PENTSTEMON 



FOXGLOVE OBDEB 



COLLINSIA 717 



P. speciosus. — An elegant Californian 

 species 3-4 ft. high with oval or spoon- 

 shaped, stalked, somewhat hollowed leaves 

 of a deep shining green above, the upper 

 ones more or less stem-clasping. Flowers 

 from May to July, sky-blue tinted with red, 

 more or less bell-shaped, in spikes about 

 1 ft. long. 



Culture Ac. as above. This species is 

 best treated like P. jaffrayanus. 



P. spectabilis. — A handsome species 

 about 2 ft. high with thick, leathery, lance- 

 shaped, shining green leaves, the upper 

 ones stem-clasping at the base. Flowers 

 in summer, bluish-purple, 1 in. long, in- 

 flated above, in long loose panicles. 



Culture &c. as above. Increased by 

 seeds or cuttings. 



P. venustus. — A pretty and rather 

 downy plant about 2 ft. high, with more 

 or less ovate lance-shaped leaves, the 

 upper ones somewhat heart-shaped, stem- 

 clasping, and closely serrated. Flowers 

 in summer, about 1 in. long, purple, 

 dilated upwards from a narrow tube, and 

 borne in loose clustered panicles ; sterile 

 stamen densely bearded at the top. 



Culture (tc. as above. Increased by 

 seed and cuttings in autimui. 



P. Wrighti. — A handsome species 

 about 2 ft. high with oblong lower leaves, 

 and rather obovate or lance-shaped stem- 

 clasping upper ones. Flowers in summer, 

 rosy-red, about 1 in. long, inflated above, 

 in loose panicles or cymes, sterile stamen 

 long and densely bearded at the top. 



Culture dc. as above. Increased by 

 seed or cuttings. 



GARDEN PENTSTEMONS 



As stated before, these are the result of 

 crossing and selecting from P. Hartwegi 

 (P. gentianoides) and P. Cohcea, and pos- 

 sibly P. murryanus. They are all easily 

 raised from seeds or cuttings as detailed 

 above, and when grown in large beds or 

 groups form a most attractive feature of 

 the flower garden during the summer and 

 autumn months. There are numerous 

 named varieties grown by specialists, but 

 as they are likely to be superseded by 

 others with the issue of every new cata- 

 logue it is scarcely necessary to give a 

 list of them here. The predominating 

 colours are red, purple, magenta, rose, 

 carmine, scarlet, salmon, all usually 

 combined with white, and having 

 numerous intermediate shades. A very 



fine selection may be obtained fi'om a 

 packet of good mixed seeds. 



COLLINSIA. — A genus containing 

 about 12 species of pretty erect decumbent 

 or loosely branched annual herbs with 

 opposite, or rarely ternately whorled, en- 

 tire or toothed leaves, or the lower ones 

 deeply 3-cleft. Flowers gaily coloured in 

 clustered cymes, blue, violet or rosy often 

 mixed with white. Calyx bell-shaped 

 deeply 5-cleft. Corolla-tube saccate at the 

 base on the upper side, 2-lipped, the 

 upper lip 2-lobed, bent backwards, the 

 lower lip 3-lobed, the middle lobe longer 

 pouch-like enclosing the four didynamous 

 stamens. Capsule ovoid or globose, many- 

 seeded. 



Culture and Propagation. — These 

 showy annuals are easily grown in 

 ordinary garden soil and are most effective 

 in large masses, and in edgings. They 

 are usually raised from seeds sown in 

 gentle heat in early spring or in the open 

 border about April, and flower in about 3 

 months from the date of sowing. They 

 are often grown in pots for the ornamen- 

 tation of windows, balconies &c. Sowings 

 may be made at intervals to secure a suc- 

 cession of blossom. In favourable situa- 

 tions the seeds if sown in autumn are 

 likely to survive an ordinary winter, and 

 plants thus raised will flower somewhat 

 earlier than those from spring-sown seeds. 

 The species are all natives of the W. 

 United States, chiefly California. For the 

 culture and treatment of annuals in 

 general see p. 78. 



C. bicolor. — A pretty Californian 

 annual, about 1 ft. high, with erect, downy 

 stems, and smooth, ovate lance-shaped 

 leaves, rather heart-shaped at the base. 

 Flowers in August, large, upper lip and 

 tube of corolla white, lower lip rosy-purple. 

 There are several forms, among them 

 being alba, a vigorous grower, with white 

 flowers having the upper lip slightly 

 tinged with green or yellow ; candid- 

 issima has absolutely pure white flowers ; 

 alba rosea has the upper Up white, and 

 the lower one soft rose, a charming plant ; 

 multicolor is very pretty and free-flower- 

 ing; flowers striped with lilac or rose- 

 white, and violet colours which appear 

 sometimes on the upper lip only, some- 

 times the lower, and sometimes on both ; 

 mannorata has a white lower lip washed 

 with lilac, and an upper lip of a clear 

 lilac spotted and striped with carmine. 



