ALOYSIA. 



11 



Alo'xa. — NolandcecE. — Very 

 "beautiful half-hardy shrubs, natives 

 of Chili and Peru. A. ccdestis 

 resembles, in its leaves and general 

 appearance, a soft-leaved Heath, 

 but its flowers are like those of 

 Noldna atriplicifdlia, that is, 

 closely resembling those of the minor 

 Convolvulus, but with less white in 

 them. 



Aloxso^a. — Scroplmldrince. — 

 The Mask-flower. — The species are 

 low under-shrubs, or herbaceous 

 plants, natives of Peru ; and two 

 of them, A. incisifolia (R. et P.) 

 and A. linearis (H. K.) formerly 

 known as Celsia, afterwards as 

 Hemimeris v/rticifblia, &c., are 

 very ornamental, either in the 

 greenhouse, or grown as annuals 

 in the open border during summer. 

 They thrive well in any light, rich 

 soil, and are readily increased by 

 seeds or cuttings. They are very 

 desirable for flower-gardens, on ac- 

 count of the brilliant scarlet of their 

 flowers ; and where there is no green- 

 house, the plants should be raised 

 from seeds, sown on a hotbed in 

 February, or struck from cuttings 

 early in spring, and brought forward 

 in a frame or pit, and turned out into 

 the open air in May. When kept in 

 a greenhouse, they should always be 

 set out in the open air when the 

 other plants are fumigated, as they 

 are easily killed by tobacco-smoke, or 

 any other strongly-smelling vapour. 

 They are also very apt to rot, or damp 

 off", as it is called, at the collar, if 

 they have too much moisture, though 

 the roots soon become dried up and 

 withered if they have too little. 

 Though the stems of some of the 

 species are quite woody at the base, 

 they seldom live, even with the 

 greatest care, longer than two or 

 three years. 



Alot'sia. — YerhendcecB. — The 

 only species of this genus knowTi in 



Britain is ^4. citriodora, a native of 

 South America, formerly called Ver- 

 bena tviphylla, or the Lemon-scented 

 Verbena. It is a half-hardy shrub, 

 with panicles of small pinkish-white 

 flowers, and very fragrant leaves, 

 which fall off in the winter. It re- 

 quires a rich but light soil, well 

 drained ; and, when grown in pots, it 

 should never have water kept in the 

 saucer. In winter, after its leaves 

 have dropped, it should be kept 

 nearly dry till the buds begin to 

 swell, when it should be watered 

 frequently and abundantly ; but the 

 water should never be suffered to 

 remain in a stagnant state about 

 the roots. It is easily propagated 

 by cuttings, and only requires to be 

 protected from severe frosts. 



Alpine Plants. — Dwarf Plants, 

 natives of high mountains, and usu- 

 ally with bright-coloured flowers ; 

 generally employed for ornamental 

 rockwork, and which, as they are 

 covered with snow diu'ing winter in 

 theii- native countries, require pro- 

 tection from severe frosts. 



Alpi'nia. — ScitaminecE. — A ge- 

 nus of reed -like plants, natives of 

 the East Indies and South America, 

 with large and showy white or pink 

 flowers, of Avhich one or two species 

 merit a place in select collections of 

 stove-plants. A. nutans is one of 

 the most common, and when grown 

 in rich sandy soil, in a moist heat, 

 with plenty of room, it will flower 

 freely. Like most of the Scitami- 

 neous genera, there is a considerable 

 degree of sameness in all the species, 

 both in flowers and fruit, and there- 

 fore one kind is enough for a small 

 collection. 



Alsi^ne. — Caryophylldcece. — 

 This genus was founded on the 

 Chickweed {Alslne media), and it 

 contained four or fi-^e weedy -looking 

 species ; but these have now been 

 distributed among other genera, and 



