6 pa te 
A LOVELY NEW FLOWER (GERBERA 
JAMESONI). 
By S. Morrer, Révue Horticole. 
January 16th, 1203. 
The Révue Horticole has more than once 
drawn the attention of readers to this beau- 
titul composite plant, brought from the 
Transvaal, all too rarely grown, and one to 
which the regretted M. Micheli quite lately, 
in the same paper, gave the highest praise. 
The eagerness of amateurs to possess and 
propagate this plant is the more easily un- 
derstood since so few of the composite 
flowers have the same highly decorative 
qualities. 
The decorative points of the flower are, 
its extraordinary size and beauty, its rich- 
ness of coloring, the length and stiffness of 
the flower stems, the lasting power of the 
blossoms, and its perpetual fowering 
through the whole season We cannot, 
however, say the same of the foliage, un- 
happily insignificant, recalling the common 
dandelion. 
Although counting barely 20 species, the 
genus Gerbera, fof the sub-class Mutisiaces, 
has not yet attracted much attention from 
growers, only a few species having been 
introduced, and these of purely botanical 
interest. Such are G. Anandria and G. 
Kunzeana, low-growing plants of no deco-. 
rative value. @G. Asplenifolia (Sprenger) is 
certainly more interesting , it is said to be 
a beautiful plant with lilac flowers, but it is 
doubtful whether it is still cultivated. As 
to G. Viridifolia, only introduced in 1896, 
which is said to have flowers, white inside, 
yellow outside, no more has been heard. 
G. Jamesoni must then be} considered the 
pearl of the genus. It was found in 1888 
in the gold-bearing Barberton country by 
Mr. R. Jameson, and named after him by 
Bolus. It has since been found in several 
places in Natal and the Transvaal, showing 
more or less definite variations of form and 
* color; some of these have been introduced 
and will be mentioned later. English 
people, with their fancy for popular names, 
have already baptised it with names re- 
calling both its origin and the resemblance 
of its flowers to a large Marguerite. So we 
find it called the Transvaal or Barberton 
Daisy. 
Although cultivated since 1889, this plant 
has spread slowly, owing to difficulties of 
growth and propagation. In France, at 
any rate, it is still oniy in the hands of 
some devoted amateurs and a very few 
growers. 
Gerbera Jameroni is described as fol- 
lows :—(Bolus) Plants perennial, cespita- 
tius, acaulescent, softly downy. Leaves 
erect, numbering 5 to 7, arranged in a 
rosette, reaching 12 in. to 16 in. in length, 
and-24 in, to4in.in their greatest width. 
Petioles exstipulate, rounded, viclaceous. 
snd sprinkled with long hairs. Leaf thick, © 
coriaceous, lanceolate, irregularly runci- 
nate pinnatifid, with sharply toothed 
lobes, the terminal wider and obscurely 
dentated, the lower decurrent in narrow 
wings along the petiole; the upper face 
covered with short coarse hairs, which give 
it a greyish-green appearance; the lower 
surface softly downy with prominent and 
reticulated nervation. Peduncles radical, 
rounded, naked, erect, rigid, sometimes 
te 
THE AU-IRALIAN GARDENER, 
20 in. to 30 in. in height, covered with soft 
hairs, greyish in color and bearing a single 
large terminal flower-iiead, furmed of an 
involucre of a single row of long lanceolate 
bracts, very sharp and covered with woolly 
hairs. Florets of the circumference ligu- 
late, in a single row, radiating, numbering 
about 30 to 40, very long and narrow, 2 in. 
in length, thus giving the expanded flower- 
head a diameter of 4 in. to 5 in.; only one- 
eighth in. wide, lanceolate, sharp and undi- 
vided at the end, of a beautiful scarlet- 
orange color, lasting almost a fortnight, 
closing up at night or in dark weather. 
Florets of the disc numerous, also orange 
colored, tubular, surrounded with a strong 
tuft of numerous hairs, as long as they are 
themselves, reddish and scabrous. Seeds 
spindle-shaped, narrowed at the extremities, 
about half inch long, strongly ribbed, 
scabrous and reddish. The plant blossoms 
continuously from July to October, each 
plant producing 5 to 10 flowers Habitat 
South Africa. Introduced in 1889. 
The uncommon size and color of G. 
Jamesoni sre not its only claims to be a 
decorative plant. We may add the stiffness 
and length of the flower-stalks, which have 
been seen 3 ft. high, and above all the last- 
ing qualities of the bloom, so unusual in a 
composite flower. M. Micheli says the 
flowers last more than a week, but we our- 
selves have seen them, under glass and in 
full sunshine, last almost a fortnight. 
Every evening the ligules become vertical, 
only to open horizontally again next morn- 
ing, and, during the day, says M. Micheli, 
the flower-stalk turns so as always to face 
the sun; it is thus essentially a suo-loving 
plant, 2 fact to be remembered when 
choosing a situation for planting. Although 
not as yet widely dispersed, there are 
already several varieties of G. Jamesoni, 
which should be known. First, G. 
Jamesoni Sir Michael, with chrome-yellow 
flowers, grown and described by Mr. Irwin 
Lynch from seeds gathered by Mr. Adlam 
at Pietermaritzburg; then G. Jamesoni 
Atrosanguinea, blood-red flowers (Spren- 
ger), G. Transvaalensis (species or variety) 
owned by a Belgian amateur, the variety 
Illustris, described by an Italian journal as 
the strongest plant of all, with flowers both 
larger and more brightly colored ; finally, a 
hybrid, or more correctly speaking, a cross, 
recently got-by Mr. Lynch from the beauti- 
Sir Michael crossed with the ordinary type, 
and named Brilliant, the flower being 
vermillion red, of great size, with large 
ligules and wide and abundant foliage. 
The cultivation and propagation of G. 
Jamesoni have been the principal obstacles 
in the way oftits diffusion, for, although we 
cannot call it delicate, nevertheless it will 
not stand the treatment usually given to 
perennial plants, not being hardy enough 
for this, besides being a slow grower. 
In practice it is propagated from seed, 
which often fails, the flower-heads either 
aborting entirely or only giving a very 
small number of fertile seeds, even when 
artificially fertilised. 
The hairy nature of the stem, and the 
long taproot which grows slowly, makes us 
chary of risking division, unless the plant 
is very strong and well-established, and, - 
after all, from a decorative point of view, it 
¢ March Vy190% 
is undesirable to split your plant. In the 
north of France G. Jamesoni is not hardy, 
but a simple cool frame or bell-glass sur— 
rounded with straw, so as to protect it from 
frost, will be quite enough if the soil ie 
healthy, a condition quite as important as 
the situatien, which should be sheltered and 
sunny. Sandy peat soil, pure or mixed 
with leaf-mould and sand, appears to suit it 
best. Given these conditions, we have not 
found it necessary to take up the plants in 
autamn to shelter in hot beds, as M. Michela 
recommends. To be quite safe, it is, of 
course possible to grow the plants perma- 
nently in deep, well-drained pots, where 
they do well. On the Mediterranean slope, 
above all near Nice, G, Jamesoni is hardy 
enough to be grown in the open, as is done 
in Italy. Undoubtedly it is in the latter 
country that the best results will be obtained 
from it, grown both for garden ornament 
and cut flowers. As to propagation, for the 
present we are reduced to growing from 
seed. Seeds sown in March or April, im 
moderate heat, show in a fortnight, the 
plants are then pricked out into seed pans 
in pure peat, and kept on a spent bed all 
summer, being repotted when necessary 
into larger sizes. In autumn they form 
young plants with about six leaves, which 
they keep till late in the season. — 
In spite of every care during later 
growth, these plants scarcely ever bloom 
till the third year; there is some compensa- 
tion in the fact that the plants live toa 
good age. To sum up, G. Jamesoni is cer- 
tainly worthy of the attention of amateurs, 
fur the beauty and lasting quality of its 
its flowers, Florists also will need the 
flowers for designs and bouquets, even if 
the price is high. R. 
ROSA INDICA. 
‘Perhaps one of the choicest of the wild 
Roses grown in gardens is this species, and 
it is one that many would cherish if only 
for the fact that it is one of the parents of 
the ioveliest race of Roses, the Teas. But 
it appeals to us through its beauty, and a 
little bed of it at Kew is gay with many 
flowers, which are of a brigat self-vrimson 
and borne in clusters. It is one of the few 
species that bloom continuously, and 
although not so robust as most of its 
kindred, merits a favorable position and 
amply repays any extra care 99 . wed 
upon it, c 
JAPAN ANEMONE, LADY ARDILAUN 
Individually, the plants are much finer 
than the type, being more compact and 
flowering more freely. The extra stiff- 
ness of the peduncles is a point in its favor. 
The leaves are sturdy and have a glossy 
look about them which is pleasing. E 
think this Anemone will oust the older 
form when it becomes better’ known. 
Growing as I saw it in such hungry looking 
soil, and especially during the recent hot 
and dry weather that it has had to contend 
with, is really a thorough test of its nom— 
liability to disease. The variety Whirk- 
wind, growing alongside as I saw it, I look 
upon purely as a monstrosity, a good flower 
spoilt’ by the intermixing of the petals and. 
green calyx-like substance that the flower 
is composed of—KE. M. 
