Cactus Culture For Amateurs

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ot, as now, merely as a general term for the Natural Order. Introduced so early, and at once finding great favour as a curious and beautiful flowering plant, E. truncatum has been, and is still, extensively cultivated, and numerous varieties of it have, as a cons

abundance, growing upon the trunks and branches of large trees, and occasionally on the ground or upon rocks, up to an elevation of 6000 ft. It was here that Gardner, when travelling in South America, found E. truncatum growing in great luxuriance, and along wi

, leaf-like branchlets, growing out of the ends of each other, to a length of from 3 ft. to 4 ft. As in the majority of Cactuses, the stems of Epiphyllum

grow upon the trunks of trees, where they would be afforded considerable shade by the overhanging branches, we cannot be wrong in shading them from direct sunshine during summer. Some growers recommend placing these plants in a hot, dry house; but we have never see

n of a little rotted manure or leaf-mould, silver sand, and some small brick rubble. The Pereskia stock is not a stout-rooted plant, and does not, therefore, require much root-room, although, by putting in plenty of broken crocks as drainage, the soil space in the pots may be reduced to what is considered sufficient for the plant. If small pots are used, the head of the plant is apt to overbalance the whole. The stems should be secured to stout stakes, and, if large, umbrella-like specimens are wanted, a frame should be made in the form of an umbrella, and the stem and branches fastened to it. Smaller pla

ral weeks. With a little skill and patience, plants of this size may be grown by any amateur who possesses a warm greenhouse; and, although it is not easy to manage such large plants in a room window, handsome little specimens of the same form may be grown if the window is favourably situated and the room kept warm in winter

ids is 6 ft., and, to form these, six or eight scions are inserted. The heads of the standards are on stems ranging in height from 4? ft. down to 1? ft. To form these heads, only one scion is put on the stock. Some of our oldest pyramids are 4 ft. or 5 ft. through at the base, and the heads of the standards quite as much. When in flower, the heads of the latter droop almost to the pots. The pyramids occupy No.2 and No.4 sized pots, the standards 8's and 12's. Each plant is secured to a strong iron stake, with three prongs fitting the inside of the pot, and the Epiphyllum is k

ith good effect for covering walls, which are first covered with peaty soil by means of wire netting, and then cuttings of the Epiphyllums are stuck in at intervals of about 1 ft. The effect of a wall of the drooping branches of these plants is attractive even when without their beautiful flowers; but wh

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ng, curved above and below, not unlike the letter S; the petals and sepals reflexed, and exposing the numerous yellow anthers, through which the club-headed stigma protrudes; colour, a deep rose-red, the base of the petals

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as in E. truncatum. The flowers are a little larger than in the older kind, and are not curved, whilst the petals are narrower; their colour is bright rosy-red. This species flowers rather later in the year than E. truncatum, and may be had in blossom so late as the m

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he best varieties, with a short d

flower white; petals purple, beco

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Bright scarlet, paler at

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me kind. The branchlets are exactly the same as those of E. truncatum, but the flowers are not like Epiphyllum at

icent).-Tube rosy-vio

ube and base of petals white, res

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e white; petals carmine, m