68 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



BRO 



Broussone'tia. Named after Brovssonet,aFrench. 

 naturalist. Nat. Ord. Urticacece. 



A small genus of trees closely allied to the 

 Mulberry. B. papyrifera, is the well-known 

 Paper Mulberi-y, which is so called on account 

 of its fibrous innerbark being used by the 

 Chinese and Japanese for making paper. It 

 grows wild in China and Japan, and also in 

 many of the islands of the Pacific Ocean, 

 where the natives manufacture a large part 

 of their clothing from its bark. It forms a 

 small tree, attaining about twenty or thirty 

 feet in height, with a trunk seldom more than a 

 foot in diameter, and generally branching at 

 a short distance from the ground. The young 

 branches are covered with short, soft hairs. 

 The bark from the young shoots oulj', is used 

 for making paper. In the South Sea Islands, 

 a strong cloth is made from this bark, which 

 is commonly used for clothing, either plain or 

 printed, and dyed of various colors. 



Bro'wa'llia. Named after J. Browallius, Bishop 

 of Abo. Nat. Ord. Scrophulariacem. 



The Browallias are handsome, free-flower- 

 ing, half hardy annuals. They succeed best 

 started in the green-house and repotted before 

 being planted out; they can, however, be 

 successfully grown by being started in the 

 hot-bed ; and often grow well when sown in the 

 open border. The plants will be completely 

 studded over with their beautiful blue or 

 white flowers the whole summer. They are 

 also excellent winter-flowering plants. B. 

 Jamesoni, known also as Strcptosolon, is a 

 beautiful autumn flowering species, with large 

 panicles of bright orange-colored, tubular 

 flowers, with a lighter-colored throat. Ee-in- 

 troduced recently from New Grenada, after 

 being lost to cultivation for over thirty years. 



BroAvn Bugle. Ajuga reptans. 



Bro'^wnea. Named in honor of Dr. Patrick 

 Browne, who wrote a history of Jamaica. 

 Nat. Ord. LeguminosoR. 



A small genus of low evergreen trees chiefly 

 confined to Venezuela and New Grenada. The 

 leaves are alternate, and from one to one and 

 a half feet long, with from four to twelve 

 pairs of entire leaflets. The flowers are rose- 

 colored or crimson, and disposed in terminal 

 or axillaiy heads. B. grandiccps has large and 

 beautiful heads of flowers, of a pink color, ar- 

 ranged in tiers, the outer ones expanding first, 

 followed by the others until all are open, when 

 the flower-head somewhat resembles that of 

 a Rhododendron. A singular fact in connec- 

 tion with this plant is, that the leaves droop 

 during the day so as to almost hide the 

 flowers from view, and protect them from the 

 heat of the sun. At evening they rise up 

 again, and remain erect during the night, and 

 the flowers are thus exposed to the falling 

 dew. The species are rarely seen under cul- 

 tivation. 



Brugma'nsia. Named in honor of Prof. S. J. 

 Brugmuns, a botanical author. Nat. Ord. 

 SolanacecB. 



Peruvian shrubs, or low, succulent-stemmed 

 trees, of which B. suaveolena (better known by 

 the name of Datura arborea), B. Knightii, and B. 

 sangMirieaare magnificent species. Being large 

 plants, growing to the height of ten or twelve 

 feet, they look best when planted in the ground 

 in a conservatory ; but they will grow well in 



BRY 



large pots, or they maybe planted in the open 

 gai-den in the summer season, and taken up 

 and preserved in a cellar, from which the frost 

 is excluded, during winter, to be replaced in 

 the open border the following spring. The 

 flowers, popularly called Angels' Trumpets, 

 are trumpet-shaped, a foot or more in length, 

 and very fragrant. The plants grow freely in 

 light, rich soil; and they are readily propa- 

 gated by cuttings either of the shoots or 

 roots. 



Brune'Ua. Name changed from Prunella, 

 which see. 



Brunfe'lsia. A name given to a genus of 

 Scrophidariacem, in honor of Otto Brunfels, of 

 Metz, who published the first good figures of 

 plants in 1530. 



Elegant free-flowering evergreen plants, 

 natives of South America and the West 

 Indies. B. calycina has large purple flowers 

 disposed in large trusses, which are produced 

 in succession throughout the whole year. 

 B. confertifiora, has light blue flowers, borne 

 on terminal heads or cymes. All the species 

 are fragrant, and may be propagated by 

 cuttings. 



Brunsvi'gia. Named after the house of Bruns- 

 wick. Nat. Ord. AmaryllidaceoB. 



Of this splendid genus of Cape bulbs, Sweet 

 observes: "Some of the bulbs grow to a 

 great size, and require large pots to have them 

 flower in perfection ; or, if planted out in the 

 open borders in spring, there will be a better 

 chance of their flowering, taking the bulbs up 

 again in autumn ; or the best way to succeed 

 well with them is to have a pit built on purpose 

 for them, so as to occasionally be covered 

 with the lights to keep off too much wet, and 

 to be covered close in severe weather, as they 

 cannot bear the frost. The mould must be 

 made for them of full one-third sand, more 

 than one-third of turfy loam, and the rest of 

 leaf mould, all well mixed together, but not 

 chopped too small, as the roots run better 

 through it for being rough and hollow. 

 When in full growth and flower they require 

 a frequent supply of water, but none while dor- 

 mant." B. Josephinm is very seldom induced 

 to flower in this country, though it is no un- 

 common occurrence in its native country, 

 where it is said to produce very large heads 

 of flowers. Several species flower more 

 freely, though none so grand. Propagated by 

 offsets. 



Brussels Sprouts. Brassica oleracea hullata 

 geminifera, a variety of the Cabbage, which 



see. 



Bryo'nia. From bryo, to sprout; in allusion 

 to the quick growth of the stems. Nat. Ord. 

 CucurbitacecB. 



A genus of climbing, hardy herbaceous per- 

 ennials, natives of Europe, the East Indies, 

 and the Cape of Good Hope. B. alba and B. 

 dioica are generally considered by botanists to 

 be one species, the only difference being in 

 the color of the berries. The species is what 

 is generally known as the Common Bry- 

 ony, and is found in the hedgerows of Great 

 Britain. It has a verj' large tuberous root, 

 from which twining stems spring, which are 

 annual and rough. The plants climb by 

 tendrils, and, what is very unusual, the direc- 

 tion of the spiral is now and then changed, so 



