AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA 
OF HORTICULTURE. 185 
Besleria—continued. 
B. incarnata (flesh-coloured-berried).* fl., corollas purplish ; tube 
very long, ventricose ; lobes of limb reflexed, roundish, unequal, 
fringetth=peduncles axillary, solitary, one-flowered. J. oblong, 
crenated, tomentose on both surfaces. 
Herbaceous perennial. 
B. violacea (purple-berried). fl; purple, small; corolla with a 
curved tube and spreading limb; peduncles racemosely panicled, 
terminal. Berry purple, edible. /. ovate, acute, quite entire, 
stiff. Guiana, 1824. Climbing shrub. (A. G. 254.) 
BESOM, or BROOM. Birch-brooms are best for 
garden purposes, and are generally used. The most suit- 
able for paved yards are those made of the common Ling 
(Calluna vulgaris). Those made of bass fibres are fre- 
quently used on paths, for which they are very suitable, 
but their expensiveness prevents them being generally 
employed. Whatever material is used in its composition, 
a Besom will last much longer if soaked in water for some 
time before using. 
BESSERA (in honour of Dr. Besser, Professor of 
Botany at Brody). ORD. Liliacew. An elegant little half- 
hardy, Squill-like, bulbous plant, from Mexico. Perianth 
bell-shaped, six-parted. Leaves narrow, linear. It re- 
quires a compost of loam, leaf soil, peat, and sand, with 
good drainage. If cultivated in pots, a plentiful supply of 
water must be given from the commencement of growth 
until ripening off. When at rest, however, it should be 
kept dry and cool, but secure from the effects of frost. 
If planted out, a well-drained sunny position must be 
chosen, such as close to the wall of a greenhouse with a 
southern aspect. Propagation may be effected by offsets. 
B. elegans (elegant).* i: scarlet, or scarlet and white. July to 
September. Z. 1ft. to 2ft. long, narrow, furrowed on the upper 
side. h. 2ft. Mexico, 1850. This is the only species. The colour 
of the flowers varies considerably, on which account other names 
4 have originated. (B. R. 25, 34.) 
BETA (from bett, the Celtic word for red; in reference 
a to the colour of the Beet). Beetroot. Orp. Chenopodiacee. 
x Perianth single, -inferior, five-cleft, persistent. Seed 
iin one, reniform, imbedded in the fleshy base of the calyx. 
B. Cicla is largely used as a decorative plant in sub-tropical 
and other styles of gardening. They require the same cul- 
ture as the ordinary Beet. The other sorts, with dark 
blood-red leaves, are largely employed in flower gardens, 
- and the roots utilised for culinary purposes. See also Beet. 
f 
f 
ii 
’ * 
j 
, 
i * 
ie oS 
ka a 
i4 
dia 
ie Ree 
4 venir 
fal, 
im = EN ‘fe +A 
SRR Ae 
Fig. 248, BETA HORTENSIS M 
|. B, Gtela (Sicilian). 4, ish, disposed in threes. August. Z 
ae - with very thick ribs. looms temsais wep: h. 6ft. Portugal, 1870. 
ee 
h. 2ft. Guiana, 1820. ~ 
> 
Beta —continued. 
The variety, B. e. variegata, usually known as the Chilian Beet, is 
a very handsome plant, having its leaves often more than a yard 
in length and over lft. in diameter, with a remarkably handsome 
variegation. The midribs are usually dark orange or scarlet, It 
is a most desirable and effective plant for sub-tropical gardening. 
B. hortensis metallica (metallic). Victoria Beet. An orna- 
mental variety with glistening deep blood-red leaves. Useful for 
decorative purposes in summer, either as a single specimen or ina 
mass. Roots may also be used for cooking. See Fig. 248. 
B. maritima (sea). f. greenish, disposed in hairs. August. l, 
lower ones n rme a ona acute ; upper ones lanceolate. Stem 
diffuse. Root scarcely any. h. lft. Britain. 
vulgaris (common). The Common Beetroot. fi. greenish 
clustered. August. Z, lower ones ovate. Root fleshy. h. 4ft. 
South Europe, 1548. : 
BETCKEA. See Plectritis. 
BETEL, or BETLE. See Piper Betle. 
BETONICA. This genus now forms a sub-division of 
Stachys (which see). Betony (Stachys Betonica) is a 
native herb formerly much used in medicine, but now 
almost entirely discarded. w 
BETONY. See Stachys Betonica. 
BETULA (according to some authorities, from Betu, 
its Celtic name; others give the derivation of the word as 
from batuo, to beat, the fasces of the Roman lictors, which 
were made of Birch rods, being used to drive back the 
people). Birch. ORD. Cupulifere. TRIBE Betulew. Orna- 
mental, hardy (except where otherwise specified), deciduous 
trees or shrubs, allied to Alnus, having round, slender, 
often drooping branches, and the bark in most species in 
thin membranous layers. The flowers appear at the same 
time as the leaves. Male catkins cylindrical, lax, imbri- 
cated all round with ternate concave scales, the middle 
one largest, ovate; corolla none; filaments ten to twelve, 
shorter than the middle scale, to which they are attached. 
Female catkins similar, but more dense; scales horizontal, 
peltate, dilated outwards, three-lobed, three-flowered ; 
corolla none. Nut oblong, deciduous, winged at each side. 
The Betulas are easily cultivated in any ordinary soil; 
but a light sandy loam suits them best. Most of the 
species are best increased by seeds, which ripen in Sep- 
tember, and need to be dried, in order to prevent fer- 
mentation. They should be sown in in a sandy 
soil, the surface of which has been previously made per- 
: fectly level. They must be 
: spread on the surface, and not 
covered with soil, but pressed 
downwith the feet. When 
grown in quantities, beds 
in width are preferred, with 
an alley of lft. between 
In early summer, if the 
er be warm and dry, the 
should be shaded with 
i . The young seedlings 
must be transplanted when a 
year old. The dwarfer kinds 
may be p gated by layering 
inthe autumn. The numerous 
beautiful varieties are best in- 
creased by grafting or budding 
upon seedling stocks of the 
common kinds, the former being 
done in spring, and the latter 
in summer when the buds are 
ready. Those most useful as 
forest trees and for protection 
are quick-growing and very or- 
namental. The time of maturity 
of the Birch depends very 
much upon the soil and situa- 
EF j tion, but it seldom inereases in 
ETALLICA, or VICTORIA BEET, 
size after it is thirty years old. 
The common species (B. alba) 
is one of the hardiest and most useful trees in cultivation, 
growing quickly, and withstanding exposure pe than 
; B 
