Part 47

=B. lanata= (woolly). _fl.-heads_ yellow, solitary, produced in great numbers. Summer. _l._ alternate, or with the lower ones sometimes opposite, deeply divided, and sometimes ligulate and entire. _h._ 6in. to 15in. North America. This species thrives on borders of light and well-drained sandy soil. (B. R. 1167.)

=BALANIUS.= _See_ =Nut Weevil=.

=BALANTIUM= (of Kaulfuss). _See_ =Dicksonia=.

=BALANTIUM= (of Desvaux). _See_ =Parinarium=.

=BALBISIA= (commemorative of Giovanni Battista Balbis, a Professor of Botany at Turin). SYN. _Ledocarpum_. ORD. _Geraniaceæ_. A very ornamental half-hardy evergreen shrub, requiring a cool, dry atmosphere. As it is very liable to rot off, water must be applied with great care. Propagated by cuttings of half-ripened wood, inserted in sand, under a hand glass; or by seeds.

=B. verticillata= (whorled). _fl._ yellow, large, with a whorl of narrow bracts beneath. Autumn. _l._ opposite, three-parted; segments linear-oblong. Branches slender, glaucous. _h._ 3ft. to 6ft. Chili, 1846. (B. M. 6170.)

=BALCONY.= A projection from the external wall of a house, usually resting on brackets, and having the sides encompassed by a balustrade. It should at all times be prettily decorated with plants, which in the summer is a comparatively easy matter. During winter, evergreens of various kinds are most serviceable, the best being Arbutus, Aucubas, Boxes, Euonymuses, Hollies, Irish and Goldon Yew, Portugal Laurel, Retinosporas, Vincas, &c. These may be grown in pots, and when replaced by the summer occupants, should be plunged in some reserve quarter, where they should receive plenty of water; by this means, they will increase in size, and keep in a healthy condition. Very little water will be required during the winter. Climbing plants, such as Ivy, Passion Flower, Virginian Creeper, Climbing Roses, &c., are indispensable for covering the trellises, and draping the pillars and arches.

=BALDINGERA.= A synonym of =Premna=.

=BALL.= This term is used in reference to the roots and mass of earth as they are moulded into form and pressed into hardness by the pot. The masses of roots and earth which, in the case of fibrous-rooted subjects (such as Rhododendrons), must be taken intact when removing the plants, are also termed Balls.

=BALM= (_Melissa officinalis_). A perennial herb, often used in the manufacture of a drink for sick persons, and sometimes employed for culinary purposes. It may be grown in ordinary garden soil, and is propagated by divisions, in spring. A pretty variegated form is sometimes met with, having the additional advantage of being equal to the normal species for medicinal purposes.

=BALM OF GILIAD.= _See_ =Cedronella triphylla= and =Populus balsamifera=.

=BALSAM= (_Impatiens Balsamina_). A well-known ornamental and tender annual, native of India. It is one of the showiest of summer and autumn flowers, and well deserves a place in every garden. Although of comparatively easy cultivation, good blooms and well-grown plants are far too rarely seen. A good Balsam bloom should be quite as double as a perfect Camellia, and to show to the greatest advantage should appear like one in the arrangement of the petals. To secure this, seeds should only be saved from the finest and most perfect flowers, although the quantity must, of necessity, be small. They should be sown, about the third week in March, in properly prepared pans of rich sandy soil, and placed in a gentle bottom heat of about 65deg. As soon as the first rough leaf appears, the plants should be potted off into 3in. pots, care being taken to let the cotyledon, or seed leaves, be close to the soil. When the roots touch the sides of the pots, the plants should be moved into larger ones, and this should be repeated until they are in 8in. or 10in. pots. Some growers place one or two seeds in small pots, so as to avoid the first shift, and a good plan it is. During the time the plants are under glass, they should be kept as near the light as possible, and be frequently turned around, so that they do not draw to one side; and careful training must be given to those that are required in fine form. Disbudding is also necessary to such as are wanted at their best, removing all bloom from the main stem and base of branches until the plants are of sufficient size, and then the buds at the tops will bloom almost simultaneously. The buds that will be formed afterwards will cause a continuance of blossom for a long time, in fact, for some months, if the plants are liberally supplied with liquid manure. If it is desired for them to flower out of doors, the plants should be transferred, about May, to a frame where the heat is not above 50deg., and be kept in a steady growing state, air being admitted on all suitable occasions, cold winds and heavy rains avoided, and water supplied when needed; never allow them to get dry. They require training and disbudding the same as those grown in the greenhouse. About June, the plants should be fully exposed during the day; and, when danger of frost is over, the lights may be kept off altogether. These should bloom at the end of July. In all cases, plenty of drainage must be allowed, as the amount of water required is very great. Insects must be sharply looked after, as well as slugs and snails. There are several sections, such as Camellia-flowered (see Fig. 201), Rose-flowered, &c., each containing variously striped, spotted, and entire coloured blooms, and it is best to pay an extra figure to secure a good strain.

=BALSAM APPLE.= _See_ =Momordica Balsaminea=.

=BALSAMINA.= _See_ =Impatiens=.

=BALSAMINEÆ.= A tribe of plants belonging to the order _Geraniaceæ_. Sepals and petals all coloured, consisting of six segments, "two outer ones small, flat, and oblique; the next large, hood-shaped, ending below in a conical spur; the fourth opposite to it, small, very broad, concave; the two innermost very oblique, and more or less divided into two unequal lobes." The best known genus is _Impatiens_.

=BALSAMODENDRON= (from _balsamon_-—an old Greek word used by Theophrastus-—balm or balsam, and _dendron_, a tree). ORD. _Burseraceæ_. Greenhouse or stove balsamiferous trees. Flowers small, green, axillary, often unisexual; calyx four-toothed, permanent; petals four, linear-oblong, induplicately valvate in æstivation; stamens eight, inserted under the annular disk, having elevated warts between them. Berry, or drupe, ovate, acute, one to two-celled, marked with four sutures. Leaves with three to five sessile, dotless leaflets. They thrive in a compost of thoroughly drained sandy loam. Propagated by cuttings of ripe young wood, taken in April, and placed under a hand glass, in bottom heat. The species named below doubtfully belongs to this genus, as the characteristics above enumerated will show.

=B. zeylanicum= (Ceylon).* _fl._ white, three-petaled, glomerated, involucrated; racemes interrupted, downy. _l._ impari-pinnate, with five to seven-stalked, ovate, acute leaflets. _h._ 30ft. Ceylon.

=BALSAM OF CAPEVI.= _See_ =Copaifera=.

=BALSAM-TREE.= _See_ =Clusia=.

=BAMBOO CANE.= _See_ =Bambusa=.

=BAMBUSA= (from _bambu_, the Malay name). Bamboo Cane. ORD. _Gramineæ_. A genus of ornamental, shrubby, greenhouse, half-hardy or hardy shrubs, each culm flowering but once. Flowers usually hexandrous. Leaves, as a rule, relatively shorter than the stems, lanceolate, and narrowed at the base. Stems jointed, flexuose, branching, usually hollow, and, when mature, of a hard, woody nature. In well drained, sheltered situations, in the open, with rich, loamy soil, some of the species make extremely graceful objects, particularly so in the more southern counties of England, and in parts of Scotland. Unless a very severe winter is experienced, they may be left without protection. Plants of all the species, however, should have the shelter of a cold greenhouse till about the end of April; when they should be gradually hardened off, and transferred to a warm, sheltered spot, such as in woodlands, by the margins of lakes, &c., as they like plenty of moisture during the summer. A good watering must be given after planting, to settle the soil. Propagation is effected by careful division of well-developed plants, which should be done in early spring, just as new growth is commencing; and it is advisable to establish the divisions in pots. _See also_ =Arundinaria=.

=B. arundinacea= (reed-like).* Stem very stout, rising like a beautiful column to some 50ft. or 60ft. in height; the laterals producing a profusion of light green leaves, the whole presenting the appearance of a huge plume of feathers. India, 1730. This species is best treated as a stove plant, but it may be placed out of doors in summer. See Fig. 202. (B. F. S. 321.)

=B. aurea= (golden).* _l._ lanceolate, acute, light green, distinguished from _B. nana_ by having their under surface less glaucescent, and the sheath always devoid of the long silky hairs. China. This very handsome species forms elegant tufts, with its slender much-branched stems, which attain a height of from 6ft. to 10ft., and are of a light green colour in a young state, ultimately changing into a yellowish hue. Hardy in most parts of the country. See Fig. 203.

=B. Fortunei= (Fortune's).* _l._ linear-lanceolate, abruptly pointed, somewhat rounded at the base, on very short hairy stalks, serrated and often fringed with long hairs on the margin, downy on both sides, and distinctly variegated, the transverse veins often of a bottle-green colour. _h._ 1ft. to 2ft. Japan. A dwarf tufted species, with very slender stem. Quite hardy. There are only variegated varieties of this in cultivation, viz., _variegata_ and _argenteovittata_. (F. d. S. 1863, t. 1535.)

=B. glauca= (milky-green). A synonym of _B. nana_.

=B. japonica= (Japanese). Synonymous with _Arundinaria Metake_.

=B. Maximowiczii= (Maximowicz's). Synonymous with _Arundinaria Maximowiczii_.

=B. Metake= (Metake). Synonymous with _Arundinaria Metake_.

=B. mitis= (small). _l._ deep green, lanceolate, acute, striated, clasping the stem; panicle simple, erect, close; spikes long, imbricated. Stem tapering. _h._ 40ft. Cochin China and Japan. This vigorous-growing species can be cultivated out of doors during summer, and, in most localities, it may be left out all the year.

=B. nana= (dwarf).* _l._ lanceolate, acute, glaucous, stoutish, with the footstalks slightly downy. _h._ 6ft. to 8ft. India, 1826. A rather tender species, requiring to be grown in the stove or greenhouse. SYNS. _B. glauca_ and _B. viridi-glaucescens_. See Fig. 204.

=B. nigra= (black). _See_ =Phyllostachys nigra=.

=B. Ragamowski= (Ragamowsk's).* _l._ 9in. to 18in. long, and about 1in. to 3in. broad. China and Japan. This species "can readily be recognised by the tomentose line on one side of the midrib, running nearly the whole length of the leaf on the underside, this line being always on the longer side of the leaf." Hardy. SYN. _B. tessellata_.

=B. Simonii= (Simon's).* _l._ narrow, nearly 6in. to 10in. long, occasionally striped with white. Stems growing with great rapidity, mealy-glaucous at the joints; branchlets numerous, rather closely crowded. _h._ 10ft. China and Japan, 1866.

=B. striata= (striated).* _l._ linear-oblong; culms striped yellow and green. _h._ 6ft. to 20ft. China, 1874. A very slender and graceful, rather tender, species. May be grown in the open air during summer, and in very favoured spots it is probably hardy, especially if covered with a mat in winter. It makes an excellent pot plant. SYN. _B. viridi-striata_. (B. M. 6079.)

=B. tessellata= (tessellated).* A synonym of _B. Ragamowski_.

=B. violescens= (nearly-violet).* _l._ green above, bluish-grey beneath, with an elongated ligule, surrounded by a bundle of black hairs. Stems much branched, blackish-violet. China, 1869. This handsome and vigorous species is intermediate between _Phyllostachys nigra_ and _B. nana_. It requires protection during winter.

=B. viridi-glaucescens= (glaucous-green). A synonym of _B. nana_.

=B. viridi-striata= (green-striped). A synonym of _B. striata_.

=BANANA=, or =PLANTAIN=. _See_ =Musa=.

=BANEBERRY.= _See_ =Actæa=.

=BANISTERIA= (named after John Baptist Banister, a traveller in Virginia in the seventeenth century, author of a catalogue of Virginian plants, inserted in Ray's "Historia Plantarum"). ORD. _Malpighiaceæ_. Stove trees or shrubs, frequently climbing. Flowers yellow; calyx five-parted; petals furnished with long stalks; stamens ten. Leaves simple, stalked. They are for the most part very ornamental, but are not often seen in flower in this country. They will grow in a mixture of loam, leaf soil, and peat, with some sharp sand added. Cuttings, made from ripened wood, will root freely in sandy soil, under a hand glass, in stove heat, taking about three or four weeks to do so.

=B. chrysophylla= (golden-leaved).* _fl._ deep orange, axillary, corymbose. _l._ ovate, oblong, acutish, somewhat sinuated towards the top, clothed beneath with golden shining down. Brazil, 1793. Climber.

=B. ciliata= (ciliated).* _fl._ large, orange-coloured, umbellate. June. _l._ cordate, orbicular, smooth, ciliated. Brazil, 1796. Twiner.

=B. ferruginea= (rust-coloured). _fl._ yellow; racemes panicled. June. _l._ 2in. long, ovate, acuminated, smooth above, and shining, rusty beneath, and are, as well as the petioles, clothed with close pressed hairs. Brazil, 1820. Climber.

=B. fulgens= (glowing).* _fl._ yellow, in umbellate corymbs. _l._ ovate, acuminated, smooth above, and clothed with silky pubescence beneath, as well as the petioles. Branches dichotomous. West Indies, 1759. Climber.

=B. Humboldtiana= (Humboldt's).* _fl._ yellow; umbels lateral and terminal, sessile. _l._ roundish-ovate, cordate, rather acuminated, mucronate, membranaceous, smoothish above, clothed beneath with soft hoary down as well as the branchlets. South America, 1824. Climber.

=B. sericea= (silky). _fl._ yellow, racemose. July. _l._ ovate, obtuse, with a mucrone; younger ones downy on both surfaces, adult ones only on the under surface; down of a golden shining colour. Brazil, 1810. Climber.

=B. splendens= (splendid).* _fl._ yellow; racemes axillary, dichotomous, umbellate. Floral leaves orbicular, and nearly sessile. _l._ cordate, kidney-shaped, orbicular, clothed with silky down beneath. South America, 1812. Climber.

=BANKS.= These are usually formed with a view to increasing the amount of surface ground, and for the acceleration or retarding of vegetable crops, such as strawberries, &c. They should be from 6ft. to 12ft. apart, according to the depth of soil, and run from east to west. In constructing Banks of a uniform size, great care, and a constant use of the garden line, will be found necessary. For the warmest side of the Banks, Dwarf French Beans, Peas, Vegetable Marrows, Cucumbers, New Zealand Spinach, Capsicums, &c., may be grown. On the opposite side, and when a prolonged supply is desired, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Lettuce, Turnip, Spinach, &c., may be sown thinly in drills, to be thinned out, and remain. It needs but little discretion to produce valuable crops by this method.

=BANKSIA= (named in honour of Sir Joseph Banks, once President of the Royal Society, and a distinguished patron of science, particularly of Natural History). ORD. _Proteaceæ_. Greenhouse evergreen shrubs, natives of Australia, principally grown for the beauty of their foliage. Leaves variable in form, usually dark green, clothed with white or rufous down beneath; margins deeply serrated or spinous, rarely entire. The following is the mode of culture recommended many years ago by Sweet. The pots should be well drained, by placing a potsherd about half way over the hole at the bottom of the pot, then laying another piece against it that it may be hollow, afterwards putting some smaller pieces all around them, and on the top of these some others broken very small. All the plants belonging to the order _Proteaceæ_ should be drained in a similar manner, as the roots are very fond of running amongst the broken potsherds, and consequently there is less danger of their being overwatered. Care must also be taken not to allow them to flag, as they seldom recover if once allowed to get very dry. The plants should be placed in an airy part of the house when indoors. Cuttings are generally supposed to be difficult to root, but this is not the case if properly managed. Let them be well ripened before they are taken off; then cut them at a joint, and place them in pots of sand, without shortening any of the leaves, except on the part that is planted in the sand, where they should be taken off quite close. The less depth they are planted in the pots the better, so long as they stand firm when the sand is well closed round them. Place them under hand glasses in the propagating house, but do not plunge them in heat. Take the glasses off frequently to give them air, and dry them, or they will probably damp off. When rooted, transfer to small pots; after which, place them in a close, unheated frame, and harden by degrees. Seeds are a very unsatisfactory means of multiplying the stock.

=B. æmula= (rivalling).* _l._ 6in. to 10in. long, 1in. broad, linear-oblong, tapering slightly at the base; edges deeply toothed, deep green on both sides; midrib of under surface clothed with rich brown hairs. _h._ 20ft. 1824. SYN. _B. elatior_. (B. M. 2671.)

=B. australis= (southern). A synonym of _B. marginata_.

=B. Caleyi= (Caley's). _l._ 6in. to 12in. long, linear, deeply and regularly toothed from base to apex, dark green above, paler below. _h._ 5ft. to 6ft. 1830. Said to be an elegant species.

=B. collina= (hill-loving).* _l._ 2in. to 3in. long, 1/2in. broad, linear; apex præmorse, as if bitten straight off; upper surface dark green, silvery below. _h._ 6ft. to 8ft. 1822. This forms a dense and handsome shrub, especially with its large head of yellow flowers. SYNS. _B. Cunninghami_, _B. ledifolia_, and _B. littoralis_. (B. M. 3060.)

=B. Cunninghami= (Cunningham's). A synonym of _B. collina_.

=B. dryandroides= (Dryandra-like).* _l._ 6in. to 10in. long, 1/4in. broad, pinnatifid, divided almost to the midrib; lobes triangular, deep green above, and reddish-brown below. Stem clothed with reddish-brown hairs. _h._ 6ft. 1824. This plant is extremely graceful and elegant as a table decoration.

=B. elatior= (taller). Synonymous with _B. æmula_.

=B. integrifolia= (whole-leaved). _l._ cuneate-oblong, 6in. long, nearly 1in. wide at the broadest part; edges entire; upper side dark green, silvery white beneath. _h._ 10ft. to 12ft. 1788. SYNS. _B. macrophylla_, _B. oleifolia_. (B. M. 2770.)

=B. i. compar= (well-matched). _l._ very densely set upon the branches, oblong, tapering at the base, blunt at the apex; edges serrulate; upper side dark olive green, silvery white beneath. _h._ 6ft., finely branching. 1824.

=B. latifolia= (broad-leaved). _l._ 6in. to 10in. long, 3in. broad, obovate-oblong; edges serrated; upper surface deep green, beneath clothed with woolly greyish hairs, those on the midrib bright brown. _h._ 20ft. 1802. (B. M. 2406.)

=B. ledifolia= (Ledum-leaved). Synonymous with _B. collina_.

=B. littoralis= (shore). Synonymous with _B. collina_.

=B. macrophylla= (large-leaved). Synonymous with _B. integrifolia_.

=B. marginata= (margined). _l._ 1in. to 2in. long, 1/2in. broad, blunt at the apex, armed with several short spines, and tapering at the base, deep green on the upper surface, snowy white beneath. _h._ 5ft. to 6ft. 1822. SYN. _B. australis_. (B. M. 1947.)

=B. occidentalis= (western).* _fl._ yellow, rather handsome, in spikes about 4in. long. April to August. _l._ 5in. to 6in. long, 1/4in. broad. _h._ 5ft. 1803. West coast of New Holland. A beautiful species. (B. M. 3535.)

=B. oleifolia= (olive-leaved). Synonymous with _B. integrifolia_.

=B. Solanderi= (Solander's).* _l._ 4in. to 6in. long, and over 2in. wide, deeply pinnatifid, with three to six pairs of lobes on each leaf; apex as if bitten off; upper side dark green, under silvery white. _h._ 6ft. 1830.

=B. speciosa= (showy).* _l._ 8in. to 14in. long, about 1/2in. wide, pinnatifid, but divided almost to the midrib; lobes semicircular, with a spine on the end of each; upper side deep green, beneath silvery white, with the midrib clothed with ferruginous woolly hairs. _h._ 6ft. 1805. Both this and the preceding species are very handsome, and highly deserving of the most extensive culture.

=B. quercifolia= (Oak-leaved). _l._ cuneate-oblong, deeply incised at the margins, and having a short spine upon each lobe. _h._ 5ft. 1805. (B. R. 1430.)

=BANKSIA= (of Forster). A synonym of =Pimelea=.

=BAOBAB-TREE.= _See_ =Adansonia=.

=BAPHIA= (from _baphe_, a dye; the tree produces the camwood of commerce). Camwood or Barwood. ORD. _Leguminosæ_. A stove tree, requiring a loam and peat soil. Cuttings, not deprived of any of their leaves, will root in a pot of sand, under a hand glass, in heat.

=B. nitida= (shining). _fl._ white; corolla with a roundish spreading vexillum, linear wings, which are about the length of the vexillum, and an acute carina; pedicels two to three together, one-flowered, axillary. June. _l._ entire, oval-oblong, acuminated, shining. _h._ 30ft. Sierra Leone, 1793. (L. B. C. 367.)

=BAPTISIA.= (from _bapto_, to dye; so named from the economical use of some of the species). ORD. _Leguminosæ_. North American hardy herbaceous plants, with trifoliate, rarely simple leaves, and racemes of yellowish or blue flowers. They are somewhat shy bloomers, but grow freely in a loamy soil. Propagated by divisions, or, more easily, by seed, which latter may be sown in sand and leaf mould in the open, or in pots placed in a cold frame.

=B. alba= (white).* _fl._ white; racemes terminal. June. _l._ stalked, glabrous; leaflets elliptic-oblong, obtuse; stipules deciduous, subulate, shorter than the petioles. Branches divaricate. _h._ 2ft. 1724. (B. M. 1177.)

=B. australis= (southern).* _fl._ blue; racemes few-flowered, elongated, shorter than the branches. June. _l._ stalked, smooth; leaflets oblong-cuneated, obtuse, four times longer than the petiole; stipules lanceolate, acute, twice the length of the petiole. Stem branched, diffuse. _h._ 4ft. to 5ft. 1758. (Flora, 1856, 2; B. M. 509.)

=B. confusa= (confused). _fl._ dark blue, alternate, bracteate; racemes elongated. June. _l._ stalked, smooth; leaflets oblong-cuneated or obovate; stipules linear-lanceolate, twice the length of the petioles. Stem branched. _h._ 1ft. to 2ft. 1758.

=B. exaltata= (exalted).* _fl._ deep blue; racemes many-flowered, elongated, twice the length of the branches. June. _l._ ternate, stalked; leaflets lanceolate-obovate, five times longer than the petioles; stipules lanceolate, acuminated, three times longer than the petioles. Stem erect, branched. _h._ 3ft. to 4ft. 1812. (S. B. F. G. 97.)

=B. leucophæa= (dusky-white). _fl._ cream-coloured; racemes many-flowered, lateral, with the flowers leaning to one side. July. _l._ sessile, somewhat villous; leaflets rhomboid-obovate; stipules and bracts ovate, acute, broad, leafy. _h._ 1ft. 1870. (B. M. 5900.)