Cantua

This group consists of six tender, evergreen shrubs and trees from the northern Andes of South America. C. buxifolia (Magic Flower) is an unfamiliar, but very beautiful, small shrub that can be grown in tropical climates. This plant can grow from 4 to 10 feet high. It's clothed with ovate shaped leaves and it produces bunches of pendulous, funnel-shaped, cherry red flowers, in mid-spring.

Pot Cultivation

The Magic Flower requires a minimum temperature of 45° F. When grown outdoors in warm climates, they should be planted against a warm wall. When grown in containers, potting or repotting should be done in March. They should be planted in two parts turfy loam and one part leaf mold. Very little water is required from September to March, but plenty should be given in the summer. Since this plant can grow anywhere from 4 to 10 feet high, a large pot or bed of soil in the greenhouse is suitable. The shoots can be trained to some kind of support. In March, some of the old wood should be thinned out and the side branches should be cut back by two-thirds.

VARIETIES

Young side shoots can be inserted in pots of sandy soil in April. Place them in a greenhouse that has a 50-degree temperature and cover with a bell jar until roots have formed. They are then potted separately in 3-inch pots. When they have a sufficient supply of roots, transplant them to 5-inch pots and, later, to 10-inch pots or a prepared bed of soil.

C. Buxifolia.

VARIETIES

C. Buxifolia.