The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-05-25
Gdeas for dWolnen


Very few of the lovers Of our wild flow
ers are aware that orchids and air plants
are found in the United States, and most
Of your readers think that Il student must
go to the tropics to observe these inter-
esting and curiously formed flowers. Yet
nearly all observing country lads and las
sizes are acquainted with the Lady's Slip
per or Mocassin flower. which blooms in
spring and early summer in low places
and moist woods. They are among the
most snowy of the group, their lip being
large and closely resembling an Indian
Moeassin in form. In midwinter the ever
green, white veined leaves of Rattlesnake
plantain greet us from the midst of the
dead leaves and melting snow. The leaf
less Coral root. parasitic on roots the
fringed orchid of the s~wamp-each place
and season has its representatives, all m
teresting and many of them worthy OF
and adapted to cultivation, says Farm
News"
The orchid family is a n immense one,
numbering at least 41o genera ana '.wo
species. some of which are found IN near
" every part of the world. They are most
numerous in the tropics, and are thele
frequently epiphytes or "air-pIants- NO
less than seventeen genera are natives OF
the Northern United States, most OF them
perennial herbs, with bulbs. corms or tu-
hero,,s roots: a few are ~leafless sapro-
phvtes or root-parasitic, as the Coral
roots.
But. though nearly all of these orchids
are plants which grow in the ground
there are also some of them which grow
as parasites upon trees. l have met with
but one species in the. South east OF the
Mississippi. This was in Florida, where
1t is found growing on the limbs ana
trunks of live and dead trees, roofs OF
cIds buildings, and l have found II at
tached to stones. where it thrives equally
wen. 1t is the Butterfly orchid, or Epi-
dendrum conopseum of botanists, ana
clings to any rough substance by its timex
matted roots, from which springs a thlck'
tuberous root stock, with a few, generally
two or three. lanceolate leaves two or
three inches long. In the summer a little
greenish-white and purple flower is put
forth. which. though insignificant, is deli
cate and attractive. and has the marked
features of the tropical orchids.
Another air-plant which is abundant is
what is called the tree-fern. Polypodium
incanum. a delicate little plant two TO
four inches high. and thrives best upon
the rough bark upon the upper side OF
limbs. or the ~sIanting trunks of live oaks,
and sometimes on house roofs. This little
plant often looks dead, and its leaves are
curled ard dried by dry weather; yet
within an hour after a rain those same
leaves appear as fresh and green as ever
they did. and are beautiful to behold.
There is another air plant. Tillandsia
caespitosa. the most abundant and uni
versal of all, which resembles the pine
apple plant in makeup. but is much
smaller. Often over fifty of these para
sites may be. seen fastened to a single
tree. It's appearance is somewhat like
the aloe, or century plant as it is famil-
iarly called. This plant thriyes as well
on the smallest twigs as on the trunks
OF the largest trees, and when ii is blown
from its attachment it lives as well on the
bare ground, or will blossom while hung
up in the house by a string The bios
SONS are purplish above, and so small as
to be hardly noticeable, but there is a
stem of bright red leaves leading up to
the smaller flowers. which look like living
fame. and make a beautiful appearance
from the trunks of the mos~s-covered live
oaks and green-topped palmettos, often
standing up for a height of over thirty
inches, and with a stalk like a red-hot
poker over a foot long.
The so-called Spanish moss, Tillandsia
usneoides, is a true parasite, and by its
growth and persistence kills many trees.
A fayorite location is the spreading
branches of the live oak, where it is found
trailing in festoons ten feet or more in
length. A spray broken off and placed
most anywhere will form attachments and
thrive.
It is next to impossible to kill any of
these air-plants by abuse, and 1 have sub
mitted them to many tests and they still
lived. 1 have brought little Butterfly or
child to my Northern home and had it
Bloom upon our piazza. Many specimens
of the common species of air-plant 7.
caespitosa have been sent to me by mail
and all continued to thrive though some
were blossoming when on the road. No
matter how dry the time of year and
where the plant is hung up it will continue
green and vigorous if occasionally wa
tered.
y. HAIRY <1QdliAS Aiidctid tCc AZ SoC
in the June .'Woman's Home Companion"
some very clever devices for furnishing
the front piazza.
while a few chairs are the only nee
cssary pieces of furniture for the comfort
able disposal OF the several member of
the family, it is oftentines a pleasure to
convert the piazza or a portion of it into
a convenient lounging and reading room.
It will be a very simple matter to arrange
the few odd pieces of furniture necessary
to bring about the change. A few chairs,
a table, divan, hammock and some stools,
a rug and some large plants in jardinieres,
If tastefully arranged, will work a Won
derful change in the appearance of any
piazza; and if the sun should shine on any
part sufficient to annoy the occupants a
few large bamboo screens can be fastened
in place to shade it nicely and protect
ONES eyes from the unpleasant top light.
s.When old furniture is to be renovated
for this purpose 1t should be well fastened
together with screws to insure the
strength and safety necessary, Them hav-
ing been sandpapered to remove rough
places and old varrlish, two or three sue
cessive thin coats of some desirable COL
ored paint can be applied until the ap-
pearance Is satisfactory. Upholstered