54 



BULBS AKD TUBEBOUS -ROOTED PLAKTS. 



of their dwarf habit and ever-bloomirig qualities. To 

 the French gardeners we are indebted for a new and dis- 

 tinct class of dwarf plants, which are giving a decided 

 impetus to Oanna culture. Their dwarf habit, hand- 

 some flowers, and the freedom with which they are pro- 

 duced, are making them great favorites for the conserva- 

 tory or greenhouse culture. In color the flowers are 

 rich crimson and bright yellow, with all the variations 

 that these colors can produce. This class is popularly 

 known as Crozy's Dwarf Cannas. How much credit is 

 due Mon. Orozy for originating this popular class is a 

 question, as we find in Loddiges' Botanical Cabinet, 

 1820, a colored engraving of an almost perfect flower of 

 the variety known as Mad. Crozy, and is there classed 

 with the species as C. Aura- Vittata. He is, however, 

 entitled due credit for introducing so valuable a class of 

 plants. American florists have taken up the work of 

 cross-fertilization, and have already raised from seed 

 some of the most showy, as well as the most dwarf, of 

 any yet sent out. 



Star of 1 89 1 is an American variety worthy of 

 special notice. The whole height of the plant does not 

 exceed eighteen inches. The flowers are bright orange- 

 crimson, and so closely arranged in the spike that it is 

 more the form of the Tritoma than the Canna. The 

 parentage of these dwarf forms is undoubtedly the species 

 found in Peru, prominent among them being G. Aura- 

 vittata, as described by Loddiges, and that for garden 

 decoration they have no superiors. Of the species and 

 varieties, a few of the more valuable for general cultiva- 

 tion are : 



C. iridiflora (Iris-Flowered Canna). — One of the 

 most showy of the species, growing from six to nine feet 

 high, with long, broad, rich bright green foliage. A 

 native of Peru. To flower freely it should have a good 

 sunny situation, and a rich soil. The importance of 



