Simon & Schuster's Guide to Plants and Flowers

Describes and notes the families, places of origin, flowering times, uses, and light and soil-moisture requirements of a variety of shrubs, succulents, cacti, and flowering, climbing, Mediterranean, and rock-garden plants

Chapter 1

1 MAIDENHAIR FERN

Adianthum capillus-veneris:

Family: Adiantaceae. Name from Greek adiantos, dry; the fronds repel water, a property first recorded by Theophrastus.

Place of origin: cosmopolitan; rare in Britain.

Description: a lovely and delicate deciduous fern with many basal fronds; numerous pinnules (small leaves) which are dark green, kidney-shaped, crenulate or lobate on the upper edge. Many distinct varieties once grown hut now largely disappeared.

Use: as an indoor plant, or to decorate walls and recesses and damp, shady rockeries.

Planting: spring. Keep rhizomes near soil surface. For pot use, supply good drainage and a little time.

Propagation: by division and by spores sown on damp peat and sand, covered with glass to maintain humidity.

Environment and light: adequate hut not direct light, with fairly high humidity level. Avoid hot places, move as little as possible. Slight frost injures fronds; severe frost kills.

Type of soil: ordinary garden soil with peat.

Soil moisture: water plentifully during growing season; in winter keep soil moist only.

2 ARALIA misnamed CASTOR-OIL PLANT

Aralia sieboldii (more correctly Fatsia japonica):

Family: Araliaceae. Name adapted from the Japanese name for this plant Fat Si.

Place of origin: Japan; introduced into Europe in 1838.

Description: a slow growing evergreen plant with large, bright green, smooth, shiny leaves with 7 or 9 (rarely 11) pointed, oblong lobes. Flowers on branching panicles in round, milky-white heads, succeeded by round, black, ivy-like berries.

Flowering time: autumn to winter.

Use: where hardy (temperate climates) makes a useful winter flowering shrub. The cream-splashed leaves of the variety variegata make this a good house plant for cool rooms.

Propagation: by cuttings from sucker shoots in spring, or by division.

Environment and light: adequate light indoors but never in direct sun. Half-shade outdoors.

Type of soil: any good garden soil outdoors; loam, peat or leaf mould and sand (equal parts) for pot work.

Soil moisture: water only when required.

Remarks: shorten straggly growths in spring.

3 ASPARAGUS FERN

Asparagus sprengeri (now more correctly A. densiflorus "Sprengeri"):

Family: Liliaceae. Name given by Theophrastus.

Place of origin: Southern Africa; introduced into Europe in 1890.

Description: a woody stemmed plant with long trailing (or widely climbing) branches 2-6 ft. (1-2 m) long, armed with small hooked prickles and small, flat, evergreen phylloclades, mostly in threes and 1-1 1/2 in. (2.5-4 cm) long. Flowers tiny, white or pinkish, fragrant, in racemes. Fruit: bright red 1/2 in. (1 cm) berries.

Flowering time: early summer.

Use: as an indoor plant, especially suitable for hanging baskets.

Propagation: by division in spring or seed.

Environment and light: ample ventilation, plenty of light, but not direct sun.

Type of soil: dry, permeable and rich. If the soil is not sufficiently rich, the branches of the plant will droop. Feed in summer.

Soil moisture: water regularly, more frequently in the summer months.

Remarks: dwarfs and variegated forms occur.

4 ASPIDISTRA

Aspidistra elatior (A. lurida):

Family: Liliaceae. Name from Greek aspidion, a small round shield, referring to shape of stigma.

Place of origin: Central-eastern Asia; introduced 1822.

Description: perennial plants with underground rhizomatic sterns, long and large radical leaves, upright and well stemmed, with complete, leathery, shiny green lamina, narrowing to a channelled stalk one-third the length of the blade. Purple, insignificant flowers close to ground. Also a variegated green and white leafed variety.

Flowering time: seldom; summer.

Use: withstands poor soil and light and considerable neglect, but needs good light for robust health.

Propagation: by division towards the end of autumn.

Environment and light: needs good light, but not sun; without adequate light the leaves become less shiny. Outdoors it grows well in warm, shady places.

Type of soil: ordinary soil with sand and peat, always with a little organic matter.

Soil moisture: water regularly two or three times weekly, and more often in summer.

Copyright © 1974 by Arnoldo Mandadori Editore, Milano