!l; 2i;:ir,,".; 2',l. l.]'. 2117, 211; Hi, p, Jdfi; 

 55, p. 2116; 51), p, 2:;:i; .^i7, p. 2(i:i. li.r. ]n::;.',:i. F.JI. 

 1877:252. A.F. 5::i!l7. .\.(.'. l;i :::14 ( sup. A].r. lo. bsil.s ) . 

 — Ever siure Issll and ls:in, wlun it w.as one .d' tlie lead- 

 ing noveltie-, ilir <_'alilornia Tri^e roi)py lias Item a 

 nuu'li-talkeil-or jdaut, owing to its extraordinary beantv 

 and the dillieullies cd' rultivation. It has (Ih'. largest 

 flowers of any memb.-r of tin- po]ipy f;innly, except Jios- 



sibly P.'/a/r. 



• italf 



Tl 



am-li n. 



considei'id hanly 

 I'ssfully grown in 



in the eastern states, it lias brcu 

 the open in northern Now .Tcrscy. 



Romneya u^rows wibl in ('alifornia from San Dieiio 

 to Santa Harfiara cotinty; also in I\Iexieo. In tlu- wild it 

 blooms cliif^tly during -Itme and July, but in cidtivarion 

 from May to Atigust. It is one of the characteristic 

 fe.attires of California tlorictilture, Ernest Brauntotl 

 writes from Los Angeles: "It should be grown here on 

 <lry, rocky soil ; it wdll positively not grow in a wet or 

 heavy soil. It needs no water here except the winter 

 rains. It is very hard to grow either fron:i seed or divi- 



sn^ns 



W. IM. 



2142, 



Top sprie of Romneya 



Coulteri (X 'i). 



Romneya is diffictilt to transidant, due to the scarcity 

 of fibrous roots; in loiddle California we transplant 

 suckers (which are produced in great abunihmce) with- 

 out any loss, provided a good, firm ball of earth is ke])t 

 aia.und the stout, thick roots in transit, and if the stems 

 are cut well back, ahno.st to the base. ,\t Sau Francisco 

 it grows luxuriantly in a heavy adobe soil, jiroducing 



immense tlowaus. The name JJai ilija, l'..ppy (prmmui d 



Ma-til'li-lia) is the favorite in C:ditonii;i, It .-omes from 

 the JIatilija canyon. Ventura countv, wheiv the )dant 

 grows in particuhir abundance. Jliss Farsous wriirs: 

 '•Many people have (lii> mistaken iilea rliat il -rows (udy 

 in that region. It is lujt comniiin bv any niians ; but it 

 is found in scattered localilies from 'Sania, R.arliara, 

 sonHiwanl itdo Mrxic. It is \,-r\ ;diund:nit uciir b'i\ ci'- 

 sidc. and ,iNo upon i|,o sonllin-n lioundarN' :ind below 

 in bower California, wloa-e the pin, its cover lai;;e ai.si.s. 

 It not only grows in ferlilc v:dlevs. but seeks llie seclu- 



sion of remote tutnytms, and nothing more magnificent 

 cotdd lie imagined tluiii a sleep can}'on-sitle co\-ered with 

 !lie great busby planis, rlnckly coxered wiih the enor- 

 mous white lis." The Idossoms remain optn for many 

 'liiys. J. I-JflaiT Daw. 



The Romneya can be trans|ilau1ed safely if .ait to 

 the ground before lifting and the- Iransvdauling is done 

 dttring its dormaid season and somi bid'ore growth 

 commences. The wudter has 1 ransplanteil it — and that 

 ^vithottt cutting it all back — Iwice a year; in fall iiUo a 

 cold pit, and in April back from the pit to the bed in the 

 g;u-den, and Avith perfect suc(a-ss. There is no dillieulty 

 in growing it from seed; an} careful piersiui can do it, 

 (let fresh seed, — that is the only secret, ami this is im- 

 perative in all papaveraceous plants. But tinder artifi- 

 cial conditions in localities where the Rtunneya is not 

 hardy, it retpures a few years lietweeu the gerniination 

 of the seeds and the biocuning of the seedlings; hence 

 the peo]de will not liother wiih raising it in this w;t\-, 



AVinijAM Falconl]:, 



KOMULfiA (nomiihis, fabled as one of the founders 

 of Rome]. J riijacew. A genms of aiioul ;::! species of 

 crocus like bulLis from the IMediterraneau legion of Eri- 

 rope, the Cape and tro|ii<'al Africa. Tliey aie small and 

 slender plants with lis. an imdi or so acr<iss, \-ar\ing 

 from crimson and ptirjde through rose at]d liiac to w liite 

 :tnd also yellow. They are closely allied tti Crocus, but 

 differ in being less hardy, and in having a huig iteduncle 

 ami short flower-tube. Generic characters: Ivs, linear, 

 ra<lical, with a few similar but snutller ones on the 

 scape: fls, scdit:iry in a spathe, on a sim)tle or branch- 

 ing peduncle ; iierianlb-segments obbuig, much exceed- 

 ing the short tuln-' ; spaihe \a]ves herbaceous. These 

 btilbs seem to be unkmiwn to the American trade. 



A. i^/5. )'OS>J or r i-'i hisliil . 



rdsea, Eckl, [Tricuonhna rusea, Ker,), Conn glo- 

 bose. ^-;i-b, in. thick: h's. K-1 ft. long, setaceous: pe- 

 duncle 1-ti in. long, l-::!-fld. : otiter spathe ''4 in. long: 

 perianth with a short funnel-shaped tulje witli a yellow 

 throat and a red-lilac limb, about 1 in. long, the outer 

 segments with 3 faint purple stripes outside. S. Africa. 

 B.M. 1225 (as r. ro.si-ii,,,}. F.S. 8:7i)9 (as if. Cc/.s/i'), 

 Var. specidsa. Baker ( T. Kprridsjini , Ker,), has a larger 

 perianth and outer segments, with ;j-5 d;irk purple stripes 

 of which the otiter are feathered. B,]M, 147l», 

 A. i^/.S'. yeUoiv or while. 



Clusiana, B:d<er (Trieonhnu Chixiauu , Lange). Fls. 

 bright yellow, tipped with lilac. Spain, A white var, 

 has been int, by Barr, of England. p y^' BiHi'LAV 



EOHDELfiTIA (Rondelet. 15(17-1511(1. physician ami 

 naturalist of Moutpellier, France), JtHhlarcir . About 

 00 species of tropical American shnibs and trees, with 

 small 5- or 4-lobed, salver-shaped fls, of red, yellow or 

 white, generally borne in showy terminal corynibs. The 

 whole family is noted as furnishing numerotis desirable 

 stove pl.ants, and Rondeletia is a highly esteemed genus. 

 The following species are slmdis growing 4 ft, or more 

 high. The flowers are generally fragrant, and the clus- 

 ters 4 in, or nnjre across. In the favorile species {B. 

 odonita) the flowers nunib.o- 10-30 in a cluster, each 

 Hower being fully an inch across; in the otiier species 

 the flowers nuty number ]5(l-'_'llll to a cluster, each flower 

 lieing less than ^4 in, across. Known also as lioijii'ni. 



Cicnerir- cliaracters: calyx-lobes sliort or long,' e.pial: 

 corolhi-lulie usually slendi-r, swelh-d or not, throat gla- 

 brous or bearded, nioiifh wKli or without a ring; limb 

 5-lobed (in some s|Hcies 4-lobed ) ; stamens inserted m 

 the throat, included: o\ ary 2 locubd : capsule loeulicidal. 



/.', ,1110111, iht is the only species described below that 

 ib.es not hiive ,ip|iosile Ivs. I:. i:or,hil,i is often said to 

 liave a -l-lobed (lower, a mistake thai dates back liidf a 

 century to a typograpliical ela'or. -^y j[ 



J7n„,l,'h'i;,i. niinninhi is a half-slirnbbv iibiut, stool- 

 ing out when given ro.it - room, but wlimi conlined to 

 a pot it iinakes a compact mass of sliools, about two 

 feet high, wliich bloom in the winter time, in termi- 

 nal, (lat-lopiied clusters of rosy [lurple flowers. It is not 

 |iiofuse,af .■my time, bill continues in bloom for two or 

 (In-ee immtlis. A n :idd it imial good feature is handsome 

 foliage, so fliat if is always iu'esent:ible. Cuttings root 



