﻿32 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  January, 
  1907 
  

  

  at 
  times 
  the 
  upper 
  leaves 
  are 
  partly 
  green 
  and 
  partly 
  red. 
  

   Another 
  genus 
  of 
  South 
  American 
  plants 
  — 
  Bougainvillea 
  — 
  

   has 
  found 
  it 
  desirable 
  to 
  adopt 
  a 
  special 
  mode 
  of 
  advertising 
  

   its 
  flowers, 
  although 
  these 
  are 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  proper 
  corolla, 
  

   and 
  are 
  almost 
  as 
  attractive 
  as 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  species 
  

   of 
  Primula 
  for 
  instance. 
  But 
  they 
  are 
  a 
  dull 
  yellow 
  color 
  

   and 
  would 
  be 
  likely 
  to 
  appear 
  insignificant 
  among 
  the 
  leaves 
  

   of 
  the 
  plant 
  itself 
  were 
  they 
  not 
  surrounded 
  by 
  three 
  large 
  

   bracts 
  colored 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  striking 
  shade 
  of 
  lilac. 
  Bougain- 
  

  

  Aechmea 
  of 
  Brazil. 
  The 
  Leaflets 
  Surrounding 
  the 
  Flower 
  

  

  Are 
  Bright 
  Pink, 
  Although 
  the 
  Actual 
  Flowers 
  

  

  Are 
  Not 
  in 
  the 
  Least 
  Attractive 
  

  

  villeas 
  are 
  climbing 
  plants, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  flowers 
  and 
  their 
  showy 
  

   appendages 
  are 
  produced 
  in 
  great 
  masses, 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  

   floral 
  organs 
  is 
  announced 
  in 
  a 
  most 
  striking 
  fashion 
  to 
  all 
  

   passers 
  by. 
  Indeed 
  a 
  Bougainvillea 
  in 
  full 
  bloom 
  would 
  be 
  

   seen 
  from 
  a 
  great 
  distance 
  off, 
  and 
  one 
  could 
  conceive 
  the 
  

   insects 
  being 
  attracted 
  from 
  all 
  parts. 
  

  

  Of 
  course 
  in 
  composite 
  flowers, 
  the 
  most 
  showy 
  portions 
  

   of 
  the 
  blooms 
  really 
  serve 
  no 
  other 
  purpose 
  than 
  to 
  advertise 
  

   the 
  real 
  essential 
  organs. 
  Daisies, 
  Chrysanthemums, 
  and 
  

   Asters 
  are 
  typical 
  of 
  this 
  special 
  formation, 
  when 
  in 
  their 
  

   single 
  state. 
  If 
  we 
  take 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  flowers 
  

   we 
  shall 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  outside 
  circle 
  of 
  colored 
  rays 
  is 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  of 
  nothing 
  more 
  than 
  petal-like 
  processes. 
  They 
  are 
  

   perfectly 
  sterile; 
  in 
  fact 
  their 
  sole 
  office 
  in 
  life 
  is 
  to 
  look 
  

   attractive. 
  The 
  central 
  mass 
  of 
  yellow 
  material 
  is 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  of 
  hundreds 
  of 
  flowers, 
  destitute 
  of 
  petals 
  but 
  all 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  with 
  the 
  organs 
  of 
  reproduction. 
  By 
  this 
  clever 
  ar- 
  

   rangement 
  the 
  composite 
  flowers 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  far 
  

   greater 
  number 
  of 
  seeds 
  than 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  

   orders. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  Southern 
  European 
  Salvia 
  (S. 
  horminum 
  rubra) 
  is 
  to 
  

   be 
  seen 
  yet 
  another 
  mode 
  of 
  drawing 
  attention 
  to 
  somewhat 
  

   unattractive 
  flowers. 
  This 
  plant 
  has 
  rather 
  small 
  blooms 
  in 
  

   the 
  regular 
  labiate 
  style, 
  sprouting 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  axils 
  of 
  the 
  

   leaves. 
  With 
  about 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  shoot 
  the 
  foliage 
  is 
  

   of 
  an 
  ordinary 
  green 
  color, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  remaining 
  terminal 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  the 
  leaves 
  are 
  first 
  of 
  all 
  partly 
  and 
  then 
  finally 
  wholly 
  

   colored 
  in 
  bright 
  pink. 
  Thus 
  during 
  the 
  blooming 
  season 
  

   this 
  decidedly 
  humble 
  plant 
  is 
  transformed 
  into 
  a 
  most 
  strik- 
  

   ing 
  object, 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  recognized 
  as 
  a 
  valuable 
  

   border 
  plant 
  in 
  the 
  garden. 
  It 
  is 
  notable 
  that 
  as 
  the 
  plant 
  

   passes 
  from 
  its 
  blooming 
  stage 
  the 
  pink 
  gradually 
  becomes 
  

   green, 
  proving 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  actually 
  leaves 
  which 
  have 
  taken 
  

   upon 
  themselves 
  the 
  rather 
  unusual 
  office 
  of 
  helping 
  the 
  flow- 
  

   ers 
  to 
  make 
  known 
  their 
  presence. 
  

  

  As 
  all 
  botanists 
  are 
  aware, 
  red 
  is 
  frequently 
  associated 
  with 
  

   growing 
  shoots. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  observe 
  that 
  this 
  point 
  

   has 
  been 
  turned 
  to 
  good 
  account 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  a 
  Japanese 
  

   indigenous 
  species 
  called 
  Pieris 
  Japonica. 
  The 
  plant 
  Is 
  

   shrubby 
  in 
  habit 
  and 
  is 
  nearly 
  allied 
  to 
  Arbutus. 
  In 
  the 
  

   spring 
  the 
  Pieris 
  produces 
  its 
  small 
  white 
  flowers, 
  which 
  are 
  

   often 
  so 
  sheltered 
  by 
  the 
  leaves 
  as 
  to 
  pass 
  almost 
  unobserved. 
  

   But 
  notice 
  what 
  takes 
  place 
  at 
  this 
  season. 
  A 
  little 
  bit 
  ahead 
  

   of 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  blooms 
  the 
  fresh 
  growth 
  commences 
  

   from 
  the 
  shoots, 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  leaves 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  most 
  brilliant 
  

   scarlet. 
  Passing 
  insects 
  can 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  mark 
  the 
  bright 
  dis- 
  

   play 
  of 
  color, 
  and, 
  alighting 
  upon 
  the 
  leaves, 
  soon 
  become 
  

   aware 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  slightly 
  fragrant 
  flowers. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  one 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  very 
  wrong 
  in 
  supposing 
  

   that 
  strongly 
  marked 
  leaf 
  coloration 
  is 
  generally 
  present 
  to 
  

   make 
  the 
  plant 
  conspicuous. 
  Such 
  genera 
  as 
  Coleus, 
  Co- 
  

   diasum, 
  to 
  mention 
  only 
  two, 
  often 
  display 
  the 
  most 
  gor- 
  

   geously 
  colored 
  foliage 
  although 
  their 
  flowers 
  are 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  insignificant. 
  A 
  species 
  of 
  Aechmea 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  

   in 
  Brazil 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  leaflets 
  surrounding 
  the 
  flower 
  stem 
  

   are 
  tinted 
  with 
  bright 
  pink 
  although 
  the 
  actual 
  flowers 
  are 
  

   not 
  at 
  all 
  attractive. 
  Many 
  observers 
  have 
  proved 
  up 
  to 
  

   the 
  hilt 
  that 
  insects 
  exhibit 
  a 
  strong 
  tendency 
  to 
  settle 
  on 
  

   a 
  colored 
  object, 
  and 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  imagined 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  specimens 
  

   could 
  once 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  alight 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  

   almost 
  certain 
  to 
  come 
  across 
  the 
  flowers. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  remark- 
  

   able 
  in 
  this 
  connection 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  species 
  with 
  showy 
  

   foliage 
  assume 
  their 
  brightest 
  colors 
  just 
  about 
  the 
  blooming 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  

  

  In 
  dwelling 
  upon 
  a 
  question 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  one 
  under 
  consid- 
  

   eration 
  it 
  is 
  always 
  a 
  strange 
  reflection, 
  as 
  to 
  why 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  

   certain 
  species 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  favored 
  than 
  others. 
  To 
  

   particularize 
  in 
  an 
  instance, 
  one 
  may 
  take 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  

   Salvia 
  referred 
  to 
  above. 
  This 
  plant 
  has 
  numerous 
  allies 
  

   some 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  scarcely 
  so 
  well 
  favored 
  in 
  the 
  attractive- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  their 
  flowers 
  as 
  S. 
  horminum 
  rubrum. 
  Yet 
  these 
  

   have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  blaze 
  forth 
  to 
  the 
  world 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  

  

  Poinsettia 
  Pulcherrima. 
  A 
  Flower 
  Inconspicuous 
  Because 
  of 
  

  

  Its 
  Greenish 
  Petals, 
  But 
  Attractive 
  to 
  Cross 
  Fertilizing 
  

  

  Insects 
  Because 
  of 
  Its 
  Bright 
  Terminal 
  Leaves 
  

  

  glory 
  of 
  gaily 
  colored 
  leaves 
  and 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  content 
  with 
  

   ordinary 
  green 
  foliage. 
  The 
  problem 
  is 
  deep 
  and 
  far 
  reach- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  one 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  far 
  more 
  easy 
  to 
  propound 
  than 
  to 
  

   explain. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  only 
  half 
  an 
  explanation 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  

   one 
  plant 
  requires 
  special 
  assistance 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  does 
  not. 
  

   Probably 
  the 
  question 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  settled 
  in 
  one 
  answer 
  for 
  

   it 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  the 
  reason 
  is 
  very 
  different 
  in 
  individual 
  cases. 
  

  

  