PENTSTBMON 



FOXGLOVE OBDEB 



PENTSTEMON 713 



bearded or naked within. Stamens 4, 

 didynamous, the fifth unfertile stamen 

 (or staminode) thread-lilie, with a club- or 

 spoon-shaped tip, visually shorter than the 

 4 fertile stamens. Capsule many-seeded, 

 opening by valves ; seeds wingless. 



Next to the Phloxes (p. 658) few border 

 plants are such favourites as the Pent- 

 stemons. They are graceful in habit and 

 fi^ee in flowering, and make the garden 

 look cheerful and bright from June until 

 the late autumn frosts set in, by the great 

 range of colouring they display from 

 blush-white, through pink, salmon, rose 

 and scarlet to violet and purple. Several 

 natural species are described below, but the 

 plants usually seen in gardens have been 

 derived by hybridisation chiefly from P. 

 Hartwegi and P. Cobeea. 



Culture and Propagation. — Pent- 

 stemons enjoy a deep rich sandy loam, 

 enriched with well-decomposed manure. 

 The drainage should be perfect, as the 

 roots disUke stagnant moisture. They 

 are increased in three ways — by seeds, 

 cuttings, and division, the two first 

 methods being most generally practised. 

 Seeds — which are produced freely in 

 favourable seasons — should be sown early 

 in February in a gentle hotbed, the seed- 

 lings being pricked out when large enough 

 to handle, and kept in the hotbed until 

 they have thoroughly recovered from 

 being disturbed. Afterwards they may 

 be transferred to cooler positions, such as 

 a cold frame where they can obtain plenty 

 of light and air and yet be protected from 

 the spring frosts. By the end of May 

 they will be fine sturdy plants for trans- 

 planting to the flower border, and in 

 autumn — or about 6 months from the 

 date of sowing the seed— they will be in 

 bloom. If the plants have been treated 

 well and allowed plenty of room to develop, 

 their stems wiU be strong enough to 

 support themselves without the aid of 

 stakes. 



Seed may also be sown as soon as ripe 

 in cold frames so as to obtain large and 

 sturdy plants early the following spring. 

 Plants obtained in this way will flower 

 before those raised from spring-sown 



Cuttings of the young shoots root 

 freely in sandy soil in a little heat or a 

 cold frame in early spring, or in autumn 

 simply in cold fi:'ames. Those of the 

 latter period may be wintered in cold 

 frames and planted out the following May 



or even April in the milder parts of the 

 country. 



Many of the species, chiefly those of 

 dwarf tufted habit Uke barbatus, glaber, 

 procerusi axe readily increased by division 

 of the roots, but many others will not 

 stand this treatment well, and are best 

 raised from seeds or cuttings. 



The following is a list of the species 

 met with in cultivation, but some are 

 very rare. They are mostly natives of 

 the United States and N.W. America 

 generally, except where otherwise stated. 



P. antirrhinoides. — A greyish much- 

 branched perennial 9-18 in. high, with 

 lanceolate spoon-shaped or oval leaves, 

 rather small, entire, and slightly stalked. 

 Flowers in summer, lemon-yellow, un- 

 bearded, except the sterile stamen. 



Culture Ac. as above. This species is 

 rather tender exceist in warm sheltered 

 borders. It may, however, be raised 

 every year from seeds or cuttings and 

 planted out in May as an annual. 



P. azureus. — A smooth glaucous 

 Californian perennial about 1 ft. high, 

 with leaves varying in shape from oblong 

 spoon-shaped below to broadly heart- 

 shaped ovate or lanceolate, becoming 

 smaller and narrower upwards. Flowers 

 in late summer, 1-3 on a stalk, beautiful 

 sky-blue, reddish-purple at the base of the 

 tube, over 1 in. long. 



Culture Su. as above. 



P. barbatus (Chelone barbata; C. 

 ruelloides). — A handsome densely tufted 

 Mexican species with entire lance-shaped 

 leaves. Flowers from June to October, 

 on tall spikes 2-3 ft. high, drooping and 

 varying from pinky-red to carmine, the 

 lower lip being conspioiiously bearded at 

 the mouth. There is a white variety 

 albus ; a flesh-coloured one, carneus ; and 

 a vigorous one named Torreyi which 

 grows taller and is remarkable for having 

 usually unbearded scarlet-red flowers. 



Culture dc. as above. This species 

 may be increased by dividing the tiifts in 

 early spring or autiimn ; also by cuttings 

 and seeds. 



P. breviflorus. — A slender twiggy Cali- 

 fornian species with more or less oblong 

 lance-shaped, somewhat finely toothed 

 leaves about 1 in. long, seldom if ever in 

 whorls. Flowers in September, yellowish, 

 or flesh-coloured, about l in. long, striped 



