Part 65

=BULBS.= A Bulb is formed upon or beneath the ground, and is a swollen stock, consisting, in the first place, of a more or less fleshy disk, which below gives rise to the roots; secondly, of more or less fleshy coats, or scales, borne on the disk; thirdly, of a more or less central shoot, equally borne by the disk, protected by the coats or scales already mentioned, and formed of rudimentary leaves and flowers. In some instances, small Bulbs, called Cloves, are formed at the base of the scales of the original Bulb; these are destined to reproduce the plant. Shallot and Garlic are good examples. Bulbs are, in fact, storehouses, husbanding the strength and energy acquired by the plant during one season, for the exigencies of the next. They are classified under two sections--Scaly and Tunicated. In the former, the scales of the Bulb are imbricated, as in the Lily; in the latter, they form continuous coatings, one within the other, as in the Hyacinth, &c. In several Lilies, young Bulbs are found growing in the axils of the leaves, when they are known as Bulbils. Bulbs is also a popular term given to Dutch Flower Roots, mostly arriving here in the autumn for spring flowering. Crocus, Colchicum, Cyclamen, Gladiolus, and several others, are not Bulbs, but Corms. The flowering season varies according to the different sorts of Bulbs. The majority may be lifted and kept tolerably dry during the resting period; but they wither and become exhausted if not replanted at the proper time, thereby causing many failures. Dutch Bulbs generally arrive in September, and the best results are obtained from those potted or planted at once, although some for succession may be kept in reserve up till the beginning of November. The failure in cultivating imported Liliums and other Bulbs may be often caused by their long-continued confinement in a dry atmosphere, whereby their vitality is often almost lost. The roots of some Bulbs are nearly always, more or less, in action, and these, especially, should not be kept out of the ground for any length of time.

=BULLACE.= _See_ =Prunus insititia=.

=BULLACE=, or =MUSCADINE=. _See_ =Vitis vulpina=.

=BULLATE.= Blistered or puckered.

=BULRUSH=, or =CLUB-RUSH=. _See_ =Typha=.

=BUNCHOSIA= (from _bunchos_, the Arabic name for Coffee; in allusion to the similarity between the seeds of this genus and those of Coffee). ORD. _Malpighiaceæ_. Ornamental greenhouse evergreen shrubs, nearly allied to _Malpighia_, but having the racemes of flowers axillary. Fruit fleshy, indehiscent, externally smooth, and containing two or three seeds. They thrive best in a compost of loam, peat, leaf soil, and sand, in about equal proportions. Cuttings of ripened shoots will root in sand under a bell glass, in moist bottom heat, taking several weeks to do so. Good drainage is essential, both in striking cuttings and in the cultivation of the plants.

=B. argentea= (silvery).* _fl._ yellow; racemes opposite, simple, pubescent. July. _l._ lanceolate, silvery beneath. Branches puberulous. _h._ 10ft. Caraccas, 1810.

=B. glandulifera= (gland-bearing). _fl._ yellow; racemes simple, axillary. March to May. _l._ elliptical-ovate, on short petioles, wavy, pubescent on both surfaces, furnished with four glands beneath at the base. _h._ 10ft. Caraccas, 1806.

=B. nitida= (shining). _fl._ yellow; racemes elongated, almost the length of the leaves. July. _fr._ large, red; it is much eaten by turkeys and other large fowl. _l._ 4in. long, oblong, acuminated, smooth, glandless. _h._ 4ft. Jamaica, 1800.

=B. odorata= (fragrant).* _fl._ yellow, sweet-scented; racemes opposite. May. _l._ ovate, emarginate, downy on both surfaces. _h._ 7ft. Carthagena, 1806.

=BUPHTHALMUM= (from _bous_, an ox, and _ophthalmos_, the eye; the disk of the flower being ox-eye-like). Oxeye. ORD. _Compositæ_. Very showy and ornamental hardy perennial plants, thriving freely in common garden soil. They are propagated by divisions, made in autumn or spring.

=B. grandiflorum= (large-flowered).* _fl.-heads_ yellow, large; involucre naked. June to October. _l._ alternate-lanceolate, somewhat toothleted, smooth. _h._ 1-1/2ft. Austria, 1722. Hardy herbaceous perennial.

=B. salicifolium= (Willow-leaved).* _fl.-heads_ yellow, solitary, rather large, terminal; involucre naked. June. _l._ alternate, oblong-lanceolate, sub-serrated, three-nerved, villous. _h._ 1-1/2ft. Austria, 1759. Hardy herbaceous perennial.

=B. speciosissimum= (showiest).* _fl.-heads_ yellow. July. _h._ 2ft. South Europe, 1826. Hardy herbaceous perennial. SYN. _Telekia speciosissima_.

=BUPLEURUM= (derivation not satisfactorily explained). Hare's-Ear. ORD. _Umbelliferæ_. A somewhat extensive genus of quite glabrous shrubs or herbaceous plants. Flowers yellowish; umbels compound. Leaves mostly quite entire. But few of this genus are worth growing, and all are of the easiest culture in common garden soil. Seeds of the annuals may be sown out of doors in March or April; divisions of the herbaceous perennials made in autumn or spring; and cutting or divisions of the greenhouse species, in March or April.

=B. fruticescens= (shrubby).* _fl._, umbels small, three to five-rayed; involucre of three to five, very short, subulate leaves. August. _l._ linear-subulate, stiff, striated, five to seven-nerved. Branches slender, elongated, erect. _h._ 1ft. Spain, 1752. Hardy and evergreen.

=B. fruticosum= (shrubby).* Leaves of involucre oblong. July. _l._ of a sea-green colour; oblong, attenuated at the base, coriaceous, one-nerved, quite entire, sessile. Bark of branches purplish. _h._ 3ft. to 6ft. Spain, 1596. Hardy. This is nearly the only species grown. (W. D. B. 1, 14.)

=B. gibraltarica= (Gibraltar). _fl._ yellow. June. _l._ lanceolate, one-nerved, coriaceous. _h._ 3ft. Gibraltar, 1784. Evergreen, half-hardy.

=B. graminifolium= (Grass-leaved).* _fl._ green-yellow. June. _l._ linear, grass-like. _h._ 6in. Switzerland, 1768. Hardy perennial.

=B. longifolium= (long-leaved). _fl._ green-yellow. June. _l._ ovate-oblong; radical ones stalked; cauline ones amplexicaul. _h._ 3ft. Switzerland, 1713. Hardy perennial.

=BUR.= _See_ =Centotheca lappacea=.

=BURBIDGEA= (named after F. W. Burbidge, the discoverer of the genus, a traveller in Borneo, and author of several horticultural works). ORD. _Scitamineæ_. A very large, brilliant-flowered stove herbaceous perennial, allied to _Hedychium_. For culture, _see_ =Alpinia=.

=B. nitida= (shining).* _fl._, perianth-tube 1in. to 1-1/2in. long, slender; outer segments 1-1/2in. to 2in. in diameter, bright orange-scarlet; panicle terminal, 4in. to 6in. long, many-flowered. Summer. _l._ 4in. to 6in. long, elliptic-lanceolate, cordate-acuminate, rather fleshy, bright green above. Stems tufted, 2ft. to 4ft. high, slender, terete, leafy. N. W. Borneo, 1879. See Fig. 302, for which we are indebted to Messrs. Veitch and Sons. (B. M. 6403.)

=BURCHARDIA= (named after H. Burchard, M.D., a botanical author). ORD. _Liliaceæ_. An ornamental greenhouse herbaceous perennial, allied to _Androcymbium_. It thrives best in sandy peat, or peat mixed with a little loam. Propagated by offsets or divisions, made just previous to potting, in spring. It is best to repot annually. Good drainage should be allowed, and the plant must not be potted too firmly.

=B. umbellata= (umbelled). _fl._ white, green. August. _h._ 2ft. New Holland, 1820.

=BURCHCHELLIA= (named after W. Burchell, a botanical traveller in the Cape of Good Hope, and in Brazil). ORD. _Rubiaceæ_. A stove evergreen shrub from the Cape of Good Hope. Flowers scarlet, disposed in heads at the tops of the branches, sessile upon a villous receptacle, intermixed with small distinct bracteoles; and each head is propped up by the ultimate pair of leaves; corolla of a clavate-funnel-shape. Leaves ovate, acute, a little cordate at the base, petiolate; stipules interpetiolar, broad, cuspidate at the apex, deciduous. It grows well in a rich light soil, or a mixture of turfy loam, turfy peat, and sand. Cuttings, not too ripe, root readily if planted in sand, and placed under a hand glass, in a gentle heat.

=B. bubalina= (buffalo). A synonym of _B. capensis_.

=B. capensis= (Cape).* _fl._ deep scarlet, nearly 1in. long. March. _l._ ovate, acute, clothed with hispid pubescence; stipules very broad, and very short. _h._ 3ft. to 5ft.; 12ft. to 14ft. in a wild state. SYN. _B. bubalina_. (B. M. 2339.)

=BURLINGTONIA= (named after the "amiable and accomplished" Countess of Burlington). ORD. _Orchideæ_. A small genus of epiphytal orchids, all of which are beautiful and eminently well worth growing. They may be grown upon small blocks of wood, or in rustic baskets, suspended from the roof of the plant stove, where, if liberally treated with water, and a genial moisture in the air during the growing season, very little else will be required to ensure health and vigour. In the dull days of winter, they should be watered less frequently, but the plants must not be allowed to exhibit the slightest signs of distress from drought, or the consequences may be fatal to their health. When fastening these plants to blocks of wood, a little sphagnum should be used, for experience proves that they thrive best when their thin white roots can escape and hang exposed to the air. If growing them in baskets, it is preferable first to fasten them securely upon small pieces of bare cork, then to fill the basket, and finally to cover the whole thinly with a layer of sphagnum.

Generally speaking, this genus is not a difficult one to cultivate; its great enemy is a small white scale, which secretes itself in the sheathing bases of the leaves. Here it rapidly multiplies, to the great detriment of the plants; the leaves soon turn yellow at the base, and drop off; the whole plant looks sickly, and soon dies, or else requires a very long time and much trouble to achieve its recovery to health. To prevent this, the bases of the leaves must be carefully looked into every time the plants are taken down to be dipped in water; and, should the slightest sign of this pest appear, a thorough washing with soft soap and tepid water must be given, repeating the operation every day until all traces of the insect are removed. Red thrip are also apt to work much mischief with these plants. They take up their abode in the same way as the white scale, and if not speedily removed or destroyed, soon make sad havoc. To put a stop to the ravages of this pest, a wash should be given, as before recommended, and after the soap has been rinsed out of the base of the leaf, a little tobacco powder should be sprinkled into the hollows, and allowed to remain for a day or two before brushing it off. This process will, however, cause a somewhat dirty appearance, but it will ensure ultimate health and vigour. Propagated by dividing the plants.

=B. Batemanni= (Bateman's).* _fl._ white, deliciously-scented; lip beautiful mauve. A very pretty South American species, resembling _B. candida_.

=B. candida= (white).* _fl._ snowy-white, with a slight stain of yellow on the upper part of the lip, in substance and appearance like white satin, trimmed with gold; large, sweet-scented, in gracefully drooping three to four-blossomed racemes, produced from the axils of the leaves. April and May, lasting about three weeks in perfection, and sometimes having a second flowering season. _l._ one or two in number, dark green, and firm in texture. _h._ 1ft. Demerara, 1834. A very compact species, well suited for basket culture; it should never be allowed to get dry. It may be distinguished from other species by having a single row of tubercles, forming a ridge upon each side of the slightly hastate lip. (B. R. 1927.)

=B. decora= (comely).* _fl._ white or rose-coloured, spotted with red; lip pure white; scapes erect, five to ten-flowered. Winter. Brazil, 1852. This species differs entirely from _B. candida_, inasmuch as it possesses a long slender-rooting stem, from different parts of which arise small oval pseudo-bulbs, each bearing a leaf; a lesser leaf appears at the base of a bulb, and from the axil of this the scape springs. It is a rather straggling but nevertheless beautiful species, and is best grown fastened upon long strips of cork, a little sphagnum being used in the operation; whilst, to prevent the plant getting too much "away from home," the young growths should be twisted back as they advance, and the practice continued until the pseudo-bulb is ultimately left near the centre, or in any spot which may appear bare. It likes strong heat and a very moist atmosphere, when growing; but during the period of rest, it should be kept cool and dry. See Fig. 303. (B. M. 4834.)

=B. d. picta= (painted).* A beautiful variety, differing from the type in having shorter and more acute leaves; flowers produced in greater profusion, rose-coloured, beautifully mottled and blotched with dark purple. October. Brazil. (B. M. 5419.)

=B. fragrans= (fragrant).* _fl._ very gratefully fragrant, disposed in erect racemes. April, remaining in perfection about three weeks. _l._ long, rigid, dark green. Habit compact. Brazil, 1850.

=B. pubescens= (downy). _fl._, sepals and petals snow-white; distinguished by the somewhat hastate lip, which has three yellow ridges on each side, and also by the downy column. November. _h._ 6in. Brazil, 1850.

=B. rigida= (rigid).* _fl._ purplish-white, spotted with pink on the lip; produced in heads. _h._ 1ft. Brazil, 1838. A handsome plant, but difficult to flower. (L. S. O. 36.)

=B. venusta= (charming).* _fl._ white, slightly tinted with pink; produced in heavy pendulous clusters at various seasons of the year; lip stained with yellow. _l._ rigid, dark green. Brazil, 1840. It forms a compact mass, and requires less heat than the kinds previously described. It is often confounded with _B. pubescens_, from which it may be distinguished by its larger and more loosely arranged flowers, by its smooth column, by the lip not being hastate in shape, and by the numerous shallow ridges borne near the base upon each side. (L. S. O. 2.)

=BUR MARIGOLD.= _See_ =Bidens=.

=BURNET= (_Poterium Sanguisorba_; from _poterion_, a cup; being used in cooling drinks). ORD. _Rosaceæ_. A native perennial. The leaves are sometimes used in soups, and with Borage in cooling drinks; they are also put in salads. The foliage only being useful, keep the flower-spikes removed, as this tends to increase the luxuriance of the plants. It thrives in any light soil. Propagated by division.

=BURNET SAXIFRAGE.= _See_ =Pimpinella=.

=BURNING BUSH.= _See_ =Euonymus atropurpureus= and =E. americanus=.

=BURN ONION.= _See_ =Potato Onion=.

=BUR REED.= _See_ =Sparganium=.

=BURSARIA= (from _bursa_, a pouch; the capsules very much resemble those of the Shepherd's Purse). ORD. _Pittosporaceæ_. A handsome, much-branched, greenhouse evergreen shrub, forming a very pretty object when covered all over with its elegant white blossoms. It thrives well in a compost of sandy loam and peat, in equal proportions. Young cuttings will root freely in sand, under a bell glass, with a little bottom heat.

=B. spinosa= (thorny).* _fl._ white, small, disposed either in lateral or terminal panicles. July to December. _l._ small, oblong-cuneated, entire. _h._ 10ft. New Holland, 1793. (B. M. 1767.)

=BURSERA= (named after Joachim Burser, a disciple of Caspar Bauhin). ORD. _Burseraceæ_. Stove balsam-bearing trees. Flowers polygamous, or hermaphrodite; calyx small, four to six-toothed; petals four to six, spreading, generally valvate in æstivation; stamens eight to twelve; disk annular, with usually six to ten teeth; drupe oblong, covered by a three-valved succulent rind, containing three to five nuts. They thrive in a compost of loam and peat. Propagated by cuttings, placed under a glass, with bottom heat.

=B. gummifera= (gum-bearing). _fl._ whitish, hexandrous; racemes terminal and axillary. _l._ deciduous, usually impari-pinnate; leaflets ovate, acute, membranous. _h._ 60ft. West Indies, 1690.

=B. serrata= (serrate).* _fl._ whitish, decandrous; panicles axillary, shorter than the leaves. _l._ impari-pinnate, with three to five pairs of broad-lanceolate, bluntly-acuminated, serrulated leaflets; petioles and pedicels pubescent. _h._ 25ft. India, 1818.

=BURSERACEÆ.= An order of shrubs or trees, abounding in resinous juice; with opposite compound leaves, full of pellucid dots, and axillary and terminal fascicles of flowers. Fruit indehiscent, somewhat drupaceous. The genera best known are _Amyris_, _Balsamodendron_, _Boswellia_, _Bursera_, and _Canarium_.

=BURTONIA= (named after D. Burton, a plant collector for Kew Gardens). ORD. _Leguminosæ_. A genus of handsome greenhouse dwarf Heath-like shrubs, natives of West Australia. Flowers axillary, often thickly gathered at the ends of the branches; corollas rich purple; keel generally of a deeper colour, and the standard having sometimes a yellow blotch at its base. Leaves simple or trifoliolate, sessile, usually awl-shaped. They thrive well in a mixture of loam, peat, leaf soil, and sand, in equal proportions, with thorough drainage; but care must be taken not to give them too much water, as they require to be kept moderately dry, and are difficult to preserve in a living state. Young cuttings root freely in a pot of sandy soil, in a cool house, with a bell glass placed over them; but some of the species produce seed in abundance, which are the best means of increasing them.

=B. conferta= (cluster-flowered).* _fl._ violet. July. _l._ simple, very much crowded, six to eight lines long, linear-subulate, with revolute margins, and are, as well as the branches, smooth. _h._ 2ft. 1830. (B. R. 1600.)

=B. minor= (smaller). A synonym of _Gompholobium minus_.

=B. pulchella= (beautiful). A synonym of _B. scabra_.

=B. scabra= (rough).* _fl._ purple; peduncles axillary, bi-bracteate. April. _l._, leaflets glabrous, linear-mucronate. Branches puberulous. _h._ 2ft. 1846. SYN. _B. pulchella_. (B. M. 5000.)

=B. villosa= (villose). _fl._ purple, large; peduncles axillary, bi-bracteate. May. _l._, leaflets linear-subulate, bluntish, scabrid. _h._ 2ft. 1846. (B. M. 4410.)

=BUSHEL.= _See_ =Measures=.

=BUTCHER'S BROOM.= _See_ =Ruscus aculeatus=.

=BUTEA= (commemorative of John, Earl of Bute, once a munificent patron of botany). ORD. _Leguminosæ_. A genus of very ornamental stove evergreen unarmed trees. Racemes many-flowered; flowers three together, on short pedicels, and furnished with two bracteoles each, under the calyx; corolla deep scarlet; down on the calyces usually black and velvety. Leaves pinnately-trifoliate; leaflets large, ovate, roundish, stipellate. For culture, &c., _see_ =Erythrina=.

=B. frondosa= (leafy). _fl._ 2in. long. _l._, leaflets roundish, obtuse, or emarginate, rather velvety beneath. Branches pubescent. _h._ 40ft. India, 1796. (B. F. S. 176.)

=B. superba= (superb).* _l._, leaflets roundish, obtuse, velvety beneath. Branches glabrous. Coromandel, 1798. This approaches the preceding species, from which it differs mainly by its scandent habit, and not by any botanical characters. (B. F. F. 143.)

=BUTOMACEÆ.= An order of aquatic plants, now usually included under _Alismaceæ_.

=BUTOMUS= (from _bous_, an ox, and _temno_, to cut; in reference to the sharp leaves, which injure the mouths of cattle that browze upon them). Flowering Rush. ORD. _Alismaceæ_. A very handsome hardy perennial aquatic, of extremely easy culture on the margins of ponds or muddy banks. Propagated by divisions of the roots, in spring.

=B. umbellatus= (umbelled).* _fl._ rose-coloured, umbellate; pedicels with scariose sheathing bracts at the base; scape naked, terete, longer than the leaves. Summer. _l._ all radical, 2ft. to 3ft. long, linear, acuminate, triquetrous. Ditches and ponds; frequent in England, and rare in Ireland. See Fig. 304.

=BUTTER AND EGGS.= The double-flowered variety of =Narcissus aurantius= (which _see_).

=BUTTER AND TALLOW TREE.= _See_ =Pentadesma=.

=BUTTER-BUR.= _See_ =Petasites vulgaris=.

=BUTTERCUPS.= _See_ =Ranunculus=.

=BUTTERFLY ORCHIS.= _See_ =Habenaria bifolia= and =H. chlorantha=.

=BUTTERFLY PLANT.= _See_ =Oncidium Papilio=.

=BUTTER NUT.= _See_ =Caryocar= and =Juglans cinerea=.

=BUTTERWORT.= _See_ =Pinguicula=.

=BUTTON FLOWER.= _See_ =Gomphia=.

=BUTTON-TREE.= _See_ =Conocarpus=.

=BUTTON-WOOD.= _See_ =Cephalanthus=.

=BUXUS= (from _pyknos_, dense; referring to the hardness of the wood). Box Tree. ORD. _Euphorbiaceæ_. A genus of hardy evergreen shrubs or small trees. Flowers unisexual, monœcious; male flowers, calyx of four minute segments, stamens four, inserted under the rudiment of a pistil; female flowers singly, at the tips of groups of male ones. Fruit, a regma, leathery, beaked with the styles. Leaves simple, opposite, exstipulate, evergreen. These well-known plants thrive in any light, well-drained soil. Seeds should be sown in similar situations as soon as ripe. Cuttings, made of the young shoots, from 4in. to 6in. in length, inserted in a shady place, in August or September, root readily. Layers of either young or old wood, made in autumn or early spring, will make good plants. They can also be increased by suckers and division.

=B. balearica= (Balearic).* _l._ yellowish-green, oblong-elliptical, emarginate, coriaceous, about 2in. long, with a cartilaginous margin. _h._ 15ft. to 20ft. South Europe, 1780. This is a handsome species. The cuttings will require a shelter in winter, and in exposed situations it will be better to afford the plants protection.

=B. sempervirens= (evergreen).* Common Box. _l._ oval-oblong, retuse, convex, coriaceous, shining; stalks slightly hairy. _h._ various. England. There are numerous forms of this popular shrub: _argentea_, silver-variegated; _aurea_ has its leaves variegated with a golden colour; _marginata_ has leaves with a golden margin; _myrtifolia_ has small, oblong, narrowish leaves; _obcordate-variegata_ is a variegated variety, with obcordate leaves, from Japan; _suffruticosa_ is the form usually cultivated for edgings, its leaves are small, obovate, this is readily increased by divisions, and requires to be planted firmly, in order to keep it dwarf.

=BYRSONIMA= (from _byrsa_, a hide, and _nimius_, much used; because the bark of some of the species is used in tanning, in Brazil). ORD. _Malpighiaceæ_. Ornamental stove evergreen trees or shrubs. Flowers racemose, terminal, simple or branched. All the species thrive very well in any light soil, or a mixture of loam and peat. Cuttings made of half-ripened shoots will root freely in sand, under a hand glass, in a moist bottom heat.

=B. altissima= (tallest).* _fl._ white; racemes clothed with rufous hairs. July. _l._ ovate-oblong, covered with rufous down beneath, but beset with bristles above, which are fixed by the centre. _h._ 60ft. Guiana, 1820.

=B. chrysophylla= (golden-leaved).* _fl._ yellow; racemes simple. August. _l._ oblong, short, acuminated, acute at the base, rather wavy on the margin, and revolute, smooth above, clothed beneath with silky down, which is of a rusty golden colour. _h._ 14ft. South America, 1823.