STREPTOCAKPUS 



rib of whicli nrise successive several-flowered scapes. 

 The iutroduction of this curious plant seems to liave re- 

 vived tlie interest in Streptocarpuses, an interest that 

 has been l<ept alive by the frequent introduction of other 

 species. The chief stimulus to the systematic breeding 



STEEPTOCARPUS 



1745 



2433. Streptocarpus Wendlandii ( X ; 



of these plants seems to liave been the introduction of 

 S. Biiiiiiii, said liy .1. D. Hooker to he "quite the mon- 

 arch of its beautiful genus" (but now excelled by *S. 

 Wendlandii}. Seeds of this species were sent to Kew 

 in 1884 by E. G. Dunn, of Cape Town. It is one of the 

 monophyllous section to which S. poli/ctnthu belongs. 

 In the meantime, <S'. parviflora, a species allied to S. 

 Eexii, had been introduced from the Cape region. With 

 the three species, 5'. Eexii, 8. 'parviflora and ti. Dunnii, 

 W. Watson, of the Royal Gardens, Kew, set to worli 

 systematically to breed a new race of Streptocarpus, 

 and his efforts met with unqualified success. Wljen the 

 hybrids came to notice in 1887, the Gardener's Chroni- 

 cle made the following comment on the value of the 

 work: "The results are very striking, and we can hardly 

 doubt that Mr. Watson has set the foundation of a new 

 race of plants, parallel in imxjortance to the Achimenes 

 and Tyd^as." Several hybrid races have now been pro- 

 duced and several interesting species have been intro- 

 duced from the wild, so that Streptocarpus seems to be 

 destined to become a very important and popular garden 

 genus. 



Bentham and Hooker's treatment divides the Gesnera- 

 cete into two great tribes; Gesnerete, with ovary more 

 or less interior and fruit a capsule; Cyrtandrese, with 

 ovary superior and fruit sometimes a berry. The latter 

 tribe, the species of which have been monographed by 

 C. B. Clarke in vol. 5 of DeCandolle's "Monographias 

 Phanerogamarum," contains the genera Streptocar- 

 pus, Episcea, Cyrtandra, j'Eschynanthus, Ramonda, and 

 others. The Streptocarpuses are stemless or nearly 

 stemless herbs, bearing 1 or more tubular nodding lls. 

 on short scapes that arise either from the crown of tlie 

 plant or from the midrib of a flat prostrate leaf: co- 

 rolla-tube cylindric, the limb 5-lobed and somewhat 2- 

 lipped; perfect stamens 2, included; pistils with ovary 

 linear, usually hairy, with style as long as or shorter 

 than the ovary, and stigma capitate or indistinr-tl\' 2- 

 lobed : fr. a linear 2-valved capsule, the valves twisting. 

 The flowers are usually show^y, blue or lilac, rarely 3'el- 

 low. The species are of three groups: the stemless 

 monophyllous species, with one prostrate leaf from the 

 midrib of which the scapes arise (this leaf is really an 

 enlarged cotyledon, the other cotyledon not enlarging) ; 

 the stemless species, with several or many radical more 

 or less primula-like leaves (whence the English name 

 "Cape Primrose"); the stem-bearing species, with op- 

 posite cauline leaves. The cultivated species chiefly 

 represent the first two sections. In the American trade, 

 only four specific names occur, .S'. Eexii, S. Galpini, 8. 



Dininit, and .V. Wendlandii: but since the hybrids repre- 

 sent several other species, these additional species are 

 inserted in the J'l. Hewing ace. unit. Streptocarpus is an 

 African genus. The steni-ljearing se.-tioii is eenliiicd i., 

 central Africa and Madagascar, and the olhers to South 

 Africa. Clarke's JM.un.giapli. iss:;, ,|eseribes ]y species 

 but ,S'. DiiHiiii. S. \V,„dlaiHli,, ,s'. (;,ilj,i„i n-nCi others 

 have since been (lisco^■el■ed. There are 2.'J-30 known 

 species. 



Streptocarpuses are iiot dill 

 are usually raised from seeds, 

 8 to 15 months from starting. 

 and care must be taken not 



Give an open sunny place in an intermediate tempera 

 thre. They are not stove or warmhouse plants. Of the 

 new hybrid forms, seeds sown in Feliruarv or March 

 should produce plants that will bloom the following fall 

 and winter; after blooming, the plants may be discarded, 

 for better results are usually secured from new plants 

 than from those more tlum one season old. The sea- 

 son of most profuse l)loom is summer, but the bloom 

 continues until winter. The munophvllous species I'an 

 be propagated also by cuttings of the leaf. Some fan- 

 ciers of Gape Primn.si-s advise ])ropagating seh-ct 

 types by leaf cuttings ur l.y division. 



cult |.iants to grow. They 

 tlie seedlings blooming in 

 The seeds are very small, 

 to cover them too deep. 



Sfrepfoearpit^ ^peei 

 fran 



s. or fhoRe foroi^ introduced 

 the irild. 



B. Leaf one, prostrate on f]ir ijroiind, uxaaljy vi ry 

 lanje. 



C. Fla. red. 



Dilnnii, Hook. f. Soft-hairy: leaf becoming 3 ft, or 

 even more in length and IK in. wide, thick-nerved, red- 

 dish tomentose beneath, rounded at base, obtuse at 

 apex, coarsely toothed : scapes several to many, in a 

 row beginning at the base of the leaf, erect. 1-3 ft. tall, 

 many-fid.: corolla long-tubular, curved. H., in. long, the 

 limb narrow, bright rose-red. Transvaal. l-t.i\l. t;!t03. 

 G.F. 3:609.— A very floriferous species, one jilant some- 

 times bearing more than 100 flowers. 



OC. i'V.v. h!ue, nianre err lilar. 



Saiindersii, Hook. Hairy: leaf 1 ft. by 9 in., cordate, 

 olituse, coarsely serrate, yellowish green above and pur- 

 ple-rose beneath: scapies 10-16 in. tall, bearing a com- 



2434. streptocarpus Rexii (X /'a). 



pound cyme of large drooping blossoms: corolla 1-1/^ 

 in. long, funnelform, the limb broad l)ut not equaling 

 the nearly straight tube, light blue, with 2 purple spots 

 in the throat. Natal. B.M. 52.51. F.S. 17:1802. -Named 

 for W. Wilson Saunders, through whom it was intro- 

 duced. 



