THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
151 
Trop^eolum Polyphyllum. 
best in a poor soil, for, in a rich loam, they run all to 
foliage and give but little bloom. These varieties are well 
adapted for covering unsightly objects, as they produce a 
profusion of bright foliage and showy flowers. Seed is 
freely produced, from which the plants are commonly 
raised ; any fine variety may, however, be increased by 
cuttings, which root freely. 
We next come to perhaps the most useful class for 
general cultivation, T. mums and its numerous varieties. 
These may be readily distinguished from the varieties of 
T. majns by the leaves, in the former the nerves of the 
leaves always end in a point, which is never the case with 
those of the latter. These varieties are now very popu¬ 
lar for greenhouse culture ; they are free-flowering, of 
rapid growth and of easy culture. They are also admir¬ 
ably adapted for large vases, trellises or for bedding- 
plants, covering the ground with a mass of dark-green 
foliage, and, toward autumn giving a profusion of gor¬ 
geous bloom. T. Lobbianum, with small bright orange- 
scarlet flowers, was one of the first 
of this class to attract attention ; 
but there are now large numbers 
of varieties that take the lead, 
although it is doubtful if they are 
any improvement, either in the 
color or productiveness of bloom. 
We lastly notice the upright bed¬ 
ding varieties, of which there are 
many in cultivation, and are popu¬ 
larly known as the Tom Thumb sec¬ 
tion. They form miniature bushes, 
profusely studded with show'y flow¬ 
ers in all shades of color, from clear 
yellow to the richest maroon. They 
are most desirable bedding-plants, 
as they form striking masses of 
color. This has now attained the 
dignity of a florist’s flower, new 
hybrid varieties having received dis¬ 
tinctive names, which enables one 
to select a particular color for a 
specific purpose. Prominent in this 
class is the Empress of India (see 
illustration), of which the Garden¬ 
er's Chronicle speaks as follows: 
“The plant is of dwarf, compact 
habit, like King of Tom Thumbs, 
with dark-tinted foliage and flowers 
of a deep but brilliant crimson, 
many degrees deeper and richer than 
in the variety just named. We 
know of nothing which comes so 
closely to it in color as some of the 
brighter crimson forms of Phlox 
Drwhmondi. We have no hesita¬ 
tion in saying that, as seen by us, 
Tropseolum Empress of India will 
rank far ahead of anything of the 
kind which has previously been 
known.” 
Among other varieties of recent introduction is T. 
polyphyllum , which is said to be One of the most valu¬ 
able hardy plants ever introduced, not only for its free¬ 
dom of growth and flow'er and the readiness with which 
it may be grown, but also for its picturesque way of 
growth ; for while its foliage may form a dense carpet 
over a bank, the wreaths of flowers usually throw them¬ 
selves into irregular windings and groupings. It is a 
very distinct-looking subject whether in or out of flower. 
When planted on a warm, sunny rockwork the stems 
creep about, snake-like, through the vegetation around, 
sometimes to the extent of three or four feet. The flow¬ 
ers are of a deep yellow, and produced as freely as the 
leaves. It is a tuberous-rooted kind, although entirely 
distinct from those first described, quite hardy in dry 
situations on rockwork and dry sunny banks, where it 
should not often be disturbed. It springs up early and 
dies down at the end of summer. Our illustration gives 
a fair idea of the habit of this plant. 
