690 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS physalis 



S. robustum, — A vigorous and highly 

 ornamental species, native of Brazil, 2-4 

 ft. high, the branching woolly stems and 

 principal nerves of the leaves being fur- 

 nished with strong sharp prickles. Leaves 

 decurrent. 5-8 in. or more long, sharply 

 oval elliptic with 8-9 blunt lobes, or 

 triangular near the apex, green and 

 covered with a velvety down above, rusty 

 yellow and woolly beneath. Flowers 

 white, over 1 in. across, borne in clustered 

 racemes. Fruits roundish, brownish-red. 



Culture dc. as above. In warm sunny 

 places sheltered from violent winds, this 

 species is very ornamental either as 

 isolated specimens or in groups on lawns. 



S. sisymbrifolium (S. Balbisi ; S. 

 deciirrens). — A beautiful Brazilian 

 species about 4 ft. high, with decurrent 

 leaves deeply and pinnately cut into 

 oblong sinuate lobes, again more or less 

 deeply divided, the entire plant armed 

 with prickles. Flowers 1 in. or more 

 across, pale blue or white, in terminal 

 and somewhat curved racemes. Fruit 

 ovoid, about the size of a large Bigarreau 

 Cherry, reddish-orange in colour, and 

 somewhat acidly sweet when ripe. There 

 are one or two forms with much-divided 

 leaves. 



Culture So. as above. 



S. Torreyi. — A free-flowering North 

 American perennial more or less covered 

 with prickles. The leaves are 2-3 in. long, 

 ovate in outline, with a cordate or hastate 

 hase, and a sinuately lobed margin, the 

 under surface being covered with a mealy 

 down. The purple flowers 2 in. across are 

 borne in nodding racemes. 



Culture (ic. as above. 



S. Warscewiczi. — A vigorous bushy 

 species, probably S. American, 3-6 ft. 

 high, covered with red hairs, and armed 

 with sharp curved spines. Leaves large, 

 soft green above, greyish beneath, oval 

 or almost heart-shaped, deeply and un- 

 equally lobed, with stout stalk and 

 midrib covered with red starry prickles. 

 Flowers white, about 1^ in. across, in 

 clustered curved corymb-Uke racemes. 

 Fruit pale yellow, smooth, shining. 



Culture do. as above. Increased by 

 cuttings in summer as in the case of 

 S. quitoense. 



S. Wendlandi. — This is undoubtedly 

 the most ornamental flowering Night- 

 shade in cultivation, and there is no 



reason why it should not prove fairly 

 hardy along the southern coasts of 

 England and Ireland, especially in mild 

 winters. It is a somewhat prickly climb- 

 ing shrub, native of the mountains of 

 Costa Rica, with large deep green leaves 

 6-10 in. long, on prickly stalks, and 

 pinnately cut into 5 obliquely oval lobes, 

 the terminal one being 2-3 times as large 

 as the others. Flowers about 2J in. 

 across, in large drooping clusters, soft 

 lilac-blue, papery, with a conspicuous 

 bunch of bright yeUow stamens in the 

 centre, from which radiate the 5 star- 

 like divisions of the circular corolla. 



Culture and Propagation. — As seeds 

 of this species have not yet been produced 

 in this country owing chiefly to the sterile 

 stamens, the plant must be propagated 

 by means of cuttings in the same way as 

 S. quitoense. It flourishes in ordinary 

 good garden soil, but is best in good rich 

 sandy loam. As a cool greenhouse climber 

 it is very ornamental and deserves to be 

 generally grown. 



CYPHOMANDRA (Teeb Tomato). 

 A genus containing 24 species of non- 

 spiny small trees or shrubs with entire 

 3-lobed or piimately out leaves. The 

 floral characters are almost the same as 

 in Solaniim. There is only one species of 

 any note in cultivation, that described 

 below, and even this is chiefly grown as 

 a greenhouse plant in most parts of the 

 country. It may be easily raised from 

 seeds or cuttings like many of the 

 Solanums, and used for sub-tropical 

 gardening in the summer. The bright 

 orange-red fruits look very handsome 

 drooping from the branches, and are 

 almost as good as Tomatoes for eating. 

 The plants flourish in rich sandy loam 

 and leaf soil. 



C. betacea (Solanum fragrans). — A 

 Brazilian shrub or small tree 12-24 ft. 

 high, with fleshy entire, dark glossy 

 green leaves, and greenish flowers with 

 a dark streak on the back of each 

 segment, and borne in long drooping 

 racemes. Fruit about the size and shape 

 of a hen's egg, produced in the open air in 

 warm seasons. 



Culture do. as above. 



PHYSALIS (Winter Cherry). — A 

 genus of about thirty species of annual 

 or perennial herbs clothed with simple or 

 stellate hairs, and having entire lobed or 

 rarely pimiately cut leaves. Flowers 



