Another of my Washington collection, very graceful and beautiful, is Paulinia Thalictrifolia. Its delicate cut leaves resemble the fronds of a finely divided Maiden-hair Fern. The leaves are of a rich shade of green. The young shoots and foliage are of a pinkish-brown color. It is of slender growth and climbing habit, very similar to Capsidium Filicifolium, which has long been a special favorite of mine. Both of these are elegant, trained on a pot trellis.
Paulinia Thalictrifolia is a native of the southern Brazils, from whence it was introduced to the nurseries of Messrs. Veitch & Sons of Chelsea. If only required for decorative purposes there should be no inclination to make the plants produce flowers which are inconspicuous; therefore the main object should be to have plenty of healthy foliage. To secure this, the plant should be grown in a temperature of from 65° to 70°, and if one part of the greenhouse is more adapted to its growth than another, it is the dampest part. After this plant came into the possession of Messrs. Veitch, and before its true value became known, some plants of it were placed in a corner of an old, very damp, warm pit, in which position they grew wonderfully strong, and quite surpassed in vigor and beauty those that were, as was then supposed, placed under more advantageous circumstances, i.e., in dryer and lighter parts of other houses. Care is therefore now taken to keep them where abundant atmospheric moisture can be supplied. A compost consisting of two parts good substantial peat and one of loam, together with some silver sand, suits it admirably.—Gardening Illustrated.
CANNAS.
These form a very important part of the class of which we are treating. They give a very beautiful and tropical appearance to the lawn and the garden by their stately growth and broad massive foliage, relieved by rich crimson, scarlet and orange-red flowers. Their foliage comprises various shades of green, glaucous, chocolate and purple tints, ribbed and striped, fitting them admirably for grouping with other plants.
They are also very effective for large pot plants in the pleasure-ground, or conservatory. Under rich cultivation they will attain the height of five feet. They need water often. Among the newer roots Creole, very dark foliage, grows to the height of about six feet. Ornement du Grand Rond, very tall, with large bronzy-green foliage, large scarlet flowers. Oriflamme has large lanceolate-green leaves, with violet veins, a vigorous showy plant with salmon-orange flowers.
The roots of Cannas must be taken up in the autumn. If wanted singly, divide them, if a thick clump is desirable let them be planted out as they are. They must be kept perfectly dry through the winter; if the cellar is very damp they will do better packed in sand.
DRACÆNA.
This is a valuable genus of ornamental plants, specially fine for the center of vases, and for pot culture. Although their culture is on the increase, they are not so frequently grown as they deserve. The species are very numerous, and are found in tropical countries, especially in the islands of the tropics. Many of them assume the proportions of trees. The largest specimen ever known was one of Dracæna Draco, or the Dragon tree of Oratava in Teneriffe, one of the Canary Islands. This tree was remarkable for its monstrous dimensions and prodigious longevity. About ten years since, or in the autumn of 1867, this magnificent specimen was destroyed by a gale of wind. It was a special object of interest in the Canary Islands, and received the attention and veneration of visitors, as do the great Seguvia trees of California. Its trunk below the lowest branches was eighty feet in height, and ten men holding hands could scarcely encircle it; by one measurement this span around it was seventy-nine feet. The trunk was hollow, and in the interior was a winding stair-case, by which one might ascend as far as the part from which the branches sprang. It is affirmed by tradition that, when the island of Teneriffe was discovered in 1402, this tree was as large, and the cavity in the trunk as great, as at the time of its destruction. We are even assured that in the fifteenth century, at the time of the conquest of the Canaries by the Normans and Spaniards, they celebrated mass on a little altar erected in this cavity. From the slow growth of the young Dragon trees in the Canaries, it has been estimated that this monster tree before it was destroyed, was the oldest plant upon the globe. A writer in describing it says: "Long leaves pointed like swords, crowned the extremities of the branches, and white panicles, which developed in autumn, threw a mantle of flowers upon this dome of verdure." The popular name of this species is Dragon's-blood Tree, because of a resinous juice of a red color which exudes from the cracks in its trunk. At one time this resin formed a considerable branch of commerce, as it was used medicinally as an astringent, but it has fallen into disuse.
The Dracænas belong to the Lily family, and they afford a remarkable contrast to the palms and other arborescent endogens, by their branching heads. The young trees of Dracæna Draco do not, however, send out any branches, even in their native localities, until they are thirty years old or more. The small plants of this species, cultivated for ornament, have always a single, straight stem; but are much more robust, and quickly assume more stately proportions than those of the other kinds that will be mentioned.