GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS. 



171 



G. racemosa mpcrha. — Leaves trifoliate, large, 

 slightly hairy ; flowers in long racemes, rich deep 

 yellow. Winter and early spring months. This is one 

 of the most useful of the whole family, and in many 

 gardens is the only one grown. As the name imports, 

 when well grown it is a plant of very fine effect. 



G-'nidia. — These are compact-growing Heath-like 

 plants with slender branches, and somewhat resemble 

 Fimelea. They require nearly the same treatment as 

 Ericas, but their foliage is too soft to enable them 

 to withstand full exposure to the sun in the open air, 

 so that a good airy and partially- shaded position 

 should be given them in the green-house, or if a cool 

 frame can be devoted to them so much the better for 

 the welfare of the plants. Peat and sand with a very 

 little loam suits them admirably. The roots of 

 Gnidias are very delicate, and are easily destroyed ; 

 therefore careful watering is necessary to preserve 

 the happy medium between flood and drought. 



G. pinifolia.— This is perhaps the handsomest 

 species in the genus ; the leaves are somewhat nar- 

 row and triangular, soft green ; flowers in terminal 

 capitate heads on all the shoots, soft creamy- white or 

 straw-colour. Spring and early summer. Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



G. imberbis. — Similar to the preceding, but the 

 leaves are shorter and more closely set ; the capitate 

 heads of flower are pale yellow. Early summer 

 months. Cape of Good Hope. 



Gompholobium. — A genus of Leguminosce, con- 

 taining some very handsome species. They are 

 mostly slender trailing plants and rather delicate 

 in constitution, but their beauty when in flower fully 

 compensates for any extra care required in their 

 cultivation. One species not introduced to cultiva- 

 tion in this country [G. uncinatum) has a bad repu- 

 tation amongst the farmers of South Australia, who 

 afiirm that when sheep feed upon its branches it has 

 a very injurious effect. 



Gompholobiums vrhen young should be potted in 

 peat and sand only, but when the plants have at- 

 tained some size and strength they will be much bene- 

 fited by the addition of a little light sandy loam. The 

 twining species of this genus should be trained over 

 a balloon-shaped wire trellis if intended for exhibi- 

 tion purposes, but for ordinary green-house decora- 

 tions a trellis in the shape of a column will have 

 the best effect. All are natives of South and West 

 Australia. 



G. barbigerum. — An erect-growing plant and the 

 largest-flowered species in the family ; the stems ai-e 

 angular, bearing trifoliate leaves, segments linear, 

 darlc green; flowers yellow, solitary in the axils, 

 about an inch in diameter. May and June. 



G. polymorpJium splendens. — A slender twining 

 plant, with quinate loaves, leaflets linear, recurved 

 at the edges, and furnished with a stifi: bristle at 

 the end; flowers bright crimson-scarlet and yellow, 

 solitary in the axils of the leaf. Spring and early 

 summer. 



G. vemcstum. — A beautiful but rare species ; a 

 twining plant bearing smooth pinnate leaves of many 

 pairs of leaflets ; flowers rosy-purple, produced in a 

 terminal corymb. Spring and early summer. 



Grevillea.— The genus belongs to the Protea- 

 ceous family, and includes species remarkable as 

 ornamental foliage plants, and others as flowering 

 plants of great beauty, with flowers of singular 

 structure. They bear quite cool gTeen-house treat- 

 ment, and are very desirable ornaments. 



The soil should be fibrous peat and turfy loam, 

 two parts of each, and one part of sharp sand. The 

 pots should be well filled with roots before shifting 

 into a larger size, as they do not like a large quantity 

 of mould about them. If Grevilleas have the tops 

 of the shoots pinched occasionally when young they 

 will make close bushy plants, and will not fail to 

 attract the lovers of flowers when in bloom. 



G. alpcstris. — One of the most profuse-blooming 

 species we have, for although it makes a rather large 

 shrub in its native wilds, it commences to bloom in 

 the green-house when only a few inches high. The 

 whole plant is more or less pubescent ; leaves ovate, 

 dark green, greyish below ; flowers on racemes on 

 all the points, hairy, dull red, tipped with straw- 

 colour ; almost a perpetual bloomer. Widely dis- 

 tributed thi'oughout Australia. 



G. BanJcsii.— This species is a bold and sti'ong 

 grower, attaining the height of fifteen feet and 

 upwards. The leaves are pinnatifid, divided nearly 

 down to the midrib, segments narrow, bright green 

 above, silky below ; flowers produced in large dense 

 terminal racemes, rosy -red. August and September. 

 Queensland. 



G. ericifoUa. — The whole plant slightly pubescent ; 

 leaves long and narrow, curiously twisted; flowers 

 in racemes on all the shoots, bright red, tipped with 

 greenish-yellow. Winter months. Australia ; widely 

 distributed. 



G. fasciculata. — An elegant erect plant, some four 

 feet high when mature, but it flow^ers in quite a 

 small state ; leaves narrow, about an inch or more 

 long, upper surface rough and deep green, under 

 side clothed with a brownish tomentum ; flowers in. 

 racemes on the ends of all the shoots, red, tipped 

 with yellow. May and June. Swan River. 



G. macrostylis. — The peculiar foliage of this plant 

 is another example of the protean forms taken on by 

 the members of this order. In this plant the leaves 



