dog's-tooth violet. 



DORTMANNIA. 



or a root and part of a stem, if in 

 slu'ubs or other ligneous plants. 

 Hence, almost all herbaceous plants 

 may be propagated by division, as 

 they generally send up many stems 

 from their roots ; and also all those 

 shrubs or low trees that send up 

 suckers. In one sense, almost all 

 ligneous plants may be said to be 

 propagated by division ; as cuttings 

 are divisions of the stem or branches. 

 Indeed, as every bud has the powei*, 

 like a seed, of sending a shoot up- 

 wards, and roots downwards from its 

 base, every plant may be divided into 

 as many new plants as it has buds ; 

 but the common application of the 

 term division, is to the dividing of 

 those roots which send up many 

 stems or suckers. 



Dodder. See Cu'scuta. 



Dodeca'theox. — Priviulacece. — 

 The American Cowslip. — A very 

 pretty plant, to which Linnasvis gave 

 a very stranje name ; Dodecatheon 

 signifying the twelve Roman divi- 

 nities. The plant is a native of 

 Virginia, and it is generally con- 

 sidered quite hardy ; but it is very 

 difficult to keep. It should be grown 

 in the open ground, in a sandy loam, 

 in rather a shady situation, and kept 

 moist. One reason of its being lost is, 

 that if the roots are once suffered to 

 become too dry, they wither, and 

 when moisture is given, they rot 

 instead of reviving ; and another 

 reason is, that as the stem and leaves 

 die away in winter, the root is often 

 dug up and thrown away as dead by 

 jobbing gardeners, who are unac- 

 quainted with the plants of the 

 garden they are workicg in. To 

 prevent this, a mark of some kind 

 should always be fixed to the plant 

 in small gardens ; or when a new 

 gardener is employed, its situation 

 should be pointed out to him. There 

 are several garden varieties. 



Doa's-TOOTEi Violet. — Erythrb- 



niumDens canis is a pretty bulbous- 

 rooted plant, with spotted leaves and 

 purple flowers. There is a variety 

 ! with white flowers ; and K ameri- 

 canum has large dark yellow flowers. 

 The European kinds will grow in 

 any common garden-soil, and do not 

 require taking up ; but the American 

 species, which is much the hand- 

 somest, is apt to waste its strength 

 in producing roots instead of flowers. 

 For this reason it does best grown in 

 well-drained pots, in rather poor soil, 

 or, what is better, in sandy peat. 

 Dogwood. — See Co'knijs. 

 Do'lichos. — LefjuminbscE. — 

 Climbing annual and perennial 

 plants, from the East and "West 

 Indies, generally with purple or 

 yellow pea-flowers. The pods and 

 seed^ are eatable, and in some cases 

 also the roots. Soy is made from 

 the seeds of one of tlie East Indian 

 1 species. They are generally grown 

 in a stove ; but most of the kinds 

 I will thrive in greenhouse heat, par- 

 I ticularly if planted in the free ground 

 ! in a conservatory, and trained up a 

 pillar, or over trellis-work. The soil 

 for all the species should be sandy 

 loam. D. Labial) L. {Labldvia vul- 

 f/dris D. Don), the Egyptian Bean, 

 has splendid dark-purple flowers, 

 I and will grow well in the open air 

 if treated as a half-hardy annual. 

 ! Doro'nicum. — Compositce. — 

 j Leopard's -bane. — Showy perennial 

 '■' plants, with large dark -yellow 

 j flowers, which look verj^ well in 

 I a border, and which will grow with 

 ] scarcely any care in any common 

 ! garden-soil. One species, a native 

 i of Siberia, has white flowers ; and 

 another, D. Bourgoei, has lilac or 

 pinkish flowers. 



Dortma'nnia. — Lobeliacece. — 

 Professor De Candolle's new name 

 for the common British species of 

 Lobelia. It is an aquatic plant, and 

 is generally found in ponds, or small 



