CAtftfA. 



53 



will thrive most luxuriantly in dry soil, if made rich. 

 For large groups on the lawn, for planting against fences 

 or unsightly places it has no equal in the list of orna- 

 mental plants. One of its great attractions is that it 

 will grow anywhere, and always ornament its surround- 

 ings. The tubers should be planted singly, about one 

 and a half feet apart, as soon as general gardening opera- 

 tions commence. Whether in clumps or in rows, the 

 plants will completely cover the ground, forming an 

 impenetrable screen when planted at that distance apart. 

 After the frost has destroyed the beauty of the foliage, 

 the roots should be taken up and kept during winter in 

 a dry warm room or cellar. 



The varieties are readily produced from seed, which 

 is best planted singly in small pots, although they seed 

 themselves freely, and come up like weeds where once 

 grown. This, however, does not apply to the large 

 flowering species, which do not seed freely unless 

 artificially fertilized. The species are all tropical or sub- 

 tropical plants, being found abundantly in the East and 

 West Indies, Central and South America. One species, 

 C. flaccida, is common in some of our Southern States. 

 Botanically they are allied to Maranta, Calathea, and to 

 the Ginger family. One of the species, C. edulis, is 

 extensively grown in Peru and the Sandwich Islands as 

 a vegetable ; it also yields a large quantity of arrowroot. 



Many of the species have long been cultivated for 

 their beautiful flowers and foliage. Parkinson, that 

 admirable gardener, described the method of growing 

 them, in a manner peculiarly his own, in his "Flower 

 Garden," published in 1629. There is also an excellent 

 copperplate illustration of C. indica, in "Florilegium 

 Renovatum," published in 1612, showing that the plant 

 was highly appreciated in that early day. But few of 

 the species are in general cultivation, the labors of the 

 hybridist having given us new forms, desirable because 



