YUCCA, 



251 



the Bamboo has of late years claimed in 

 our gardens? and, given a like care in the 

 selection of sites and varieties, and some 

 nursing until fairly established, there is 

 reason to believe that our choice of Yuc- 

 cas might might also be considerably 

 extended. Even at Kew, though Mr. 

 Baker gives quite a list of hardy forms 

 and species, there has been no attempt 

 to group the Yucca, the few kinds to be 

 seen being dotted here and there in the 

 usual weak manner. The hardiest sorts 

 ?Lxe.flexilis,Jlaccida,jilame?itosa,glauca, 

 g/orwsa, Har?~imanice, and that com- 

 monest of forms recurvifolia, and these 

 are found in numerous varieties with a 

 good range of form and habit. The 

 variegated forms are dingy, less robust, 

 and not worth growing,though good in- 

 dividual plants are sometimes met with. 

 Exception may be made of the striped 

 varieties of aloifolia, and that little gem 

 pendula aurea variegata of Deleuil, 

 which is quite a handsome foliage plant, 

 but the red markings in some of the for- 

 mer are very inconstant and gradually 

 disappear. De Smetiana also deserves 

 mention; its arching purplish leaves and 

 slender stems make it a most distinct 

 plant. 



Mons. Deleuil amongst his crosses 

 has obtained some good varieties, in- 

 cluding a handsome and free double- 

 flowering sort, Andreana ; a second, 

 densely hairy ; a third with grassy, sil- 

 very foliage, and other variations not yet 

 seen in this country. On the occasion 

 of our visit Mons. Deleuil was at some 

 pains to explain his method of crossing, 

 which it may be of interest to repro- 

 duce here. He insisted upon the great 



importance of dry, bright weather for 

 the operation, and was careful to remove 

 from the inflorescence every flower not 

 springing directly from the central stem, 

 brushing the half-closed hand lightly 

 over the selected flower-spikes as soon 

 as the spores and ovaries appeared ripe. 

 The resulting collection now includes 

 some thousands of plants, the best being 

 carefully propagated ; and we would 

 urge lovers of the Yucca to visit Hyeres 

 and study these new forms for them- 

 selves. 



Mr. Carl Sprenger of Naples has also 

 made the Yucca a speciality, and in view 

 of their ease of importation and culture 

 it is to be hoped that some of these new 

 forms will be given a trial in this coun- 

 try. The great point to remember is, 

 that the Yucca, to prove sturdy and 

 bloom well, must have all the air and 

 sun available in a dry and sheltered 

 position — sheltered not by being half- 

 buried amidst shrubs, but for choice 

 grouped on a warm bank in the lea of 

 a good wall or thick clump of ever- 

 greens. 



A distinguished student of these 

 plants has lately done us a great service; 

 Professor William Trelease of the Mis- 

 souri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, has 

 given to the genus Yucca and its allies 

 much thought, and the results have been 

 published in the 1 3 th Report of the Gar- 

 den. With the best opportunities and a 

 thorough devotion to the subject he has 

 given us a precious account of the spe- 

 cies and their relationships, of which, 

 with his permission, we will make an 

 abstract. Omitting his very complete 

 lists of synonyms and other technical 



