Part 54

=BEGONIACEÆ.= An order comprising a large number of useful garden plants. The only genera are _Begonia_ and _Begoniella_ (which is not yet in cultivation). Flowers apetalous; perianth single; pistillate flowers having the perianth two to eight-cleft, staminate ones two to four-cleft; stamens numerous, collected into a head. Leaves alternate, stipulate. _See_ =Begonia=.

=BEJARIA.= _See_ =Befaria=.

=BELLADONNA.= _See_ =Atropa=.

=BELLADONNA LILY.= _See_ =Amaryllis Belladonna=.

=BELLEVALIA= (named in honour of P. R. Belleval, a French botanist). ORD. _Liliaceæ_. This genus is now usually placed under _Hyacinthus_. Hardy, bulbous-rooted plants, admirably adapted for spring bedding or forcing, and invaluable as cut flowers. Flowers small, whitish, or violet, tinged with green. Leaves few, radical, broadly linear. They are of extremely easy culture in ordinary garden soil. Propagated by offsets; also by seeds, which should be sown as soon as ripe.

=B. operculata= (lid-covered). Synonymous with _B. romana_.

=B. romana= (Roman).* Roman Hyacinth. _fl._ white, racemose; perianth campanulate; pedicels longer than the flowers. April. _l._ from 4in. to 5in. long. _h._ 6in. Italy, 1596. A most desirable plant, and the best of the genus for forcing purposes. SYNS. _B. operculata_ and _Hyacinthus romanus_. (B. M. 939, under the name of _Scilla romana_.) _See_ =Hyacinthus=.

=B. syriaca= (Syrian).* _fl._ white; peduncles spreading, racemose. May. _l._ glaucous, 1ft. long, channelled, rather scarious on the margins. _h._ 1ft. Syria, 1840.

=BELL-FLOWER.= _See_ =Campanula=.

=BELL GLASSES=, or =CLOCHES=. These are used for the purpose of protecting or accelerating the growth of a plant or plants. The French Cloche (see Fig. 237) is largely employed for this purpose. Ordinary Bell Glasses (see Fig. 238) are exceedingly useful for propagating purposes, especially for hard-wooded plants; or for placing over subjects which require a very moist atmosphere, such as Filmy ferns, Cephalotus, &c.; or for covering half-hardy plants or rare alpines, and thus protecting them from excessive moisture. Large Bell Glasses, inverted, serve as miniature aquaria, and many small aquatics are easily grown in them.

=BELLIDIASTRUM= (from _bellis_, a daisy, and _astrum_, a star; flower-heads being star-like). ORD. _Compositæ_. A pretty dwarf, hardy, herbaceous perennial, allied to _Aster_. It thrives in a compost of loam, leaf soil, and peat. Increased by divisions in early spring, or directly after blooming.

=B. Michelii= (Michel's).* _fl.-heads_ white; scape one-headed, naked; involucre with equal leaves; pappus simple. June. _l._ in a rosette, shortly stalked, obovate, repand. _h._ 1ft. Austria, 1570.

=BELLIS= (from _bellus_, pretty, in reference to the flowers). Daisy. ORD. _Compositæ_. A genus of hardy herbaceous perennials, distinguished from allied genera in having conical receptacles and an absence of pappus. They grow well in all loamy soils. The garden varieties are increased by division after flowering, each crown making a separate plant. The soil must be pressed about them moderately firm. Seeds may also be sown in March, but the plants thus obtained are seldom of sufficient floricultural merit to perpetuate.

=B. perennis= (perennial).* Common Daisy. _fl.-heads_ white. June. _l._ numerous, lying flat on the ground, obovate, crenate, slightly hairy, tapering at the base. _h._ 3in. England. The varieties are very numerous, the double ones being particularly fine. See Fig. 239. The handsome variegated form, _aucubæfolia_, has its leaves richly stained and veined with yellow. There are both red and white-flowered forms of this variety. The Hen and Chickens Daisy is a proliferous form, rather more quaint than pretty. See Fig. 240. Good garden kinds are _B. p. conspicua_, red; CROWN, pink; ELIZA, purple; RUBENS, red; SNOWFLAKE, white.

=B. rotundifolia cœrulescens= (round-leaved, bluish).* _fl.-heads_ from 3/4in. to 1-1/4in. in diameter, resembling those of the common Daisy, but with fewer, often broader, ray-flowers, which vary from white to pale blue. _l._ more or less hairy, with slender stalks, 1in. to 3in. long; blade ovate or sub-cordate, sinuate toothed, three-nerved. Morocco, 1872. A very beautiful perennial, requiring the shelter of a cold frame during severe winters. See Fig. 241. (B. M. 6015.)

=BELLIUM= (from _bellis_, a Daisy; the flowers resembling those of that plant). ORD. _Compositæ_. A genus of pretty little, free-flowering plants, differing from the common Daisy only in having a pappus of six to eight broad scales, torn at the apex, alternating with a like number of long scabrous bristles. They thrive best in a mixture of sandy loam and peat. Propagation is readily effected by means of seeds or divisions; the latter should be made in spring.

=B. bellidioides= (Daisy-like).* _fl.-heads_ white, solitary. June to September. _l._ spathulate, radical. Stolons creeping. _h._ 4in. Italy, 1796. Annual. See Fig. 242.

=B. crassifolium= (thick-leaved). _fl.-heads_ whitish-yellow; scapes much exceeding the leaves, downy. June. _l._ sub-radical, thick, obovate, entire, attenuate at base, rather downy. Stems many, ascending. _h._ 6in. Sardinia, 1831. Hardy perennial. (S. B. F. G. 2, 278.)

=B. minutum= (very small).* _fl.-heads_ white and yellow, 1/2in. across, on slender stalks, longer than the foliage. June to September. _l._ narrow spathulate, attenuated at the base, slightly hairy. _h._ 3in. Levant, 1772. A rare little species, requiring a warm, well-drained position on the rockery.

=BELLOWS.= These were formerly employed for fumigating, but are now entirely superseded by the ordinary fumigators. The Sulphur Bellows is a very useful instrument for the uniform distribution of flowers of sulphur on vines and other subjects infested with mildew. In form it is very like those in common domestic use, but has a rose of small holes at the end of its nozzle, through which the sulphur is ejected.

=BELL-PEPPER.= _See_ =Capsicum grossum=.

=BELOPERONE= (from _belos_, an arrow, and _peronne_, a band; in reference to the arrow-shaped connectivum). SYN. _Dianthera_. ORD. _Acanthaceæ_. Very pretty stove evergreen shrubs, allied to _Justicia_. Flowers blue or purple, borne in secund, axillary, or terminal spikes, frequently subtended with coloured bracts; corolla gaping, the upper lip concave, the lower trifid. They are easily cultivated in a compost of loam, leaf soil, peat, and sand. Propagated by young cuttings, taken in spring. Beloperones may also be treated like _Justicias_ (which _see_), and will succeed admirably. There are a large number of species, but few of which have been introduced.

=B. oblongata= (oblong). _fl._ rosy-purple; spikes axillary; anthers calcarate at base; bracts bracteolate. Summer. _l._ oblong-lanceolate, opposite. _h._ 3ft. Brazil, 1832. (B. H. 9, 9.)

=B. violacea= (violet-coloured).* _fl._ violet. _l._ lanceolate, acuminate, entire. _h._ 3ft. New Grenada, 1859. (B. M. 5244.)

=BENDING-DOWN= the branches of fruit trees, by means of weights or string attached to pegs driven into the ground, is sometimes resorted to for the purpose of acquiring a particular shape, or fruitfulness; but authorities differ as to the usefulness of the plan for the latter purpose. Young trees that are inclined to grow strong in the middle may be more evenly balanced by adopting the plan of Bending the strong branches, and so diverting the sap to the weaker ones.

=BENGAL QUINCE.= _See_ =Ægle Marmelos=.

=BENJAMIN-TREE.= _See_ =Ficus Benjamina=.

=BENT GRASS.= _See_ =Agrostis=.

=BENTHAMIA= (in honour of George Bentham, a distinguished English botanist). ORD. _Cornaceæ_. Hardy evergreen shrubs or low trees, now referred to the genus _Cornus_. The first-named species is rather tender in the neighbourhood of London, and can only be grown successfully against a wall, for which purpose it is very suitable. In Cornwall and other mild places, it attains a height of 20ft. in the open. Loudon thinks it might be rendered hardier by grafting it on _Cornus sanguinea_. Flowers disposed in heads, each head attended by an involucre, which consists of four petal-like parts, and resembles a corolla; calyx with a minute four-toothed limb; petals four, fleshy, wedge-shaped; stamens four; style one. Leaves opposite, exstipulate, sub-evergreen, entire. Fruit constituted of many pomes grown together. They thrive in rather moist, loamy soil, in a sheltered spot. Propagated by seeds, sown when ripe, in a cool-house; or by layering, in autumn.

=B. fragifera= (Strawberry-flowered).* _fl._ large, white, sessile, densely aggregate, forming a round head. June to October. _fr._ large, about the size of that of the common Arbutus, reddish. _l._ lanceolate, acuminated at both ends, on short petioles, rather rough, with small, adpressed down. Branches spreading, smooth. _h._ 10ft. to 15ft. Nepaul, 1825. (G. C. xiv., 728.)

=B. japonica= (Japanese). _fl._ yellowish-red. Spring. _h._ 8ft. Japan, 1847. (S. Z. F. J. 16.)

=BERARDIA= (named after M. Berard, a Professor of Chemistry at Montpelier). ORD. _Compositæ_. A genus containing a single species, confined to the high mountains of Western Europe. It makes a pretty rock plant, and grows best in thoroughly well-drained spots amongst rocky _débris_. Propagated by seeds, sown in spring.

=B. subacaulis= (almost stemless). _fl.-heads_ whitish, solitary, very large. _l._ rounded oval, nearly heart-shaped at base, cottony. _h._ 3in. or 4in. (A. F. P. 3, 38.)

=BERBERIDACEÆ.= An order of shrubs or herbaceous perennials. Flowers terminal or axillary, usually racemose; sepals three, four, or six in a double row; petals as many or double in number; stamens four to eight, opposite the petals. Fruit, a berry or capsule. Leaves alternate, compound. The order contributes a great number of handsome plants to our gardens. Well-known genera are _Berberis_, _Epimedium_, and _Nandina_.

=BERBERIDOPSIS= (from _Berberis_, the Barberry, and _opsis_, like; resembling the Barberry). ORD. _Berberidaceæ_. A handsome evergreen shrub, with climbing habit. Sepals and petals nine to fifteen; outer small, spreading; intermediate orbicular, concave; inner obovate-cuneate, erect, inserted upon the fleshy torus. Stamens eight to nine, free. With a slight winter protection, or planted at the foot of a south wall, it will prove quite hardy, being of easy culture in ordinary garden soil. It is an excellent plant for the cool greenhouse. Increased by seeds, which should be sown in spring; by layering, in autumn; or by young cuttings, in spring.

=B. corallina= (coral-red).* _fl._ crimson, in terminal, drooping racemes, leafy at the base. _l._ about 3in. long, alternate, simple, petiolate, oblong-cordate, obtuse or acute, spiny-toothed. Chili, 1862. See Fig. 243. (B. M. 5343.)

=BERBERIS= (_Berberys_ is the Arabic name of the fruit, signifying a shell; many authors believe this to be the original derivation of the word, because the leaves are hollow, like a shell). Barberry. ORD. _Berberidaceæ_. Including _Mahonia_. A genus of hardy erect or trailing shrubs. Flowers yellow or orange, racemose or fascicled; sepals and petals similar, in two series. Leaves simple or compound, alternate or fascicled from the non-development of the branches, often spinose, or reduced to spines. The common sorts thrive well in any ordinary garden soil, but the rarer kinds require a compost of loam, peat, and a little sand. Propagation may be effected by suckers or layers, put down in the autumn; by ripened cuttings, taken at the same time, and planted in sandy soil, in a cold frame; or by seeds, sown in the spring, or, preferably, in the autumn, when, if fresh from the pulp or berry, they will germinate in the open in the following spring. The last-named is the method generally adopted.

=B. Aquifolium= (Holly-leaved).* _fl._ yellow; racemes nearly erect, much crowded. Spring. _l._, leaflets two to three pairs, with an odd one, the lower part distant from the petiole; ovate, approximate, cordate at the base, one-nerved, spiny-toothed. _h._ 3ft. to 6ft. North America, 1823. This is extensively planted in woodlands as an excellent covert plant. SYN. _Mahonia aquifolia_. (S. E. B. 49.)

=B. aristata= (bearded). _fl._ yellow; racemes nodding, many-flowered, longer than the leaves; pedicels trifid, three-flowered. Spring. _l._ obovate-oblong or lanceolate, mucronate, membranous, smooth, serrated with four or five spinulose teeth; lower spines three-parted, upper ones simple, and hardly bidentate at the base. _h._ 6ft. Nepaul, 1820. (B. R. 729, under name of _B. Chitria_.)

=B. asiatica= (Asiatic). _fl._, racemes short, many-flowered, corymbose, shorter than the leaves; pedicels elongated, one-flowered. _l._ oval, cuneated, or elliptical, mucronate, smooth; under surface glaucous, entire, or spinulosely-toothed; spines trifid, or simple. _h._ 4ft. to 8ft. 1820. Half-hardy.

=B. buxifolia= (Box-leaved).* _fl._ solitary, on slender peduncles. Spring. _l._ nearly sessile, oval or oblong, about 1/2in. long, entire. _h._ 8ft. Straits of Magellan, 1830. _Nana_ is a charming little variety, not exceeding 18in. in height. SYN. _B. dulcis_. (B. M. 6505.)

=B. canadensis= (Canadian).* _fl._, racemes many-flowered, nodding. Spring. _l._ obovate-oblong, remotely serrated; upper ones nearly entire; spines three-parted. _h._ 4ft. Canada, 1759.

=B. cratægina= (Hawthorn-like). _fl._, racemes many-flowered, crowded, spreading, scarcely longer than the leaves. Spring. _l._ oblong, reticulated, hardly serrated; spines simple. _h._ 4ft. to 8ft. Asia Minor, 1829.

=B. cretica= (Cretan). _fl._, racemes three to eight-flowered, rather shorter than the leaves. Spring. _l._ oblong-oval, entire, or somewhat serrated; spines three to five-parted. _h._ 4ft. to 5ft. Crete and Cyprus, 1759. The variety _serratifolia_ has leaves ciliately-serrated. (S. F. G. 342.)

=B. Darwinii= (Darwin's).* _fl._ orange, racemose, very numerous. May, and sometimes again in autumn. _l._ oval or oblong, about 1in. long, with usually five spiny teeth. _h._ 2ft. South Chili, 1849. This very fine species is, perhaps, the best; it forms a densely-branched, spreading, evergreen bush, thus making an excellent covert plant. (B. M. 4590.)

=B. dulcis= (sweet). Synonymous with _B. buxifolia_.

=B. emarginata= (emarginate). _fl._, racemes scarcely pendulous, shorter than the leaves. Spring. _l._ lanceolate-obovate, ciliately serrated; spines three-parted. _h._ 6ft. Siberia, 1790.

=B. empetrifolia= (Empetrum-leaved).* _fl._ few, terminal, sub-umbellate, on slender pedicels. May. _l._ in fascicles of about seven, linear, closely revolute, sharply mucronate. _h._ 1-1/2ft. to 2ft. Straits of Magellan, 1827. (B. R. 26, 27.)

=B. fascicularis= (fascicled). _fl._, racemes erect, much crowded. Spring. _l._, leaflets three to six pairs, with an odd one, the lower pair distant from the base of the petiole; ovate-lanceolate, rather distant, one-nerved, spiny toothed, with four to five teeth on each side. _h._ 6ft. to 8ft. New Spain, 1820. Half-hardy. SYN. _Mahonia fascicularis_. (B. M. 2396.)

=B. floribunda= (many-flowered).* _fl._, racemes many-flowered, loose, solitary, pendulous. June. _l._ obovate-lanceolate, or obovate-oblong, tapering much towards the base, ending in a mucrone at the apex, paler beneath, spiny-ciliated; spines three-parted, unequal. _h._ 10ft. Nepaul. A variety of _aristata_.

=B. Fortunei= (Fortune's).* _fl._ small, in terminal clustered racemes. _l._, leaflets about seven, linear-lanceolate, distant, with numerous small spiny teeth, lower pair remote from the base of the petiole. China.

=B. glumacea= (glumaceous). A synonym of _B. nervosa_.

=B. iberica= (Iberian). _fl._, racemes many-flowered, pendulous. Spring. _l._ obovate-oblong, quite entire; spines simple and three-parted. _h._ 8ft. to 10ft. Iberia, 1818.

=B. ilicifolia= (Holly-leaved). _fl._, peduncles short, four-flowered; pedicels elongated, somewhat corymbose. July. _l._ ovate, tapering at the base, coarsely and spinulosely toothed; spines three-parted. _h._ 2ft. to 3ft. Tierra del Fuego, 1791. (B. M. 4308.)

=B. japonica= (Japanese).* _fl._, racemes in terminal clusters. Spring. _l._, leaflets usually nine, about 3in. long, quite sessile, broadly cordate, or rotundate at the base, oblique, with about five long spiny teeth, and a terminal one, the lowest pairs close to the base of the petiole. China and Japan. Very distinct, with unbranched stems and leaves about 1ft. long. _B. Beali_ and _B. intermedia_ are mere forms of this species, the latter differing from it in having narrower leaves and longer, slender racemes. (B. M. 4852.)

=B. loxensis= (Loxanese). _fl._ unusually small, erect, in panicled racemes on a long peduncle quite clear of the leaves. _l._ very shining, blunt, obovate; sides often with several teeth; spines small, palmated. _h._ 3ft. to 4ft. Peru. Evergreen, not hardy. (P. F. G. 1, p. 13.)

=B. nepalensis= (Nepaulese).* _fl._ yellow; racemes few, elongated, slender. _l._ 1ft. to 2ft. long; leaflets five to nine pairs, obovate-oblong, cuspidate, rounded at the base, repand-toothed, with five to ten spiny teeth on each side, tricuspidate at the apex. _h._ 4ft. to 6ft. Nepaul. A very handsome species, thriving best in the southern parts of England. SYN. _Mahonia nepalensis_. See Fig. 244.

=B. nervosa= (large-nerved). _fl._, racemes elongated. October. _l._, leaflets five to six pairs, with an odd one, the lower pair distant from the petiole; ovate, acuminated, remotely spiny toothed, somewhat three to five-nerved, with twelve to fourteen teeth on each side. _h._ 1ft. to 3ft. North America, 1826. SYNS. _B. glumacea_, _Mahonia nervosa_. (B. M. 3949.)

=B. repens= (creeping).* _fl._, racemes terminal, numerous, fascicled, diffuse, rising from the scaly buds. Spring. _l._, leaflets, two to three pairs, with an odd one, roundish-ovate, opaque, spiny toothed. _h._ 1ft. to 2ft. North America, 1822. SYN. _Mahonia repens_. (B. R. 1176.)

=B. ruscifolia= (Ruscus-leaved). _fl._ a little larger than those of _B. vulgaris_; peduncles short, bearing four to five flowers at the apex. _l._ oblong, tapering at the base, mucronate, entire, or grossly and spiny toothed. _h._ 4ft. to 8ft. South America, 1823. Half-hardy.

=B. sinensis= (Chinese).* _fl._, racemes many-flowered, nodding. May. _l._ oblong, obtuse, entire, or the lower ones are a little toothed; spines three-parted. _h._ 3ft. to 6ft. China, 1815. (B. M. 6573.)

=B. stenophylla= (naked-leaved),* with narrow mucronate leaves, is said to be a hybrid between _B. empetrifolia_ and _B. Darwinii_. See Fig. 245.

=B. trifoliata= (three-leafleted). _fl._, racemes small, axillary, sessile, three to five-flowered. Spring. _l._, leaflets three, sessile at the ends of the petioles, deeply scalloped, bluish-green, variegated, glaucous beneath. _h._ 5ft. Mexico, 1839. Evergreen, not quite hardy. (P. F. G. 2, 168.)

=B. trifurcata= (three-forked). _fl._, racemes compound, erect. Spring. _l._ pinnate; leaflets broad, three-forked. _h._ 6ft. China, 1850. Evergreen. (P. F. G. 3, 258.)

=B. umbellata= (umbellate). _fl._, peduncles solitary, erect, bearing at the top several umbellate pedicels. _l._ obovate-oblong, mucronate, entire, glaucous beneath; spines three-parted, long, equal. _h._ 6ft. Nepaul, 1842. (P. F. G. 2, 181.)

=B. vulgaris= (common).* Common Barberry. _fl._, racemes many-flowered, pendulous. Spring. _l._ somewhat obovate, ciliately-serrated; spines three-parted. _h._ 8ft. to 20ft. Britain, &c. There are yellow, violet, purple, black, and white fruited, and purple-leaved forms. (Sy. En. B. 51.)

=B. Wallichiana= (Wallich's).* _fl._ on drooping, aggregated peduncles, six to eight or more in a cluster. Spring. _l._ in alternate fascicles, 2in. to 3in. long, spreading or recurved, lanceolate, sinuato-serrate; spines deeply three-parted, slender but rigid. _h._ 6ft. to 10ft. Nepaul, 1820. See Fig. 246. (B. M. 4656.)

=BERCHEMIA= (in honour of M. Berchem, a French botanist). ORD. _Rhamnaceæ_. A genus of erect, or twining, deciduous, mostly greenhouse shrubs. Flowers sub-umbellate, in the axils of the upper leaves, or disposed in terminal panicles. Leaves alternate, many-nerved, entire. The species mentioned below is probably the only one yet in cultivation. It is quite hardy, will grow in any common soil, and is well adapted for bowers or trellis-work. Propagated by ripened cuttings, and slips of the root, planted under a hand glass; or by layering the young shoots.

=B. volubilis= (twining).* _fl._ greenish-white; panicles small, axillary and terminal. Drupe oblong, violaceous. June. _l._ oval, mucronate, a little wavy. Branches smooth. Carolina, 1714. A deciduous twiner. (G. G. 165.)

=BERGAMOT.= _See_ =Mentha odorata=.

=BERGERA= (named after C. J. Berger, a distinguished Danish botanist). ORD. _Rutaceæ_. Interesting stove evergreen trees, now usually referred to _Murraya_. Leaves impari-pinnate; leaflets alternate, acuminated, pubescent. They thrive in a mixture of turfy loam and peat. Propagated by ripened cuttings, taken off at a joint, and placed in sand, under a hand glass, in bottom heat; or by layers.

=B. Kœnigi= (Konig's). _fl._ whitish-yellow, small; racemes many, forming a corymb at the top of the branches. June. _l._, leaflets serrated. _h._ 40ft. India, 1820. (L. B. C. 1019.)

=BERKHEYA= (named after M. J. L. de Berkhey, a Dutch botanist), ORD. _Compositæ_. A genus of ornamental greenhouse or hardy thistle-like herbs or shrubs. Flower-heads surrounded by a spiny involucre, the scales of which are united at the base only; pappus of many flat, obtuse, or pointed, scales. They are of easy cultivation in a sandy loam soil. The perennials are increased by cuttings placed under a glass; the herbaceous perennials usually by divisions of the plant in spring. The species most frequently seen in English gardens is _B. purpurea_.

=B. grandiflora= (large-flowered).* _fl.-heads_ yellow; scales of involucre spiny toothed. July. _l._ opposite, lanceolate, three-nerved, spiny toothed, downy beneath. _h._ 2ft. Cape of Good Hope, 1812. Greenhouse evergreen. (B. M. 1844.)

=B. pinnata= (pinnate). _fl.-heads_ yellow; involucral scales spine-pointed, entire or toothed. Autumn. _l._ oblong, woolly beneath, deeply cut into lance-shaped segments. SYN. _Stobæa pinnata_. (B. M. 1788.)