384 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



glaucous, lance -shaped leaves, and yellow flowers 2 inches 

 across. A beautiful plant for pond or lake margins. 



Sagittaria gracilis. — All the "Arrow Heads" are 

 quaint and handsome, this being of slender habit, with 

 small white flowers. They do best in mud. 



S. japonica fl. pi. — One of the best, producing spikes 

 of full double stock-like pure-white flowers. Leaves light- 

 green and handsome. 



S. montevidensis. — A giant, attaining a height of 5-6 

 feet when well grown. Leaves large and handsome, light - 



Fig. 480.— Pontederia crassipes. 



green. Flowers in whorls on tall spikes, white and 

 maroon. 



S. sagittifolia. — A pretty native plant with pure-white 

 flowers. 



S. variabilis. — Forms dense masses of bright -green 

 leaves and spikes of milk-white flowers. In 2 feet of 

 water on rich muddy bottom this plant spreads rapidly, 

 and soon covers a large area. 



Salvinia natans. — A pretty little floating cryptogam, 

 with two-ranked pale-green leaves rough on the surface. 

 What appear to be roots are the veins of a third row of 

 leaves that take on root functions. Very interesting for 

 pans, bowls, or small aquaria. 



SoiKPUS lacustris (Bulrush). — May be used in large 

 lakes with good effect, either alone or along with Typha 

 and Butomus. 



Stkatiotes aloidcs (Water Soldier). — Rosettes of pur- 

 plish-green serrated linear leaves below the surface of the 

 water. Flowers small, pure white. An interesting and 

 distinct native plant. 



Thalia dealbata. — A tall tufted plant with glaucous 

 foliage on long stalks, resembling a Maranta in habit, and 

 bearing long spikes of purple flowers. Not quite hardy 

 generally, but useful and effective for lake margins in 

 summer. 



Trapa natans (Water Caltrops). — A pretty annual 

 plant, growing and seeding freely in warm water. Leaves 

 glossy, undulate, rhomboidal, on swollen green petioles 

 which act as floats. Flowers greenish-white. Var. ver- 

 banensis has glowing -red petioles. The leaves colour 

 beautifully in autumn. 



Trianea bogotcnsis (Sponge Leaf). — This floating plant 

 reminds one of a gigantic Lemna or " Duck-weed ", and 

 may be grown in a bowl of mud and gravel surfaced with 

 water in the greenhouse, or thrown on a tank or pool. It 

 grows well out-of-doors during summer. Its flat green 

 leaves are roundish heart-shaped, and are bulged out 



below by a system of air-cells which enable them to float. 



Typha angustifolia. — A tall and slender form of " Mace 

 Reed ". Its brown leaves and stems and chocolate -col- 

 oured heads are very effective on shallow margins of ponds 

 or streams in winter. 



T. latifolia (Reed Mace). — Well-known native plant of 

 the fens and rivers ; grows 8-10 feet high, with broad 

 glaucous leaves and great ramrod-like black heads. "Very 

 effective along pond or lake margins, or back-waters. 



T. minima (Round-headed Mace Reed). — This is a rare 

 little plant growing 12-18 inches in height, and is useful 

 for small tanks or aquaria. 



T. minor (Smaller Reed Mace). — Apparently a small 

 form of T. angustifolia, growing 2-3 feet high only. 



Vallisneria spiralis (Tape Grass). — A dioecious plant 

 with linear floating leaves and greenish - white female 

 flowers on long spirally-twisted thread-like stalks. The 

 male plant is smaller, with more slender leaves, and the 

 flowers break off and rise to the surface of the water, 

 where the pollen floats in the shape of a white powder. 

 Easily grown in mud and sand in a bell-glass. 



Victoria regia (see Plate). — The finest of all water 

 plants, both leafage and flower being alike superb. Al- 

 though usually grown as a stove annual, it has been grown 

 in a tank of water heated to about 75° in the open air in 

 Mr. Joseph Mayer's garden at Bebington, Cheshire, where 

 it flowered splendidly, no glass or other protective cover- 

 ing being used. Messrs. Weeks also grew the plant very 

 successfully in a tank in a court-yard at Chelsea, but a 

 cover was used. In America the Victoria has been 

 flowered successfully in open water, but their summers 

 are usually hotter and more equable than ours. A form 

 of it known as Tricker's variety, with broad turned -up 

 leaf-margins and of sturdy growth, is said to be at least 

 ten degrees hardier than the type. When grown under 

 glass a tank at least 40 ft. square and water at a tempera- 

 ture not lower than 70° are requisite. 



Villarsia ni/hipltaoidcs {Limnanthemum). — A free- 

 growing native plant like a small Nymphsea in habit, 

 having bronzy marked floating leaves and golden-yellow 

 ternate flowers. Grows well, and spreads rapidly either 

 in deep or shallow pools. 



II. — Hardy and Half-hardy Marsh or 

 Bog Plants 



Although some of these are really amphibi- 

 ous, they, as a rule, grow best in the soil of the 

 banks and margins of pools and lakes, positions 

 from which they can send roots down to or into 

 the water; or to which at times the water itself 

 may actually rise. In planting pond or stream 

 margins, due allowance must be made for occa- 

 sional overflow and floods. Some idea of the 

 character of a bog garden may be obtained from 

 fig. 481. 



AcoRUS Calamus (Sweet Flag). — Green, Iris-like foliage, 

 daintily crimped along one margin only. Root-stock and 

 leaves odorous. 



A. graminifolius. — Dwarf, tufted habit, with leathery, 

 grassy leaves. There is a variegated form of it. 



A. japonicus variegatus. — Young foliage white-and-red 

 striped. 



Alisma natans. — A floating plant with white flowers. 

 A. Plantago is a graceful plant, and may also be grown. 



