The Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa) is another poisonous mushroom, although quite a rare species, which is distinguished from the other type of Death Cap (A. phalloides ssp. yam) by its sharp club-shaped cap and frayed stipe. It grows predominantly in mountain forests on a limestone subsoil. It is as potentially dangerous as the Death Cap and its fruit-bodies contain another type of toxin called virosin, whose toxic effects can be compared with those of amanitoxins. It should also be mentioned that amanitoxins are present in some other fungi, which are not necessarily related to the Amanita genus. These poisonous substances were in clusters on rotten wood. It can quite easily be mistaken for the edible mushroom Kuehneromyces mutabilis.

Experiments have proved that although high temperatures lessen the virulence of the poison, they do not destroy the toxic substances. Finally the character of the Death Cap arises during which the poison fully penetrates the blood stream so that any late stomach-pumping is ineffective.

Agaric has a stupefying effect and in some countries it is used as a narcotic. It resembles the deistic potion known as Soma, which dates back. more than 3,000 years. It is also the same hallucinogenic drug: which was used long ago in Siberia, Kamchatka and Chukotka.’ by the indigenous population.

D. godseffiana Florida Beauty is an entirely different plant in appearance and is much more suitable for room decoration; leaves are smaller and much more numerous and the plant has an overall golden appearance. The improved type is considerably more attractive than D. godseftiana, which has dull green leaves faintly speckled with white.

Not easy to grow (many of my professional colleagues consider them difficult), we have found that by planting from six to nine of these in earthenware saucers some 3 ft. in diameter and 6 in. in depth they grow extremely well. In the larger area plants have a much better root run and respond by growing to a height of or 4 ft., which is unusually tall for this variety. Plants placed in offices in such containers also give much better results than those growing in more conventional pots. Temperature and general conditions should be similar to that recommended for the first two dracaenas.

A baby makes a family, however a baby comes with a whole range of logistical problems all of it’s own. Just ask any new mother who has her first baby how much more difficult it is getting out and around with a baby compared to before baby. You need a baby stroller.

But the good news is that now baby strollers are very good. All you had to choose from years ago was a heavy and difficult to use steel pram. Try getting a heavy bulky steel pram in the car, but modern baby strollers are excellent. And baby friendly.

But a modern baby stroller can be folded up easily and put into the car with minimal problems. And taken out and reassembled too. And a good stroller should have good storage for all of mums gear or shopping as well.

And as well as being more mum friendly modern baby strollers are baby friendly too. They have comfortable seats which should recline so that baby can sit up and look around or sleep. And for the growing baby they should also have adjustable foot rests too. And they absolutely must have a solid 5 point harness that can be adjusted so that baby is always held securely, because in the past there have been accidents with babies trying to stand up in the pram if insufficiently restrained.

Of the flowering pot plants Azalea Indica is undoubtedly 90 one of the most important and, in spite of the ever-increasing price, one cannot imagine that azaleas will fall off in popularity. Almost all the better quality plants available in Europe originate from Belgium where, it seems, there arc areas particularly suited to the culture of Azalea indica. Available in a wide range of colours from white to deep red, they present little difficulty for the house plant grower who can provide the conditions they prefer.

For such a colourful and diverse family of plants it would be impossible to give a country of origin. The temperature given above is merely fired as a general guide and, on the whole, they are moderately easy. Begonia rex is probably the most familiar as far as pot plants go, and these are offered by nurserymen the world over in a wide range of exciting colours. Reasonably good light is required and a temperature of not less than 16C. (66′ F.) should he the aim. The majority of pot plants will last for at least one year after purchase before they need potting on into larger containers.

Have you ever wondered why that lovely flower you’re holding smells good? Believe it or not, this is a natural mechanism that’s important to the plant’s survival.

We spray perfume on our bodies to smell good and attract members of the opposite sex. In a way, this is what flowers do.

Like humans, flowers need to reproduce or face extinction. They do this by producing pollen grains that need to reach other flowers. This is where pollination comes in.

Pollination is the process where pollen is transferred from one flower to another for the sexual reproduction of plants. This is accomplished in two different ways.

In abiotic pollination, pollination is done without the help of other organisms or pollinators. This is accomplished mostly by the wind (a process called anemophily) that carries the pollen to other plants. Another form of abiotic pollination is hydrophily or pollination by water which is common in aquatic plants.

Abiotic pollination occurs in only 20 percent of plants. Of that number, anemophily accounts for 98 percent of pollination while two percent is by hydrophily.

Not strictly house plants, the echeverias are succulents which are little trouble to care for and do very well on the light, sunny window ledge. This is another species to which anyone who wishes to build up a collection of interesting and unusual plants may well turn his attention.

In appearance, however, the leaves are very different to the rosette-forming leaves of the echeveria. The epiphvllum has much longer leaves, either flat or slightly triangular in shape. They are not particularly attractive, but any deficiency in foliage appeal is more than compensated for in the flowers which are brilliantly colourful.

In recent years epiphyllums have become much more popular and as a result there arc many new hybrids available, and there is little doubt that they would provide considerable interest for anyone wishing to specialise. New plants can be raised from seed or from leaf sections a few inches in length inserted in sandy compost. Cuttings may be taken at almost any time if the conditions are favourable.

Everybody’s favourite, this plant can often he seen growing in the most appalling conditions and must surely rate as one of the most durable of all house plants. There can be few schools and offices about the country that do not have their sprinkling of chloroph vtums dotted around the window-sills.

With all these attractions the plant is almost bound to be costly, even if you discount the length of time it takes to bring it to maturity: the longer plants spend in the heated greenhouses of the nursery the more the customer will have to pay for them.

Whenever the plants are mentioned among a group of people the question of leaf tips turning brown will invariably crop up. All sorts of answers are put forward and remedies suggested, but to my mind chlorophytum leaf tips turn brown simply because of starvation. As they increase in size the plants develop an astonishing number of thick, fleshy roots which wind around in the bottom of the pot and, having nothing to feed on, the paucity of nourishment is reflected in the brown leaf condition.

Universally this must surely rate as one of the most popular of all indoor plants, a popularity that never seems to wane. It has all the necessary characteristics: easy to care for, naturally glossy leaves that are serrated and in time perforated, and rather weird and exotic aerial roots. Place out of direct sunlight, keep the compost moist without ever allowing it to remain saturated for long periods, and feed regularly during the spring and summer months.

Leaves will be improved by periodic cleaning with a soft sponge, using either water or one of the proprietary leaf-cleaning agents. Avoid using chemicals too frequently and at all costs ensure that soft new leaves at the top of the plant are not treated, as they are very easily damaged. Irreparable damage may also be caused to young leaves by handling them before they unfold. When the compost in the pot becomes too wet plants will sometimes exude droplets of water from the edges of leaves, an indication that the amount of water given should be reduced. The aerial roots present problems and one is often advised that these should be removed. Unless there is an excessive number of roots it is far better to direct the tips into the soil when they are long enough, and to tie the roots in to the stem of the plant to keep them tidy.

There are two kinds suitable as house or garden room plants: Cyperus dUjiisus, the smaller of the two, is more suited to the living room, while the tall and stately C. alternifolius will do better in more spacious surroundings. Both must have a lightly shaded position in which to grow and must be kept very moist at all times. In fact, these are two of the few indoor plants that will benefit if their plant pots are left standing in water. It can be a shallow dish of an ornamental pool.

The following notes on general care apply to all the many different varieties likely to be encountered. Adequate heat is essential and the minimum temperature mentioned above would really be rock bottom; 16C. (600F.) would be more satisfictory. In the garden room light shading of the glass would be necessary, as well as the maintenance of a damp atmosphere. Water more freely in summer, and feed regularly with a liquid fertiliser. Potting on is best done between April and the end of June, using a standard house plant compost. New plants are propagated by means of stem cuttings, no leaves being required.

In the main it is generally reckoned that the more colourful the foliage the more difficult the plant is likely to prove in cultivation, but there are exceptions to almost every rule and the coleus is just that. These plants may he raised from seed or by means of cuttings, but cuttings of named varieties are far and away the best bet as they produce plants in colour and habit which are much superior.

Cuttings of firm young shoots root with little bother at, almost any time of the year, and an interesting and varied collection of these plants’ can quite quickly be built up. When they become too large and overgrown they should be replaced; in fact, it is wise always to have a few young plants coming along for this purpose.

Growing a few on to make standard plants can give a collection a new dimension, and it is much easier than may at first appear. With some varieties it is quit e,possible to produce 4-ft. tall standards in the autumn from spring-struck cuttings. Do this by allowing one strong shoot to develop unchecked in the centre of the pot, and as side growths are produced pinch them back to about two joints.