SIDALCBA 



MALLOW OBDEB 



PLAGIANTHUS 277 



the summer months. Although a true 

 perennial it is best raised from seeds 

 sown every year as soon as ripe in 

 cold frames, or in spring in the same 

 way, or in gentle heat. The seedlings 

 must be pricked out so as to have space 

 enough to develop into bushy plants. 

 Those from summer or autumn seeds 

 flower earlier and are finer plaoats than 

 those raised from seeds in the spring. The 

 latter bloom later in the season. Where 

 the plants are not killed by winter frosts 

 they may also be increased by division in 

 early autumn or in spring, but seedling 

 plants are usually more satisfactory. 



, S. malvsflora {Callirhoe s;picata). — A 

 slender, twiggy-stemmed species about 2-3 

 ft. high, native of Texas. Lower leaves 

 roundish, 5-9-lobed and cut, the others 

 variously lobed, cut, and toothed, the upper 

 ones being almost entire. Flowers in 

 summer, lilac or pale rose, less than 2 in. 

 across, numerous. The variety Listeri 

 has beautifully fringed pale pink flowers, 

 borne on tall graceftil spikes. 

 Culture (tc. as above. 



MALVASTRUM. — A genus con- 

 taining 60-80 species of erect dwarf or 

 trailing herbs or undershrubs resembling 

 the Malvas and Sidas. Leaves various, 

 entire, heart-shaped, or deeply lobed. 

 Flowers scarlet, orange, or yellow, borne 

 in the leaf axils or at the ends of the 

 shoots. Bracteoles 1-3, small or none. 

 Calyx 5-cleft. Stamen-tube divided into 

 ntunerous filaments at the apex. 



Culture and Propagation. — These 

 plants flourish in warm sunny positions 

 in_ ordinary good garden soil and are 

 suitable for the herbaceous border or rock 

 garden in the milder parts of the kingdom. 

 Although more tender, on the whole they 

 may be treated much in the same way as 

 the Malvas, Sidalceas, and CalUrhoes, 

 andare increased by seeds sown as soon 

 as ripe in cold frames or by cuttings of 

 the side and basal shoots in autumn. 



M. campanulatuni {Malva campanu- 

 lata). — A downy Chilian species 1-1^ ft. 

 high, with large deeply lobed and divided 

 leaves. Flowers late in summer, bright 

 rose-purple, borne in long loose spikes at 

 the ends of the shoots. 



Culture dc. as above. This can only 

 be considered hardy in the milder parts 

 of the kingdom. 



_M. coccineum. — A native of the 

 United States, about 6 in. high, with more 



or less deeply lobed blue-green leaves 

 and trusses of scarlet flowers from July 

 to September. The variety grossularice- 

 foliuin grows li— 2 ft. high, and has 

 strong hairy stems and leaves, and red 

 flowers. 



Culture (tc. as above. 



M. Gilliesi {MoMola geranioicles).^ 

 A pretty plant about 6 in. high, native of 

 temperate S. America. It has trailing 

 stems and palmately lobed leaves, and 

 during the summer months produces 

 bright red flowers. 



Culture dc. as above. This is best 

 grown in rich sandy and well-drained 

 loam in warm sunny parts of the rock 

 garden. In low damp places it is often 

 kUled in winter. 



M. lateritium (Malva lateritia). — A 

 hairy perennial, native of Montevideo. 

 Although the stems are only about 6-12 

 in. high, they trail as much on the ground 

 before rising. The beautiful salmon-pink 

 flowers, each about li in. across, with a 

 purple blotch at the base of the petals, 

 are borne in great profusion from June to 

 September, singly on long stalks in the 

 leaf axils. 



Culture dc. as above. This species 

 only ripens seed in hot favourable seasons. 

 It may be, however, easily increased by 

 severing the traihng stems which root at 

 the joints, or by cuttings of the non- 

 flowering shoots inserted in cold frames 

 in autumn. These wUl produce sturdy 

 plants by spring. Perfectly hardy only 

 in the milder parts of the kingdom. 



PLAGIANTHUS. — A genus con- 

 taining about a dozen species of shrubs or 

 rarely herbs with entire, sinuate, angulate, 

 or rarely lobed leaves. Flowers often 

 small, whitish, clustered in the leaf axils 

 or in spikes at the ends of the shoots, 

 rarely solitary, or arranged in short 

 axillary panicles. Bracteoles none, or 

 distant firom the 5 -toothed or lobed calyx. 

 Stamen column divided at the apex into 

 niunerous filaments. Ovary usually 2-5- 

 ceUed. 



P. Lyalli. — Abeautiful flowering shrub, 

 native of New Zealand, where it attains 

 a height of 20-30 ft. in the mountainous 

 districts, and is said to be deciduous 

 above an altitude of 3,000 ft., but ever- 

 green below that level. The shortly 

 stalked leaves are 2-4 in. long, ovate 

 heart-shaped in outline, tapermg at the 

 apex, and deeply and doubly crenate on 



