214 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



KRE 



of the species is blood-red, and is largely used 

 in adulterating port wine. The species are 

 natives of South America. 

 Kreysi'gia. Named after F. L. Kreysig, a Ger- 

 man botanist. Nat. Ord. LiliacecB. 



K. muUiflora, the only species, is a very 

 pretty, half-hardy, herbaceous perennial, hav- 

 ing a I'oughish, simple stem, and a knotty 

 rhizome. It is of easy culture and is increased 

 by divisions in spring. Introduced from New 

 South Wales in 1823. 



Kri'gia. Dwarf Dandelion. In honor of Mr. 

 David Kreig, a German botanist. Nat. Ord. 

 Compositce. 



A very pretty little annual, with flowers 

 resembling miniatui-e Dandelions. It is quite 

 common in dry grounds from New York 

 south wanl. 



Ku'hnia. Dedicated to Dr. Kuhn, of Pennsyl- 

 vania, who brought the living plant to Lin- 

 naeus. Nat. Ord. Compositce. 



LAC 



A genus of hardy herbaceous perennials, of 

 but little interest except in botanical collec- 

 tions. K. Eupatorioides is common in dry 

 soils from New Jersey to Wisconsin, and 

 southward. 



Ku'nthia. Named after C. S. Kunlh, a Prussian 

 botanist. Nat Ord. Palmacem. 



K. Deppeana, a rare palm, the only species, 

 allied to Areca, is a native of New Grenada. 

 It is propagated by seeds, and grows freely 

 with ordinaiy green-house treatment. Syn. 

 ChanuEdorea elegans. 



Ku'nzea. Named after Giistav Kunze, a botanist 

 and physician of Leipsic. A genus of Myr- 

 tacecB, comprising a number of species of 

 green-house shrubs, often heath-like, con- 

 fined to Australia. Flowers red, or white, in 

 dense terminal spikes. Only two species are 

 in cultivation. Propagated by cuttings of the 

 half ripened wood. 



L. 



Labellum. Lip ; or rather the lower lip only. 

 The third petal of an Orchid, usually turned 

 toward the lower front of the flower, and very 

 different from the remainder ; also a similar 

 petal in other flowers. 



Labia'tae. An extensive natural order of herbs, 

 or undershrubs, with square stems, opposite 

 and exstipulate leaves, and flowers in clus- 

 tered centrifugal cymes, or crowded into 

 spikes. This order forms one of the most 

 natural groups of plants ; the characters of its 

 members are so uniform that it may be called 

 monotypic, as if all the species could be 

 comprehended in a single genus, and the dis- 

 crimination of its genera is hence often very 

 difficult. They are natives of temperate 

 climates. Many of them are carminative, and 

 yield volatile oils. Mint, Sage, Rosemary, 

 Lavender, Basil, Horehound, Patchouh', 

 Savory, Thyme, and Marjoi-am belong to this 

 order, which contains upwards of 100 genera, 

 and about 2,500 species. Coleus, Lamium, 

 Salvia, Perilla, and Cunila are well-known 

 representatives of the order. 



Labiate. Having lips ; a term applied to that 

 form of a monopetalous calyx or corolla which 

 is separated into two unequal divisions, the 

 one anterior and the other posterior, with 

 respect to the axis. 



Labi'chea. Named after M. Labiche, a French 

 naval officer. Nat. Ord. Leguminosce. 



A genus of five species of evergreen shrubs, 

 allied to Cassia, natives of Australia. L. 

 lanceolata, the only species now in cultivation, 

 has trifoliate leaves, and bright yellow flowers, 

 borne in axillary racemes. It was introduced 

 from western Australia in 1840. 



Labi'sia. Spoon-flower. From lahis, a spoon ; 

 in allusion to the form of the corolla divisions, 

 which resemble the bowls of small spoons. 

 Nat. Ord. MyrsindcecB. 



A genus comprising a few species of glab- 

 rous or puberulous shrubs, with the habit of 

 Pothos ; natives of the Malayan Archipelago. 

 L. Maloniana, introduced from Borneo in 1885, 

 has broad, lanceolate, velvety, dark green 

 leaves, irregularly marked with pale green 

 down the middle ; red and purple when young. 

 Stem copper-colored, spotted white. L. poth- 

 oina is a very pretty plant, producing clusters 

 of small, rosy-white flowers. 



La'blab. A genus of tropical pulse, more 

 usually included in Dolichoa, which see. 



Labrador Tea. Ledum latifolia. This is a shrub 

 growing from two to five feet high, common 

 in swamps and bogs, North and West. The 

 leaves were formerly used as a substitute for 

 Tea, whence the common name. 



Labu'mum. See Cytisvs Laburnum. 



Lacae'na. One of the names of Helen of Troy, 

 applied because of the beauty of the plant. 

 Nat. Ord. OrchidacecB. 



A genus of epiphytal Orchids. L. bicolor, 

 the original species, is a native of Guatemala, 

 and has long, pendulous racemes of flowers 

 of a greenish-yellow color, the lip marked 

 with purple about the center. They require a 

 hot-house, and should be grown in flat baskets 

 or pans, in leaf-mould and sphagnum moss, 

 and are increased by division in spring, after 

 blooming. Introduced in 1843. 



Lace Bark. See Lagetta. 



Lace-leaved Plant. See Ouvirandra. 



Lacerate. Torn ; having a torn appearance. 



Lachena'Ua. Cape Cowslips. Named after W. 

 de Lachenal, a botanical author. Nat. Ord. 

 LUiacece. 



An extensive genus of very interesting and 

 showy bulbous plants from the Cape of Good 

 Hope. L. pendula, L. tricolor, and L. quadri- 

 color are the kinds mostly cultivated in the 

 green-house. They have long. Lanceolate leaves, 



