RlChARDIA 
239 
purple at the base, and carried upon stems a 
little shorter than the leaves. Though not so 
pretty a plant as the White Arum, it is 
interesting, as unlike any other kind, and its 
good constitution is of value for crossing. 
Crosses have already been raised between this 
plant and i?. Elliottiana. 
Richardia africana. — An old plant in gar- 
dens, and one of the most useful of white flowers, 
which with care may be had in beauty at almost 
any season. Perhaps few points of culture have 
been more debated than the summer treat- 
ment of this plant ; but while it varies in 
detail with the end desired, it is now generally 
understood, vast quantities being grown for 
the trade and in private gardens. With rich 
feeding, few plants are more easily grown into 
specimens for decoration ; but, although in 
masses it is fine in leaf, it is less free in flower, 
and if overfed the plant often bears double 
or even triple spathes, which are worthless 
for beauty. For decoration, small or medium- 
sized blooms, with slender stems, are the most 
useful, and when other foliage is scarce, their 
leaves are bold and handsome. In the south 
of Ireland and the south-west of England the 
White Richardia often passes the winter in 
the open unharmed, when deep planted or 
under a fair depth of water ; the margins of 
lakes and ponds are thus turned into broad 
sheets of vegetation, yielding in one case 
10,000 blooms at a time, and upwards of 
50,000 in a season. In mild years the flowers 
are borne throughout the winter, and even 
when cut by frost the hurt is soon repaired, 
their roots being uninjured when at a depth 
of 2 feet. Though such results are impossible 
in many places, there are parts of the south 
and west in which use might be made of 
spare plants of the White Arum in this way, 
and its beauty as a waterside plant enjoyed 
in mild seasons ; and if from time to time 
they perished in severe years, the loss would 
be easily repaired. 
Varieties. — The White Arum comes 
freely from seeds, produced in heavy yellow 
masses, which in the south of Europe germi- 
nate freely around the parent, and are fast 
naturalising the plant ; even as far north as 
around Cherbourg and other points in the 
north-west of France, stray plants of the 
White Arum are common in streams and 
watercourses. As a rule, these seedlings differ 
but little, and though a few distinct varieties 
are grown, many of the so-called forms differ 
no more in essentials than is often seen in the 
same plant under different modes of treat- 
ment ; of this class are such kinds as candid- 
issima, siiperba, and elegans. A distinct, large- 
flowered variety, known variously as gigantea, 
grandijiora^ and maxima^ has for many years 
existed in Madeira, where it reaches great 
size and profusion ; its stems often exceed 
5 feet, bearing immense white spathes of 8 
i to 1 2 inches across. Fine flowers (probably 
of this strain) were exhibited last summer in 
Germany, equalling these measurements even 
as pot-plants. More generally useful, how- 
ever, are some of the dwarf varieties, of which 
Little Gem and Perle de Stuttgart are the best 
known. The first is now not much grown, 
for though its flowers are a pretty miniature 
of the parent, they are not freely produced, 
the strength of the plant running to a mass 
of offsets ; if richly fed, these are less trouble- 
some, but the flower comes bigger then and 
loses its distinct character. In Perle de Stutt- 
gart there is more freedom, and its habit is 
good, though the flowers come much nearer 
normal size, resembling in this respect the 
older kind, compacta nana. Among the newer 
named sorts are Cliildsiana, of strong dwarf 
habit, with very large leaves and distinct flat- 
shaped spathes of great size, their defect being 
that when viewed from in front the tip re- 
curves so abruptly that they look as though cut 
bluntly across ; The Godfrey, a very dwarf plant 
of neat habit with abundant flowers of great 
purity and not too large; Z)^!'^;/^/^/}, of medium 
height, with very pure and shapely spathes, 
strongly fragrant ; and Nicolai, a giant form 
shown in Belgium, with spathes 13 incheslong 
and 9 inches broad upon stately plants of nearly 
6 feet high. There is also a weakly variegated 
form, and other abnormal plants in which the 
whiteness of the spathe extends in some 
measure to the leaves. 
R. albo-maculata. — An old garden plant, 
graceful and enduring, easy to flower in almost 
any garden during summer, and the ripened 
tubers may be lifted and stored like potatoes in 
winter. It is of small growth (often not reach- 
