DIEFFENBA CHI A . 



321 



DIEFFENBACHIA. 



Although not quite so showy as a few other stove plants grown solely for the 

 beauty of their leaves, yet some of the representatives of this genus of erect, evergreen 

 perennials are distinctly ornamental, and they are of comparatively easy culture. There 

 are a fairly large number of species available, and of these the following will be found a 



Fig. 146. DlEFFENBACHIA PIC'l'A. 



good selection : D. Baraquiniana, Brazil : height 3 to 5 feet, with leaves 6 to 12 inches 

 long and 3 to 6 inches wide ; green, spotted with white ; midrib and petioles also white. 

 D. Bausei : a garden hybrid ; broad leaves, yellowish-green, margined and blotched with 

 dark green, and profusely spotted with white. D. braziliensis, Brazil : handsome and 

 distinct ; dark green leaves, suffused with blotches of white and pale green. D. Leopoldi, 

 South America : one of the best ; leaves deep, lustrous satiny-green ; midrib broad, ivory 



VOL. II. T T 



