472 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
SPICE BUSH. See Lindera Benzoin. 
SPICILLARIA. A synonym of Petunga (which 
see). : 
SPIDER FLOWER. A common name for Cleome. 
SPIDER ORCHIS. See Ophrys aranifera. 
SPIDERS. The true Spiders are very helpful to 
gardeners, inasmuch as they live upon insects, and 
destroy multitudes of the hurtful kinds. The larger 
Spiders, such as the “Garden Spider” (Epeira dia- 
demata), live on the smaller Moths and the larger Flies, 
and the smaller Spiders aid largely to destroy the 
swarms of Aphides. Spiders vary much in habits. 
Many of them (e.g., Lycosa, Salticus) spin no webs, but 
hunt their prey; while others spread webs, often of 
great complexity and beauty, in which to catch their 
food, while they lie concealed in a retreat close at 
hand, ready to rush upon every insect that touches the 
web. Gossamer is the work of many small, dark 
Spiders, belonging to the genera Linyphia, Neriene, and 
Walckenera. 
Red Spider is not a true Spider, but a Mite of 
microscopic size, which spins a thin web over the sur- 
faces of leaves, and often materially injures plants 
by sucking out the sap from the leaves. See 
Tetranychus telarius. 
SPIDERWORT. A common name for Wradasoneatin 
and other plants. 
SPIELMANNIA. A synonym of Oftia (which see). 
SPIGELIA (named in honour of Adrian Spiegel 
[Latinised Spigelius], 1578-1625, Professor of Anatomy 
and Surgery at Padua, and a botanical author), Syns. 
Canala, Celostylis. ORD. Loganiacee. A genus com- 
prising about thirty species of stove, greenhouse, or 
hardy, glabrous, scarcely pilose, or stellate-tomentose, 
annual or perennial herbs, rarely sub-shrubs, natives of 
tropical and North America. Flowers red, yellow, or 
purplish, elongated or small, in unilateral, many or few- 
flowered spikes; calyx five-parted, the segments narrow; 
corolla tubular or salver-shaped; lobes five, valvate, at 
length spreading; stamens five, affixed to the tube. 
Leaves opposite, often membranous, penniveined or rarely 
three or five-nerved, connected by stipules or by a trans- 
~ verse membrane. The three species introduced are pretty 
plants, but are not often seen in cultivation. The Indian 
Pink, Pink Root, or Worm Grass, of the shops, is the 
produce of 8. marilandica, A compost of loam and peat 
is most suitable for these plants. 8. anthelmia may be 
propagated by seeds, and the other two species by 
cuttings. 
S. anthelmia (worm-killing). Pink Root of Demerara. fl. of a 
Eor mer corolla slender, tin. long; spikes one to four in 
- the upper axils. l. scarcely petiolate ; lower ones opposite ; 
July. 
uppermost ones salatsiataky whorled, ovate-oblong, acuminate 
at ath oe) h. Tite. Guatemala to Brazil, 1759. Shows annual. 
S. (Maryland).* Indian Pink ; Maryland Pink 
Rooi Grass. fi. red outside, yellow within; corolla 
t; Worm k 
lin. long, the lobes lanceolate ; spikes simple or forked, short. 
yin. i sessile, ovate-lanceolate, acute. Stems simple and erect 
from a perennial root. h. 6in. to 18in. North America, 1694. A 
showy, y plant. (B. M. 80; B. M. Pl. 180; L. B. C. 930.) 
S. splendens (splendid).* . bright scarlet, upwards of lin. long: 
corolla cian slightly inflated upwards ; Bos pe several towar ; 
the apex of the stem, elegantly recurved. July. J. 4in. to 5in. 
long, contracted into a short petiole, obovate-oblong, acuminate, 
tly hairy. A, 14ft. Mexico and Guatemala, 1860. A beauti- 
» Stove perennial. (B. H. 1862, 65; B. M. 5268; R. G. 481.) 
SPIGNEL. See Meum athamanticum. 
SPIKE. An inflorescence in whichsthe flowers are 
sessile along a simple, undivided axis or rachis. 
_SPIKELET. A secondary spike; the term is espe- 
cially applied to the small, terminal collection of florets 
in grasses. 
_ SPIKENARD, or NARD. Se Nardostachys. 
| 
SPIKENARD, PLOUGHMAN’S. See Baccharis. 
SPILANTHES (from spilos, a spot, and anthos, a 
flower; in allusion to the original species having yellow 
florets and a brown disk). Sometimes spelt Spilanthus. 
Including Acmella. ORD. Composite. A genus of about 
a score species of annual or rarely perennial herbs, in- 
habiting warm regions. Flower-heads yellow or white, 
with a yellow disk, often long-stalked, heterogamous. 
Leaves opposite, often toothed. The species have no 
garden value. S. oleracea (Para Cress) is cultivated in 
the tropics as a salad plant, and is now and then met 
with in botanical collections. 
S. crocata, See Verbesina crocata. 
SPILANTHUS. See Spilanthes. 
SPILOSOMA MENTHASTRI. This insect, 
generally known as the White Ermine Moth, is one of 
the commoner of the Bombycide, at least in the larval 
stage. The larve are found in autumn on almost every 
low plant, including all kinds of cultivated herbs, 
They reach a length of over lin., are stout in form, 
and are covered thickly with hairs of a brown or 
nearly black colour, but show a paler line down the 
middle of the back. In late autumn, they are com- 
monly seen crawling on roads, on walls, and, in fact, 
everywhere, in the search for safe retreats in which to 
become pupæ. In summer, the moths emerge. The 
fore wings are rather rounded, and reach about 1#in. in 
expanse. They are creamy-white, with about thirty 
small black spots on each, forming four very irregular, 
curved rows; the hind wings are pure white, and bear 
three or four small black spots; the head and thorax 
are white, the abdomen orange-yellow, with a row of 
black spots down the middle, and also down each side; 
the body is thick and clumsy. 
Remedy. WHand-picking is the most effectual, as the 
larve are easily detected; but they seldom do serious 
harm; and they may even be regarded as occasionally 
useful, since they feed on troublesome weeds. The 
“White Ermine” has allies which feed almost wholly 
on weeds, viz., the “Buff Ermine” (S. lubricipeda), 
which is buff-colour, with small, dark spots, and a dark, 
oblique cross-bar; the “Water Ermine” (8. Urtice), 
with the wings white, with two black dots; and the 
“Muslin Moth” (Diaphora mendica), of which the female 
has semi-transparent white wings, and the male is smoke- 
coloured; the wings show black spots in both sexes. 
SPINACH (Spinacia oleracea). An annual, culti- 
vated for its leaves, which are cooked and served as 
a vegetable. It may be raised in any quantity from 
seed, which should be sown successionally through the 
summer, where the plants are intended to remain. 
Spinach prefers a deep, rich soil, and a rather moist 
situation, through the summer; for the winter crop, a 
drier and rather warm position should be selected. The 
first sowing may be made at the latter end of February, 
or early in March, according to the weather and the 
state of the ground. To maintain a supply, a sowing 
should be made about every fortnight, or at longer 
intervals, if there is but little demand for the leaves, as 
in dry weather the plants soon run to seed. Sow in 
drills lin. deep, and about 1ft. apart. In May, and the 
two following months, single drills between rows of Beans 
or Peas may be sown with good success, as here partial 
shade is provided, and no injury is caused to the other 
crops, if the ground is good, Spinach being such a quick- 
growing subject. When the ground is dry, watering is 
of great advantage, or it may be newly turned up with 
a fork, and the seeds steeped about four hours in water, 
then sown at once. In order to obtain good-sized leaves, 
the plants should be thinned to 4in. or 6in. apart, so 
soon as they are large enough. In picking, the largest 
leaves should be selected, particularly during winter and 
early spring, when but little new growth is made. 
