MARANTAS and CALATHES 
By P. A. Girouard, Florida 
Marantha formerly in the Scitamineas 
family which included Cannas, Bananas 
Maranta and Ginger. Presently recognized 
being Maranthaceae, which includes Maranta 
and Calathea. Some of them are listed as 
bromiliads and orchids but even tho some 
blossoms faintly resemble such, it is con- 
fusing to relate them. Botanical characters 
are different. 
Maranta is regarded by the public as 
Arrow-root and this term is applied to M. 
Arundinaceae of which there are two, one 
with green and the other with white banded 
leaves. This plant growing to 4 feet, strikes 
out boldly with joint-like angled stems; and 
when cut these joints are easily rooted. 
Maranta Karchevena is a very beautiful 
short stemmed plant, a small plant compared 
to the other Marantas; producing its leaves 
compactly and overlapping and eventually 
covering the entire container. 
The leaves are not round or square but 
appear to have attempted both form and then 
decided on an oval outline; the color a soft 
beautiful velvety green with dark blotches 
almost chocolaate color, in square patterns, 
and aligned on both sides of the central vein. 
It is known by several vulgar names as ‘the 
twelve apostiles’, the ‘rabbit-track-plant’, the 
‘prayer-plant’, ‘the-holy-plant’, etc. 
Nature’s Marvelous Mechanics 
A charactaristic of Maranta is the folding 
elevating and nodding or reclining of its 
leaves at night. Some of nature’s marvel- 
ous mechanics. This Maranta folds it leaves 
at night as tho in prayer. 
Practically all Marantas and Calatheas ara 
bicolor and is sometimes listed as Maranta 
bicolor. ee 
Calatheas are noted for their exquisite 
colors and color combinations and _ the 
pleasing under color of the leaves, probably 
not another upright growing plant is their 
equal or rival. The leaves are from 4-15 
inches long, according to the variety. On the 
end of the basal stalk is hinged or elbowed at 
the leaf-base by which they alter their pos- 
ition at night, thereby exposing the beautiful 
under-color of the leaf. 
Calathea Zebrina, a dark green oval leaf 
with vivid lines in pairs arrainged in herring- 
bone effect on both sides of the central vein, 
first appearing pink and gradually turning 
bright silver; a striking contrast in color 
harmony. Known as the Zebra plant. The 
under color is a wine-red. 
This pot plant growing to 18 inches high, 
allowed to multiply and crowd its roots, will 
develope clustered leaves and a_ beautiful 
plant in the home. 
Calathea _illustris 
Calathea illustris has a slender oval, dark 
green, glossy leaf with white mid-rib, while 
underneath the leaf is of a beautiful velvet 
wine-red-purple color. When Calatheas are 
grown in pots they seldom throw out angled 
stems as do the Marantas but Calathea II- 
lustris is more generous in this respect and 
in some respects resembling Orchids. 
C. undulata variegata is the most prolific 
grower of them all and during the past few 
years offered under other names. Leaves are 
of a soft green upon which is design of fern 
superimposed upon the center of the leaf 
in a lighter shade; the entire leaf undulate or 
waved and light purple undercolor. 
We have a few other varieties showing a 
combination of colors, white, red, pink, 
green and various shadings, banded, spot- 
ed and otherwise marked, all colors vividly 
displayed on each leaf with pleasing wine, 
pink or red under color. This under color 
in fact seems to penetrate thru and affect 
the upper surface of the leaf. One such, 
is C. rosea picta. This is the most difficult 
plant to grow and resists propagation on the 
part of the writer and many other growers. 
A low growing plant whose leaves are almost 
prostrate but spreading. generously display- 
ing its color patterns. It is very rare and 
impossible to cbtain. When found, it is 
difficult to keep; they slowly wilt away for 
no apparent reason. é 
Another simliar species is C.  regalis, 
of slightly larger leaf and upright habit, color 
patterns similiar to the above, slightly hardier 
but also ressts propagation. Other similiar 
species are C. ornata and C. vittata. 
All the above Calatheas are evergreen. 
C. Alloula is not evergreen; it ripens its 
leaves in late fall when the rhizome rests, 
then in spring it brings out its new beautiful 
leaves on a slender basal stem, of light 
pleasing green with a purple mid-rib and the 
vines appear prominently raised and as thd 
the whole leaf is plaited. I consider this 
plant along with the red leaf Dracena, to be 
the most beautiful of all conservatory plants. 
Calatheas, with very few exceptions, come 
from tropical America; just how much cold 
they will endure. I do not know but on testa 
last winter, when left out in North Florida, 
they withstood varying temperatures of 34 to 
80 degrees Far. i 
The rhizome when left in the ground, will 
endure, if not frozen. The majority of all 
species are of small size, permitting removal 
to the house or greenhouse for the winter. 
When all the leaves are cut to the ground, 
the rhizome will throw many more stems 
and leaves than if not done, but the leaves 
will be smaller and some folks like them 
best this way, covering the pot more rapidly. 
They require a loose porous, rich soil and 
plenty of water but good drainage. I obtairt 
this with a mixture of peat, charcoal, coursa 
sand as is used for concrete. I feed them 
bone meal, castor pomace, rabbit or goat 
manure and iron rust. I use cans for pot- 
ting most all plants and when repotting, I 
throw rusted cans in the concrete mixer with 
some rocks; the rust makes good fertilizer. 
Our concrete mixer is not for concrete—I 
mix my potting soils in it. 
Use NO barn manure on Calatheas or 
Marantae; they want take it! 
The Mole! 
That little animal called the mole, gets a 
lot of publicity, on which he seems to thrive 
and multiply. The following is a good way 
to play with them, if you are looking for 
another method to ‘eliminate’ them. It is 
suggested in the North American Lily Soc- 
iety bulletin, that ‘‘a sure remedy” is to 
catch a snake; garter or bull-head snakes 
are harmless and won’t bite (presume a rattl- 
er would be just as good, if bull-head snakes 
are not around and you can handle rattlers). 
Quoting: We handle them like we do kittens 
and open a mole run and put the snake in 
the run. They crawl around trying to get 
out and the moles leave in a hurry. I never 
could understand why so many people are 
afraid of them. (moles or bull-head snakes?) 
We often bring them home, but they won’t 
stay, as they have homing instincts like cata 
and go back to where the snakes are just 
as turtles do. End of quote! 
I did not attempt to find out what Lily 
grower wrote this but if he were my neighbor 
and his moles left in a hurry for my garden; 
and I am assuming he meant that the mole 
ran away to a yard where they had no snakes 
running around in the mole runs as in my 
garden then may be I, too, would wish my 
neighbor would also have a homing instinct 
and ‘ do as the turtles do’! 
One could have an elephant that could 
tred on the mole and in this way kill the 
mole ‘dead in his tracks’ Or you can pump 
Cynogas into the runs or train your dog ta 
dig up every mole he thot he could see 
moving in your lawn of flower bed but in 
every case you will always have moles and 
I wonder if the above snake suggestion does 
not solve the problem—I am going to make 
inquiries, quietly, of my neighbors! 
But joking all aside, I have tried many 
ways of getting the moles in the lawn and 
garden; out in the fields, I leave them alone 
for they no doubt do good there. The one 
method I have settled on it the harpoon 
trap (it is listed in tthe Catalog); if it is prop- 
erly set in a main run, you will catch every 
mole in your garden within 36 hours after 
they start work. After a catch, it usually 
is best to reset in the same place for the 
mole’s ‘old women’, like we humans, will be 
right on his trail to see why he did not come 
home last night with the bacon. Usually 
two moles will make your lawn look like a 
miniature battlefield in the course of a few 
weeks, if left alone, and the trapping of a 
couple of moles will about solve your prob- 
lem unless your neighbor comes home with 
some more snakes or the spring mole-family 
gets to the stage where the chilldren begin 
looking for mates when he no doubt will 
surely make a visit to your yard to see why 
your moles are not sociable and have made 
no recent calls. 
It is important that traps are set at the 
edges of your garden if you wish to make a 
catch without too much lawn dug up. 
NON-FLOWERING WISTERIA 
To make a Wisteria smother itself in flow- 
ers, its natural tendency to cover large areag 
must be curtailed. Early summer is the 
proper time of the year to do it. 
The long annual shoots, which sometimes 
grow 4-5 feet in a matter of weeks, do not 
bear flowers, the blooms being confined to 
the base of such shoots. 
These vigorous new growths should there- 
fore, be cut back to about a foot in length 
and then cut back again to within two inches 
of the older wood in winter. This double 
pruning will do more than anything else to 
induce the development of those long sprays 
so much admired. 
After the summer pruning, sprinkle super- 
phosphate on the soil around the plant, using 
two ounces to a small vine, quarter of a 
pound for an old one. Hoe it lightly into 
the soil and water well; this will encourage 
the formation of flowers. ; 
It may sometimes even be necessary to da 
some root pruning. 
THE WORD “WORT” 
This word is used in many names and it 
means plant or herb. Its used is limited 
to compound words such as St. John’s-wort, 
etc. It is an old expression. 
FRANKLINIA NOT GORDONIA! 
Todd Gresham of California, who has 
taken considerable interest in this beautiful 
native tree writes and asks, “Incidentally, 
why not catalog Franklinia, not Gordonia. 
It’s distinctly American, not British, and [I 
think it should bear the old name.” 
He has something there and it may be a 
good idea to make the change in spite of the 
botanists, who are now bringing up names 
that have long been forgotten. 
THE AKEE 
(Cont. from Page 85) 
alytical chemist to tthe Governmest of Jam- 
aica, is quoted as reporting: “If the fruit be 
ripe and fresh, which can be known by Its 
being open, the edible portion firm, and the 
red part bright in color, it may be consid- 
ered a good safe food. But if the fruit be 
not ripe, or if there are any signs of decay, 
such as mouldiness or softening of the edible 
portion, or a dingy color in the ordinary red 
part, the fruit should not be eaten.” 
If you want a lovely tree in your garden, 
which will give you many a good meal be- 
sides, remember the old adage: “A one- 
dollar plant in a ten-dollar hole.” (Or 
should it not be a ten-dollar plant in a one- 
dollar hole?) Give the plant a good start, 
and it will reward you well.—L.H.W. 
