Jacobinia

   DESCRIPTION: J. carnea, 3 to 4 ft., from Brazil. Large, dark-green leaves topped with a huge, bracted head of clear pink, arched, two-lipped blossoms give this plant the names Brazilian plume and king's crown. It blooms in the spring and summer. J. chrysostephana, 3 to 4 ft., from Mexico, has yellow flowers in the winter. J. ghiesbreghtiana, 1 to 2 ft., from Mexico, begins to bear its orange-red flowers in early winter and continues until summer; attractive, light-green foliage. J. suberecta, 1 ft., from Uruguay, has softly hairy leaves, a less erect manner of growth than other jacobinias, and orange blossoms in the summer.

   It is the tendency of jacobinias to become scraggly unless they are properly cultivated. In their native habitat, they become shrubby perennials, but when pot-grown, they generally do better if treated as annuals. After the flowering season ends, take tip cuttings and discard the old plant.

    CULTURE: Light, semi-sunny. Temperature, average house. Humidity, 30% or more. Soil, equal parts loam, sand, and peat moss; keep evenly moist. Propagate by cuttings at any time, but especially at the close of a flowering period.

   Pseuderanthemum

   DESCRIPTION: P. alatum, 1 ft., from Mexico, has coppery brown leaves blotched with silver-gray near the main rib. Often called "chocolate plant." P. atropurpureum tricolor, a small shrub from Polynesia, is more beautifully variegated. It has heavier-textured, almost leathery leaves of metallic purple irregularly splashed with green, rose, and white.

    CULTURE: Light, semi-sunny to semi-shady. Temperature, average house. Humidity, 30% or more; moist atmosphere increases leaf size, although pseuderanthemums will grow satisfactorily under normal indoor conditions. Soil, equal parts loam, sand, and peat moss; keep evenly moist. Propagate by cuttings in spring or summer.

   Ruellia

   DESCRIPTION: R. amoena, 1 to 2 ft., from South America, is noted for bright red, pouched blossoms borne in sprays from the leaf axils. It has green, papery leaves narrowed at both ends. R. makoyana, a low, spreading plant from Brazil, is valued chiefly for its foliage. The leaves are small, satiny, olive-green with purple- red shadings and silvery veins. The funnel-shaped flowers are rosy carmine.

   CULTURE: Same as Pseuderanthemum.

   Stenandrium

   DESCRIPTION: S. lindenii, 6 to 12 in., from Peru, is a trailing plant with broadly oval, dark-green, velvety leaves. These have a feathering of creamy white along the veins, and purplish reverses. The flowers are yellow, in 3-inch spikes arising from the axils.

   CULTURE: Light, semi-sunny to semi-shady. Temperature, average house. Humidity, 30% or more. Soil, 1 part loam, 1 part sand or Perlite, 2 parts peat moss or leaf mold; keep evenly moist. Propagate by cuttings rooted March to July in high humidity and warmth (75-8o°F.). Excellent for terrariums.