HELENIUM 



DAISY OBDEB 



GAILLABDIA 527 



H. nudiflorum {H. gramdicephaliim 

 striatum). — A fine Texan perennial 3-4 

 ft. high, with lance-shaped leaves, and 

 heads of deep orange flowers about 2 in. 

 across, having the ray florets striped and 

 blotched with crimson. The variety 

 atropurpureum has deep purple-brown 

 fragrant flower-heads. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



H. pumilum. — A North American 

 perennial 1-2 ft. high, vidth oblong, nearly 

 entire leaves, and golden-yellow flowers 

 about 2 in. across in summer. 



Culture Ac. as above. 



H. tenuifolium. — A dense compact- 

 growing species 12-18 in. high, the stems 

 of which are densely furnished with 

 sessile linear leaves about 4 in. long. The 

 pale yellow flower-heads with a bluntly 

 conical greenish-yellow disc in the centre 

 appear from August to October in great 

 profusion. 



Culture dc. as above. This species, 

 although a perennial in a wild state in 

 Louisiana, is rather too tender in cold 

 parts of the kingdom to be treated as such 

 in our climate. It is best raised from seeds 

 sown in gentle heat in spring, and trans- 

 planted in May in the same way as tender 

 annuals in general (see p. 78). 



GAILLARDIA (Blanket Flower). 

 A genus of about 8 species of ornamental, 

 annual, or perennial herbs, with usually 

 simple, entire, toothed or pinnatifid leaves. 

 Mower-heads solitary, on long naked 

 stalks. Eay florets 3-5-toothed, often 

 2-coloured. Eeceptacle furnished with 

 thread-like bristles between the florets ; 

 ray florets sterile. 



During the summer and autumn 

 months GaiUardias — both annual and 

 perennial varieties — are among the gayest 

 and showiest of flowers, and when grown 

 in masses are literally a sheet of brilliant 

 colour. The flowers last a long time, 

 either on the plants, or in a cut state, and 

 are becoming every year more used for 

 vases &c., and room decoration. 



Culture and Propagation. —GaiUar- 

 dias thrive in rich loamy soil, well dug 

 and manured before planting, but they 

 also grow remarkably weU in any ordinary 

 soil without special attention. Slugs are 

 sometimes to be found at the young 

 growths in spring, and require to be looked 

 after at that period with a little soot. 



The annual GaiUardias are easily 

 raised from seed sown in gentle heat in 



spring, and planted out in June, or the 

 end of May. Seeds may also be sown 

 in cold frames in autumn and the seed- 

 lings pricked out and grown under glass 

 until the foUowing spring. The peren- 

 nials may also be increased by seeds, 

 but they are usually divided at the root ; 

 they are also increased by cuttings of the 

 young shoots in spring or autumn placed 

 in sandy soil and sheltered in a cold 

 frame. 



In very cold wet winters the perennial 

 kinds are likely to be kiUed, but a slight 

 covering of ashes or a small heap of dry 

 leaves wiU protect the crowns and drain 

 off the water. 



G. amblyodon. — An annual 2-3 ft. 

 high, native of Texas. Lower leaves 

 somewhat spoon-shaped, upper ones half 

 stem-clasping, oblong, acutish, coarsely 

 toothed towards the apex. Flowers in 

 autumn, 2-3 in. across, with 12-14 deep 

 blood-red obtusely 3-lobed ray florets. 



Culture Ac. as above. Eaised from 

 seeds sown in autumn or spring as men- 

 tioned. 



G. aristata. — A perennial species about 

 Ij ft. high, with lance-shaped entire or 

 remotely toothed leaves. Flowers in 

 autumn, 1-3 in. across, yeUow, the disc 

 florets having protruding reddish styles. 

 There are many beautiful seedling forms 

 of this species, many of them, no doubt, 

 the resiilt of frequent intercrossing. 

 Grandiflora and maxima are the finest 

 named forms, and numerous fine varia- 

 tions of these have of late years been 

 developed by Messrs. Kelway of Langport. 

 The typical plant is a native of the United 

 States, and is also known as G. lanceolata 

 and G. perennis. 



Culture lie. as above 



G. lorenziana. — This is a German 

 variety, with many beautiful forms raised 

 from Q. picta. Both ray and disc florets 

 are more or less tubular, and form hand- 

 some flower-heads, valuable for cutting. 

 The form nana is charming, being very 

 dwarf and bushy in habit — not more than 

 6-8 in. high. 



Cultu/re So. as above. 



G. picta. — This is doubtless only a 

 garden form of G. pulchella, with beautiful 

 fawn-yeUow flowers, and a zone of red 

 or crimson at the base of the ray florets. 

 Several distinctive names were once 

 given to certain forms, but they have 



