MACROECONOMICS 9TH

EDITION BOYES SOLUTIONS

MANUAL
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CHAPTER 4
(MACRO CHAPTER 4; MICRO CHAPTER 4)

The Market System and the Private and Public

Sectors

FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS
1. In a market system, who decides what goods and services are produced and how they are
produced, and who obtains the goods and services that are produced?
2. What is a household, and what is household income and spending?
3. What is a business and what is business spending?
4. How does the international sector affect the economy?
5. What is the public sector? What is public sector spending?
6. How do the private and public sectors interact?

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20 Chapter 4: The Market System and the Private Sectors

OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES

The primary purpose of this chapter is to outline the major private sectors of the economy and their
spending. This chapter also outlines the dimensions of the public sector, showing how the public sector
interacts with the other sectors of the economy. It also describes the economic role of the public sector.
The unique feature of this chapter is its discussion of the coordinating role of the market in the private
economy. The roles of households, businesses, and the international sector are also presented.
After reading and reviewing this chapter, the student should be able to:
1. Explain the concept of consumer sovereignty as it applies to the market system.
2. Name and describe the three sectors of the economy that comprise the private sector.
3. Name and describe the sector of the economy that comprises the public sector.
4. Use the proper terminology for household spending, business spending, and international
spending.
5. Describe recent patterns of consumption, investment, and net exports.
6. Explain the interaction among the three private sectors and the public sector through the use of a
circular flow diagram.
7. Define the economic role of the government.

KEY TERM REVIEW

consumer sovereignty
private sector
public sector
household
consumption
business firm
sole proprietorship
partnership
corporation
multinational business
investment
imports
exports
trade surplus
trade deficit
net exports
budget surplus
budget deficit
transfer payments

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in whole or in part.
 Chapter 4: The Market System and the Private Sectors 21

financial intermediaries
circular flow diagram

LECTURE OUTLINE AND TEACHING STRATEGIES

I. The Market System
A. Consumer sovereignty: Through their buying decisions, consumers determine what the
market system will produce.
Teaching Strategy: Use Coca-Cola’s attempt to reformulate its recipe to make the point
that consumers call the shots in the market system.
B. Profit and the allocation of resources: Resources will be used in endeavors that generate
profits to the producer (which derive from meeting consumer wants).
Teaching Strategy: Demonstrate sequentially through the technology example how
increased smartphone sales resulted from the increase in demand for hand-held technology
and the decrease in demand for larger devices.
C. Creative destruction: Profit incentives ensure that resources flow to their most productive
use.
Teaching Strategy: Point out that people who own resources will try to find uses for their
resources that yield the highest possible return. A good example is how people allocate their
financial resources in financial markets.
D. The determination of income: Income is determined according to the returns that people
receive from their resources.
Teaching Strategy: Differences in incomes are due to the relative scarcity of the resources
that individuals hold. You can use this idea to explain how Tiger Woods and Lady Gaga
earn millions of dollars annually.
II. The Private Sector
A. Households: The household, one of the basic units in economics, consists of persons of any
relationship who share a unit of housing. Household spending is called consumption and is
the largest component of total spending in the economy. Teaching Strategy: A family like
the Cleavers (of Leave It to Beaver) is not representative of the norm in the U.S. economy.
Only 14 percent of all households have a husband, a wife, and two children.
B. Business firms: Firms are organized as sole proprietorships, partnerships, or corporations.
Business spending for capital goods is referred to as investment.
Teaching Strategy: It is useful to think of the forms of business organization in terms of
the distribution of business profits or losses and of liabilities to the owners.
C. The international sector: The nations of the world may be divided into two categories:
industrial countries and developing countries. Economic activity of the United States with
the rest of the world includes U.S. spending on foreign goods and foreign spending on U.S.
goods. Net exports refers to the difference between the value of exports and imports. Since
1976, net exports have been negative, known as a trade deficit.

III. The Public Sector

A. Growth of government: Government in the U.S. exists at the federal, state, and local levels.
Government in the U.S. has grown tremendously since 1930.

B. Government spending: Spending on goods and services by all levels of government

combined is larger than investment spending but much smaller than consumption. The
federal budget deficit grew rapidly through the 1980s and into the 1990s before beginning to

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in part.
.
22 Chapter 4: The Market System and the Private Sectors

drop and turning to surplus by 1998. After four years of surpluses, a deficit was again
realized in 2002 and has grown since then. It exploded in 2008-2011, leading to record
levels of debt.

IIV. Linking the Sectors

A. Households and the rest of the economy: Households own all the basic resources in the
economy. Businesses, governments and foreign businesses employ the services of resources
in order to produce goods and services.
Teaching Strategy: Make it clear that a business firm is a legal construct and thus cannot
own anything. Only people own things.
B. Government: The government is both a source of income and a producer of income.
C. The international sector: Foreign countries also affect and are affected by the household,
business, and government sectors of the home country.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISCUSSION

1. In what ways have businesses responded to new opportunities created by an increasing number of
two-earner families?
2. Discuss how the recent economic downturn has affected businesses in your area.
3. Choose a country and compile data on how much trade the United States does with it. Write a
brief report.
4. Ask students to list imported products that they purchase on a regular basis. Do they feel guilty
when buying products manufactured in a foreign country?
5. List public goods you use every day (such as roads, schools, police protection, and clean air).
What are ways that the market could deliver those goods?
6. Discuss the implications of our government having a budget deficit.
ANSWERS TO EXERCISES
1. Consumer sovereignty is important because it ensures that the goods and services the consumer
most desires and values are produced. Because producers are forced to respond to consumer
demands in order to secure profits, individual consumers are able to determine what is produced
through their purchases of goods and services.
2. A family is not a household, and a household is not a family. In economic terms, a household
refers to one or more persons who occupy a unit of housing. So a family is not a household
because a family may be dispersed across many housing units. Furthermore, a household is not a
family because individuals of any relationship can occupy a unit of housing.
3. Household spending in the form of consumption is the largest component of total spending.
International sector spending is the smallest component. The business sector’s spending for
investment is the most volatile of total spending.
4. Net exports are the difference between a country’s exports and its imports. When imports are
greater than exports, net exports will be negative. This is called a trade deficit. In terms of the
circular flow of income and product, there will be a net leakage from the domestic economy to the
international economy.
5. In the short run, total spending, income and output will decline because a decline in spending
causes income and output to also fall.

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in whole or in part.
 Chapter 4: The Market System and the Private Sectors 23

6. Because the quota limits imports, net exports are higher than they would have been without the
quota. The increase in net exports means that spending on domestically produced goods and
services is now higher, which leads to the production of additional output. Domestic producers of
goods that compete with those goods on which the quota is imposed will benefit by receiving
higher prices for their goods than they would have without the quota. Consumers are hurt by the
quota because they cannot obtain all of the foreign goods they desire and because they must pay
artificially high prices. Foreign producers are also hurt because they cannot sell all of the products
that they could have if no quota had been imposed.
7. If households increase saving, then payments for goods and services go down by the amount that
saving goes up. The value of national output and income will drop unless investment and
government spending rises by the amount that saving rises and household spending falls.
8.
a. A = $9 million; B = − $3 million; C = − $6 million.
b. A has a trade surplus; B and C have trade deficits.
9. As tastes change, the demand for drive-in movies declines and causes both the equilibrium price
and quantity to fall; while the demand for indoor movies rises and causes both the equilibrium
price and quantity to rise.

10. Households: consumption spending; business firms: investment; government: government

spending; international sector: net exports. Magnitude and example: 1. Consumption: A household
buys a loaf of bread. 2. Government spending: The government buys a stop sign and installs it on
a corner. 3. Investment: A fast-food store buys a dishwasher. 4. Net exports: A Mexican firm
imports a truckload of Budweiser beer.
11. Money flowing out of the household sector to the government sector rises. The money must be
made up somewhere. The household sector reduces spending and saving. Money flowing from the
household sector to the business sector declines (fewer goods and services purchased) and money
flowing from the household sector to financial institutions declines.
12. The difference between the money flowing out from the government and the money flowing in to
the government must be made up somewhere. The way that it is made up is for the government to
borrow from the private sector. Thus, another flow of dollars from the financial intermediaries to
the government would have to be drawn. The more the government borrows, the less is available
to firms.
13. The ratio of government spending to GDP is approximately 20%. The ratio of interest payments to
GDP is approximately 1.3%. Answers will vary depending on time period chosen from tables.
14. Answers will vary depending on nations chosen.

ANSWERS TO STUDY GUIDE HOMEWORK

1. Households own the factors of production; businesses pay for their use.
2. One or more people who occupy a housing unit.
3. Western Europe, China, Canada

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Faucaria Aizoaceae Tiger Jaws
Low, crowded succulents with thick, triangular leaves toothed with
spiny hairs, unmistakably resembling an animal’s mouth. In late summer
or early fall, golden daisy-like flowers pop up and make fun of the
plant’s ferocious appearance.
tigrina—Silvery green leaves flecked with white, two-inch yellow flowers.
tuberculosa—Darker green leaves with little white knobs.

Fenestraria Aizoaceae Baby Toes

Clusters of cylindrical leaves, larger at the top, like little flat-tipped
baseball bats. The nearly colorless tops feature tiny transparent
“windows.”
aurantiaca—Three-inch orange daisy flowers more than twice as wide as the clustered leaf-
colony.
rhopalophylla—Leaves more blunt, smaller white flowers.

Gymnocalycium mihanovichi Cactaceae Chin Cactus

Just one of many available miniature, globe-shaped cacti with spines
on regular shelves, or “chins.” This one produces chartreuse flowers
bigger than its body, starts to bloom while quite young.

Haworthia Liliaceae
Tight pinwheels of thick, pointed leaves intricately studded with
varied patterns of pearly pinheads. The whitish flowers are not a main
feature.
fasciata—Zebra-striped succulent often seen in dish gardens.
margaritifera—Slightly larger, dark green with a more scattered pattern of white dots.

Kalanchoe Crassulaceae
Among these congenial succulents are several that grow to
considerable size in their native homes, but keep pleasantly small in pots
or dish gardens. The leaves are fleshy, with indentations along the edge.
Lantern-shaped flowers appear in winter.
blossfeldiana—Well-branched bush with overlapping, fresh green leaves, flowering in winter
when days are short and nights are long. ‘Tom Thumb’ is a dwarf variety that smothers itself
with scarlet blooms for Christmas. Greenhouses grow it from seeds sown in spring, and so
can you.
marmorata—penwiper plant—Leaves fold in around the stem and are spattered on both sides
with purple blotches.
pumila—Leaves like a doll’s spoon, notched on the edge and sugar-frosted; plum-colored pitcher
flowers.
tomentosa—panda plant—Fat leaves covered with white felt, distinctly marked with chocolate at
the teeth on the edge.
(Kitchingia) uniflora—Miniature creeper or dangler for small hanging baskets, with round green
leaves marching up and down the stem and rosy or red urn-flowers hanging from thin, short
threads.

Kleinia Compositae
Curious even among succulents, each of these oddly shaped or
strangely decorated plants has a personality of its own and no need for
daisy-like flower heads to make it interesting.
pendula—inchworm plant—Weird, round, leafless stems snake up and down over the soil;
flowers brilliant red.
repens—Low and somewhat trailing, with thick leaves like long canoes, unbelievable blue.
tomentosa—Cylindrical cocoon-like leaves tapered to sharp points and covered with pure-white
down; gold or orange flowers.

Lobivia aurea Cactaceae Golden Easter Lily

Squat, round, prickly cactus like a small echinopsis, except that this
one opens its friendly water-lily flowers in the daytime. Dozens of
different species and varieties are available.

Mammillaria Cactaceae Pincushion Cactus

There are many mighty midgets in this group, and in fascinating
variety. They’re mostly round, from squat to columnar, but all are primly
neat. The spines may be soft or not, but are always arranged in a perfect
pattern. The flowers are not overlarge, but are arranged in a crown and
ripen into attractive, berry-like fruit.
bocasana—powder puff—Soft, white-woolly globes, only one and a half inches across when
mature; beige flowers.
elongata—golden lace—Small branching pillar, nicknamed for its tatted pattern of bright-yellow
spines.
hahniana—old lady—Fond name for a small, white-haired cushion.

Notocactus Cactaceae Ball Cactus

Plump balls with prettily colored spines and large, showy flowers in
late spring.
apricus—sun cup—Golden-yellow flowers, Oxford-gray spines.
graessneri—Butter-yellow spines and flowers.
ottonis—Indian head—Reddish spines.
rutilans—Rosy flowers.

Opuntia Cactaceae
This is a “crazy, mixed-up” group of cacti. They come in so many
sizes, shapes, and forms that any generalized description is impossible.
Many optunias are hardy even in Northern gardens.
mamillata—boxing gloves—Resembles a little tree whose branches turn into cockscombs at the
tip.
microdasys—bunny ears—Flat, long-oval pads with tiny tufts of soft yellow hairs.

Parodia Cactaceae
Fat little balls covered with glistening spines and sending out
unbelievably large flowers although the plant measures only an inch
across the middle. Even in old age, they’re never larger than three
inches.
aureispina—Tom Thumb cactus—Gold spines, orange flowers.
mutabilis—Shining yellow flowers.

Portulacaria afra variegata Portulacaceae Rainbow Bush

After planting this little tree-like succulent in a dish garden when it
was only three inches tall, and finding it less than half an inch taller
nearly a year later, I was mildly amazed to learn that it is a version of the
twelve-foot elephant bush, or purslane tree, of desert gardens. It’s
difficult to imagine the fat red stems and fleshy, cream-splashed, red-
rimmed leaves ever adorning a plant of such monstrous proportions.

Rebutia Cactaceae Crown Cactus

Flat, fat balls with whiskery spines, spreading out into clusters. Each
ball, when mature, is circled by large, wide-eyed flowers coming up
from the base, often as large as the four-inch plant.
minuscula—Best-known species, with fiery red flowers.
senilis—Orange flowers with turned-back petals.
violaciflora—Rose-pink flowers.
Sedum Crassulaceae
Tender relations of the hardy garden sedums, not so numerous but
equally varied.
adolphi—Rosettes of fat, yellow-green leaves, white flowers.
hintoni—Oval, grassy-green leaves covered with prickly white hairs, like clumps of tiny
porcupine tails; white flowers.
lineare—Many branching, trailing stems covered thickly with needle-shaped leaves. The variety
variegatum is a gem, each leaf more creamy-white than green.
multiceps—little Joshua tree—Unbelievable bonsai-like plant with trunk, branches, and tufts of
needly dark-green leaves like the smallest conifer imaginable.
pachyphyllum—jelly beans—Fat, juicy, berry-like leaves clustering close to the branching stems;
yellow flowers in spring.
rubrotinctum (guatemalense)—Christmas cheer—Thick layers of small, green, drumstick-shaped
leaves turning holiday red in full sun; yellow flowers.
stahli—coral beads, Boston beans—Faintly hairy, beady, reddish leaves strung closely together
on branching stems; yellow flowers in summer and fall.

Titanopsis Aizoaceae
Stone-mimicking succulents with thickly clustered leaves lavishly
spotted with white, wart-like tubercles, and short-lived daisy flowers in
fall or winter.
calcarea—jewel plant—Lustrous gray-green leaves sparkling with white spots, gleaming gold
flowers. Leaf rosette only two inches in any direction.
schwantesi—Even smaller cluster of blue-gray, liver-spotted leaves, lemon-yellow flowers.

Trichodiadema densum Aizoaceae Desert Rose

Picture a bunch of tiny, smooth green pickles, each tipped with a
triple crown of ridiculously long, bristly, white hairs. Now, smother this
leaf colony under two-inch red daisy flowers. A really outlandish plant!
SUCCULENTS

Caladium Araceae Elephant Ears

Bicolor Varieties. Gorgeous arrow-leaved foliage plants for small gardens in the South or
sheltered areas where summer temperatures are not likely to drop below 60 degrees for long.
The patterns, colors, and contours of the leaves get fancier every year. Many are hybridized
for larger and larger size, but specialists also offer a good selection of dwarfs that will stay
under eight inches. Among them:
 Caladium humboldti—one of the most striking members of the family
‘Candidum, Jr.’—Bushy low version of the standard favorite with green-netted, white leaves.
humboldti—A gemlike species for the connoisseur with willowy stems topped by diminutive
deep-green leaves splotched with silvery transparent white between the center veins and the
edge. Needs more humidity than the bicolor hybrids.
‘Little Rascal’—Leaf more lance-shaped, wine-red.
‘Miss Marveen’—Pearly-white tinged and blotched with pink over heavy drab green.
‘Mrs. Arno Nehrling’—Bronzy-green, red veins.
‘Pink Radiance’—Small and bushy, leaves centered and veined with shades of pink, pink-flecked
on the edge.
‘Sea Gull’—White at the midvein and frosted all over.
‘Twilight’—Glowing flame-pink leaf finely netted with green.

. Partial sun; if in a greenhouse shade against burn. Temperature:

warm (75 degrees). Humid. Soil: rich, acid (azalea type). Keep moist.
Fertilizer: feed liquid manure on alternate weeks.
. Seeds.
 . Terrariums, window boxes, specimens.

Calathea (Maranta) Marantaceae

There’s only one available true miniature in this group of richly
colored and patterned tropical foliage plants, but many other species will
stay small in a three-inch pot for years. The fact that they’re suitable for
lush but restrained effects in far Southern gardens is my other excuse for
including them.
These plants are maranta-like, the leaf tufts with markings a peacock
could crow about, silky-velvet or iridescent sheens that outshine the
gowns at a coronation ball. They are reluctant to flower but nobody
cares. The following is only a sampling of the available riches:
argyraea—Low and compact, the blotched green leaves overlaid with silver and horizontally
level.
insignis—Narrow, permanently waved leaves perfectly patterned with chartreuse, wine red
underneath.
louisae—Leaves perpendicular and perky, feather-marked with yellow-green.
micans—Miniature with oval leaves about an inch long (four inches in the tropics), lustrous deep
green banded with silver at the center, paler underneath.
picturata vandenheckei—Satiny dark green banded with silver white in center. Wine red on the
underside. A new form, ‘Wendlinger,’ is even more startling. The centers are sterling silver,
edged with deep green.

. Provide warmth, humidity. Soil: loam, leaf mold, and sand.

Feed heavily for best colors. Shade from direct sun.
. Divide crowns; tubers and spring cuttings.
. Tropical gardens, pots, terrariums, dish gardens.

Callopsis volkensi Araceae

This is a perfectly proportioned miniature “calla lily” only four inches
high, the white porcelain flowers centered with a gold, spear-like spadix,
and substantial but small heart-shaped green leaves quaintly crinkled. It
grows from an underground rhizome. It branches freely but compactly
and is winter-blooming.
. Shade, humidity, humusy soil kept evenly moist.
. Rhizomes.
. Terrariums, dish gardens.
Carex elegantissima (Morrowi variegata) Cyperaceae
Lady-like little grass with airy tufts of slimmest leaves, bright green
with a white stripe along each edge.
. Loamy garden soil, filtered sun, wet. Intermediate temperature.
. Seeds.
. Terrariums, dish gardens.

Carissa grandiflora nana compacta Apocynaceae Natal Plum

When is a dwarf not really a dwarf? In the two years or more I’ve had
this plant it has grown so slowly I have no idea what ultimate height it
has in mind, or when it will reach it. It is still about six inches tall, with
round, green, overlapping leaves with the shiniest glassy polish of any
leaves I have ever seen. Off and on during the year it gives sensual
delight with richly fragrant china-white flowers, none of which, so far,
have been replaced by scarlet plums. This form is blessedly without
spines, always refreshing, and particularly appropriate for Oriental
planters and miniature indoor gardens.
. Almost any soil, warmth, light shade, moist, spray leaves.
Resents repotting.
. Cuttings, layers.
. Bonsai, planters.

Ceropegia Asclepiadaceae
Among the few hanging or climbing vines of suitable size and form
for truly miniature baskets, or supports—succulent and easy to grow to
boot! Their effect is always dainty, never bold; thin wiry stems may grow
long, but never the leaves; waxy tube-like flowers inspire close
inspection, but are never showy. Here are four of the daintiest species:
barkleyi—umbrella flower—A climber with pointed wing-shaped leaves feathered with a
network of silver; purple-veined greenish flowers like parasols.
caffrorum—Pairs of green heart-leaves march down the threadlike stems; greenish flowers
intricately marked with plum.
debilis—Green needle-like leaves penciled silver along the center; green-and-purple flowers.
woodi—rosary vine, string of hearts, hearts entangled—Matching pairs of thick silvery valentines
every inch or so along the dangling stem, identically traced with a precisely patterned
design. The little pink-lavender flowers are shaped like pixie pipes or urns.
 . Soil: loam, leaf mold, sandy and humusy. Intermediate
temperature, filtered sun. Moist in summer, on the dry side in winter.
. Cuttings in spring; tubers, seeds.
. Hanging baskets.

Chaenostoma fastigiatum Scrophulariaceae Little Stars

Cheerful little tropical herb which keeps its compact contour by
branching freely, and covers its stems with myriads of half-inch fragrant
leaves. All year it twinkles with a sprinkling of starry white flowers,
outdoes itself in the summer months.
. Loamy garden soil, bright light, moist.
. Seeds, cuttings.
. Edgings.

Chamaedorea elegans bella Palmaceae

Slow-growing dwarf palm tree, so slow it can be a granddaddy in a
six-inch pot and takes eons to top two feet. The reedy green stems cluster
in a rosette and curve gracefully at the ends. Leaves are thin, fresh green,
airily divided.
. Warm, loamy garden soil, moist, shade.
. Seeds.
. House plant, dish gardens.

Chamaeranthemum Acanthaceae
A choice, exclusive threesome of tender tropical creepers with small
supine leaves embroidered with dainty patterns.
gaudichaudi—Forest-green, long oval leaves of sheer velvet, silver feathers down the center and
out along the veins.
(Stenandrium) lindeni—A bolder, golden feather marks the larger, perhaps even sheerer, leaves.
venosum—Symmetrical, oval leaves more broad than slender, dark powder-blue with thin leaves
of silver on the network of veins.

. Warm, humid, loamy garden soil, filtered sun, moist.

. Cuttings.
. Terrariums, dish gardens.
Chlorophytum bicheti Liliaceae
Spidery little pot plant with tapering, grassy-looking leaves about six
inches long, arching somewhat stiffly, with cream-white tidy stripes
along the edge and sometimes down the middle. Always looks prim and
precise.
. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil, filtered
sun, moist.
. Division.
. Indoor gardens, artificial light.

Cissus striata Vitaceae Miniature Grape Ivy

This lacy little climber looks less like grape ivy, more like woodbine,
but it certainly does look and act like a miniature. The reddish stems turn
and twist at angles, trying to touch the tiny tendrils to a support they can
curl around. The one-and-a-half-inch leaves are like five fat separate
fingers delicately joined in the center, scalloped or toothed near the
rounded tip, burnished green and lined with wine beneath.
 Cissus striata—a genuine miniature climber not unlike woodbine

. Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy garden soil, filtered

sun, moisture in the pots.
. Roots and cuttings.
. House plant, miniature gardens, artificial light.

Citrus Rutaceae
These are true miniature citrus trees, varieties that are naturally dwarf,
or grow so slowly they’ll flower and fruit in smallish pots indoors.
aurantifolia—lime—Spiny little tree with small leaves, small tartly acid, thin-skinned, green
fruit. The Persian lime is a variety called “one of the most beautiful of all citrus trees.”
limonia ‘ponderosa’—ponderosa lemon—Oblong, glassy, evergreen leaves; stiff sharp spines;
large waxy, fragrant flowers; heavy (to two and a half pounds) pear-shaped (to five inches
 long) lemons at intervals through the year, beginning when the tree may not be much more
than a foot tall. Supposedly, one lemon “gives enough juice to make a pie.”
mitis—calamondin—Bushy little tree, not prickly, dense with glassy green leaves; flowers
fragrant, small and white. May bear fruit all year but usually in winter it produces bright
oranges, about one and a half inches in diameter, thin-skinned and somewhat flattened on
the end. The lime-like flavor of the juice is reportedly pleasant, but my tree looked so pretty
I didn’t pick the fruit. A calamondin can, and often will, fruit in a two-and-a-half-inch pot—
a mighty midget.
nobilis deliciosa—tangerine, mandarin orange—Small, nearly thornless tree with willowy leaves;
sweet fruit, with loose skin that peels off like a kid glove and segments that separate freely.
taitensis—otaheite orange—Neat little bush for pots, with plenty of two-inch, wavy-edged
leaves, few if any spines, and fragrant pink-tinged flowers in January. By Christmas, even if
the tree is only eight inches high, the oranges are ripe. They are the size of a plum, shaped
like a lemon, tartly flavored like a lime.

. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright

sun, keep on the dry side. For fruit, pollinate. Humidity, not too much
fertilizer, not too much water. Sudden temperature changes causes leaves
to drop.
. Seeds, grafting, cuttings (for pot varieties).
. Seedlings for miniature gardens and greenhouses.

Columnea microphylla Gesneriaceae

Velvety trailer, suitable for small hanging baskets, with soft little
mouse-ear leaves. But wow! the fiery-red flowers never heard of the
word miniature. Their long slender tubes stand straight up from the
dangling stems, flare out to a wide mouth through which you can look to
see the yellow throat inside.
. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
. Seeds, stem and leaf cuttings.
. Hanging baskets.

Cryptanthus Bromeliaceae Earth Stars

Not many bromeliads can rightly be called miniatures, and grow
either in air or in soil to boot. These are low flat rosettes of stiff painted
leaves, often with prickles on the edge and always unusually colored.
From the heart, wee white flowers peep out, usually in summer. Some
suppliers offer a grab-bag selection of hybrids, “no two alike.” Or you
can buy these smaller species if you wish.
acaulis—Thin gray fuzz over rather mottled green leaves.
bahianus—These leaves are slimmer, curving at the tip and wavy on the edge, flushed or
margined brick red, more upright than flat.
beuckeri—Asymmetrical arrangement of ladle-like leaves tapered to a sharp point, dark green
marbled over light.
bivittatus minor (roseus pictus)—Faintly banded dark-green leaves completely flushed bronzy
pink or salmon.
bromelioides tricolor—Slim, pointed leaves with bands of rich cream and green, shaded cherry
pink along the edge and in the heart.
lacerdae—‘Silver Star’—Definitely star-shaped and definitely silvery; the only green is in the
two stripes down each side of the center.

. Warm, humus, filtered sun, dry side, good drainage.

. Offsets or cuttings. Peel off one or two basal leaves
from stem; pot and root for two to three weeks.
. House plant.

Cryptbergia meadi Bromeliaceae

Everything said about the cryptanthus applies here. This is the result
of crossing a billbergia with a cryptanthus. The leaves are slim spear-
shaped and sharply pointed, upright in the center and arching out around
the side. The basic green is rather drab. Made more appealing by a
bronzy sheen and faint dark mottlings.

Cyanotis Commelinaceae
Succulent creeping or trailing cousins of the inch plants, with similar
botanical characteristics, but each an individual in its own right:
kewensis—teddy-bear plant—Brown-woolly all over the stem and the tiny pointed-ear leaves.
somaliensis—pussy ears—The fresh green leaves are bent into boat shape, clasping tight to the
stem and covered with velvety white fuzz.
veldhoutiana (Tradescantia villosa) (Tradescantia pexata) (Tradescantia sillamontana), and
known in the trade as tradescantia ‘White Velvet’ and also ‘White Gossamer’—This tiny
plant, more trailing than creeping, has lettuce-green leaves, and stems clothed in long silky
silvery-white hairs. It has so many names I fear it would be lost to view if all of its labels
were placed around it. I quote all of them in order to avoid confusion and controversy. But
according to the Institute de Biologia in Mexico, the correct name is Tradescantia
sillamontana.

. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright

light, dry side.
. Cuttings.
. Miniature tropical gardens, greenhouses.
Dionaea muscipula Droseraceae Venus Fly Trap
Never let anyone tell you this little bug-eater will “trap flies on your
window sill.” Don’t poke at it to see it close its trap. Avoid disturbing it;
let it feed itself naturally. And now that the negatives are covered, do try
this braggart elf (give it conditions in which it can grow), for the pleasure
in its intricately devised mechanism, one of nature’s wonders. Basically,
there’s a five-inch-wide rosette of wide flat stems, a two-part leaf at the
end of each making a flat burnished bronze oval with a fringe of thick
whiskers. When an insect steps onto this dance floor, the hinges in the
center fold the two halves together fast, and that is the end of the bug.
White flowers top the tallish stems in spring.
. Cool, humid, sun, soil rich in humus with sphagnum, wet.
Dormant in February and March before flowering. Most vigorous growth
in spring and summer.
. By roots or seeds. If seeds are used, start them under a
bell jar.
. Terrariums.

Dracaena godseffiana Liliaceae

Small tropical foliage shrub, slow-growing and bushy, with glassy,
leathery leaves haphazardly splotched with white. The named variety
‘Florida Beauty’ is even more dwarf, takes years to fit a four-inch pot,
and boasts golden-yellow splotches.
. Warm, loamy garden soil, filtered sun (more light for color),
moist to wet.
. Pieces of stem with several joints; tip cuttings; air
layering.
. Miniature gardens.

Drosera rotundifolia Droseraceae Sundew

The whole plant can often hide under a half-dollar—the smallest of all
the insect-eaters. Flat stems radiate out from a central crown, expand at
the ends, become flat spoon-shaped blades covered with reddish hairs
that are tipped with drops of glue. Any insect landing on the surface gets
his feet stuck while longer hairs on the edge act like tentacles to entangle
him even more. Spring flowers top stems that grow straight up in the
center.
. Cool, humid, humusy soil made acid with peat moss if
necessary, moist but not soggy, good drainage, room temperature is
adequate with some direct sunlight but not enough to raise temperature
in terrarium to a dangerous level. Transplanting or shipping may retard
growth several weeks; don’t get soil on leaves. May go dormant after
flowering. Do not try to grow in ordinary room without glass cover or a
plastic bag. Small amount of plant food (such as Vigoro). Rain water
preferred.
. As in Dionaea muscipula.
. Terrariums.

Dyckia Bromeliaceae
Small, stiff fountains or sprays of spiny-edged leaves, spikes of
orange or yellow flowers like a miniature version of the pineapple in
various sizes and shapes. Some are not very dwarf. The dwarfs, to the
best of my knowledge, are:
altissima—Light-green, tapering leaves armed with brown spines and yellow flowers.
fosteriana—Dense circle of sugary gray leaves with purplish sheen.
rariflora—Slim, sharp-pointed six-inch leaves with minute silver scales, spines soft and black.

. Intermediate temperature, humusy soil, filtered sun, dry side.

. Easiest from offshoots when suckers are large enough
to handle. Root in sphagnum peat. Seeds, germinate on tissue napkins in
a shallow tray covered with glass. Keep in light at 65 to 70 degrees.
. House plant.

Episcia dianthiflora Gesneriaceae

Although none of the episcias grow very high, they do spread out to
make wide, handsome pot or hanging-basket plants. This is the only
species that can reasonably be called dwarf. Its leaves are the size and
shape of my little fingernail, olive green and softly velvet, reddish along
the center vein, first forming a tidy rosette. Soon the branches start
stretching, rather stiff and woody for an episcia, with new leaf rosettes
forming as the branches grow. The silky tube-flowers are pure white and
fringed on the edges.
 . Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
. Seeds and cuttings.

Exacum affine Gentianaceae

This is a compact, free-flowering plant of the gentian family. The
flowers are blue with golden stamens and very fragrant. A herbaceous
biennial, it can be treated in a greenhouse as a perennial. It has bushy
green leaves, ovate and tiny. A dark-lavender form is the variety
atrocaeruleum.
. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
. Seeds. Can be planted any month, but a February
planting will produce flowering plants for autumn and winter.
. Window gardens and greenhouses.

Ficus Moraceae Creeping Fig

Here are two delightful foliage creepers that keep their miniature
proportions, although the large-leaved form of the first often covers large
walls in the South.
pumila minima—Tiny valentine leaves patterned and crinkled with a network of sunken veins,
deep green and refreshing.
radicans variegata—Much larger, slim pointed leaves basically silvery green, but marked with
creamy white, starting at the edge and blending off irregularly. Like many variegated plants,
it’s not very vigorous and thus is suitable for terrariums, where it will get the humidity it
needs.

. Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, filtered sun, moist.

. Division of the rooting stems.
. Terrariums, hanging baskets, outdoors in the South.

Fittonia verschaffelti Acanthaceae Nerve or Mosaic Plant

Flat-creeping tropical plants with jewel-like foliage netted with veins
of contrasting color. The oval or rounded paper-thin leaves may be large
—up to two inches long—but the plants grow slowly and seldom exceed
dwarf proportions, particularly if there are any slugs within miles.
Fittonias are one of the critters’ favorite foods.
You have a choice of three color schemes: The species is dark green
with carmine veins; its variety argyroneura is emerald with silver; the
variety pearcei, light green with pink.
. Warm, humid, loamy soil, filtered sun, moist.
. Stem cuttings.
. Foliage plants in greenhouses.

Fortunella Rutaceae Kumquat

Smallest, and hardiest, of the evergreen citrus trees or shrubs, with
typical glassy, leathery leaves and flowers at intervals during the year,
sometimes coincidental with the thin-skinned fruit. The species vary in
size, habit, and fruit, some taking a lifetime to reach ten feet. But before
they achieve that altitude, they can long pass as dwarfs or miniatures.
Who wants to wait a lifetime to watch a kumquat outgrow a three-inch
pot?
hindsi—Small spiny tree with small (less than one inch) pea-shaped fruit.
japonica—marumi kumquat—Small tree, well branched and shapely, with perfectly round,
somewhat sweet fruit nearly one and a half inches in diameter.
margarita—nagami kumquat—Most frost-resistant and dwarf. Nearly thornless, with sour-sweet,
egg-shaped fruit.

. Intermediate temperature (any sudden changes in temperature

may cause the leaves to drop), soil on the dry side (not too much
fertilizer), bright sun, pollinate if you wish fruit, maintain humidity.
. Seeds, grafting, cuttings.
. Potted plants, seedlings for miniature gardens.

Fuchsia magellanica Onagraceae

This “hardy” fuchsia, when given a chance to develop, can hardly be
called a miniature. It can cover a wall twenty feet high, I have been told.
However, in a climate like that near Philadelphia, it is only “root-hardy”
and even then has to have a protective winter mulch. In the spring it has
to start new growth all over again. Then it assumes miniature
proportions. I’ve seen it in a small hanging basket, the leaves less than
one-third the size of the typical hybrid fuchsias, the stems thin and wiry,
the red-and-purple flowers quite small. Even more like a miniature is the
slower-growing variety variegata, with creamy blotches and streaks on
the leaf edges. Then there is the slender, more airy and lax variety,
gracilis, also available in variegated form.
 . Cool, needs fresh air, loamy soil, shade, moist.
. Cuttings of soft green wood.
. House plants, hanging baskets.

Hebe buxifola variegata Scrophulariaceae

This is a charming little plant I have grown in my greenhouse.
Although it has some larger relatives, my specimens have been
delightfully small. The leaves are about one-half inch long, waxy green
with creamy white edges which overlap into a nice pattern. I love the
small white flowers which appear frequently.
. Little sun, humusy soil, moderate warmth, moist.
. Stem cuttings.
. House plants.

Hedera helix Araliaceas English Ivy

As long as I’ve grown house plants I’ve always had ivies, sometimes
only a few pots of my favorite varieties (when my growing space was
limited) but more often a collection of a dozen or more. Once when
preparing a magazine article, I had thirty-seven scrambling around the
greenhouse! The foliage always is fresh green and glossy, delightful the
year round; the climbing or trailing stems are graceful and willing to be
trained in just about any pattern. In the tiny-leaved miniatures there is a
particular fascination in the intricate formations of lobes and points,
edges which are waved or crinkled, and the markings, which may be
dainty, pert, or bold.
 (MEAGHERI GREEN FEATHER)
Hedera helix meagheri—a fine small specimen

These variations (actually mutations) of the ubiquitous evergreen

ground or wall cover, are less hardy than the species from which they
have sprung. Their outdoor use is best limited to moderate or mild
climates—but never where it is hot and dry. Some slow creeping types
like the variety conglomerata are delightful in not-too-hot rock gardens.
Indoors, of course, you can have any or all of them, and you have many
to choose from. Here is a representative selection to tempt you:
‘Goldheart’—Deepest green leaves centered with a heart of gold.
‘Itsy Bitsy’—Lacy leaves half the size of a fingernail.
‘Ivalace’—Fresh green with a crocheted edge.
‘Jubilee’—Gray-green spattered with white.
‘Needlepoint’—So sharply cut there’s nearly no leaf at all.
‘Shell’—Waved and crinkled on the veins.
‘Tear Drop’—A baby’s tear at that.
‘Telecurl’—Tight as a brand-new “permanent.”

. Cool, needs fresh air, loamy soil, shade or semishade, moist.

. Cuttings, layering, seed. (Seeds may take as long as
two years to germinate.)
 . House plants, ground cover, rock gardens, miniature
gardens.

Helxine soleiroli Urticaceae Baby’s Tears

Millions of tiny, button-like leaves hug close to the thready stems of
this wee creeper that covers soil, or a pot, in incredible haste. The growth
twines and intertwines thickly as if it were weaving a fresh green carpet
for a doll’s house.
. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, humidity, humusy
soil, filtered sun, moist.
. Cuttings of rooting stems.
. Ground cover, rocks and walls. (Outdoors only in mild
climates.)

Hoya bella Asclepiadaceae Wax Plant

Definitely a dwarf, as wax plants grow, and not climbing, as most
others are, little H. bella has arching, rather than woody, stems with
thick, heavy somber green leaves on either side and clusters of incredible
flowers at the tips, porcelain-white, waxy, and fragrant, with a wheel-
shaped purple “crown” in the center. Best in a basket because the flowers
droop, and the view is prettiest from below.
. Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright light, dry side.
. Cuttings in spring.
. Good house plant.

Impatiens repens Balsaminaceae

This precious creeper bears so little superficial resemblance to the
popular “patient Lucy” it’s hard to believe it’s a close kin. I loved it
when I first saw it at the Montreal Botanical Gardens, and was delighted
when it became available to us here. It is a creeper with red stems, plump
button-shaped leaves, and yellow flowers.
. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, humusy soil, bright
light, moist.
. Seeds, cuttings.
 . Good house plant, miniature gardens.

Koellikeria erinoides Gesneriaceae

This one is a gem—clusters of pert green-velvet leaves with indented
veins and sprinkled with silvery star dust; on short stems, tiny two-lipped
bell flowers of creamy white and red, in summer.
. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
. Seeds.
. House plant.

Lantana camara Verbenaceae

Here is a plant I have long enjoyed around the greenhouse. It is a
small hairy shrub with angled branches and rough bristly leaves and is
sometimes prickly.
 Helxine soleiroli, baby’s tears—a delightful little crawler

Its blooming habits have always delighted me, and it is a prolific

bloomer come summer. The verbena-like flowers open pink or yellow
and later darken to red or orange. Often several different shades will be
found on the same plant at the same time.
. Moderate greenhouse temperatures, or out of doors in the
summer. Needs fresh air, loamy garden soil, bright light, and does best
on the dry side.
. Cuttings and seed.
. House plant, pots, and containers.

Malpighia coccigera Malpighiaceae Miniature Holly

 Small glossy leaves sharply toothed like holly, and adorable as a
foliage plant, but in addition provides the sweetest white-pink blooms
which in its native West Indies produce red, edible fruit rich in vitamin
C.
. Partial sun, warmth, humusy soil, moist.
. Stem cuttings.
. House plant, indoor bonsai.

Manettia bicolor Rubiaceae Firecracker Vine

Small, sharp-pointed leaves, tube-flowers only a half-inch long, fine
thready twining stems—everything about this tropical vine is miniature
except the height to which it will climb in the greenhouse, or outdoors in
the South. Although its inclination is to climb, it is sold most often as a
plant for hanging baskets. Perhaps the lack of a support helps keep it
small. The leaves cluster thickly around the intertwining stems, making a
massed background for the impertinent flowers, yellow at the tips, fire-
engine red at the base.
. Cool greenhouse, needs fresh air, humid, loamy soil, filtered
sun, moist.
. Cuttings over heat, of young growth. Seeds.
. Trellis and rafter vines for the greenhouse, hanging
baskets.

Maranta Marantaceae
Exotic tropical foliage plants, laying their large oval leaves almost flat
on the soil, only technically different from the calatheas, and sometimes
offered under that name.
(Calathea) bicolor—Really should be “tricolor,” I think. The silky, six-inch leaves are silvery in
the center, feathering out to points at intervals, and fading into a dark-green zone which
gives way to the basic blue-gray or gray-green that extends to the edge.
leuconeura kerchoveana—rabbit tracks, prayer plant—There’s a similar grayish feather in the
center of the leaf, a lighter silver green to the margin; but in between, mahogany blotches
where a “hippity-hopper” might have planted his paws. The leaves fold up in prayer at night.
leuconeura massangeana—A picture is a more vivid description than any word I can call on. The
center is silver, the thin curvy lines silvery pink. The basic color is mahogany near the
middle, blending into blue-green. The leaves are tissue-thin with a silky sheen and lined
with plum beneath.
 Leuconeura massangeana—a most beautiful foliage plant with a
silver center and basic mahogany blending into blue-green

. Warmth, minimum night temperature of 60 degrees; humid, and

use mist spray; rich soil; use liquid manure (except in winter). Filtered
sun (plant will scorch in too direct sunshine), moist. Partial rest in winter,
dry out between waterings. Repot in spring, with the crown high in the
center; use charcoal in pot.
. Divide crown.
. Foliage plant, artificial light. This plant is prettiest when
young. Markings may disappear in older plants.

Myrsine africana Myrsinaceae African Boxwood

This is a shrubby, dark-green-leaved plant of the boxwood sort. It is
small, neat, and trim and may be shaped into many patterns to resemble
the true boxwood.
 . Partial sun, moderate temperature, humusy soil, moist.
. Stem cuttings.
. Formal miniature gardens, dish gardens, indoor bonsai.

Myrtus communis Myrtaceae Greek Myrtle

This is a fragrant close-leaved evergreen shrub native to the
Mediterranean region but raised in most of Europe and this country as a
potted plant. It grows out-of-doors in the South. Fragrant white flowers
and purple-black berries. In size, Greek Myrtle ranges from dwarfs to ten
and fifteen feet in height.
communis microphylla—dwarf myrtle—This compact form, with brown twigs and needle-like
dark-green leaves, is a favorite for bridal bouquets, corsages, and decorations. It has a lovely
white flower of pleasing fragrance. This sentimental association with the marriage ceremony
makes it a favorite house plant.

. Partial sun, cool to moderate temperatures, average soil, keep

moist.
. Stem cuttings.
. House plant, indoor bonsai.

Oxalis Oxalidaceae
Although most of the familiar varieties with clover-type leaves and
fine-petaled buttercup-like flowers stay within our allotted limits for
height, they are not miniatures as far as spreading width is concerned.
But here are two small indispensables for terrariums and dish gardens.
hedysaroides rubra—firefern—Correctly, a tropical shrublet, but slow-growing and willing to be
kept down by pinching. The silky thin leaves are deep wine colored and shrink from your
touch. The little flowers, like golden twinkling stars, are frequent and fairly plentiful.
herrerae (henrei)—Curious, densely branching succulent for small hanging containers. The
sturdy stems are gray-green and swollen, tipped with three thick leaflets. Small yellow
flowers in clusters on long stems.
martiana aureo-reticulata—Shamrock leaves of emerald green thickly traced with interlacing
veins of gold, easy flowers in loose clusters.

. Cool, loamy garden soil, needs fresh air, bright light, dry side.
(O. hedysariodes rubra requires more warmth and semishade.)
. Bulbs, division of roots, seeds.
. House plants, hanging containers.
 Oxalis hedysaroides rubra

Parochetus communis Leguminosae Shamrock Pea, Blue Oxalis

It’s neither a shamrock nor an oxalis, although it has three-part leaves
resembling both and is marked with a mahogany quarter-moon in the
center. But, the blooms are pea-like, all right, with ocean blue blending
into pink on the two side petals. It’s a tender tropical trailer never more
than three inches tall with creeping stems rooting over the soil.
. Sun, intermediate temperature, average soil.
. Seeds in March and April. Division in March.
. Rock gardens in mild climate, baskets, miniature
gardens, edging.

Pelargonium hortorum Geraniaceae Geranium

 How minute is a miniature? How small is a dwarf? Here is one case
where I really don’t care. However you classify them, these small-scale
geraniums are bewitching. And actually, their stature depends largely on
how you grow them.
Their leaves may be as small as your thumbnail, but they are shaped,
edged, veined, zoned, and often variegated like their larger relatives. In
most varieties the size of the flowers has been cut down proportionately,
but sometimes a cluster is as large as the entire plant. With age the stems
may become gnarled and twisted, almost bonsai-like.
As a sort of yardstick, if you are very much concerned about height,
miniatures are from two to three inches. Anything above that is a
semidwarf, usually up to six or seven inches. There are many varieties
within these limits, and by the time you read this there will most likely
be dozens more. For the moment, here are some varieties you can start
on your window sill; they will stay small and meanwhile bloom their
heads off.
‘Black Vesuvius’—Single, orange-scarlet.
‘Dopey’—Large rose-red with white center. Free-blooming. Semidwarf.
‘Elf’—Dark leaves, zoned red and black, yellow on edge, single.
‘Epsilon’—Large flowers light pink with dark-pink phlox eye, semidwarf.
‘Fairyland’—Dull-green leaves with cream on the edge, single, touched with rose-red.
‘Fairy Tales’—Flouncy white with lilac at the center.
‘Fleurette’—Strong robust free-blooming dark salmon. Semidwarf.
‘Goblin’—Outstanding blooms bright red. Free-blooming, dark zoned.
‘Imp’—Very miniature salmon-pink. Dark foliage.
‘Kleiner Liebling’ (‘Little Darling’)—Variegated, single, pink.
‘Minx’—Purple-crimson blend, pretty blackish ruffled leaves.
‘Mischief’—Orange-red curled and twisted poinsettia-type petals.
‘Perky’—Single, red with bright white center.
‘Polaris’—Free-blooming white with pink edge. Single.
‘Pride’—Very large full rounded salmon. Robust semidwarf.
‘Prince Valiant’—Purple-crimson with orange flush. Semidwarf.
‘Robin Hood’—Semidwarf, strong growing, dark red. Good for outdoor planting. Double.
‘Rosy Dawn’—A different shade of salmon-orange-red. Dark foliage.
‘Ruffles’—Semidouble, small, ruffled, light salmon. Very miniature.
‘Salmon Comet’—Somewhat shaggy, single, salmon.
‘Saturn’—Bright scarlet, good bloomer, dark foliage.
 Three dwarf geraniums: ‘Salmon Comet,’ ‘Pride,’ and ‘Pygmy’

Dwarf geranium, ‘Robin Hood’

‘Small Fortune’—Double, pure white, blushing pink in center.
‘Sneezy’—Large bright scarlet with white center. Semidwarf.
‘Snow-White’—A pure-white single that blooms and blooms.
‘Sparkle’—Free-blooming bright rose-red. Semidwarf, dark foliage.
‘Sprite’—Small silvery-and-white leaves sometimes pink-tinged, single, salmon.
‘Tiny Tim’—Pink or red, tiny blooms. Miniature foliage.
‘Twinkle’—Bright rose-pink, double. Dark foliage, semidwarf.
‘Variegated Kleiner Liebling’—Small green-and-white leaves. Small single pink blooms.

. Sun (in winter artificial light), fresh air (air-conditioning if

possible), cool greenhouse or cool part of dwelling-house, garden soil
(lime if soil is extra acid), on the dry side.
. Cuttings, seeds.
. Excellent house plant, artificial-light gardens.

Pellaea rotundifolia Polypodiaceae Button Fern

Take a piece of wiry brown yarn and string it with shiny, dark-green,
leathery polka dots on either side and you’ll have a model of a frond of
this tropical fern. The fuzzy stems arch gently but stay close to the soil as
the small rhizomes slowly creep around. It’s all very un-fernlike but
exceedingly sweet.
. Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy soil, shade, moist.

Pellionia Urticaceae
Two delicate tropical creepers with attractively colored and patterned
leaves lined up and lying flat along the thickish stems. No one cares
whether they produce their drab clusters of small greenish flowers or not.
pulchra—Precise oval leaves are dusty blue-gray, with broad lines of black over the network of
nerves, violet underneath. Juicy stems look lavender-pink.
repens (daveauana)—Young leaves nearly egg-shaped, metallic copper-green, nearly chartreuse
on both sides of the center nerve. Leaves of the mature plants become slimmer and pointed
on the end, with more green in the center zone and less copper along the edge.

. Filtered sun, warm and humid, loamy soil, moist.

. Cuttings, division of rooted stems.
. Terrariums, artificial light, hanging baskets.
 Twenty-three varieties of Pelargonium hortorum, miniature and dwarf: 1. Fleurette 2.
Snow White 3. Dopey 4. Mischief 5. Robin Hood 6. Minx 7. Epsilon 8. Prince Valiant 9.
Polaris 10. Saturn 11. Sparkle 12. Kleiner Liebling 13. Small Fortune 14. Goblin 15.
Variegated Kleiner Liebling 16. Fairy Tales 17. Rosy Dawn 18. Pride 19. Sneezy 20.
Twinkle 21. Ruffled 22. Imp 23. Salmon Comet
Peperomia Piperaceae
Since almost all of these succulents, with their “catkin-like” flower
spikes, fit within our miniature measurements, I’ve enjoyed picking a
few to serve as a sample of their modest but much varied appeal. I like
them, and hope you will also.
‘Astrid’—Layer upon layer of glossy green, pointed oval leaves creased down the center by the
main vein, making a dense, symmetrical cone-shaped mound. In fact, there are so many tight
branches that the leaves can’t always find room to fill out to full size. Then ‘Astrid’ turns
into a version called ‘Pixie.’ To reverse the cycle, root a single stem of ‘Pixie’ and see how
it returns to being ‘Astrid’ again.
‘Caperata’ (‘Little Fantasy’)—One perfect little heart leaf, its end pointing down, perched at the
top of a sturdy stem. The entire leaf is so deeply wrinkled and crinkled that the basic Kelly-
green looks almost black in the indentations, and silvery on the edges. Its big brother,
‘Emerald Ripple,’ is half again as large but otherwise identical.
‘Mamorata’ (‘Silver Heart’)—These heart-leaves taper to a sharper point and are rippled in a
much more modest way. There is so much silver on the surface they look plated.
metallica—Upright and branching with slim-oval leaves pointed at both ends and colored
chocolate with a coffee luster. There is a wide green stripe straight down the middle.
ornata—Handsome and stately despite its small stature. The cupped, pointed-oval leaves are
somber green on top and enlivened with lines of light green along the curved veins.
Underneath, the veins become raised ribs and are wine red.