148 



PAXTON'S FLOWER GARDEN. 



expansion of a new tier above those of the former days, till at last the whole mass 

 becomes a globe of living and glowing crimson. This brilliant head appears on the side 

 of the main stem, among the leaves, which at that time present a singular phenomenon. 

 Every evening they rise np and lift themselves from the blossoms to expose th^m to the 

 dew, so that each morning these beautiful objects lie uncovered ; but as day advances 

 the leaves gradually droop, and bend down over the flowers to guard them from the rays 

 of the sun. Who can imagine the gorgeousness of an equinoctial forest at midnight, with 

 the veils thus lifted off myriads of flowers of every form and hue, all hidden from our 

 gaze by this or other means during the hours of tropical sunlight, whose brilliancy would 

 be death to their tender texture and delicate colours ? 



This tree must be grown in the damp stove. When its seeds are good they are easily 

 raised if sown in light soil, and plunged in a tan-pit or hotbed. A rich free soil that will 

 not get hard or sour is the best for its after-growth. It is only in a large house that it can 

 thrive well for any length of time, and be seen in its greatest beauty. Then if planted out 

 in the border, or in a large tub with sufficient room for its leaves to develop freely, it forms 

 a magnificent object, not perhaps much inferior to Amherstia nobilis. 



