282 



NATIVE PLANTS /A FIELD, FOREST AND GARDEN. 



transplant, and if we will succeed with it we have to 

 provide for it conditions somewhat similar to those 

 it enjoys in the woods. The green-leaved species is no 

 better in this respect ; indeed these, some pyrolas, lyco- 

 podiums, and a few other things go well together, and 

 are [always prettier [in the wood than in the garden, 

 because thev are happier there. 



The winterberries are too well known to need com- 

 ment. Their scarlet berries ripen in September, and 

 till November, with their plentiful green leaves, they 

 have a beautiful appearance. As winter approaches and 

 the plants become defoliated, the berries still adhere to 

 them in very vivid character. The winterberry is a 

 holly {Ilex verticiUata), and like all its kin is always 

 interesting. 



The typical Opwitia Missoiiriensis is, to my mind, the 

 most satisfactory cactus of all our natives. It grows 

 vigorously and densely, and blossoms more profusely 

 than O. Rafinesqttii , O, coiiiancJiiia ^ O. vulgaris, or any 

 of the other hardy sorts. Now, let me say a word 

 against the notion that cactuses should be grown in poor, 

 dry soil and scorching hot positions; my experience 

 does not justify this idea. I have found that they like an 

 open, warm, and sheltered spot, and dislike shade, espe- 

 cially overhead from trees, but they do not object to par- 

 tial shade as that afforded by a high fence or wall ; also, 

 that they thrive best in fairly good ground, providing it is 

 well-drained or ridged so that water will pass off freely 

 even in winter. — William Falconer, Long Island. 



Crinum Americanum. — Many species and varieties of 

 amaryllis and hippeastrum (the latter is universally 

 known in cultivation as amaryllis) are common and 

 deservedly popular. It is only within a very few years 

 that crinums have been cultivated at all at the north, 

 except in the greenhouses of a few wealthy amateurs, 

 and an occasional stray plant in some florist's establish- 

 ment. I remember seeing one such bulb in a florist's 

 greenhouse in the summer of 1883. It was an immense 

 bulb, occupying a very large tub. I did not measure it, 

 and at this late day cannot give its size with any accuracy, 

 but the bulb must have been over six inches in diameter 

 and the amount of foliage was marvelous. The owner 

 said he would not take one hundred dollars for that one 

 bulb, and said that it paid him from $12 to $15 every 

 year for cut-flowers, while the expense of growing it was 

 almost nothing. He did not know its true name, but 

 called it Crimim rosemii. Several species of crinums 

 have been cultivated in Florida for many years. Some 

 of them have become so common as to be found in 

 almost every door-yard among the older settlers. Within 

 the last three or four years two or three firms of florists 

 and nurserymen in this state have been offering them to 

 their northern customers. Where they have been tried 

 they have proved very satisfactory as house plants, and 

 are growing rapidly in popularity. They have some 

 points of superiority over any of the common varieties of 

 amaryllis. 



One species, Criniiin Americanum (Fig. 3, page 283), 

 is a native of Florida, and the object of this article is to 



call attention to its merits, 

 only in the swamps, grow- 

 ing in low bottom land 

 along the creeks and small 

 streams where the land is 

 frequently overflowed b y 

 the tides. The soil in 

 which it grows is always 

 saturated with water, and 

 usually if the 

 muck and leaf- 

 mould is dug 

 away from 

 around a bulb, 

 the hole will fill 

 up with water in 

 a very few min- 

 utes. Many 

 thrifty specimens 

 are found grow- 

 ing in the water 

 near the edge of 

 the streams. In 

 spite of these 

 facts, they thrive 

 in cultivation on 

 compa r a t i V el y 

 dry soil. On good 

 soil the bulbs 

 rapidly increase in size 

 and bloom more freely 

 than when wild. In a 

 state of nature they \'ery 

 seldom bloom more than 

 once in a season, and 

 each stalk will bear only 

 two, or at most three 

 blossoms. In cultivation 

 they usually bloom twice 

 and often three times a 

 year, while the number 

 of flowers increases to 

 four or five as a rule, and 

 I have occasionally seen 

 six on one stalk. The 

 blossoms are pure white, 

 and fragrant. The three 

 sepals and three petals 

 are all exactly alike, each 

 from one-half to three- 

 fourths of an inch wide 

 and from three to four 

 inches long, slightly re- 

 curved, making a flower 

 from five to seven inches 

 in diameter. The blos- 

 soms only last about forty- 

 eight hours on the plant, 

 but if cut as soon as open 



It is found, in a wild state, 



4i 



11'?/ ' 



Fig. 



Habenaria ciliaris. 



