There is a highly beautiful flower called Luania, a name of which the
approximate translation is the _soirée_ or "assembly" flower. Its
colours are most brilliant, but its blossom only lasts about ten hours.
When that short term has expired, the leaves fall, and nothing remains
but a small pod, containing seeds.
In the following year, but not before, the flower blossoms again, and
falls in like manner.
The seeds of the Luania do not mature for three years,--that is to say,
until after the flower has blossomed three times; but we have, however,
the means of producing flowers from the seeds in three days.
The seeds are placed in handsome vases, which contain fine sand and some
new goat's-milk, and are covered over with perforated zinc, taken from
the great ravine, the metal having been previously prepared to attract
the rays of the sun.
The vase, with the metal thus prepared, is exposed to the light of the
sun, between the hours of seven and eight in the morning.
The power of the prepared metal is great, and so strongly attracts and
retains heat, that it renders the surrounding atmosphere quite cold.
One hour in the sun is sufficient to bring leaves from the Luania. The
metal covering is then removed, and the vases are placed under a
forcing-glass, the power of which is doubled on the second day, and
further increased on the third. The flowers then appear at once clad in
all their brilliancy and beauty.
The forced flowers, like the natural blossoms, which they excel in
beauty, live ten hours only, but they so far differ from them that
their pods do not contain seeds.
The colours of the flowers are bright pink, golden, lilac, lilac striped
with white, and a beautiful green striped with white gold. The leaves of
this, instead of being green like the others, are of a coral colour
mixed with purple blue.
The perfume of these flowers surpasses every other fragrance; it is most
refreshing, and a lady will have no other for a _réunion_ when she can
obtain this flower.