AR a ce a 
i mo 
TENNET VERNE 
eigen a SES tie 
AN ENCYCLOPÆDIA 
OF HORTICULTURE. 153 
BACKHOUSIA (commemorative of the late James 
Backhouse, a botanical traveller in Australia and South 
Africa). ORD. Myrtaceew. A greenhouse evergreen shrub, 
requiring a compost of fibry peat and loam, with a little 
white sand intermixed. Propagated by cuttings, made of 
half-ripened shoots in April, and planted in sand, under a 
bell glass, in a cool house. ae 
yrtif - .* fl. whi isposed in 8, 
a ofte moins gat Se hs toe beat igh 
May. . ovate, acuminate, smooth ; branches slender. A. 16ft. 
New South Wales, 1844, (B. M. 4135.) 
BACTRIS (from baktron, a cane ; the young stems being 
used for walking sticks). ORD. Palmacew. Very orna- 
mental, slender growing, and prickly stove palms. Pe- 
duncle of the spadix bursting through about the middle of 
the leaf sheath. Drupes small, ovate, or nearly round, and 
generally of a dark blue colour. Leaves pinnatisect ; seg- 
ments generally linear and entire. Instead of being con- 
fined to the apex of the trunk, the leaves are scattered over 
nearly the whole surface, and the lower ones retain their 
verdure long after the upper ones have fully developed. 
Stems slender, varying from 2ft. to 10ft. in height. Some 
of the species are of easy culture in a compost of loam, 
peat, leaf mould, and sand, in equal parts; but most of 
them are very difficult to manage. Propagation may be 
effected by suckers, which are very freely produced. Many 
species are ornamental only when in a young state. 
i T i , 2ft. to 
© yee aur eer 
broad rk green above, paler below; ioles sheathing and 
densely clothed with sharp brown and black spines, liin long. 
South America. : 
B. caryotzfolia (Caryota-leaved).* jl., spathe ovate, prickly ; 
branches of spadix simple, flexuous. l., pinne wedge-shaped, 
three-lobed, and erose; rachis, petioles, and caudex, prickly. 
h. 30ft. Brazil, 1825. 
$ flavispina (yellow-spined). Synonymous with B. pallidispina. 
or (greater). . greenish-yellow, with a broadly ovate 
spathe. h. 25ft. Carthagena, 1800. 
B. Maraja (Maraja). Maraja Palm. fl. yellow, with a prickl 
spathe. h. 0ft. to 50ft. Bahia, 1868. . Jd 
B. dispina (pale-spined).* l. pinnate, bifid at the apex; 
jgan clustered, 6in. to 12in. long, lin. wide, dark; petiles 
sheathing at the base and furnished with a profusion of long, 
bag te spines, which are tipped with black. Brazil. SYN. 
. flavispina. 
BACULARIA (from baculum, a walking-stick). ORD. 
Palmacew. A small genus containing a couple of stove 
species, which are amongst the smallest palms of the Old 
World. Both are confined to the east coast of tropical 
Australia, B. monostachya—in allusion to its slender stem, 
which rarely exceeds in thickness that of the thumb—is 
known as the Walking-stick Palm. 
B. minor (lesser). l at ft. Stems, several from same 
+ rhizome, 2ft. to +, high sie thick. Queensland. 
B. monostachya (one-spiked). J. pinnate, pendent, 6in. to 12in. 
long, bifid at the apex ; pinnz about 4in. across, broad, ig om 
in shape, with ragged and irregular ends; dark ae tem 
slender, petioles sheathing. h. 10ft. New South Wales, 1824. 
Syn. Areca monostachya. (B. M. 6644.) 
BADGER’S BANE. See Aconitum meloctonum. 
BZA (commemorative of Rev. Dr. Beau, of Toulon, 
brother-in-law to Commerson, the discoverer of the genus). 
Syn. Dorcoceras. ORD. Gesneracee. Curious and pretty 
~ greenhouse herbaceous perennials, requiring a rich sandy 
Jos They are easily propagated by seeds. Probably the 
om Species in cultivation is the following: 
€ tric).* fl, pale blue-coloured, yellowish 
at throat ; aga’ a mb =e or less rellexed; 
corolla fivi somewhat resembling that of the Violet; 
thinly comma ae faked, es tow Lowered. Summer, - & in a rosette, 
white hairs, ovate acute a ends, 
crenate serrate. h. bin. North China, 1868. (B. M. 6468.) 
BECKEA (named after Abraham Back, a Swedish 
brane a an esteemed friend of Linneus). ORD. 
-_ Very pretty greenhouse evergreen shrubs. 
Flowers white, pedicellate, smali. Leaves opposite, gla- 
oe thrive in a compost of sandy peat, 
soil, and lumpy, fibrous loam. Cuttings, taken from 
# 
Bæckea—continued. 
-young wood, root readily, if pricked in a pot of sand, with 
a bell glass placed over them, in a cool house. 
B. diosmæfolia (Diosma-leaved).* f. axillary, solitary, approxi- 
mate, sessile. August to October. l. oblong, rather cuneated, 
keeled, acute, crowded, imbricate, and are, as well as the calyces, 
ciliated. h. lft. to 2ft. New Holland, 1824. 
B. frutescens (shrubby).* jl. solitary; pedicels aa No- 
vember. l. linear, awnless. h. 2ft. to 3ft. China, 1806, (B. M. 2802.) 
B. parvula (little). /l., peduncles axillary, umbelliferous. l. 
elliptic-oblong, obtuse, rather mucronate. h. Ift, New Caledonia, 
18 This is very close to B. virgata. (R. G. 886, 2.) 
virga i * Š i iferous. 
August an one l VA aoaea da a N py hee 
Caledonia, 1806. (B. M. 2127.) 
BÆRIA (named in honour of Professor Baer, of the 
University of Dorpat). ORD. Composite. A genus con- 
sisting of about half a dozen species. Probably the only 
one in cultivation is that mentioned below; it is a very 
pretty plant, having a dwarf, slender, erect habit, and 
downy stems. It is of very easy culture in ordinary garden 
soil. Propagated by seeds, sown in spring. 
chrysostoma (golden-mouthed). /l.-heads bright yellow, soli- 
tary, terminal, about lin, across; involucre of about ten leaflets, 
arranged in two series. Early summer. J. linear, opposite, entire, 
h. lft. California, 1835. (S. B. F. G. ii., 395. 
BAGGED. Swelled like a sac or bag. 
BAHIA (derivation uncertain; probably from Port of 
Bahia, or San Salvador, in South America). ORD. Com- 
positæ. An ornamental, hardy, herbaceous perennial, much 
branched from the base of the stem, and having a greyish 
appearance. It may be increased by seeds, or by divisions. 
B. lanata (woolly). fl.-heads yellow, solitary, produced in great 
numbers. Summer. l. alternate, or with the lower ones some- 
times opposite, deeply divided, and sometimes ligulate and entire. 
h. 6in. to l5in. North America. This species thrives on borders 
of light and well-drained sandy soil. (B. R. 1167.) 
BALANIUS. See Nut Weevil. 
BALANTIUM. See Dicksonia. 
BALBISIA (commemorative of Giovanni Battista 
Balbis, a Professor of Botany at Turin). Syn. Ledocarpum. 
ORD. Geraniacee. A very ornamental half-hardy ever- 
green 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, placed 
in sand, under a hand glass; or by seeds. 
B. verticillata (whorled). jl. yellow, large, with a whorl of 
narrow bracts beneath. Autumn, 4 opposite, three-parted ; 
ents linear-oblong; branches slender, glaucous. A. 3ft. to 
. Chili, 1846, (BM. 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, the display 
cannot, of course, be so effective. Evergreens of various 
kinds are most serviceable for the latter season, the best 
being Arbutus, Aucubas, Boxes, Euonymuses, Hollies, Irish 
and Golden Yew, Portugal Laurel, Retinosporas, Vincas, &c, 
These may be grown in pots, and when replaced by the sum- 
mer 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 cov 
the trellises, and draping the pillars and arches. 7 
BALL. This term is used in reference to the roots 
mass of earth as they are moulded into form and pr 
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 
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