Nierembergia

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Nierembergia >

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Read about Nierembergia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Nierembergia (for John E. Nieremberg, 1595- 1658, a Spanish Jesuit and first professor of natural history at Madrid). Solanaceae. Cup-flower. Mostly tender perennial herbs valued chiefly for the open border or for pot-plants: they are mostly of prostrate habit, with showy pale violet or white flowers borne freely through the summer and autumn. Stem decumbent or creeping, rarely suberect, diffusely branched, the branches usually slender and nearly glabrous: Lvs. alternate, scattered, entire: fls. borne singly on the tips of young shoots, mostly white with a purple center; calyx 5-parted, tubular or bell-shaped; sepals spreading; tube of corolla long, slender, attenuated below, abruptly expanded above into a broad bell-shaped, saucer-shaped or funnel-shaped limb, which has 5 broad, obtuse lobes: caps. 2-valved. — About 25 species from Trop. and Subtrop. Amer., allied to Petunia and characterized by the long and very slender tube of the corolla. Several species of Nierembergia have distinct value for certain purposes. N. gracilis makes an excellent pot- or basket-plant, and is also popular for the border. N. frutescens does well in the open, but is more desirable as a pot-plant. N. riwdaris is perhaps the most desirable species of the group, and is adapted to a wide range of conditions. It thrives best in a moist soil with a half-shaded exposure, but often makes fine patches on a dry bank, or even in the rockery. Both N. gracilis and N. frutescens thrive in a loose, rather moist soil, but are not impatient of dryness. These three species endure winters without protection in the latitude of New York. Nierembergias are propagated chiefly by cuttings taken in the fall, or by seeds. N. rivularis is most readily increased by dividing the creeping stem where it has rooted at the nodes. As most species are tender, they are best stored indoors, a cool greenhouse being best, where they may receive plenty of light and air. It is best to cut them down almost to the soil when setting them away for the winter. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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