Part 15

=A. odorata= (sweet-scented).* _fl._ yellow; spikes several. _l._ with oblong lanceolate, deeply crenate-toothed leaflets, hairy. _h._ 2ft. to 3ft. Italy, 1640.

=AGRIMONY.= _See_ =Agrimonia=.

=AGRIOTES.= _See_ =Wireworm=.

=AGROSTEMMA= (from _agros_, a field, and _stemma_, a crown; alluding to the beauty of the flowers, which were formerly made into crowns or garlands). Rose Campion. ORD. _Caryophyllaceæ_. Hardy evergreen perennials and annuals, with broadish leaves, and one-flowered peduncles. Of easy culture, and well adapted for borders. They will all grow freely in common garden soil. Increased by division of the roots, and seed. _A. cœli-rosa_, and _A. flos-Jovis_ are, perhaps, species of _Lychnis_, but the generic name which we have adopted is the most common one. All the species of this genus are exceedingly pretty free-flowering plants, and both annuals and perennials are well worth growing.

=A. cœli-rosa= (rose of Heaven).* _fl._ delicate rose, white, or bright purple, solitary, terminal. Summer. Levant, &c., 1713. An annual species about 1ft. high, not tomentose; should be grown in patches. Sow the seed in April.

=A. c.-r. fimbriata= (fimbriate). A form having fimbriated petals. Known also as _nana_. _h._ 9in. See Fig. 49.

=A. c.-r. purpurea= (purple).* A very pretty form, having dark purple flowers, and compact habit. See Fig. 50.

=A. coronaria= (crowned).* _fl._ white, with the middle red; petals emarginate, crowned, serrated; peduncles elongated, one-flowered. July. _l._ lanceolate, very broad, leathery; plant woolly throughout. _h._ 1ft. to 2ft. South Europe, 1596. This species is admirably adapted for naturalising on dry hill sides, and in the wild garden. There are several varieties seen in gardens with a great diversity of colour, including dark crimson, white, and sometimes double flowers. See Fig. 51.

=A. flos-Jovis.=* Flower of Jove. _fl._ purple or scarlet, in umbellate heads; peduncles short, rather branched. July. _l._ lanceolate, stem-clasping, silky, tomentose. _h._ 1-1/2ft. Switzerland, 1726. Plant white from tomentum. See Fig. 52.

=AGROSTIS= (from _agros_, a field; the Greek name for a kind of grass). Bent Grass. ORD. _Gramineæ_. Annual or perennial grasses. Panicle loose; spikelets compressed. Several of the species are very effective, and well worth growing; and the spikes are pretty objects, when dried, for window vases, &c. They are of easy culture, in ordinary garden soil. Sow seeds during spring in the open border, in tufts, among ferns, &c., or in pots for decorative purposes.

=A. elegans= (elegant). _h._ 1ft. Russia, 1834.

=A. nebulosa= (cloud).* Cloud Grass. _fl._ panicles resemble, when developed, a cloud resting over the ground. _h._ 1-1/2ft. Very light and elegant. Annual. See Fig. 53.

=A. pulchella= (pretty).* Dwarfer, and with a more rigid habit than _A. nebulosa_. It is, nevertheless, a most graceful plant, and valuable for bouquet making, and for winter decorative purposes. _h._ 6in. to 12in. Russia. Annual.

=A. spica-venti= (windward-spiked). _fl._ panicle large, silky looking, loosely spreading. England. Annual.

=AGROTIS.= _See_ =Pot-herb Moths= and =Turnip Moth=.

=AILANTUS= (from _ailanto_, referring to its lofty growth). Tree of Heaven. ORD. _Xanthoxylaceæ_. Tall deciduous trees. The stove species will grow freely in a mixture of loam and peat; and the best way to increase these is by pieces of the roots, planted in a pot with their points above the ground, and placed in a hotbed, where they will soon make fine plants.

=A. excelsa= (tall). _fl._ whitish green, disposed similar to the following. _l._ abruptly pinnate, 3ft. long, with ten to fourteen pairs of leaflets coarsely toothed at the base, without glands. _h._ 66ft. India, 1800. A stove tree.

=A. glandulosa= (glandulous).* _fl._ whitish green, disposed in large branched, terminal, fascicled panicles, exhaling a disagreeable smell. August. _l._ impari-pinnate; leaflets coarsely toothed at the base with glands. (The leaves on vigorous young trees are sometimes 6ft. in length.) _h._ 60ft. China, 1751. This tree grows with great rapidity for the first ten or twelve years, in favourable situations, afterwards its growth is much slower. It is quite hardy, and thrives in almost any soil, though one that is light and somewhat humid, and a sheltered situation, suits it best. It is a very desirable tree for plantations, or to stand singly on lawns, and is easily increased by slips of the roots.

=AINSLÆA= (in honour of Dr. Whitelaw Ainslie, author of a work on Indian drugs). ORD. _Compositæ_. Herbaceous perennials, of recent introduction. Although, no doubt, both species will prove tolerably hardy, they should have slight protection during winter. They thrive in light rich soil. Propagated by divisions of the root.

=A. aptera= (wingless). _fl.-head_ purple, disposed in an elongated spike-like panicle. _l._ deeply cordate, sinuately toothed; petioles wingless, whence the name. Sikkim Himalayas, 1882.

=A. Walkeræ= (Mrs. Walker's).* _fl.-heads_ slender, distant, shortly stalked, borne in erect or somewhat nodding racemes; the white corolla-lobes and the red purple anthers make a pretty contrast. _h._ about 1ft. Hong Kong, 1875. A very rare and graceful species.

=AIR.= Pure atmospheric air is composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and a very small quantity of carbonic acid gas, all of which are essential to the growth of plants. Air-giving is a term used by gardeners to lessen the temperature of a greenhouse, or to equalise it with that outside. _See_ =Ventilation=.

=AIRA= (from _aira_, applied by the Greeks to _Lolium temulentum_). Hair Grass. ORD. _Gramineæ_. Chiefly hardy grasses, of agricultural value. Panicle loose; spikelet compressed, with two perfect flowers, and sometimes a neuter. Of easy culture, in ordinary garden soil. Sow seeds in spring.

=A. flexuosa= (waved).* The Waved Hair Grass. _fl._ shining brown; panicle erect, spreading, with waved angular branches and flower-stalks. _l._ short. Stem upwards of 1ft. high, erect, smooth. England. A very pretty and graceful perennial.

=A. pulchella= (pretty).* _fl._ panicles loose, very delicate and graceful. _l._ very short. _h._ 6in. to 8in. South Europe. An elegant plant, with tufted filiform stems. One of the best of dwarf-growing ornamental grasses. See Fig. 54.

=AIR-PLANT.= _See_ =Aerides=, also =Epiphytes=.

=AITONIA= (in honour of W. Aiton, once Head Gardener at Kew). ORD. _Meliaceæ_. A small and rather interesting greenhouse evergreen shrub from the Cape of Good Hope, and thriving well in an equal mixture of sandy loam and peat. Young cuttings will root in sand, under a bell glass, with bottom heat. The cuttings must not be put in very close together, and the glass should be wiped frequently, as they are apt to damp off.

=A. capensis= (Cape). _fl._ pink; petals four, shorter than the projecting stamens. July. _h._ 2ft. 1777.

=AIZOON= (from _aei_, always, and _zoos_, alive; tenacious of life). ORD. _Portulacaceæ_. Greenhouse annuals, biennials, or evergreen shrubs. Flowers apetalous; calyx five-cleft, coloured on the inner surface. The undermentioned species is the only one worth growing. It requires no shade, a dry atmosphere, and light sandy soil. Propagated by seeds and cuttings.

=A. sarmentosum= (sarmentose). _fl._ greenish, sessile. Summer. _l._ opposite, linear-filiform, rather connate, glabrous; branches rather villous, three-flowered at the apex, the two lateral flowers are bracteated, and spring from the sides of the middle one. Sub-shrub, erect, diffuse, glabrous, branched. South Africa, 1862.

=AJAVA SEED.= _See_ =Ptychotis=.

=AJAX MAXIMUS.= _See_ =Narcissus=.

=AJOWAN.= _See_ =Ptychotis=.

=AJUGA= (from _a_, not, and _zugon_, a yoke; in reference to the calyx being equal, not bilabiate). Bugle. ORD. _Labiatæ_. Hardy annual or perennial herbaceous plants, usually procumbent or ascending, sometimes stoloniferous. Whorls two or many flowered, dense, sometimes all axillary, when the floral leaves conform to those of the stem; sometimes the superior whorls are approximate into spikes, then the floral leaves are small, and of a different form from the stem ones. All the species are of easy cultivation in ordinary garden soil. Perennials increased by divisions, or by seeds sown in the open border, during spring or autumn. The seeds of annual kinds may be sown in the open border in spring, where they are intended to remain.

=A. alpina= (alpine). Synonymous with _A. genevensis_.

=A. australis= (southern). _fl._ blue; whorls six or more flowered; lower whorls remote, upper ones sub-spicate, floral leaves similar to the stem ones, exceeding the flowers. May to July. _l._ narrow-oblong, narrowed at the base, quite entire or sinuated, thickish, rather villous. Stem ascending, or erect. _h._ 6in. New Holland, 1822. Perennial.

=A. Chamæpitys= (ground-pine). _fl._ yellow, dotted with red, pubescent outside; whorls two-flowered; floral leaves similar to the others, exceeding the flowers. April. _l._ deeply trifid, with linear, quite entire, or trifid lobes. Stem procumbent at the base, much branched, beset with long hairs, like the leaves. _h._ about 6in. England (rare). Annual.

=A. genevensis= (Geneva).* _fl._ varying from blue to rose colour and white; upper whorls spicate, lower ones distant, six or more flowered. May. _l._ stem ones oblong-elliptic or obovate, narrowed at the base; lower ones petiolate; floral ones ovate or cuneated; superior ones scarcely equalling the flowers or shorter, all usually coarsely toothed, membranaceous, green on both surfaces, and beset with scattered hairs. Stem erect, pilose. _h._ 6in. to 1ft. Europe. A very variable species, admirably adapted as an alpine plant, and succeeds best in bog soil, where its roots will have plenty of room; it increases rapidly. Perennial. SYNS. _A. alpina_, _A. rugosa_.

=A. orientalis= (oriental).* _fl._ blue; whorls six or more flowered, distant, or the upper ones are approximate. May. _l._ lower ones large, petiolate; ovate, coarsely and sinuately toothed, narrowed at the base; floral ones sessile, broad ovate, deeply lobed or toothed, exceeding the flowers. Stem ascending, pilosely woolly. _h._ 1ft. to 1-1/2ft. Eastern Europe, 1732. This species should be grown in a dry, sunny spot.

=A. pyramidalis= (pyramidal).* _fl._ blue or purple; whorls many-flowered, upper ones or all spicate. May and June. _l._ stem ones approximate, scarcely petiolate, obovate; floral ones broad-ovate, clasping the flowers, tetragonally pyramidate; the upper ones often coloured, all quite entire or obscurely sinuated. Stem erect. _h._ 6in. Scotland. Perennial. Of this there are several handsome garden varieties.

=A. reptans= (creeping).* _fl._ varying from blue to rose-colour; lower whorls remote; upper ones spicate, six to twenty flowered. May. _l._ ovate or obovate, quite entire or sinuated, and are, as well as the stem, nearly glabrous; radical one petiolate, stem ones nearly sessile. Stem creeping. The variegated and darkest leaved forms of this are superior to the type for horticultural purposes. Britain. Perennial. See Fig. 55.

=A. rugosa= (wrinkled). Synonymous with _A. genevensis_.

=AKEBIA= (its Japanese name). SYN. _Rajania_. ORD. _Lardizabalaceæ_. A pretty twining shrub, succeeding well in the south-western counties of England, or in Scotland, trained to a trellis, or rambling over other shrubs in the open; but, when so grown, it requires the protection of a mat in winter. It makes an excellent twiner for the cool greenhouse. Sandy loam, leaf soil, and peat are most suitable for its culture. Increased by root divisions and cuttings.

=A. quinata= (five-leafletted).* _fl._ purplish brown, small, in axillary racemes, very fragrant. March. _l._ on very slender petioles, and palmately divided into usually five distinct petiolulate oval or oblong emarginate leaflets, the bottom pair smallest. _h._ 10ft. Chusan, 1845.

=AKEE-TREE.= _See_ =Blighia sapida=.

=ALA.= A lateral petal of a papilionaceous flower.

=ALANGIACEÆ.= A very small order of trees or shrubs, usually with inconspicuous flowers, in axillary fascicles. Fruit succulent, eatable. The two genera best known in this country are _Alangium_ and _Nyssa_.

=ALANGIUM= (from _Alangi_, the Malabar name of the first species). ORD. _Alangiaceæ_. Very showy stove evergreen trees, with alternate, exstipulate, entire leaves. Flowers few, sessile, in axillary fascicles; calyx campanulate; petals linear, spreadingly reflexed. They thrive well in a mixture of loam and peat, or any light rich soil. Cuttings root readily if planted in a pot of sand, with a hand glass placed over them, in heat.

=A. decapetalum= (ten-petaled).* _fl._ pale purple, with a grateful scent, solitary, or two to three together in the axils of the leaves; petals ten or twelve. June. _l._ alternate, oblong-lanceolate, quite entire; branches glabrous, spinescent. _h._ 30ft. Malabar, 1779.

=A. hexapetalum= (six-petaled). _fl._ purple, six-petaled. _l._ ovate-lanceolate, acuminated, velvety beneath. _h._ 30ft. Malabar, 1823.

=ALATUS.= Furnished with a membranous or thin wing or expansion.

=ALBESCENT.= Growing white.

=ALBICANT.= Growing whitish.

=ALBINISM.= A pale condition due to the absence of chlorophyl.

=ALBIZZIA= (named after an Italian). ORD. _Leguminosæ_. Ornamental greenhouse or hardy trees or shrubs. For culture, _see_ =Acacia=, to which they are often referred.

=A. Julibrissin= (Julibrissin). _fl._ white; heads pedunculate, forming a terminal somewhat corymbose panicle. August. _l._ with eight to twelve pairs of pinnæ, each pinna bearing about thirty pairs of dimidiate-oblong, acute, rather ciliated leaflets. _h._ 30ft. to 40ft. Hardy. Levant, 1745. SYN. _A. Nemu_.

=A. lophantha= (crest-flowered).* _fl._ yellow; racemes ovate-oblong, axillary, twin. May. _l._ with eight to ten pairs of pinnæ, each pinna bearing twenty-five to thirty pairs of linear, bluntish leaflets; petioles and calyces clothed with velvety down. _h._ 6ft. to 10ft. New Holland, 1803. A very distinct unarmed greenhouse species, and one of the best for window gardening.

=A. Nemu.= A synonym of _A. Julibrissin_.

=ALBUCA= (from _albicans_, or _albus_, white; the colour of the earlier species). ORD. _Liliaceæ_. A rather extensive genus of Cape of Good Hope bulbs, requiring ordinary greenhouse culture. Closely allied to _Ornithogalum_. Perianth six-cleft, three outer segments spreading; three inner ones closed over the stamens. They, however, succeed admirably when grown in a warm sunny position out of doors, if covered with a hand glass, or litter, during winter. A light loamy soil, with leaf mould and sand, suits them well. Propagated by offsets from the old bulb, or seeds. There are but few species worthy of cultivation.

=A. angolensis= (Angolan). _fl._ yellowish, large, in cylindrical racemes 1ft. to 1-1/2ft. long. _l._ linear-lorate, sub-erect, fleshy, pale green, 1-1/2ft. to 2ft. long. _h._ 3ft. Angola.

=A. aurea= (yellow).* _fl._ pale yellow, upright; peduncle very long, erect, spreading. June. _l._ linear-lanceolate, flat. _h._ 2ft. 1818.

=A. fastigiata= (peaked).* _fl._ white; peduncle very long, spreading. May. _l._ linear, flattish, longer than the scape. _h._ 1-1/2ft. 1774.

=A. flaccida= (weak). _fl._ pale yellow, with a green keel, drooping, six to eight in a loose raceme; peduncles spreading at right angles. July. _l._ lanceolate-linear, obliquely bent. _h._ 2ft. 1791.

=A. Nelsoni= (Nelson's).* _fl._, perianth, 1-1/2in. long, ascending, white, with a dull red stripe down the back of each segment; scape stout, 4ft. to 5ft. high. Summer. _l._ bright green, very concave at the basal part, nearly flat in the upper part, 3ft. to 3-1/2ft. long, l-1/4in. to 2-1/4in. broad, at about one-third the way up, whence they are gradually narrowed to an acute point. Natal, 1880. This very handsome species is the best of the genus.

=ALBUMEN.= The substance under the inner coat of the testa of seeds, surrounding the embryo. It is sometimes absent.

=ALBUMINOUS.= Furnished with albumen.

=ALBURNUM.= The white wood of a tree; the younger wood, not choked up by sedimentary deposit, and therefore permeable to fluids.

=ALCHEMILLA= (from _Alkemelyeh_, the Arabic name of one of the species). Lady's Mantle. ORD. _Rosaceæ_. Hardy herbaceous perennials, with corymbose, apetalous flowers; calyx tubular, with the tube rather contracted at the apex. Leaves palmate or lobed. Of very easy culture, in common, but well drained soil. They are well adapted for rockwork and planting near the front of borders. Easily increased by divisions of the roots, and seeds. All here described are hardy, except _A. sibbaldiæfolia_.

=A. alpina= (alpine).* _fl._ greenish, small; corymbose. June. _l._ digitate; leaflets five to seven, lanceolate-cuneated, obtuse, serrated, clothed with white satiny down beneath. _h._ 6in. Britain.

=A. pubescens= (pubescent). _fl._ greenish; corymbs terminal, crowded, clothed with a coating of long weak hairs. June. _l._ roundish-reniform, seven-lobed, toothed, silky beneath. _h._ 6in. to 8in. Caucasus (Higher), 1813.

=A. sericea= (silky).* _fl._ greenish, corymbose. June. _l._ digitate; leaflets seven, lanceolate-obovate, obtuse, connected at the base, serrated at the apex, clothed with satiny down beneath. _h._ about 6in. Caucasus, 1813. Much larger in every part than _A. alpina_, to which it is closely allied.

=A. Sibbaldiæfolia= (Sibbaldia-leaved). _fl._ white, conglomerate; stem corymbosely many-flowered at the apex. July. _l._ deeply three-parted, clothed with adpressed pubescence beneath; segments deeply serrated, lateral ones bifid. _h._ 6in. Mexico, 1823. A greenhouse species, which should be grown in small well-drained pots, with a mixture of leaf soil and sandy loam.

=ALDEA.= A synonym of =Phacelia= (which _see_).

=ALDER.= _See_ =Alnus=.

=ALETRIS= (from _aletron_, meal; referring to the powdery appearance of the whole plant). The American Star Grass. SYN. _Tritonia_. ORD. _Hæmodoraceæ_. Interesting hardy herbaceous perennials, closely allied to the _Amaryllids_. Perianth half-inferior, tubular; limb spreading or funnel-shaped; stamens inserted at base of perianth segments, filaments flat. They delight in a sunny but damp situation, with peat, leaf mould, and sand, and are slowly increased by division of the roots.

=A. aurea= (golden).* _fl._ yellow, bell-shaped. _h._ 1ft. to 2ft. North America, 1811. Similar in habit to _A. farinosa_.

=A. capensis= (Cape). _See_ =Veltheimia viridifolia=.

=A. farinosa= (mealy).* _fl._ white, bell-shaped, in a terminal spiked raceme, upon stems 1-1/2ft. to 2ft. high. _l._ lanceolate, ribbed. North America, 1768. A pretty species, forming a spreading tuft, and possessing intensely bitter properties.

=ALEURITES= (from the Greek word signifying floury; all the parts of the plant seeming to be dusted with a farinaceous substance). ORD. _Euphorbiaceæ_. A handsome stove evergreen tree, with small, white, clustered flowers. Leaves alternate, stalked, exstipulate. Of easy culture in a loamy soil. Ripe cuttings, with their leaves untouched, root readily in sand, under a hand-glass.

=A. triloba= (three-lobed).* Candleberry Tree. _l._ three-lobed, 4in. to 8in. long. _h._ 30ft. to 40ft. Moluccas and South Pacific Islands, 1793.

=ALEXANDERS.= _See_ =Smyrnium=.

=ALEXANDRIAN LAUREL.= _See_ =Ruscus racemosus=.

=ALGAROBA BEAN, or CAROB.= _See_ =Ceratonia=.

=ALGAROBIA.= Included under =Prosopis= (which _see_).

=ALHAGI= (its Arabian name). ORD. _Leguminosæ_. Manna Tree. Greenhouse shrubs or sub-shrubs, with simple leaves, and minute stipulas. Flowers few, in clusters. They thrive in pots filled with a mixture of sand, loam, and peat. Young cuttings will root in sand, with a bell glass placed over them, in heat; but by seeds, if they can be procured, sown in a hotbed, is a preferable mode of increasing the plants. They may be placed out of doors during the summer months.

=A. camelorum= (camels). _fl._ red, few, disposed in racemes along the peduncles. July. _l._ lanceolate, obtuse, simple; stipulas minute. Stem herbaceous. _h._ 1ft. to 2ft. Caucasus, 1816.

=A. maurorum= (Moors'). _fl._ purple in the middle, and reddish about the edges, disposed in racemes along the axillary, spinose peduncles. July. _l._ obovate-oblong, simple; spines strong, and longer than those of the above species. _h._ 2ft. to 3ft. Egypt, &c. The Manna is a natural exudation from the branches and leaves of this shrub, which takes place only in very hot weather.

=ALIBERTIA= (in honour of M. Alibert, a celebrated French chemist, author of "Traite des Fievres Attaxiques," wherein he mentions the effects of Peruvian bark). ORD. _Cinchonaceæ_. A small stove evergreen tree, very ornamental when in flower. Flowers solitary or fascicled, diœcious; corolla leathery, tubular. A mixture of loam and peat is the best soil. Cuttings strike root freely, in a similar kind of soil, under a hand glass, in a moist heat.

=A. edulis= (edible). _fl._ cream-coloured, solitary or in fascicles, terminating the branches, almost sessile. June. _fr._ edible. _l._ opposite, leathery, oblong, acuminated, shining above, and bearded in the axils of the veins beneath. _h._ 12ft. Guiana, 1823.

=ALICANT SODA.= _See_ =Salsola=.

=ALISMA.= (from _alis_, the Celtic word for water). Water Plantain. SYN. _Actinocarpus_. ORD. _Alismaceæ_. A genus entirely composed of hardy aquatic species. Flowers three-petalled. Leaves parallel-veined. Increased by division or seeds. The latter should be sown in a pot immersed in water, filled with loam, peat, and sand, and the former root freely in a moist loamy soil. The British species are most easily grown.

=A. natans= (floating).* _fl._ white; peduncles simple. July. _l._ elliptical-obtuse; stem ones floating, on long stalks, scarcely nerved; those at the base of the plant are long, linear-lanceolate, membranous scales, or abortive root leaves. North Wales and Cumberland, but very rare; abundant in other parts of Europe. See Fig. 56.

=A. Plantago= (plantain).* _fl._ delicate pale rose coloured; scape branched upwards. July. _l._ ovate, acute, all radical, on long stalks; branches all whorled, bracteated, compound. _h._ 2ft. to 3ft. Britain. A very handsome aquatic for naturalising. See Fig. 57.

=A. P. lanceolata= (lance-shaped leaves). _fl._ pure white. July. _l._ lanceolate. Britain.

=A. ranunculoides= (ranunculus-like). In general appearance very like the last named species, but smaller. Britain.

=ALISMACEÆ.= A small order of aquatic or marsh plants, with three-petaled flowers, on leafless scapes, and simple radical leaves. The genera best known are _Alisma_ and _Sagittaria_.

=ALKANET.= _See_ =Anchusa tinctoria=.