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PBAGTICAL GUIDE TO GARDEN ■ PLANTS embothbium 



XCIX. PROTEACEiE— Protea Order 



An order of shrubs and trees with alternate or scattered, rarely opposite or 

 whorled leaves, entire, coarsely toothed, or sometimes on the same plant 

 pinnately cut or decompound, very often leathery. Stipules none. Plowers 

 axillary or racemose or in dense terminal spikes, hermaphrodite or polygamous 

 or dioecious by abortion. Perianth inferior, 4- lobed or toothed. Stamens 4. 

 Fruit dry and woody, 1-celled, 1- or more seeded. 



GREVILLEA. — A genus of trees or Culture dc. as above. This is hardier 



shrubs with alternate scattered, variously than Gr. rohusta, and may be raised from 

 shaped leaves. Flowers regular or ir- seed or cuttings, 

 regular, hermaphrodite. Perianth tube 

 slender and straight, or dilated at the 

 base, and recurved below the oblique 

 limb. 



Culture and Propagation. — Only a 

 few species are fit for outdoor cultivation, 

 but they cannot be considered hardy even 

 in mild winters, except in the mildest 

 parts of the south coast. They flourish 

 in sandy loam and peat, and are best 

 grown in greenhouses from October to 

 the end of May. There are about 160 

 species of Grevillea, and many of them 

 would probably prove as hardy as those 

 mentioned if tried. 



G. robusta. — This is a popular and 

 handsome plant, native of Australia, and 

 by continually growing on from one 

 year to another wiU reach a height of 

 5-10 ft. It has twice pinnate leaves with 

 ovate smooth segments, whitish beneath. 

 Flowers in June, orange, in panicled 

 racemes. 



Culture and Propagation. — It may 

 be grown in pots from year to year, and 

 from June to October it may be sunlt 

 into the lawn or the border and left to 

 take care of itself, so long as it is not 

 allowed to want for water during the hot 

 summer months. In mild winters it wiU 

 stand fairly well, or rather the tops will 

 become injured and new shoots spring 

 from the base. But once the main shoot 

 is injured the graceful symmetry of the 

 plant is spoiled. Easily raised from seeds 

 sown in autumn or spring in gentle heat 

 in sandy loam and peat. This species is 

 grown chiefly for its graceful Pern-like 

 appearance, and is a valuable plant for pro- 

 ducing sub-tropical effects in the garden. 



G. rosmarinifolia. — A pretty Australian 

 bushy species about 4 ft. high, with linear 

 Eosemary-like leaves and terminal clusters 

 of red flowers in summer. 



G. sulphurea. — This is the hardiest 

 species of all, but even it is easily injured 

 by frost. It is considered to be a variety 

 of the Australian G. juniperina, an erect 

 or spreading bush with linear rigid sharp- 

 pointed Juniper-like leaves, and pale green 

 or yellow flowers more or less tinged 

 with red. The distinguishing feature of 

 sulphurea chiefly hes in the absence of 

 the red tint from the pale yeUow flowers. 



Culture dc. as above. 



EMBOTHRIUM. — A small genus 

 of ornamental evergreen shrubs with 

 scattered leathery entire leaves, and 

 slightly irregular hermaphrodite flowers in 

 dense terminal racemes. Perianth-tube 

 cylindrical, at length divided or cleft, and 

 having an ovoid or globose, oblique or 

 recurved limb. Fruit a stalked oblong 

 leathery and rather woody folUculus. 



E. coccineum (Kre Bush). — A beau- 

 tiful shrub, native of the Andes, some- 

 times reaching a height of 20 ft. or more 

 in the southern parts of the country. It 

 has simple entire oblong leaves, and long 

 ch'ooping racemes of orange-scarlet flowers 

 during the early summer months. Peri- 

 anth cylindrical or tubular, with a roundish 

 4-cleft limb bearing the sessile anthers on 

 the concave lobes. 



Culture and Propagation. — The Em- 

 bothrium succeeds best in a sandy peat, 

 and may be increased by cuttings of the 

 ripened shoots inserted in similar soil 

 under a handlight, and kept close and 

 shaded for a short time untU rooted. 



Except in the south of England and 

 Ireland this fine plant cannot be con- 

 sidered hardy. Even in these favoured 

 spots it has been injured severely by frost, 

 and in other parts has not been touched 

 by over 20° of frost in the same county. 

 In the Thames Valley and around London 

 three or four degrees of frost cause injury. 



