1873.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
61 
The New Zealand Flax. 
There are many plants that produce valu¬ 
able fibers which our present mechanical and 
plant, which Ave placed as a center-piece of a 
bed upon the lawn. It did not grow as rapidly 
as we expected, and the surrounding plants so 
detracted from its appearance, that it received 
Ornamental Capsicums. 
The fruit of the common Capsicum or Red. 
Pepper of our gardens is when ripe very showy. 
new Zealand FLAX .—(Phormium tenax.) SMALL-LEAVED AND YELLOW-FRUITED CAPSICUMS. 
chemical skill are as yet unable to separate in a 
manner that will make them profitable articles 
of commerce and manufacture. Among these 
is the New Zealand Flax, Phormium tenax, 
which grows abundantly in New Zealand and 
Norfolk Island, and has been known since the 
days of Captain Cook. The plant in its natural 
state seems to vary so much in the length and 
color of its leaves, that four species have been 
described, but botanists at present consider all 
as belonging to one variable species. The na¬ 
tives of the islands named use the fiber of the 
leaves for making clothing, nets, and for other 
purposes, but thus far the difficulty of freeing 
the fiber of a viscid, gummy matter that ad¬ 
heres to it has prevented it from becoming an 
article of commerce to any considerable extent. 
The underground stem of the plant throws 
up large tufts of leaves, which grow in opposite 
rows, overlapping each other at the base much 
after the manner of an Iris. In the different 
varieties the leaves grow from three to six feet 
long, and are in color from a very dark green 
to a pale glaucous one. The flower-stalks are 
twice as long as the leaves, and bear upon their 
branches numerous orange-colored flowers of 
the general structure of the Lily Family, to 
which the plant belongs. The New Zealand 
Flax is often groAvn in greenhouses and conser¬ 
vatories as an ornamental plant. There is a 
form with variegated leaves that is handsome, 
but is unfortunately of very slow growth. The 
plant is hardy in the south of France, and 
would no doubt be so in several of our South¬ 
ern States. As an ornamental plant it is worthy 
of consideration. Last spring we received from 
Mr. George Such, South Amboy, N. J., a small 
but little attention until fall, when, the less per¬ 
sistent things having died away, we found we 
had a very handsome thrifty plant of the New 
Zealand Flax. This Avas potted and placed upon 
a stand in the dining-room, to which it is a con- 
I spicuous ornament. As the plant is not very 
| sensitive to alternations of temperature, it is a 
suitable one for house decoration for those who 
I value a plant for its cheery green foliage alone. 
but it is so concealed by the leaves of the plant 
that it is not readily seen. Last season Ave cul¬ 
tivated two kinds which are quite ornamental. 
A year ago last autumn we saw at the store of 
Thorburn & Co. a potted plant filled with fruit 
of a bright lemon-yellow color of a Capsicum 
which was quite new to us. We were kindly 
offered one of the peppers, the seeds from which 
enabled us to grow the variety. The plants 
grew from a foot to 18 inches high, and the fruit, 
which ripened quite early, was of the shape 
shown in the engraving, and a little larger. The 
surface is quite knobby and uneven, and has a 
peculiar waxen luster. As a pot-plant, placed 
where it can be seen upon a level Avitli the eye, 
it will be a useful ornament to contrast with 
the various kinds of bright-berried Solanums. 
Among some specimens sent for determination 
from Texas, there was one Avith ripe fruit of 
Capsicum microphyllum, the Small-leaved Cap¬ 
sicum. The seeds of this Avere sown, and avc 
had the satisfaction of growing the plant, which 
we had often met with in the wild state in 
Texas and Northern Mexico. It grows to the 
higlit of two feet, and has a peculiarly forked 
manner of branching ( dichotomous , as the bot¬ 
anist would say), and in the axil of each fork is 
borne a flower, which is succeeded by a bright 
red beny. of the size of a large pea, upon a long 
stalk. The engraving shows the manner of 
branching, and the leaves and fruit of the natu¬ 
ral size. A well-grown plant of this, with its 
hundreds of ripe fruits, is a really beautiful ob¬ 
ject. The berries, though small, are intensely 
pungent, and are employed as a condiment by 
Mexicans and others under the name of Chipa- 
tane. The whole peppers are placed upon the 
