Gardenia

“ Pointal. Seed-bud beneath. Shaft thread-shaped or club-shaped. Summit standing out, egg-shaped, obtuse, two-lobed, often furrowed.
Seed-vessel. A dry berry, one, two, or four-celled.
Seeds many, flattened, lying upon one another in tiers.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Gardenia inermis; foliis elipticis, undulatis, floribus ternis; corollæ laciniis tortis, linearibus, reflexis, tubo filiformi, longissimo.
Gardenia without thorns; with eliptical, undulated leaves; flowers grow by threes; the segments of the blossom are twisted, linear, reflexed, the tube thread shaped, very long. ”

“ The empalement.
2. The blossom spread open.
3. Seed-bud and pointal.
The Gardenia radirans is a native of Japan, and is figured by Thunberg in his Botanical Dissertation. The figure is small and coarse, but yet characteristic. We have represented a fine young plant, as its fragrant flowers are then much better relieved by the surrounding leaves. It is at present cultivated in the hot-house; but we are inclined to think it might succeed in the protection of the green-house. The luxuriance of its petals frequently absorbs nearly all the parts of fructification. ”

“ There are from five to nine anthers, having very short filaments which are inserted in the throat of the corolla. The stigma is divided into two erect fleshy lobes. The ovary is one-celled, but there are some traces of membranes, which would, if perfect, have divided it into from two to five cells. The seeds are numerous and very small. Gardenia radicans is a dwarf plant, which flowers freely when of very small size, and is easily propagated from the readiness with which its stem throws out roots; but G. florida is a shrub five or six feet high, and much more difficult to cultivate. ”

“ August 24th.—We arose soon after 5 a.m., and calling our followers, bade them prepare our boat for the homeward [301] voyage. We ourselves looked after the welfare of our plants, and packed up our roots and seeds carefully. A party of men were sent to the sandstone hills to procure roots of the white gardenia before alluded to. At 7.50 we obtained a beautiful view of the mountain, the top crags, ridges, and water-falls being very distinct in the clear morning sunlight. I could not resist sitting down on the verandah and sketching the scene. ”

“ In Hawaii they may be found on the dry forehills in the vicinity of the sea-border. In Samoa, as Reinecke informs us, Gardenia tahitensis is very widely spread in the mountain-forests, whilst the endemic species is found thriving in inundated coast districts. In Fiji I found the Gardenias to be especially characteristic (as is also pointed out by Horne) of the dry districts on the leeward side of the larger islands. On the rolling “talasinga” or “sun-burnt” plains of the north side of Vanua Levu they thrive in numbers ”

“ They delight in fibrous peat, broken rough, mixed with fine white sand. The young plants to be frequently stopped by pinching off the points of the shoots while growing, to induce them to throw out laterals; those again to be stopped until the plants have attained a size sufficient to warrant their blooming.
Gardenias.—If any have been removed to the conservatory while in bloom they should be returned to heat as soon as the bloom is over, to encourage growth and to allow them sufficient time to mature their growth. ”

“ Gardenias are grown chiefly for cut flowers, and are readily propagated by cuttings. They require plenty of heat and moisture in the growing season, and must be kept free from insects such as the mealy bug, green fly, red spider and scale-insect. ”

“ From the vega of Granada, which you cross in the moonlight, almost opening a way among the groves and gardens, in the midst of a luxuriant vegetation that seems to crowd around you like a tossing sea, ready to overflow and engulf you with its billows of verdure,—from this you emerge into the midst of ragged and precipitous mountains, where not a trace of human habitation is to be seen; you graze the edge of precipices, wind along the banks of mountain-torrents, run along at the bottom of the ravines, and seem to be lost in a rocky labyrinth. ”

“ Frequent visits were made to the mountains, which are all covered with dense virgin forests—to the humid valleys—to the swampy tracts which lie to the north of the city—to the sea-shores—and to the islands in the bay. From these rambles there resulted a rich botanical harvest, besides numerous specimens belonging to other branches of natural history. But as an eternal spring and summer reign in this happy climate, and as almost every plant has its own season for the production of its flowers, every month is characterized by a different flora. ”

“ She, therefore, went out into the garden, stretched out her crooked stick towards the rosebushes, which, beautifully as they were growing, all sank into the earth, and no one could tell where they had stood. The old woman feared that if Gerda should see the roses, she would then think of her own, would remember little Kay, and run away from her.
She now led Gerda into the flower-garden. [212] Oh, what odour and what loveliness was there! Every flower that one could think of, and of every season, stood there in fullest bloom; no picture-book could be gayer or more beautiful. ”

“ When Linnæus published the last edition of his Species Plantarum, in 1764, he described only five species from all parts of the world, while, from Brazil alone, my herbarium contains upwards of one hundred. Only one species is found in Great Britain,—a little grass-like plant, with a single flowering stem about six inches long, bearing a small globular head of minute white flowers. It is found only in lakes in the Isle of Skye, and in the west of Ireland. Very few of the Brazilian plants bear much resemblance to this northern species ”

“ Flowers.—Where there is a pit at liberty it may now be prepared for forcing flowers. The glass must be thoroughly cleaned, as light is of importance at this season. The tree leaves when gathered to be mixed with a portion of well-prepared dung, to produce an early action, and about nine inches of tan or sawdust placed over them in which to plunge the pots. The plants, if in proper condition, may be introduced immediately—viz. Azaleas, Camellias, Persian Lilacs, Gardenias, Moss and Provence Roses, Rhododendrons, Sweet Briars, Honeysuckles, &c. ”

“ Several other European plants have become naturalized, such as the chickweed, Cerastium vulgatum. The church is kept by a middle-aged Mulatto woman, and a dirty-looking old white man, dressed in the manner of a priest, who calls himself a hermit, resides there also. Except the few vegetables which they cultivate, food comes all from below, and the water they drink is obtained from the numerous Tillandsias which crowd the rocky parts of the Serra, and which in the bases of their leaves, contain a large quantity of water, an ordinary sized plant yielding about a pint. ”

“ The ancient kingdom of Granada, into which we were about to penetrate, is one of the most mountainous regions of Spain. Vast sierras, or chains of mountains, destitute of shrub or tree, and mottled with variegated marbles and granites, elevate their sunburnt summits against a deep-blue sky; yet in their rugged bosoms lie ingulfed verdant and fertile valleys, where the desert and the garden strive for mastery, and the very rock is, as it were, compelled to yield the fig, the orange, and the citron, and to blossom with the myrtle and the rose. ”

“ In a small apartment of this house we therefore passed the night in our hammocks, which were slung from one side of the room to the other. During the voyage up the river I saw several large reeds in flower, and great plenty of a large yellow-flowered Jussiæa. A little way below Penêdo, Machaonia spinosa grew abundantly, forming a good sized spiny shrub, having large panicles of small white flowers, called by the Brazilians, Espinha branea: of this I collected specimens, as well [88] as of a species of Oxypetalum, bearing large umbels of sweet smelling flowers, not unlike those of Hoya carnosa. ”

“ The sloping hills were covered with vineyards and olive trees; the distant fields waved with grain or were verdant with pasturage; while round the city were delightful gardens, the favorite retreats of the Moors, where their white pavilions gleamed among groves of oranges, citrons, and pomegranates, and were surrounded by stately palms—those plants of southern growth bespeaking a generous climate and a cloudless sky. ”

“ Our route, on these journeys, was still through a hilly [396] country, and the roads were extremely bad, passing for the most part through virgin forests, the trees of which, in some places, were very large, consisting principally of different kinds of Cecropia, Vochysia, Copaifera, Laurus, Ficus, Eugenia, Myrcia, and Pleroma. I also observed many kinds of tree-ferns and palms, the most abundant of the latter tribe being the slender cabbage palm (Euterpe edulis, Mart.) , several of which we cut down for the sake of the long terminal bud, which when cooked is equal to asparagus in flavour. ”

“ Along the stream at the bottom of the fall there are several middle-sized trees, the branches of which are festooned with the long branches of a Fuchsia, loaded with splendid crimson flowers. By the side of the fall there are several bushes of a large-flowered Pleroma, and, along with them, a few of a red-blossomed Esterhazya, and a broad thick-leaved species of Clusia (C. fragrans, Gard.) , loading the atmosphere with a delightful odour arising from its large white blossoms; beneath these grow the Amaryllis, an Eryngium, several Tillandsias, and many Ferns. ”

“ With the exception of a hill situated two and a half leagues to the S.W. of the town, and which rises six or eight hundred feet, and a few sand hills near the coast, the country all round is so flat, that the horizon is about as level as that of the sea. The houses are built of a frame-work made of the stems of the Carnahuba palm filled up with brick. The stem of this useful tree is used by the inhabitants for almost every purpose to which wood can be applied; it is so durable that the lower part, particularly of the full grown stems, lasts for many years, even when exposed to the weather ”

“ The famous plain of Granada, adorned with groves and gardens and winding streams, and guarded by the famous Mountains of the Sun and Air, forms the foreground to the picture, while in the distance we see the gloomy mountain passes, the fortified rocks and castles, and the great walled cities, through which the Moors passed, always victorious, and never pausing until their banners floated from every cliff and tower. ”

“ It is covered with an oily viscous matter, and universally makes its appearance in those tracts, which have been cleared of virgin forest for the purposes of cultivation; both cattle and horses are very fond of it, but although they soon fatten on it, the latter get short-winded, if they feed on it for any length of time. Martius considers this plant to be truly a native of Minas Geräes, while St. Hilaire is of a different opinion; as it is now everywhere so common in this province, it is a difficult matter to say which of those excellent botanists is in the right ”

“ From whatever point Granada may be contemplated, it is a sumptuous city; whether viewed from the plain, or from any of the neighbouring heights: even in walking the streets, vistas of astonishing beauty are occasionally discovered; and from the windows of my apartment in the Fonda del Comercio, I have never seen any thing more gorgeous than sunset upon the city of Granada; nor any thing more beautiful than the moonlight falling upon its gardens, and groves,{222} and convents, and towers, and neighbouring heights, and snow-clad mountains. ”

“ The further we proceeded inland, the greater appeared to be the effect of the drought; and in consequence of this I added but little to my botanical collections; but among the few plants that were in flower I observed a very fine species of Angelonia (A. biflora, Benth.) bearing long spikes of large bluish coloured flowers, and which is now common in English gardens, raised from seeds which I sent home. So little are the birds here annoyed by man, that flocks of pigeons of various sorts, parrots, paroquets, &c., remained without stirring on the branches of the small trees under which we passed ”

“ Hilaire, from the south of Brazil, and will, I suspect, prove to be a distinct, though nearly related species. Leaving the garden, we walked a little way into the country, where I hoped to meet with something more interesting; and in this expectation I was not disappointed, as many new plants were added to my collections. On the dry bushy hills in this neighbourhood a wild fruit-tree grows very plentifully; it is the Mangába of the Brazilians, and the Hancornia speciosa of botanists ”

“ Some of the campos we passed through were covered with a large species of tree-lily, bearing a profusion of beautiful purple flowers. Early in the afternoon we continued our journey, and halted for the night in a wooded campo, a little above a large Buriti swamp, sleeping on a hard bed, there being no place wherein to sling our hammocks, and suffering much from the cold. Although accustomed daily both to privations and fatigue, there was an indescribable pleasure in the wild life we had long been leading ”

“ At the foot of the mountains the underwood principally consists of shrubs belonging to the natural orders Melastomaceæ, Myrtaceæ, Compositæ, Solanaceæ, and Rubiaceæ, among which are many large species of herbaceous ferns, and a few palms. About the middle, palms and tree ferns abound, some of the latter reaching to the height of not less than forty feet. These trees are so unlike every other denizen of the forest, so strange in appearance, yet so graceful, that they have always attracted my attention more than any other, not even excepting the palms. ”