ON THE CULTIVATION OF MANETTIA BICOLOR. 215 
as not worth cultivation : but, if the offsets are encouraged year 
after year, a regular succession of strong-blooming bulbs will 
be maintained. 
The Sparaxis and Ixia produce seed abundantly, and by 
hybridising new varieties are obtained; but several years in¬ 
tervene before the seedling bulb acquires strength to bloom. 
They are cultivated to great perfection in Guernsey and Jersey, 
where they flourish admirably in the open border, without the 
least protection. 
44 William E. Rendle, F. H. S. 
44 Plymouth .” 
ON THE CULTIVATION OF MANETTIA BICOLOR. 
As many of the readers of your valuable and interesting 
Journal may this season be in possession of Manettia bicolor for 
the first time, I presume a few remarks on its culture may be 
acceptable: at the same time some mention of that beautiful 
species M. cordata may not be out of place. I regret to find 
it, like many other good old plants, becoming lost in the confu¬ 
sion caused by so many new introductions ; not that I would 
decry the laudable spirit of research which is so fast extending, 
but deeply lament when a good plant is overlooked in favour 
of something which perhaps may possess only the charm of 
novelty to recommend it. Most gardeners are acquainted with 
the lovely crimson nodding flowers of Manettia cordata or 
grandiflora, sufficiently beautiful, when well managed, to make 
it as fine an ornament to the stove as Thunbergia aurantiaca 
is to the greenhouse. The plant is produced from singular arti¬ 
culated tubers; each joint, on being separated, will form an inde¬ 
pendent plant; if these are divided early in February, and the 
pieces, after being potted, are plunged into a gentle bottom heat, 
they will almost immediately commence growing. One of the 
strongest, or two or three of the smaller ones, may be selected 
to form specimens. A large shift suits them best, as from the 
fleshy nature of the roots they are liable to damage from fre¬ 
quent repotting. A No. 8-sized pot will be required if a large 
plant is desired. The wire frame on which it is to be trained 
