Page:The Amateur's Greenhouse and Conservatory.djvu/249

Rh It is extremely pretty and it presents a problem to the vegetable physiologist, for its pitchers are developed apart from the leaves (if they are leaves), and the plant always presents examples of two distinct forms of foliation. It has no stem, but grows in a close tuft amidst the wet moss which forms its bed, and when it flowers presents a near resemblance in its floral organs to a ranunculus.

The Cephalotus has been grown to perfection in a warm greenhouse, and may be associated with either Sarracenias or Nepenthes; but its proper place, as regards temperature, is midway between them. The soil best adapted for the plant is a mixture of chopped sphagnum and the fibre of peat, without any of the earthy matter, with an admixture of potsherds broken to the size of peas. It should not stand in pans of water; but plenty of water it must have, in common with its associates; and if the atmosphere of the house in which the plant is grown does not happen to be saturated with moisture it must be covered with a bell glass, which should be cleaned daily. The best place for it in a plant collection will be where the temperature averages 45° to 55° through the winter, and 60° to 80° through the summer.