PIJ7EDRANASSA CHLORACRA. 
205 
water have an advantage; but with respect to 
wholesomeness to the air in which the plant 
grows, the common flue, and wood work to 
hold the glass, are every way better. It has 
been recommended to paint the pipes. This 
lasts but a short time if not painted with lead, 
and I am not sure that lead might not be more 
dangerous in other ways. Upon the whole, 
iron pipes are decidedly advantageous in all 
houses but in a stove or heated pit, and may 
be more advantageously used in a hot pit or 
stove if the bark or tan pit be used also, to 
render less pipe necessary; or without tan, if a 
supply of fresh air and a proper circulation 
be secured ; but, except for neatness, iron 
is a bad substitute for wood, and the un- 
healthy state of some of the plants in iron 
houses sufficiently demonstrate the fact. 
PH^DRANASSA CHLORACRA. 
(Herbert.) 
THE CRIMSON AND GREEN PRVEDRANASSA. 
A Peruvian bulbous plant, found by Mr. 
Hartweg on rocks at the village of Saraguru, 
near Loxa, at an elevation of about 9,000 
feet above the sea. It has the narrow, com- 
paratively lengthy, leaves so familiarly known 
to belong to this class of plants. In this case 
they are connected with the bulb by a short 
leaf-stalk ; beyond this, they are of nearly 
equal breadth throughout, suddenly con- 
tracting at the extremity, and terminating in 
a blunt point. The flowers are moderately 
showy, and are produced in a drooping umbel, 
at the top of an erect stem, rather more than 
a foot in height : the long narrow tubes hang 
down from this on all sides ; two-thirds of 
their length they are deep red, or crimson, 
and the remaining part, at the apex, they are 
green, and there separate into six blunt- 
pointed segments. It belongs to Amaryllidaceas. 
This plant was formerly classed as a Phy- 
cella, when less perfectly known ; but after a 
more perfect investigation of fresh flowers, 
Dr. Herbert considers it as a peculiar genus, 
to which he has given the name of Phasdra- 
nassa, regarding it as an approach to Ste- 
nomesson and Pentlandia. The differences 
which exist between these plants are chiefly 
in minute botanical points, which a casual 
observer would never detect. 
The present plant is a green-house bulb, and 
well worth cultivating where this class of plants 
is at all prized. Its habit is to flower during 
the winter and spring months, generally before 
the leaves spring up ; and subsequently, when 
the blooming time is past, these grow, and 
perform those elaboratory offices on which, in 
a great measure, the next year's blooming 
depends. This consideration points out at 
once an erroneous practice into which persons 
are too apt to fall, that of standing bulbous 
plants aside when their bloom is over, as things 
requiring no further care, at least for one 
revolution of the seasons. The proper course 
to pursue is this : — when the flowers are 
perished, continue to supply water very 
liberally, and keep the plants fully exposed to 
the light, in a temperature warmed according 
to the natural requirements of the plant ; that 
is to say, either provide them with a stove, 
green-house, or frame temperature, according 
as they may be stove, green-house, or frame 
species : continue this treatment till the leaves 
are fully grown, then gradually decrease the 
moisture, at the same time maintaining, or 
even slightly increasing, both light and heat, 
until the foliage is quite yellow and decayed. 
Phcedranassa chloracra. 
If the species submitted to this treatment be 
at all a free-flowering one, bloom will be 
certain to follow; but if it is not a free- 
flowerer this is the most probable course to 
pursue, and is most likely to ensure success, 
even with those which are more tardy in 
producing their blossoms. Keep the bulbs 
dry and cool (free from frost) for the next 
two or three months, which will be their 
season of rest, or winter, though it may occur 
perhaps at the end of summer, or in the 
autumn. On the recurrence of their natural 
blooming season, they will probably push out a 
flower-stem ; this must be watched for, and as 
soon as perceived, they must then be sub- 
mitted to a progressive increase of heat and 
