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DIELYTRA SPECTABILIS. 
die down in autumn, and the roots remain in a dormant state until the following 
spring, when the plant again appears above the ground, and flowers in the months of 
May and June. " 
Being a native of Siberia and the Northern Provinces of China, there is little 
doubt but it will prove perfectly hardy, although it is yet too scarce and expensive a 
plant to allow of a fair trial being given. 
A light rich soil, good drainage, and a sheltered situation are all that it requires. 
It will prove a most useful plant for early forcing, as it needs only a moderate 
amount of heat to excite it to bloom ; the specimen from which we made our drawing, 
only having been introduced to the forcing-house three weeks, became most beautifully 
in flower. Increase is effected both by division of the roots and by cuttings. The 
best time for the former is when the plants first begin to grow in spring, and the 
cuttings should be made from the young shoots, which when they become sufficiently 
hardened should be cut in lengths and planted under a handglass in a gentle bottom 
heat. 
The generic name is derived from dis, double, and elytron, a sheath ; alluding to 
the two sheath-like spurs at the base of the flower. 
The annexed woodcut strikingly exhibits the habit and general appearance of 
the plant. 
