134 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



DEI 



Dri'mys. Fine half hardy evergreen trees with 

 aromatic bark and showy flowers, belonging 

 to the Nat. Ord. Magiwliacem. 



D. Winteri, the species most generally culti- 

 vated, has milk-white flowers one inch o-r 

 more across, with a Jasmine-like perfume. 

 Leaves oblong, obtuse and glaucous beneath. 

 Propagated by cuttings. The fruit of D. 

 Aromatica is sometimes used as pepper. Syns. 

 Winteria and Tusmannia. 



Drooping Sorghum. Sorghum cemuum. 



Drop-seed Grass. The common name of the 

 genus SporoholiiH, applied because the seeds 

 are loose, and easily scattered. The several 

 species are common in drj* barrens. 



Dropwort. See SpircEafilipendula. 



Dro'sera. Sun-dew. From droaeros, dewy. Nat. 

 Ord. Droseracpce. 



American, British, and Australian plants of 

 insectivorous notoriety, with hairy leaves 

 and curious flowers, which require to be 

 grown in moss, mixed with leaf mould, kept 

 moist, and during the heat of the day covered 

 with a bell glass. The leaves are studded 

 with reddish glandular inflexed hairs, dis- 

 charging from their apices a drop of viscid, 

 acrid fluid. The Italian liqueur called Ros- 

 soglia is said to take its name from one of the 

 species being used in its composition. This 

 is one of the plants experimented with by Mr. 

 Darwin, from which he was led to believe that 

 some plants feed on insects. 



Drosera'ceae. A natural order of perennial and 

 annual herbs, which are otten covered with 

 glandular hairs. They have alternate leaves 

 with fringes at their base, and a fprn-like 

 growth. The plants inhabit marshes in 

 Europe, India, China, the Cape of Good Hope, 

 Madagascar, North and South America, and 

 New Holland. Thej- have acid and slightly 

 acrid properties. The species of Drosera are 

 remarkable for their glandular hairs, which 

 are covered with drops of fluid in sunshine. 

 Dioncea muscipula is a still more remarkable 

 plant, commonly called Venus's Fly-trap. 

 Some include Pamassia in this order. There 

 are seven known genera and about 100 

 species. Drosera, Dioncsa, and Droaophyllum, 

 are examples of the order. 



Drosophy'llum. From drosos, dew, and phyllon, 

 a leaf; in allusion to the leaves being beset 

 with stipulary glands, appearing like dew. 

 Nat. Ord. Droseracem. 



D. Lusitanicum (the only species), forming a 

 dwarf, shrubby plant three to five inches in 

 height, is one of the most singular plants of 

 European flora. The nature of the glandular 

 hairs is different from that of the Droseras, 

 their rigid pedicels not being endowed with 

 the motive power of the British and other 

 species of the genus just mentioned. "A still 

 more anomalous character is to be found in 

 the way the leaves are developed in the bud, 

 being circinate and revolute, not involute, as 

 in our Droseras, in Ferns, Cycads and other 

 plants, and of this mode of development Dro- 

 sophyllum is, so far as I know, the only exam- 

 ple in the Vegetable Kingdom." (J. D. Hooker 

 in Botanical Magazine.) It is a native of Spain, 

 Portugal and Africa, introduced in 1869, and 

 is propagated by seeds. 



Drupa'ceae. Formerly regarded as a distinct 

 natural order, but now as a section of Rosacea. 



DDF 



Drupe. A kind of fruit consisting of a fleshy, suc- 

 culent rind, and containing a hard stone in the 

 center, like the Olives, Plums, Apricots, etc. 



Drya'ndra. Named after Jonas Dryander, a dis- 

 tinguished Swedish botanist. 



A genus of Proteacem, allied to Banksia, 

 containing in all about fifty species. Hand- 

 some green-house plants, rarely seen in culti- 

 vation, notwithstanding their great beauty. 



Dry'as. From Dryades, the goddesses of the 

 woods, to whom the oak was sacred. The 

 leaves of D. octopetala, a Scotch plant, on 

 Avhich the genus was founded by Linnaeus, 

 resembles small oak leaves ; and he, in play- 

 ful mood, made Dryas the badge of Virgil's 

 Dryades, after the manner of the Scottish 

 clans. Nat. Ord. Roaacece. 



A delicate genus of dwarf, moderately- 

 spreading plants, with neat evergreen leaves 

 and strawberry-like flowers. All have white 

 flowers except D. Drummondii, which are of a 

 sulphur yellow. They are all of easy culture, 

 but require a moist, shaded situation. They 

 are natives of Great Britain and the United 

 States, and are propagated by division and by 

 seeds. 



Drymo'nia. From drymos, an oak wood ; their 

 habitation. Nat. Ord. GesneracecB. 



A small genus of South American shrubs of 

 climbing habit, found in moist or marshy sit- 

 uations. Flowers large, not unlike the Ges- 

 nera. A few species have been introduced 

 into the green-house, and are quite orna- 

 mental. They should be grown in baskets 

 filled with turf and pieces of wood, in a 

 moist, warm house, and are propagated by 

 cuttings. Introduced in 1806. 



Dryna'ria. From drya, a tree ; dwelling among 

 trees. Nat. Ord. Polypodiacece. 



An extensive genus of green-house Ferns 

 from India and the Pacific Islands, now 

 included under Polypodium by some authors. 



Dryoba'lanops. Camphor Tree. From drys, 

 a tree, balanos, an acorn, and ops, appearance ; 

 in allusion to the species being a tree, bearing 

 acorn-like fruits. Nat. Ord. Dipterocarpece. 



A large, resinous, camphor-bearing ever- 

 green tree, native of Sumatra. D. aromatica 

 furnishes a liquid called Camphor-oil and a 

 crystalline solid known as Sumatra camphor. 

 It is highly prized by the Chinese. 



Dry'pis. From drypto, to lacerate ; leaves 

 armed with spines. Nat. Ord. CaryophyllacecB. 

 D. spinosa is a beautiful little trailing plant 

 well adapted for growing upon rock-work ; its 

 pretty pale pink or white flowers being pro- 

 duced so as to completely cover the ground. 

 It is increased by cuttings. This plant is a 

 native of Italy, and was introduced in 1795. 



Duck's-foot. See Podophyllum. 



Duck-weed. The genus Lemna. 



Tropical. Pistia Straiioides. 

 Ducts. Tubular vessels marked by transverse 



lines or dots ; apparently, in some cases, 



modifications of spiral vessels. 



Dumb Cane. Dieffenbachia Seguine. 



Duplicate. Growing in pairs. When com- 

 pounded with the words crenate, dentate, 

 serrate, it implies that the incisions on the 

 margins of leaves bearing these names are 

 themselves crenated, dentated, and serrated. 



