POPULAR GARDEN PLANTS. 



515 



of exceptional interest, both in the structure 

 and functions of their trumpet-like leaves, and 

 in the large size and singular form of their 

 flowers. There are six species, all North 

 American, and from these numerous hybrids 

 have been raised. In the warmer parts of 

 England some of them may be grown in a 

 sheltered, moist, sunny situation out of doors, 

 but the best results are obtained when the 

 plants are grown under glass. Sarracenias are 

 essentially swamp or marsh plants. They like 

 an open, porous compost, free of lime, 

 and plenty of water all through the 

 spring and summer; in fact they should 

 never be allowed to get dry. They 

 grow well and flower freely under the 

 following treatment: — The plants are 

 wintered in a cold house or frame, a 

 few degrees of frost doing them no 

 harm. In March they show signs of 

 active growth by pushing up flower- 

 buds, and as soon as these appear, 

 the plants should be repotted. This 

 should be done thoroughly, by shaking 

 the roots free of all old soil, cutting 

 away the decayed and useless old parts 

 of the rhizomes, removing all old 

 leaves, and planting them in well- 

 drained pots or pans in a mixture of 

 fibrous peat, sphagnum, charcoal and 

 silver sand, setting them rather close 

 together if a good specimen plant is 

 desired. They should then be placed 

 in a sunny position in a greenhouse 

 where they can be kept close in sunny 

 weather. The secret of success is 

 simply to allow the temperature about 

 the plants to run up to 80° or even 90° with 

 sun-heat, keeping the soil saturated and the 

 atmosphere moist; the temperature may fall 

 quite low during the night without fear of 

 injury. The best plants have been grown in a 

 house where artificial heat was never used, but 

 where the sun sometimes raised the temperature 

 to 90°. Bright light, a high temperature, and 

 plenty of moisture are the chief factors in the 

 production of large, richly -marked pitchers. 



The flowers precede the new leaves, and 

 sometimes the plants are weakened by over 

 floriferousness; each rhizome should therefore 

 be limited to one flower. After the pitchers 

 have matured, by the end of June say, the 

 temperature and conditions of an ordinary 

 greenhouse are suitable, plus plenty of water 

 at the roots ; a heavy watering every day, some- 

 times often er, will be found agreeable to them. 



S. Chclsoni (purpurea x rubra). — Pitchers 1 foot long, 

 broad, as in >S'. purpurea, almost erect, and coloured a 

 rich claret-purple. Flowers 4 inches across; purplish- 

 brown. 



S. Courti (p/urpurea X psittacina). — Pitchers 8 inches 

 long, coloured deep-crimson. 



S. Drummondi has erect trumpet-shaped pitchers 2 feet 

 or more long, the lid broad and wavy, the upper part 

 white with reddish and green veins; flowers 4 inches 

 in diameter, maroon-coloured, the stigma greenish-red ; 

 one of the most beautiful. 



S. jlava (fig. 628). — Pitchers up to 3 feet in length, 

 erect, green, the veins red, the upright lid yellowish ; 



Fig. 628.— Sarracenia flava. 



flowers large, canary-yellow. The varieties, ornata and 

 atrosanguinea, are improvements on the type, the former 

 being very large and wide-mouthed in the pitcher ; 

 atrosanguinea is remarkable for the deep red of its veins 

 and lid. 



S. formosa (psittacina x variolaris). — Pitchers 6 inches 

 high and coloured green, with reddish spots and veins. 



S. melanorhoda (purpurea x Stevensi). — Pitchers 6 

 inches long with a deep wing ; colour rich blood-red. 



S. Patcrsoni (purpurea x Jlava). — There is little 

 difference between this and £. Stevensi. 



S. Popei (Jlava x rubra). — Remarkable because of its 

 flowers, which are 4 inches across, and coloured rich 

 velvety crimson, with yellow margins, and pink inside 

 the petals. 



S. psittacina. — A small plant with horizontal pitchers, 

 with a broad wing, a hood-like lid, and the apex twisted 

 like a parrot's head. 



S. purpurea has short horn-shaped, inflated pitchers 

 of a deep blood - colour, the flap-like lid upright. A 

 plant in a 10 -inch pot may have thirty large crimson 

 pitchers. 



S. rubra. — Pitchers erect, 2 feet high, with a pointed, 



