1872.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
101 
The Balloon-Vine or Heart-Seed. 
Among the anuuals the Balloon-vine com- 
mends itself by its delicacy and the curious 
character of its fruit, rather than by the showi- 
nessof its flowers. The plant is a low climber; 
in its wild state it runs along the ground and 
over low bushes, and in cultivation it should 
The Balloon-vine stands in the same family 
with the Bladder-nut, Horse-Chestnut, etc. 
The Matrimony-Vine. 
In old gardens we sometimes meet with a 
shrub that was formerly more common than it 
is at present — the Matrimony-vine. It is the 
feet. It is a rapid grower, and is frequently 
used in Europe to cover walls, the sides of 
buildings, etc. In some places in this country 
it has become partly naturalized, and as it 
throws up a great abundance of suckers it is- 
difficult to eradicate where it is well established. 
The name Lycium is from Lycia, the native 
country of one of the species. A native spe- 
balloon vine. — (Cardiot^ermum Hcdicacabum.) 
matrimony ywe,.— (Lycium vulgare.) 
have some support about four feet high. The 
engraving gives a portion of a plant slightly 
less than the natural size. The leaves, ■which 
are thin in texture, are handsomely cut. The 
flowers are iu axillary clusters, very small, and 
with the parts iu fours. Each flower cluster 
bears hooked tendrils, by means of which the 
plant climbs. The fruit is a large bladdery cap- 
sule, 'with a single seed in each of its three cells. 
Each seed is marked (shown in an enlarged 
seed, a, iu the engraving) by a heart-shaped spot 
(aril), -which suggested the generic name Gardio- 
spermum, or Heart-seed. When filled with its 
curious fruit, the Balloon-vine is an interesting 
plant, and is sure to be a favorite with the 
young people, who find much amusement in 
exploding the inflated pods. It is found grow- 
ing wild in Florida and Texas, and is widely 
distributed throughout the warmer portions of 
the -world. It is said that iu the Moluccas 
the foliage is cooked and eaten as a vegetable. 
Like other tender annuals, it does better if 
Started iu a hot-bed. The full name of this lit- 
tle vine is Cardiospermum Halicacabum. The 
meaning of the generic name has already been 
given. Tlie specific name is the Greek one for 
another plant, and applied to this one by Lin- 
ii88us, for what reason we are unable to say. 
Lycium vulgare, though in most botanical 
works it is called Lycium Barbarum, a name 
which belongs to a different plant. Other com- 
mon names are Bastard Jasmine, Barbary Box- 
thorn, and the Duke of Argyll's Tea-tree. The 
last name was given to it from the fact that a 
plant of this and one of the true Tea were sent 
to the Duke of Argyll, and the labels having 
become exchanged this shrub was cultivated 
for a while under the belief that it was the Tea- 
plant. As generally seen, the shrub presents a 
mass of long, pendent branches, bearing leaves 
of a grayish green color. The flowers are pro- 
duced in the axils of the leaves in small clusters, 
each upon a stalk about an iuch long. The 
corolla has five lobes, and is of a pale greenish 
purple color. The oval berries are orange-red 
when ripe, and contain numerous seeds. Though 
the shrub can not be regarded as a showy one, 
it presents a neat appearance with its rather 
modest flowers and abundance of shining ber- 
ries. It keeps iu flower for a long time; as the 
stems elongate, new blossoms are developed, 
while the fruit from the earlier ones is already 
ripe. When left to itself, the shrub seldom 
grows more than six or eight feet high, but if 
the branches are trained to a wall or other sup- 
port it will grow to the hight of thirty or forty 
cies grows in South Carolina and Florida, and 
three or four others are found iu the Rio Grande 
region of Texas. The engraving gives the end 
of a branch of the natural size. 
Sowing Seeds of Tropical Annuals. 
BY PETER HENDERSON. 
Our climate is much more favorable than that 
of England for the growth of annuals of tropi- 
cal origin. Not only do the plants with us at- 
tain a greater hight and development, but these 
that are grown for the color of their foliage ac- 
quire a greater brilliancy under our clear sun- 
light than they do uuder the dull skies of the 
British Isles. Notwithstanding all this, the 
English gardeners and also the amateurs, as a 
general thing, meet with better success with 
these plants fhan do ours. This success is due 
to beginning properly with the seeds. Our 
amateurs are ready to buy at a high price all 
novelties that are offered, but their results are 
not in proportion to their liberality. Take for 
illustration the new Amaranth which is figured 
elsewhere; the seeds of it will be offered this 
spring in " homoeopathic " packets at an " allo- 
pathic " price. Of those who purchase, a few 
