162 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



so as to form a dry walk in case of wet, and on the 

 banks many choice subjects that love and thrive in 

 shady, sheltered spots could be planted, and with due 

 attention they could scarcely fail to succeed. Such 

 a place would, we think, prove a perfect paradise for 

 Trilliums and such other things as are found growing 

 in dense woods. 



. The Flame Flower {Tritoma). — This genus is 

 now often called KniphofM, but in such a woik as 

 this it is probably best to retain the designation best 

 known to our readers. Tritoma is derived from treis, 

 three," and temno, "to cut," in allusion to the three 

 sharp edges of the ends of the leaves. There are two 

 common names — the Flame Flower and Red-hot 

 Poker Plant — both bestowed on account of the long 

 flame-like spikes of yellow and scarlet flowers the 

 plant produces. The former is certainly preferable 

 to the latter, as being more euphonious and less harsh. 

 Tritoma represents a genus of noble autumn-flowering 

 Liliaceous plants, whose brilliant spikes of deepest 

 orange shaded to yellow have now for years formed a 

 .conspicuous element in the autumn decoration of our 

 borders. All the species are natives of the Cape of 

 ■Good Hope. If any one is at a loss to form a notion 

 of what a Triioma is, let him imagine some very 

 Inroad-leaved Sedge, forming a spreading tuft with its 

 recurved foliage^ from the centre of which arises 

 upright a flower-^tem, bearing at the top a multitude 

 of pendent blossohis, tube-shaped, shining like seal- 

 ing-wax, and wh^n sufficiently exposed to air and 

 light, of almost as intense a vermilion ; these collected 

 into a roundish or elongated head, and he will then 

 have a tolerable picture of Tritomas in general. 



The best-known is T. iivaria. This is tbe original 

 1 species that was planted out at Kew in 18i8, with a 

 view to test its hardiness, and is, when obtained true, 

 one of the showiest. 



It succeeds well in borders, beds, or in groups of 

 the finer autumn-flowering perennials, or as isolated 

 tufts on the grass, in a deep, free, and rich loam. It 

 is advised that the roots of this be protected a little 

 in winter. 



T. uvaria has a few varieties, such as glanccscens, 

 -\\^hich has leaves of a more glaucous character than 

 the type. It is of dwarf habit, and produces large 

 and magnificent spikes of scarlet and yellow flowers ; 

 and grandljlora^ or grandts, which is taller and later 

 than T. uvaria, and has greener leaves ; a most de- 

 : sirable form indeed, and one of the grandest of late- 

 blooming perennials, because so tall and perfectly 

 hardy. 



T. Biirchelli is Burchell's Flame Flower, a noble 

 and showy perennial, distinguished from T. uvaria by 

 its flower-stems being marked with black spots, and 

 «,lso by the coloiir of its flowers, which have a scarlet 



base passing into carmine, and then into pale yellow, 

 and green at the extremities. The hardiness of this 

 is sometimes doubted, and it should have some pro- 

 tection during winter, and be planted in a well- 

 diained sandy loam. It does not throw up suckers 

 so freely as some others, but perfects its seeds, by 

 which means it can also be increased. 



T. Hooper i was introduced by Captain Rooper from 

 Calfraria. It has much the aspect of T. Burchelli, 

 but is larger, with the leaves much longer, less rigid 

 in texture, and recurved towards the points, forming 

 a graceful curve, and is further distinguished, botani- 

 cally, by its flowers havipg their anthers included 

 within the tube, or scarcely exserted beyond it, and 

 by the bracts at the apices of the spike forming a 

 kind of crown or tuft above the developed flowers. 

 It blossoms in winter and spring. 



T. Macoivani is a dwai-f and brilliant Flame Flower, 

 in colour intense orange-scarlet, and of graceful 

 habit. It is an excellent subject for the mixed 

 border or for the margins of beds of dwarf shrubs, 

 and for groups and mixed beds in the flower garden, 

 and it does not suffer much from rain in impairing 

 its beauty. 



T. nohiUs produces tall and showy spikes of rich 

 scarlet flowers, is early and continuous in bloom, and 

 a fine subject for growing in clumps. 



T. pnmila is a dwarf and very neat spnng-flowering 

 species, not unfrequently blossoming again in autumn, 

 the flowers bright orange-scarlet. It does well in a 

 rich loam. 



We may state of the Tritomas generally that they 

 are not safe in the open ground from the efifects of 

 frost in many parts of the kingdom, and even in the 

 most favom-ed localities sometimes ; therefore, as a 

 matter of precaution, some covering should be placed 

 over the roots in winter. And in regard to their pro- 

 pagation, they can be increased by division, taking 

 off the rooted suckers thrown up from the roots. 

 This should be done about once in three years, shifting 

 the roots, dividing and replacing in weU-manured 

 soil. The best time to di^•ide is in October and early 

 in November. The divided pieces should be placed 

 singly in small pots, and plunged in coal-ashes in a 

 frame, where they can be so far protected as to keep 

 the soil from being frozen. This latter precaution 

 should always be taken, even in the case of plants 

 that are quite hardy. 'WTien their roots are in a pot 

 they suffer much more from frost than when in the 

 open ground ; this at first may appear inexplic- 

 able, but the way it occm-s is thus explained : when 

 the soil ie confined within the restricted limits of a 

 pot, it has not room to expand when frozen in the 

 same way as when in an unconfined position, the 

 result of which is that an inward compression takes 

 place which crushes the roots within it. From this it 



