March 6, 1S8G. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
421 
THE IMANTOPHYLLUM. 
('With illustrations on pp. 424 and 425.) 
Custom, which has to be answerable for so many 
things, must be our excuse for writing the name Iman- 
tophyllum without the initial H, which the correct 
reading of the derivation demands. In this country, 
in nursery and private gardens, the plant is known as 
Imantophyllum, as on the continent it is recognised 
as Clivia ; therefore, as this is a popular periodical, we 
prefer to use the popular name. These plants have now 
become such great favourites that Messrs. Jas. Veitch & 
Sons, of Chelsea, Mr. B. S. Williams, of Holloway, and 
others in the nursery trade, specially devote houses to 
them ; and in some private gardens, such as those of 
Baron Schroder, at The Dell, Egham, and of Lord 
Wolverton, at Iwerne Minster, Dorset, where they have 
not only the best-named sorts, but fine seedlings of their 
own, a like provision is deservedly made for their 
accommodation; while on the continent they are 
deservedly numbered among the most popular plants of 
the day. 
I. miniatum, the first of the race of the showy section 
of the genus, introduced from South Africa a little 
over thirty years ago, exhibits a remarkable proof of 
the rewards to be obtained by good culture and careful 
hybridisation ; for to these agencies are the present 
grandly formed, highly coloured varieties mainly to be 
attributed, although they are not evolved wholly from 
the original species which was characterised by the 
freeness with which it sent up offsets from the base, the 
small number of flowers on the spike, the narrowness 
of the segments which allowed of openings between 
them down almost to the ovary, and the pale yellowish 
orange of its flowers. Later on, and before the cross 
fertiliser began to work upon it, I. miniatum superbum, 
a variety better in every respect than the type, and I. 
miniatum giganteum, a form foreshadowing much of 
the excellency of the newer varieties, appeared out of 
an importation made by Messrs. Veitch & Sons ; and 
another form much resembling it 'was imported by Mr. 
Wilson Saunders. These two last named were of distinct 
habit, with much larger, very dark green leaves, of 
more equal width than the original type, and, unlike 
it, displaying much reluctance to break up from the 
bottom, but seeming to increase the noble proportions 
of its main growths year after year. These placed the 
requisite material in the gardener’s hands, and for the 
result, as seen in those grand flowers, some of the best 
of which we shall enumerate, he is worthy of all praise. 
Few plants are amenable to more general cultivation. 
They want not a stove-liouse temperature, but thrive 
admirably in greenhouses, conservatories, or fruit- 
houses, which are not allowed to go below 45° Falir. 
in winter ; and as a correspondent, in an article on 
plants for growing in the dwelling-house, in a recent 
number states, they are among the best for that 
purpose, being ornamental as plants at all times and 
glorious when in flower. For potting material pure 
turfy yellow loam, broken up by the hand, with a dash 
of some good fertiliser, is the best. So much are these 
plants held in esteem on the continent, where some of 
the best varieties have been raised, that the horticul¬ 
tural press is frequently sounding the praises of new 
forms as they appear, or the older, as they gain in 
strength, the better show themselves. Among the 
more intelligent of their chroniclers is Mr. Ed. Pynaert, 
of Ghent, a valued correspondent of our own, and a 
great raiser of, and authority on, Imantophyllums. Mr. 
Pynaert grows an extensive collection of these plants, 
and in several articles, contributed at various times to 
the Revue de l'Horticulture Beige, he has given much 
information about them, including his experience in 
obtaining and raising the seeds, a summary of which 
will interest many of our readers. 
Raising Seedlings. 
Mr. Pynaert says that the seeds of Imantophyllums 
ripen generally from November to February, or even 
later where produced on a second flowering ; that the 
change of colour in the capsules tells when the seeds 
are ripe and fit to gather, and that seeds even in appar¬ 
ently unripe capsules will often germinate. On the 
other hand, if the seeds are left ungathered too long, 
the first step in germination takes place on the plant, 
but that does not destroy the utility of the seeds for 
producing young plants. The seeds being gathered, 
they should be exposed to the air on a stage in the 
house in which they are intended to be raised for 
several days, and after that they should be sown as 
directed. In all cases Mr. Pynaert recommends their 
being sown at once, although he says he has known 
them keep good a long time, and names an instance 
in which some of them were sent from Ghent to Brazil 
and returned through mis-direction, thus being kept 
about for three months. Another month elapsed after 
their return before they were sown, and yet only about 
5 per cent, failed. 
In sowing the seeds, some well-drained pots or pans 
should be filled with light sandy soil, which, after 
being pressed smooth, should have a sprinkling of sand 
over it. After being moistened lightly, the seeds 
should be placed side by side, lengthwise, pressing 
them up to the line A...Bas shown in fig. 1, cover 
each pot or pan with a flat piece of glass and place in a 
temperature of about 60° Falir., which may afterwards be 
raised to 65°, 70° if convenient. In fifteen or eighteen 
days root growth will develop, which coming into contact 
with the soil partly raises the seed and causes it to 
assume the position indicated by the line C...D, and the 
plants are then ready for removal to store pans. These 
should be prepared with good rich earth, lightly placed 
/ D 
Fig 1. 
so that the germinating seeds may easily be inserted 
each in the place made for it by the dibber, after which 
the surface should be lightly covered in, and the whole 
settled down with a watering from a rose can. 
Soon they will develop the first leaf as seen in the 
illustration Fig. 2, and later on when they have two or 
three leaves they should be placed in single pots, and 
then 50° Fahr. is quite sufficient to bring the plants 
well along. Thus Mr. Pynaert describes a work which 
Fig. 2. 
many have failed in, simply from not being acquainted 
with the facts he so ably sets forth. 
Select Varieties of I. miniatum. 
The following, many of which were noted by us in 
various places last year, are among the best :— 
B. S. Williams (Pynaert).—This is one of the most 
noble looking of the genus. In the habit of the plant 
it is robust, and the immense heads of bloom frequently 
have over thirty flowers, such as that of which we give 
an illustration, expanded at once. In form and in the 
brightness of its colour the bloom resembles that of the 
handsome reddish scarlet Yallota purpurea. (See il¬ 
lustration on p. 24.) 
Madame Legrelle Dhanis (Reimers).—This grand 
variety, which was raised by M. Theodore Reimers, 
gardener to Madame Donner, Ottensen, Hamburgh, 
was well figured in the Revue de VHorticulture Beige, 
in January, 1881. It has large heads of dark scarlet 
flowers, with white centres and yellow stamens. 
Marie Reimers. —Flower heads often 18 in. across, 
flowers are large and fine, orange-scarlet with yellow' 
centre. 
Schroderii.— This grand variety received a first 
class certificate at the Royal Horticultural Society, on 
March 10th, 1885, when Mr. Ballantine brought it 
from Baron Schroder’s garden. It has very large heads 
of pure scarlet flowers of fine form and substance. 
General Gordon. —Flowers bright dark orange- 
scarlet ; centre white, flower heads large. 
Lindenii.—A grand variety with broad handsome 
foliage and stout flat spikes, bearing immense heads of 
large orange-scarlet flowers. 
Ambroise Verschaffelt.— Size and colour of the 
flowers of the best quality, but not so numerously pro¬ 
duced as some others. 
Madame Van Houtte. —Flowers large, bright dark 
orange, with white star in centre. 
Aurantiacum. —Yellow, tinged w'ith light orange ; 
very distinct. 
Cruentum compactum. —Habit very dwarf and free 
flowering. Flowers comparatively small, but of a 
decidedly scarlet tinted orange approaching deep red. 
The Drooping Flowered Section. 
We must not pass from the subject without noticing 
the drooping flowered section, which have been great 
favourites in their da)', and yet are w'orthy of being 
extensively cultivated as they are pretty, and are 
frequently in flower when the miniatums are without 
bloom. 
1. Aitoni (Clivia nobilis) was the first of the genus 
imported over sixty years ago. 11 is smaller in all its 
parts than I. miniatum, and has broad, rather upright, 
dark green leaves, and stout scapes bearing from thirty 
to fifty yellow flowers tinged with orange and tipped 
with green ; the flowers are drooping and curved inwards. 
I. Cyrtanthiflorum is an improvement, supposed 
to have been effected by crossing Aitoni with I. mini¬ 
atum, which latter it resembles somewhat in growth, 
but the flowers, although larger, partake of all the 
characteristics of I. Aitoni. 
I. Gardneri is still an improvement on the one last 
named, and may be said to be the finest of the drooping 
flowerers. Its leaves are often 3 ft. in length, narrow, 
arching, and pointed ; the scapes are 2 ft. to 3 ft. in 
height; the flowers like those of I. cyrtanthiflorum, 
but more loosely arranged. It is a very fine plant. 
-- ->$<-> - 
THE RHODODENDRON. 
As a hardy evergreen and free-flowering shrub, 
nothing is to be compared with the Rhododendron. 
Performing so important part, as it does, in all orna¬ 
mental planting, and alike welcome in town and 
country, no apology is needed for bringing it under 
the notice of the readers of The Gardening World. 
Rhododendrons are possibly more tenacious of life than 
any other shrub ; they may be removed at almost any 
season of the year, except when making their new 
growths, and this makes them particularly useful 
subjects for filling up, when making needful alterations 
at a time of the year when it is too late to plant the 
ordinary kinds of shrubs. This quality in the Rhodo¬ 
dendron is attributable to the sound ball of earth 
which their roots carry, as a result, not of chance, but 
of their having been often transplanted while in a 
young state, and the roots carefully cut or “ ball d, 
to use a nursery phrase. This is very essential to the 
well-being of Rhododendrons of any size, ranging from 
dwarf bushes to fine specimens several feet in height. 
They may be had also in the form of standards, suitable 
for planting as single specimens on the lawn, or in 
beds, or borders, grouped up with the dwarf plants, 
and this is by far the most satisfactory way to plant 
them, taking away, as it does, the naturally lumpy 
appearance produced by a bed composed entirely of 
bush plants. 
For richness and variety of colours too, Rhododen¬ 
drons have no equal, except in the Rose, varying as 
they do from rich crimson and scarlet, to delicate pink, 
and pure white ; indeed it is almost impossible to 
describe the beauty and diversity of shades . and 
markings to be found in some of tlie^later introductions. 
Great and marked has been the improvement in the 
Rhododendron during the last few years. the aim 
has been not only to secure increased hardiness, with 
the quality of not flowering until the late spiing fiosts 
are past, but to secure compact growth, and fine, bioad 
smooth foliage, with large conical trusses of smooth well- 
formed flowers, compact, and surrounded by a guard of 
flat well-formed leaves. The earlier flowering varieties 
of the Rhododendron are very attractive, but they are 
also very disappointing, for it is very rare that the 
spring in this country (except in a few favoured spots), 
is favourable to these early floweis. Still they are so 
easily procured, that it would be a pity altogether to 
discard them from the Rhododendron borders or 
American gardens. They have one quality, liowevei, 
to favourably recommend them, viz. : they are useful 
as pot plants for forcing, and make a grand display in 
the conservatory. 
