26 



CASSELL'S POPITLAR GARDENING. 



in the bracts. Summer and autumn. French 

 Guiana. 



S. metallica — attains a height of ahout eight feet ; 

 hlade of leaf about two feet long, oblong-acuminate, 

 upper aide deep satiny-green, beneath rich vinous- 

 purple. The boat-shaped bracts are green ; flowers 

 large and showy, deep scarlet, tipped with white. 

 Summer and autumn months. Santa Martha. 



Hexacentris. — A small genus of evergreen 

 climbing Acanthads of great beauty having much the 

 appearance of, and now included under, the Thun- 

 bergias. Trained up a pillar or rafter, or upon an 

 umbrella-shaped wire trellis, few plants can excel 

 them in beauty. Pot in equal parts of light loam, 

 leaf-mould, peat, and sand. These plants enjoy an 

 abundance of heat and moisture when growing ; 

 during winter less of both will suffice. 



S. mysorensis. — Eacemes long and pendulous, 

 flowers large, rich yellow, bordered with crimson. 

 In the variety lutea, the flowers are wholly deep 

 yellow. Summer months. East Indies. 



Hibiscus. — A genus belonging to the Rose 

 Mallow family, containing many species and varieties, 

 remarkable for the extreme beauty of their large 

 trumpet r shaped flowers ; of vigorous constitution 

 and rapid growth, they are very effective when used 

 for covering a bare wall in a lean-to stove. Peat 

 and loam in about equal parts. 



H. Cooperii. — A somewhat small-growing plant, 

 with both beautiful foliage and flowers ; leaves deep 

 green, flaked and striped with rosy-red and white ; 

 flowers carmine. Summer months. South Sea 

 Islands. 



S. rosa-sinensis. — This species and its varieties are 

 widely diatribiited, being found in India, China, and 

 through the islands of the South Seas ; the flowers 

 when bruised quickly turn black, and are used by 

 the native ladies for dyeing their eyebrows, and also 

 for polishing boots, hence it is frequently called the 

 " Shoe-black Plant." Leaves bright shining green ; 

 it produces an abundance of its large tnmipet-shaped 

 flowers, which are of a brilliant scarlet ; it is a very 

 variable plant, hence some have double flowers, 

 the colour being yellow, white, purple, &c. A few of 

 the finest forms are ; brilliantissimus,fulgidus, Colerii, 

 miniatus semiplenus, puniceus, mmeans, sebrinua ; they 

 are almost perpetual bloomers. 



Higginsia. — Handsome dwarf-growing plants, 

 all natives of South America, belonging to the order 

 Ruhiaceai ; when first introduced they were known 

 in gardens by the name of Campylobotrys. Flowers 

 inconspicuous, foliage marvellously beautiful. Their 

 dwarf habit should make them favourites with those 



having but small space. Pot in peat and sand, drain 

 well, and keep the atmosphere well charged with 

 moisture. Stove. (Now named Sofmannia.) 



H. argyroneuxa — leaves 

 broadly spathulate, plait, 

 ed ; very deep green, with 

 a metalUo lustre; under 

 side reddish-purple. 



H. GJiiesbreglitii — this is 

 perhaps the tallestspecies, 

 hut it can be easily tept 

 dowii by judicious ctop- 



{)ing i leaves broadly ob- 

 ong; dark velvety-green 

 on the upper side, pur- 

 plish-red beneath. There 

 IS a variety called varie- 

 gata, having the leaves 

 flaked with creamy-white, 

 H. pyrophylla — leaves spa- 

 thiuate, plaited ; deep 

 green; the upper surface 



covered with short fiery- 

 red hairs. 



H. ref ulgens — leaves ob- 

 ovate ; the upper side rich 

 deep green, suif used with 

 reddish-crimson, pale red 

 beneath. 



H. regaJis— this is a very fine 

 species ; leaves roundish, 

 ovate, and plaited; mid- 

 rib white; ground-coloiir 

 a deep rich olive-green, 

 sussed with a beautiful 

 grey and purple lustre; 

 reverse side vinous-red. 



H. smaragdina — leaves spa- 

 thulate, plaited, and of 

 a uniform, bright light 

 green. 



Holmskioldia. — A small family of Verhenacea, 

 one species only of which we shall introduce here ; it 

 is easily grown into a good specimen. Pot in peat 

 and loam. Intermediate House in winter, afterwards 

 stove. 



S. sanguinea. — A compact shrub vpith smooth, 

 deep green, cordate leaves, crenate at the edges ; it 

 produces dense terminal racemes of bloom nearly a 

 foot long, the flowers conspicuous, the calyx being ' 

 large and deep blood-red in colour. Winter and 

 spring months. East Indies. 



Hoodia. — A small genus of Asclepiadaeece, from 

 South Africa ; they have fleshy stems, with many 

 angles, somewhat resembling the Columnar Cereus in 

 habit, the angles furnished with long spines. This, 

 and its kindred genera, have not flourished so well 

 since the disuse of flues in favour of hot- water pipes, 

 the drier heat of the former suiting succulents. Pot 

 in loam, broken brick, and Ume rubbish ; water care- 

 fully through the growing season, but entirely with- 

 hold it in winter. 



S. Bainii. — A most interesting plant. Stem 

 erect, leafless, ribbed, the ribs being formed by rows 

 of nipple-like tubercles, each of which when young 

 is armed with a long deflexed spine, which falls oS 

 with age ; flowers, two or three together, from near 

 the top, campanulate, nearly three inches in dia- 

 meter, with five small equidistant points on the edge ; 

 colour yellowish-buff, suffused with pink. Native 

 name, "Wolves' n' Guaap." Summer months 

 Karrao, South Africa. 



S. Gordonii. — Stems clustered, tapering upwards, 

 ribbed, leafless, profusely armed with stout yeUow 

 spines; flowers campanulate, with the edges re- 

 flexed, double the size of the preceding ; soft 

 lemon-colour suffused with pink, ornamented at 

 the base with a circle of reddish-pink dots. South 

 Africa. 



