AND GENERAL HORTICULTUEE. 



131 



DIS 



Distinct. "When any part or organ is whollj- 

 unconnected with those near it. 



Ditch Stone-Crop. The common name of Pen- 

 thorum sedoides. 



Dittany. See Cunila. 



Diurnal. Enduring only a day, as the flowers 

 of Tigridia and Hemerocallis (Day Lily). 



Divaricate. Straggling; spreading abruptly; 

 branching off at an acute angle, and spread- 

 ing irregularly in various directions, as in 

 Veronica pinnata. 



Diversiflorus. When a plant or inflorescence 

 bears flowers of two or more sorts. 



Divided. Where incisions or indentations extend 



nearly to the base. 

 Dock. See Rumex. 

 Dodder. See Cuscuta. 



Dodeca'theon. American Cowslip. From dodeka, 

 twelve, and theos, a divinity ; twelve gods or 

 divinities of the Romans ; a name absurdly 

 applied to a plant, native of a world the 

 Romans did not know, and resembling in no 

 particular any plant of their writers. Nat. 

 Ord. Primidacece. 



This is a genus of native herbaceous peren- 

 nials that deserve extensive cultivation. They 

 are common in rich woods in Pennsylvania 

 and westward to Wisconsin. In the west 

 the common name is Shooting Star. They are 

 exceedingly handsome in cultivation, thriving 

 well in a shady border. The flower-stems are 

 one foot or more high, bearing a considerable 

 number of elegant drooping flowers of rosy 

 purple, light purple, or white colors, and of an 

 interesting shape, somewhat resembling the 

 Cyclamen, to which plant it is allied. A very 

 large and showy species, with deep purple and 

 yellow flowers, has been introduced from Cali- 

 fornia, named by Prof. E. L. Greene, of the 

 State University, D. Clevelandi. They are 

 propagated by seeds, or division of the roots. 



Dog-Grass. Triticum repens. 

 Dog-Rose. Rosa canina. 

 Dog-Thistle. Carduus ai-vensis. 

 Dog-Violet. Viola canina, and V. sylvatica. 

 Dog- Wood. Cormis sanguinea ; also applied to 



Euonymiis Europceus, Rhamnus frangula, and 



Viburmun Opulus. 

 Dog's Bane. The genus Apocynum. 



Climbing. Periploca grcBca. 

 Dog's Parsley, u^thusa Cynapium. 

 Dog's-tail Grass. Cynosurus cristatus. 



Dog's-tooth Violet. Erythronium dens-canis, 



which see. 



Dolabriform. Ax-shaped. 



Do'lichos. From dolichos, long; referring to 

 the long, twining shoots. Nat. Ord. Legumi- 

 noscB. 



Climbing annual and perennial plants from 

 the East and West Indies, generally with 

 purple or white flowers. The pods and seeds 

 are eatable, and, in some cases, also the roots. 

 D. Lablab, the Egyptian Bean, is a beautiful 

 species with two varieties, one with dark 

 purple flowers, the other white. They grow 

 in any situation, where an ornamental climber 

 is required, and may be treated as hardy 

 annuals. This species was introduced from 

 Egypt in 1818. 



DOR 



Dondia. A synonym of Hacquetia, which see. 



Doob, or Doorba. Indian names for Cynodon 

 Dactylon, which see. 



Doo'dia. Named after Samuel Doody, a London 

 apothecary and cryptogamic botanist. Nat. 

 Ord. Polypodiacem. 



A genus of green-house evergreen Ferns, 

 mostly natives of Australia and the Sandwich 

 Islands. The species are small, stiff, and 

 rough-leaved, of no great beauty, and are 

 propagated by division when at rest. 



Doom Palm. A name given to Hyphaene the- 

 baica. 



Doora, or Doura. See Sorghum vulgare. 



Dore'ma. From dorema, a gift or beneflt. Nat. 

 Ord. Umbelltferce. 



A hardy herbaceous plant, growing on the 

 plains in the province of Irak, Persia, which 

 furnishes the drug known as Ammoniacum. 

 The plant abounds in a milky juice, which 

 exudes upon the slightest puncture being made, 

 and dries upon the stem in little rounded 

 lumps, or tears, as they are called. Propa- 

 gated by seeds. 



Doro'nicum. Leopard's Bane. Altered from 

 Doronogi, its Arabic name. Nat. Ord. Coirv- 

 positcB. 



A genus of showy herbaceous perennials, 

 natives of Europe and temperate Asia, with 

 large, bright yellow flowers, which are pro- 

 duced early in spring. They are of very easy 

 culture being increased by division of the 

 roots, and are showy plants for the herbaceous 

 border. There are several species in cultiv- 

 ation of which D. Altaicum, D. Pardalianches, 

 D. Anstriacum and D. Caucasicum are the best 

 known. Several seedling varieties have been 

 lately introduced in England and are much 

 admired. They are often forced for con- 

 servatory decoration or for cutting. 



Dorsal. Attached to, or growing on the back 

 of any organ. 



Dorste'nia. Named for Theodore Dorsten, a 

 German botanist. Nat. Ord. Urticacece. 



Herbaceous plants of neat compact habit, 

 natives of tropical America. Some of the 

 species have elegantly cut leaves ; while 

 many of the others are decorated Avith silver 

 markings. They are very curious plants, and 

 are increased by division or by seeds. 



Dorya'nthes. From dory, a spear, and anthos, a 

 flower ; the flower-stem shoots up from 

 twelve to twenty feet high, like the handle of 

 a spear, bearing flowers on the top. Nat. Ord. 

 A maryllidacece. 



D. excelsa, introduced in 1800, is a magnifi- 

 cent Australian plant, and is what is termed 

 an imperfect bulb. The flower stalk has 

 been known to grow as high as thirty feet, 

 crowned with a head of bright scarlet flowers, 

 that emerge from crimson bracts. It does 

 well in a green-house temperature. D. Palmeri, 

 recently introduced from Queensland, is de- 

 scribed as being a more beautiful plant than 

 the preceding. The flowei's form a pyramidal 

 spike twelve to eighteen inches high, and ten 

 to twelve inches broad, the flowers being red, 

 with a center almost white. Propagated by 

 suckers. 



Doryo'pteris. From dory, a spear, and pteris, 

 a fern ; spear-leaved Fern. Nat. Ord. Poly- 

 podiacecB. 



