Rondeletia
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Read about Rondeletia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Rondeletia (named in memory of William Rondelet, 1507-66, a French physician and naturalist). Syn. Rogiera. Rubiaceae. Evergreen shrubs and trees, a few of which are grown in the warmhouse or outdoors in the extreme southern United States. Leaves opposite, rarely ternately whorled, sessile or petiolate, coriaceous or membranaceous: infl. corymbose or paniculate, axillary or rarely terminal cymes; fls. red, yellow or white; calyx-lobes equal; corolla- tube usually slender, swollen or not, throat glabrous or bearded; limb 5-lobed (in some species 4-lobed); ovary 2-celled: caps, loculicidal.—About 85 species, Trop. Amer. The whole family is noted as furnishing numerous desirable stove plants, and Ronde- letia is a highly esteemed genus. The following species are shrubs growing 4 ft. or more high. The fls. are generally fragrant, and the clusters 4 in. or more across. In the favorite species (R. adorata) the fls. number 10-30 in a cluster, each fl. being fully an inch across; in the other species the fls. may number 150-200 to a cluster, each fl. being less than l/2in. across. R. cordata is often said to have a 4-lobed fl., a mistake that dates back more than half a century to a typograpical error. Rondeletias are of slow growth, and not many cultivators of planta care to give time and space to raise them; nevertheless some of the species, notably R. odorata var. major, deserve to be more widely grown. Cuttings fromthe half-ripened wood may be rooted at any time of the year. Spring, however, is considered the best time, as one has the season's growth ahead, and good plants may be had in the fall. Insert the cuttings in a 3-inch pot, in a mixture of finely sifted peat and sand and place them in a tight propagating-bed, in a temperature of 70°. Water them thoroughly and shade them from the sun. In a few weeks the cuttings will be rooted, when they may be potted in small pots, in the siftings of the root of the osmunda fern, with enough sand to keep it open. If a good fibrous peat can be procured, it answers the same purpose. A night tem- erature of 60° is best for these plants. Large plants, however, will winter safely at 50° to 55°. The advantage of keeping small plants warmer is that they may be grown more quickly. As soon as the young plants have a good hold on their first pot, cut them back to two joints above the soil. Place them close to the glass and syringe two or three times a day. When the sun gets strong, shade them lightly in the middle of the day. As soon as they are well rooted in their first pot, shift them into a size 2 inches larger, which will carry them through until the following spring. They would flower in this pot if allowed to do so, but it is advisable to keep them growing right along the first year. They may be cut back as soon as the shoots are long enough to leave two sets of leaves, after the heart bas been taken out of them. As the plants grow larger, a third part of good fibrous loam may be added to the peat, and at all times they must be potted very firmly. After the plants have reached the size of an 8-inch pot, they may go two seasons without repotting, if they are fed with liquid manure as advised for ixoras. After color shows in the flowers, it is best to withhold manure until they have finished flowering, as the flowers will last much longer. After the flowers decay, if they are removed without cutting away much of the stem, they are liable to flower a second time the same year. It is preferable, however, to cut them well back, and if they require potting, do so, after they have broken into growth. When the young breaks have made four pairs of leaves, take out the heart of them. This treatment will double the number of shoots, and give a far better appearance when they come in flower. Mealy-bug will sometimes be found on rondeletias. They may be easily gotten rid of if the plants are removed to a house that is being fumigated with hydrocyanic gas. (George F. Stewart.)
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References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Rondeletia. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Rondeletia QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)