The brilliant little scarlet berries of this plant render it, when well
grown, one of the prettiest of ornaments for the hothouse, conservatory,
or even for a warm room. It is quite easily managed, stray seeds of it
even growing where they fall, and making handsome specimens. For indoor
decoration few subjects are more interesting, and a few plants may be so
managed as to have them in fruit in succession all the year round. Any
kind of soil will answer for this Rivina. Cuttings of it strike freely,
but it is easiest obtained from seeds. Either one plant or three may
occupy a 6 in. pot, and that is the best size for table decoration.
Usually it is best to raise a few plants every year and discard the old
stock, but some may be retained for growing into large specimens. These
should be cut back before they are started into growth. The berries
yield a fine, but fugitive red color. Miller says that he made
experiments with the juice for coloring flowers, and succeeded extremely
well, thus making the tuberose and the double white narcissus variegated
in one night. Of this species there is a variety with yellow berries
which are not quite so handsome as the red, though very attractive. _R.
humilis_ differs from lævis in having hairy leaves, those of lævis being
quite smooth. It also differs in the duller red color of the
berries, lævis being much the prettier. Both are natives of the West
Indies.--_R.I.L., in The Garden_.
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