THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



of the tubercles. Propagated by means of seed and by offsets when procurable. P. 

 aseliformis.— Stems simple, till about 3 inches high, after which offsets are developed 

 at the base ; flowers large, and produced at the apex of the stems ; colour purple. 

 P. a. concolor, P. a. pectinata, and P. a. cristata are varieties differing slightly from 

 the original species. 



Pereskia (Gooseberry Cactus). — Although principally used as stocks for grafting 

 Epiphyllums, some of the species are sufficiently attractive to find a place in many 

 collections of Cacti. Pereskias do not convey the impression of being Cactuses, but are 

 closely related to Cereus and Epiphyllum. The}r have erect or trailing stems and 

 branches, forming dense bushes. The branches are woody, thin, and furnished with 

 spines ; the leaves are large, laurel-like, succulent, and tenacious. The flowers are borne 

 singly or in panicles, and resemble a single rose. The fruit is shaped like a gooseberry, 

 and covered with short bristles. Pereskias are propagated by cuttings, every short 

 length of branch with a leaf or two attached rooting readily in heat, and may be soon 

 grown to a size suitable for either grafting or flowering. P. aculeata has orange-like 

 leaves and white flowers. P. a. rubescens has longer, narrower leaves, tinged with red 

 below. P. Bleo is a stout-branching shrub, the stems very spiny ; flowers rosy-red. 

 P. amapola, P. spathulata, and P. zinniseflora are also in cultivation. 



PHYLLOCACTUS. 



Phyllocacti, as the name implies, have in some instances flattened leaf-like sterns, 

 but in others the stems are three-angled, and the margins deeply notched. These 

 notches are the leaf divisions, and the stems are really made up of so many modified 

 leaves, these becoming more cylindrical and woody with age. It is from the notches 

 that the plants produce their gorgeous flowers, much as other plants develop flowers 

 from the axils of their leaves. 



Phyllocacti are natives of Tropical America. They can be raised from seed, but are 

 usually increased by division of the plants and by cuttings of the branches, placed, 

 after drying, in small pots of sandy soil and arranged on a sunny shelf. Their growing 

 season is from May to August inclusive, and what re-potting is necessary should be 

 done early in May. Much root room is undesirable, the most root-bound plants 

 frequently producing the greater number of flowers. If the larger plants are given a 

 small shift every third or fourth season that is often enough, especially when they are 

 kept in a greenhouse or cottage window. 



