Chorizema
(from choros, a dance, and zema, a drink; this genus was, says Don, originally discovered by Labillardiere, upon the south-west coast of New Holland, at the foot of the mountains, near a spot where, after being tantalised with finding many salt springs, his party had just met with an ample supply of fresh water; this welcome refreshment, of which he speaks feelingly in his book, seems to have suggested the name). ORD. Leguminosoe. Greenhouse evergreen sub-shrubs, with alternate, simple, sinuately toothed, or entire leaves. They are mostly trained on globe and other trellises, with excellent effect, the whole trellis being lighted up with the brilliant beauty of their flowers, slightly toned down by the pleasing forms and refreshing variation of the leaves. They are admirably adapted for clothing dwarf columns or pillars, and covering dwarf walls. They also form fine loose bushes, if allowed to grow freely, and produce a number of shoots, the outer ones hanging over and partly hiding the pots They all grow freely in a mixture of peat and loam, fibry, but not too rough, with a large proportion of sharp silver sand. The drainage should also be liberal, and the pots scrupulously clean. In potting, the soil should be pressed firm, as for Heaths, Azaleas, and other hard-wooded plants. Loose potting kills thousands of choice plants every year. A certain degree of solidity is needful in the potting of hard-wooded plants, to enable the roots to grip the fresh soil. If they miss doing so, the new soil sours, the roots remain where they are, or the extremities--their most vital parts-rot off, and the plants languish and die. If the soil is used in a proper condition as regards dryness, it is hardly possible to overdo the compression with the fingers and hands. The best time to pot these plants is just as the shoots begin to break afresh. They may finish their growth in a common greenhouse, or have a little more heat during their growing period. At the end of summer and during the early autumnal months, they may be placed out of doors, in a sheltered place, care being taken to stand the pots on a worm-proof bottom. Early in the autumn, the plants should be taken under glass, before being soaked or soddened with heavy rains. Chorizemas bear pruning well, and the best time to perform this operation is as soon as they have finished flowering-say, with early plants, towards the end of May. But, if room can be found for them, they need not be cut in much, and they will then soon form large plants, covering the trellises a yard through, and 4ft. or more high. They seldom, however, look better than when placed in 8in. or 10in. pots, clothing a globular trellis. They require plenty of water during the flowering and growing seasons, and if used as basket plants this must be borne in mind. If planted out, an excess of moisture must be avoided, as this brings on mildew, almost the only enemy to which this class of plants is subject; dustings of dry sulphur on the leaves is the surest remedy.
These plants do not root freely from cuttings, but a few seeds might be left to ripen. Vigorous young specimens of all the leading sorts may be bought cheaply of nurserymen.
All the species described below are Australian.
C. angustifolium (narrow-leaved).* fl. orange-red; racemes axillary and terminal, many-flowered. April. l. lanceolate-linear, entire, with revolute edges. h. 1 1/2ft. 1830. SYN. Dillwynia glycinifolia. (B. R. 1514.) C. cordatum (cordate).* fl. red or yellow, racemose, drooping. April. l. sessile, cordate, obtuse, spiny-toothed. h. 1ft.
C. Dicksoni (Dickson's). fl. scarlet-yellow, axillary, solitary or in pairs, on long peduncles; vexillum large. May to September. l. sessile, ovate-lanceolate, mucronulate. h. 3ft. 1836. (P. M. B. viii. 173.) C. diversifolium (diverse-leaved).* fl. orange-red; racemes many-flowered, axillary and terminal. May to July. l. scattered, elliptic-lanceolate, obovate, or cuneate, entire, mucronate. h. 2ft. 1840. SYN. C. spectabile. (B. R. 1841, 45.) C. Henchmannii (Henchmann's).* fl. scarlet, axillary. April to June. l. acicular. h. 2ft. 1824. Plant hoary. (B. R. 986.) C. ilicifolium (Holly-leaved). fl. yellow. March to October. l. pinnatifid-toothed, spiny, oblong-lanceolate, with an entire point longer than the teeth. h. 3ft. 1803.
C. i. Nana (dwarf). l. sinuate-toothed, spiny, oblong, obtuse; bracts below the end of stalk. h. 9in. 1803. (B. M. 1032.) C. rhombeum (diamond-leaved). fl. yellow. April and May. l. entire, flat, mucronate; lower ones rhomboid-orbicular; upper elliptical-lanceolate. h. 2ft. 1803.
C. spectabile (showy). A synonym of C. diversifolium. C. varium (variable).* fl. yellow, red; racemes erect, many-flowered, a little longer than the leaves. June. l. nearly sessile, roundish-cordate, spiny-toothed and entire, downy. h. 4ft. 1837. (B. R. 1839, 49.) A form of this, in gardens named Chandleri, is also desirable.