ON STOVE PLANTS. 



685 



specimens are, however, grown in pots, and well repay by a 

 profusion of beautiful flowers any pains taken in their cultivation. 

 They propagate tolerably freely by cuttings of rather firm shoots 

 in heat under a bell-glass. A compost of two parts turfy loam, 

 with one part of peat, and some coarse silver-sand suits Allamandas 

 very well. As they are gross feeders water must be supplied 

 without stint when in full growth, with daily syringings overhead 

 except when in flower. After flowering, or in spring before 

 starting into growth, the branches must be well thinned out and 

 pruned back. 



The following are good sorts : A. cathartica^ A. chelso7ii^ 

 A. grandiflora, A. Hendersoni, A. nobilis^ A. Schottii, and 

 A. Wardleana. If A. grandiflora and A. nobilis are grafted 

 on stocks of A. neriifolia this will check the tendency to rampant 

 growth, and cause them to flower more freely. 



Aristolochias form suitable creepers for training up the 

 rafters and festooning about in an elegant manner under the 

 roof The curious shapes of their flowers, often beautifully 

 veined and spotted or mottled, render them most interesting and 

 attractive. The stove species have been obtained principally 

 from Tropical America and Africa, and are usually propagated 

 by cuttings. They succeed best when planted in a bed of loam 

 with a little leaf-mould and sand intermixed. 



A. elegans is one of the best for general cultivation, it being 

 of neat habit, much less rampant in growth than some of the 

 other species, and a profuse blossomer, with handsome colours 

 and markings. A. gigas is a vigorous grower, and requires 

 plenty of room to ramble about ; it produces very large, beauti- 

 fully veined flowers. A. ridicula is such an especially curious 

 production of nature that a long description would fail to 

 convey a clear idea of its peculiar shape and markings. There 

 are several other species obtainable, all of which are peculiarly 

 fascinating, such as A. Diicharirei, A. Goldieajia grandiflora^ 

 A. ornithocephala^ A. ringens^ and A. tricaiidata. 



BiGNONiA. — The majority of this large genus are vigorous 

 climbers, with handsome green foliage and very beautiful tubular 

 flowers produced in panicles. They may be increased by cuttings 

 of side-shoots in summer, and flourish when planted in a well- 

 drained border in loam, peat, and sand, with the shoots trained 

 up the rafters of a cool stove or intermediate house. The 

 branches should be thoroughly ripened in the autumn, and well 

 pruned back before they start into fresh growth, allowing them 

 a good season of rest. Old, well-estabhshed plants of all the 

 species flower more freely than those that are young, the latter 

 having a greater tendency to make strong growths. 



B. Chaniberlaynei is a handsome yellow-flowered species from 

 Brazil. B. speciosa is a very showy Brazilian species, with pink 



