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A GROUP OF CUOiCE CAC1I. 



SUCCULENT PLANTS FOR THE GREENHOUSE. 



THESE are a remarkable class of plants, capable of sustaining life for a long time 

 without water. Most of them are natives of dry and arid regions, and under 

 cultivation in this country the supply of water must at all times be carefully 

 regulated, otherwise decay may set in. Some of them have bright and showy 

 blossoms, while others are of very quaint and curious forms, the ribs and spines especially 

 in some of the globular-shaped kinds being arranged with almost mathematical precision. 

 The principal classes of succulent plants are : 



A^ave. — Nearly all the species of Agave are natives of 



the New World, the best known being the American 



Aloe (A. americana), that forms a huge rosette, composed 



of numerous fleshy leaves, the stn ngest be.ng on a fully- 

 developed specimen nearly bit. long. A widespread 



fallacy in connection with this plant is that it takes a 



hundred years to flower, for vigorous examples will 



bloom in very much less time than that. Though an 



extensive genus, there are not many species of Agaves in 



general cultivation, but all are highly ornamental, and 



large specimens in pots or tubs are very useful lor 



standing on balconies, terraces, etc., during the summer 



months. They are increased by suckers, which in some 



species is a very slow process. 

 Aloe.— Some of these are stemless, but many form quite 



bushes, furnished with thick fleshy leaves, more or less 



spotted, and arranged in a rosette. The flowers in some 



species are decidedly showy, bearing a great general 



resemblance to a spike of the Red-hot Poker plant 



( ICniphofia). 



Cerei'.S. — This is an extensive group of large grotesque 



shrubs, to which the general name of Cactus is frequently 



applied. The night-flowering Cactus (Cereus grandi- 



florus), which has at times been much talked about, is one 



of this group. The flowers of this are white. 

 CraSSUla. — The showiest member of this genus is 



C. coccinea, also known a- KaloFanthes coccinea, whih 



forms a charming object in the greenhouse during the 



summer. The tube-shaped scarlet flowers are borne in 

 crowded heads at the points of the shoots. 



Eeheveria. — The name of Cotyledon is now frequently 

 applied to most of those previously known as Echeverias. 

 They are largely employed lor bedding out during the 

 summer months, the leaves in some being of a peculiarly 

 metallic, and in others of a bluish, lint. One kind, 

 E. fulgens, with nodding clusters of red and yellow 

 flowers, is worthy of note for the sake of its blooms. 



EchinoeaCtUS. — For the most part these are globular in 

 shape, and densely covered with spines, which in some 

 species assume huge proportions. The flowers, which 

 are borne principally on the apex, are in most instances 

 brightly coloured. 



Epiphylllim triincatlim. — While there is only one 

 species, t'lere are many garden varieties, all of which are 

 very beautiful, and especially valuable from their flowering 

 in midwinter. The colours vary from blush to violet, scarlet 

 tints being also represented among them. The Epiphyllums 

 have flattened stems, which are so weak that unless the 

 plants are grown in suspended baskets ihev should lie 

 grafted standard high on to a near ally, Pereskia aculeata. 



Gasteria. — Closely related to the Aloes, but as a rule 

 dwarfer in grow th. Some of them flower freely. 



Mamillar;a. - The most symmetrically-shaped of all the 

 Cactus family, these arrest attention from this reason 

 alone ; hut tlie flowers are also pretty, and the berry-like 

 fruits that succeed them impart another pleasing feature. 



