BEGONIA. 



32 



BELLIS. 



distances, "witli naked spaces show- 

 ing the soil between. The plants 

 most suitable for completely coveriug 

 flower-beds are trailers and creep- 

 ers ; and those for standing singly 

 at regular distances, are erect plants, 

 which have their flowers in termi- 

 nal spikes, corymbs, or umbels ; or 

 compact-growing plants, which 

 make neat little bushes, entirely 

 covered with flowers. The stems 

 of the plants often require to be 

 pegged down with hooked sticks, so 

 as to cover every part of the bed 

 equally ; and in Avet seasons, when 

 the plants are apt to run too much 

 to leaves, the tips of the shoots 

 should be taken off. The beds in- 

 tended for trailing plants vnll only 

 require a thin stratum of soil ; but 

 those intended for tall, vigorous 

 plants, ought to have a deep soil. 

 Bee Larkspuk, — See DEDLrHi'- 



KIUM. 



Bee O'rchis. — O^'plirys wpifera. 

 — The plants belonging to the genus 

 Ophrys have all a remarkable re- 

 semblance in their appearance to an 

 insect nestling in the flower, and 

 hence they take their generic name. 



Befaeia. — Ericdcece. — A very 

 beautiful plant with large bell- 

 shaped rose-coloured flowers. It is 

 a native of South America, and in 

 its native country it forms a shrub 

 from six feet to eight feet high. 

 There are several species, most of 

 which have rose-coloured flowers ; 

 but one species, B. Maihewsii, has the 

 flowers a pale yellower a pure white. 



Begonia. — Begonidcece. — Tro- 

 pical under - shrubs or herbaceous 

 plants, some of which require the 

 stove, and others the greenhouse. 

 The flowers are showy, pink or 

 white, and the leaves are succulent, 

 oblique at the base, and red under- 

 neath. Many of the herbaceous 

 kinds have tuberous roots, and 

 all should be grown in a rich light 



soil. One of the finest species is B. 

 odopetala, but it is rather rare. 

 B. discolor, which has the leaves 

 beautifully veined with crimson 

 underneath, is the commonest kind, 

 and it thrives in the greenhouse, or 

 in a room, throwing out numerous 

 suckers, each with a small tuberous 

 root, which only require separating 

 from the parent and potting, to be- 

 come fresh plants. The only objec- 

 tion to the culture of this species is, 

 that it is very apt to be infested with 

 the red spider. (SeeA'CARUs.) When 

 planted out in the summer season, 

 it continues to produce flowers for 

 several months. B. fuchsioldes is 

 a very remarkable species, which 

 was introduced, in 1846, from the 

 mountains of New Granada. At 

 first sight it resembles a Fuchsia 

 (hence its specific name); in its 

 native country the flowers, which 

 are of a most agreeable acid, are 

 frequently eaten by the mule-dri- 

 vers to allay their thirst, which is 

 excessive in the dry season, as there 

 ar6 very few rivers. The leaves are 

 small, and less coarse than those of 

 most of the other species of the genus. 



Bellado'nna. — One of the names 

 hi'A't7'02Ja Belladonna, the Deadly 

 Nightshade. 



Bellado'nna Lily. — See Ama- 

 ey'llis. 

 Bell-Flo wer. — See Campa'nula. 



Bell-Glass. — A glass cylinder, 

 with a globular top, used for cover- 

 ing tender cuttings or seedlings. It 

 differs from a hand-glass in being 

 all in one piece ; whereas a hand- 

 glass consists of several pieces 

 flxedin aframe of lead, wood, or iron. 



Be'llis. — CovipositcB. — The 

 Daisy. — Well-known perennials, of 

 which B. p)erennis, the common 

 Daisy, has been in cultivation in 

 British and continental gardens 

 from time immemorial. The most 

 beautiful varieties are the large 



