192 



HOUSE PLANTS 



and may be put outdoors in the flower bed 

 again in the summer. 



ALL THE SCREW PINES 



The most popular variegated plant for 

 house culture is the variegated screw pine 

 {Pandanus Veitchii), The leaves grow two 

 to three feet long, one and one-half to two 

 inches broad, are light shiny green with 

 broad pure white stripes and arch gracefully. 

 Both the edges and the midrib of the leaf 

 are thick, and set with spines. When small, 

 it is very useful in fern dishes as a centre- 

 piece; small ferns and selaginellas being 

 used about the base. To be successful 

 with this in the house, one must get plants 

 which have been hardened off. Soft, sappy 

 specimens are very apt to rot. Give the 

 screw pine a rich but well-drained soil and 

 plenty of water, but do not over, water. As 

 the roots are rather large and fleshy, the 

 soil must not be packed around them too 

 tightly or their growth will be retarded. 



As the plant suckers freely, new ones 

 can easily be made by removing the suckers 

 and treating them as cuttings. There is 

 another variegated pandanus of more recent 



