Page fourteen 
THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST September, 1952 
However, to gardeners the world 
over it will always be known as 
“Sturt’s Desert Pea,” and must 
rank as one of our most brilliantly 
coloured native flowers, as well as 
one of the most desirable — but 
none the less difficult to cultivate. 
C 1 ) Ford, N. and Vickery J. in Contri- 
butions from the New South Wales 
Herbarium, 1, No. 5 (1950) 303-4. 
Cultivation: 
Undoubtedly the methods of raising 
this plant from seed and the subsequent 
cultivation of the seedlings can be re- 
garded as one of the most hotly debated 
subjects in horticulture! Even in the 
“settled areas'’ of Australia no two meth- 
ods appear always to succeed. But agree- 
ment that (a) hot water should be 
poured over the seed before it is sown, 
and (b) that the seed should be sown 
where it is to remain is fairly general. 
Seed can be raised in pots and planted 
out before the plants become pot bound. 
Agreement also occurs in that the soil 
should be well drained and that the 
plants left alone, with very little water- 
ings after germination has taken place. 
This plant has been grown for a great 
number of years in England and the 
Continent by successfully overcoming the 
most critical stage of its growth, namely 
the seedling stage, when “damping off’ 
kills many of the plants. The method is 
ingenious. 
Seeds of Clianthus are sown under 
glass in pots, anti when they germinate, 
seed of Golutea arborescent are sown 
singly in pots. By the time these seeds 
germinate and the cotyledons appear, 
the Clianthus has produced the first 
“foliage leaves.’’ These young seedlings 
are then severed at ground level with a 
razor, the hypocotyl shaped as a wedge, 
and into a “cleft” made in the young 
Colutea seedlings the Clianthus scions 
are placed. They are tied with a strand 
of raffia, and placed under glass (in a 
closed frame) until the union takes place 
— a matter of a week or so. 
Thus treated they will stand further 
potting, and can be used as basket plants. 
Those who have seen “Sturt’s Desert Pea” 
used as such will agree that they make 
one of the most glorious flowering 
basket plants it is possible to grow! 
VI. 
ECOLOGY AND 
CO-OPERATION IN NATURE 
continued from page 7 
point of view, and may last with 
proper management for many years, 
while all the time improving the 
quality of the soil. 
Thus we have an example of co- 
operation for mutual benefit in the 
vegetable kingdom. It is hoped that 
it will be of interest especially in 
view of the general tendency, 
which most nature lovers will 
deprecate, to overstress the opposite 
quality of competition, which is 
only half the story. 
“EARLY SPRING” 
continued from page 8 
a ridge which finally led us into the 
Gorge. A few straggling specimens of 
Nicotiana glauca, a large bush of l.ogania 
vaginalis and a small shrub of Solarium 
nigrum , the black nightshade, attracted 
attention, but as light was rapidly fading 
our main objective was to cover the 
remaining mile or two without too much 
loitering. 
The first stars were shining when, with 
a final burst of gaiety, we marched up 
the last rise. It was satisfying and heart 
warming to know that the charm of our 
great bushland, which was experienced by 
the two youngest members of our party 
for the first time, had impressed them 
with wonder and delight. 
N.LH. 
