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PBAGTIGAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS mbetensia 



MERTENSIA. — A genus containing 

 about 15 species of smooth or hairy 

 perennial herbs with alternate, often 

 pelluoidly dotted leaves. Flowers blue 

 or purplish, pedicellate, without bracts ; 

 racemes terminal, or cymes loosely 

 branched, few-flowered, one-sided, some- 

 times paniculate. Calyx with 5 ovate- 

 lance-shaped or linear lobes. Corolla 

 tubular funnel-shaped, enlarged or some- 

 what bell-shaped at the throat, and having 

 5 short, blunt, spreading lobes. Stamens 

 5, enclosed or scarcely protruding. Nut- 

 lets 4, or fewer by abortion. 



Culture and Propagation. — Mer- 

 tensias are closely related to the Pulmo- 

 narias and have been a good deal mixed 

 up with them in naming. They are, how- 

 ever, choicer plants for the garden, and 

 are easily grown in ordinary soil. They 

 may be used in the flower border, edges 

 of shrubberies, or the dwEirfer kinds in 

 the rook-garden. They may be increased 

 by division in early autumn, or by seeds 

 sown in cold frames as soon as ripe, the 

 seedlings being kept under glass pro- 

 tection until about the following May, 

 when they will be sturdy enough for 

 planting out. 



M. alpina. — A charming little alpine, 

 6-10 in. high, native of the Eocky Moun- 

 tains, with bluish-green oblong or some- 

 what spoon-shaped leaves. Flowers in 

 spring and summer, pale blue, 1-3 on a 

 stem, in drooping terminal clusters. 



Culture dc. as above. A pretty rock 

 plant. 



M. dahurica {Pulmonaria dahurica). 

 A graceful slender, erect growing, hairy 

 perennial,' with furrowed and angled 

 stems, 6-12 in. high, native of Dahuria. 

 Leaves ovate, roughish, slightly glaucous 

 and covered with short hairs. Flowers 

 in May and June, bright sky-blue, tubu- 

 lar, in panicled clusters, drooping at first, 

 afterwards erect and elongated. 



CuUwe dec. as above. This is best 

 grown in sheltered nooks in the rockery 

 where it will not be blown about by 

 strong winds. It thrives in sandy peat 

 and loam, and may be increased by 

 division. 



M. lanceolata. — A beautiful Eocky 

 Mountain perennial, 6-12 in. high, with 

 slender erect simple stems. Leaves 

 stalkless, chiefly cauline, linear-oblong 

 or spoon-shaped, the radical ones often 

 broader, smoothish above, with fringed 



margins. Flowers in May, drooping, 

 pale or dark blue, beU-shaped, shortly 

 5-lobed, with a oylindric tube. 



Cultv/re dc. as above. 



M. maritima (Pulmonaria maritima). 

 Oyster Plamt. — A British seaside peren- 

 nial with decumbent leafy much-branched 

 stems, 1-2 ft. long, and ovate or oblong 

 aoutish leaves 1-3 in. long, the lower ones 

 stalked, the upper sessile. Flowers in 

 May and June, ^ in. across, at first pink, 

 then blue, borne in erect terminal corym- 

 bose racemes. 



Culture dc. as above. Flourishes 

 in light deep sandy soil in open sunny 

 parts of the rock garden, where its fleshy 

 flower stems may ramble about. In- 

 creased by seeds sown as soon as ripe. 

 As slugs are very fond of it, a sharp look 

 out must be kept for them. 



M. oblong^ifolia. — A pretty N. Ameri- 

 can species 6-9 in. high, with deep green 

 oblong fleshy leaves and clustered heads 

 of brilliant blue flowers in summer. 



Culture dc. as above. 



M. paniculata (Pulmonaria panicu- 

 laia). — A roughish and more or less hairy 

 N. American perennial 1-2 ft. high, with 

 rather ovate lance-shaped tapering ribbed 

 leaves, thin in texture. Flowers in July, 

 purple-blue, funnel-shaped, 3-4 timea 

 longer than the lance-shaped linear 

 divisions of the calyx. 



Culture dc. as above. Increased by 

 division. 



M. sibirica (Pulmonaria sihirica). — 

 A pretty species 6-18 in. high, native of 

 E. Asia and N. America. Leaves smooth, 

 rather fleshy, lower ones heart-shaped, 

 roundish or broadly elliptic, upper ones 

 ovate acute. Flowers from May to July, 

 purple-blue, in elongated, forked racemes, 

 with a flower in the forks. The variety 

 alha is recognised by its white flowers. 



Culture dc. as above. Increased by 

 division. 



M. virginica (M. pulmonarioides). 

 Pulmonaria virginica). — Virginian Cow- 

 slip. — A graceful perennial 1-2 ft. high, 

 native of Virginia, and perhaps the best 

 of all. Leaves lance-shaped ovate, lower 

 ones 4-6 in. long, shortly stalked, upper 

 ones gradually dimmishing in size, and 

 without stalks. Flowers from April to- 

 June, beautiful purple-blue, tubular, or 

 Clip-like, about 1 in. long, in gracefully 

 drooping or nodding clusters in the axil^ 

 of the upper leaves and at the ends nf 



