338 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



POI 



poisonous vapors rising out of the earth, and 

 the early Dutch settlers attributed the barren- 

 ness to the influence of the Upas Tree. The 

 Manchineel, a plant of the West Indies, gives 

 off a vapor which is poisonous, and in conse- 

 quence it is never found in cultivation. The 

 Dumb Cane, also of the West Indies, is very 

 energetic in action, and will produce lockjaw 

 on being applied to the lips. Many other 

 plants such as Aconitum napellus, Atropa Bella- 

 donna, Veratrum viride, Paris quadrifolia, 

 Ricinus communis, Manihot utilissima, Rhus 

 Toxicodendron, R. venenata, and many others 

 are poisonous. These dangerous qualities 

 are generally mentioned in this work. 



Poi'vrea. Named after M. Poivre, a French 

 botanist. Nat. Ord. Combretacece. 



A small genus of green-house evergreen 

 climbers of great beautj', The flowers are 

 white or scarlet, produced in terminal or axil- 

 lary panicles. They are natives of Africa and 

 the East Indies, and they require the warmer 

 part of the gi-een-house and a humid atmos- 

 phere. They were first introduced in 1820, 

 and are propagated by cuttings. This genus 

 is included by Bentham and Hooker under 

 Combretum. 



Poke. Indian. See Veratrum viride. 



Poke-Root. A common name for Veratrum 

 viride. 



Poke Weed. Virginian. See Phytolacca de- 

 candra. 



Polani'sia. From polys, many, and anises, 

 unequal ; many stamens of unequal lengths. 

 Nat. Ord. Capparidacece. 



A genus of hardy, free-flowering annuals, 

 allied to Cleome, chiefly natives of the East 

 Indies. P. graveolens is common in the New 

 England States. None of the species has suf- 

 ficient beauty to warrant its introduction into 

 the flower border. 



Polar Plant. Silphium laciniatum. 



Polemonia'ceae. A natural order of erect or 

 twining plants, found chiefly in temperate 

 countries, and abounding in northwestern 

 America. Most of them have showy flowers. 

 Phlox, Cobcea, Gilia, and Polemonium, are exam- 

 ples of the genera, of which about ten are 

 known, comprising upwards of one hundred 

 species. 



Polemo'nium. Greek Valerian. From polcmos, 

 war; Pliny says this plant gained its name 

 from having caused a war between two kings, 

 each of whom claimed the honor of having 

 first discovered its virtues. Nat. Ord. Pole- 

 moniacece. 



An extensive genus of hardy herbaceous 

 perennials. They are well-known border 

 plants, that have long been under cultivation. 

 Flowers are mostly blue and white, produced 

 in large terminal heads. The species are 

 common throughout the Northern States and 

 northern Europe. P. candeum, derives its 

 common name of Jacob's Ladder from its beau- 

 tiful pinnately-cleft leaves. It is found in 

 moist places throughout New York and New 

 Jersey, and is a favorite border plant. P. 

 cow/eri-wm is a late addition to the cultivated 

 kinds from the Rocky Mountains, and is one 

 of the finest of the genus. The color is a deep 

 blue, very attractive, and the plant is quite 

 distinct from any other. It requires plenty 

 of moisture in summer, and is perfectly 



POL 



hardy. All the species are propagated readily 

 by division, or from seed, which should be 

 sown in June to flower the coming season. 



Polia'nthes. The Tuberose. From poly, many; 

 and anthos, a flower ; an abundance of flowers. 

 Nat. Ord. AmaryllidacecB. 



This interesting genus is composed of two 

 species, both properly green-house evergreen 

 perennials. One of the species, P. gracilis, a 

 native of Brazil, with pale yellow flowers, is 

 but little known, and has but little mei*it. 

 The well-known species, P. tuberosa, is a na- 

 tive of the East Indies, from whence it was 

 introduced early in the sixteenth century. 

 The first account given of the Tuberose is in 

 L'Ecluse's " History of Plants," where it ap- 

 pears that it was brought from the East 

 Indies by Father Theophilus Minuti, a Catho- 

 lic missionarj^ about the year 1530, who grew 

 it at Boisgencier, near Toulon. Bernard Pal- 

 udanus, a distinguished physician at Rome, 

 grew it in 1594, having obtained the roots 

 from the priests, who had, pi-evious to that 

 date, refused all applications for it. This 

 was the single kind. The same, with varie- 

 gated foliage is mentioned at nearly as early 



' a date. Parkinson, in that rare old book, his 

 " Garden of Pleasant Flowers," published in 

 1629, gives a description of it by its then 

 known name, which should not be lost. We 

 quote in full, as it is quite as amusing as in- 

 structive : ^'Hyacinthus Indicus major tuberosa 

 radice, 'the Greater Indian knobbed Jacinth.' 

 I have thought fittest to begin with this Ja- 

 cinth [Hyacinth], both because it is the great- 

 est and highest, and also because the flowers 

 herof are in some likenesse neare unto a Daf- 

 fodille, although his roote be tuberous, and 

 not bulbous, as the rest are. This Indian 

 Jacinth hath a thicke knobbed roote (yet 

 foi-med into several heads, somewhat like 

 unto bulbous roots), with many thick fibres 

 at the bottom of them ; from the divers heads 

 of this roote arise divers strong and very tall 

 stalkes, beset with divers faire, long and 

 broad leaves, joyned at the bottome close 

 unto the stalk, where they are greatest, and 

 smaller to the very end, and those that grow 

 higher to the toppe, being smaller and smaller. 

 The toppes of the stalkes are garnished with 

 many faii-e, large, white flowers, each wherof 

 is composed of six leaves, lying spread open 

 as the flowers of the white Daffodille, with 

 some short threads in the middle, and of a 

 very sweet scent, or rather strong and 

 headee." The double-flowering Tuberose was 

 obtained from seed by Mons. Le Cour, of 

 Leyden, in Holland (date unknown), who for 

 many years would not, under any circum- 

 stances, part with a root, even after propa- 

 gating in such quantities as to give him a 

 surplus. He would cause every tuber to be 

 cut in pieces and destroyed, in order to have 

 the monopoly, and to be the only possessor of 

 the flower in the world. The recently intro- 

 duced variety, known as the Pearl, is a sport, 

 having originated on the grounds of Mr. John 

 Henderson, of Flushing, L. I. Its strong 

 habit of growth and dark, heavy foliage at- 

 tracted Mr. Henderson's attention, causing 

 him to give it every chance for perfect devel- 

 opment. The result was a variety far supe- 

 rior to the parent, both in size and number of 

 flowers, with a marked superiority in habit of 

 growth, the flower-stalks not being so tall by 



