340 



HENDERSONS HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



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Polya'nthus Narcissus. See Narcissus. 



Polybo'trya. From poly, manj', and botrys, a 

 raceme ; the appearance of the fertile or seed- 

 bearing frond. Nat. Ord. Polypodiacem. 



An extensive genus of tropical Ferns, some 

 of which are very ornamental, and all requir- 

 ing green-house treatment. They are mostly 

 natives of the West Indies, whence they 

 were first introduced in 1823, and are propa- 

 gated by division or by spores. By some 

 botanists, this genus is now included^ under 

 Acrostichum. 



Polycaly'miia. From poly, many, and kalymna, 

 a covering ; in allusion to the numerous series 

 of involucral bracts. Nat. Ord. Compositm. 



P. Stuartii, the only species, is a very singu- 

 lar low-growing plant with flat, roundish, 

 white flower heads, an inch or more in diam- 

 eter. It is a native of Australia. Bentham 

 and Hooker include this plant under Myrio- 

 cephalus. 



Poly'gala. Milkwort. From poly, much, and 

 gala, milk ; reputed effects of the plant on 

 cattle that feed upon it. Nat. Ord. Polygalacete. 

 An extensive genus of hardy annuals, herba- 

 ceous perennials, and green-house perennials, 

 found inhabiting nearly all countries. P. 

 Myriifolia grandiflora (syn. P. Dabnasiana), 

 and P. oppositifolia, are valuable spring-flow- 

 ering green-house shrubs, while P. vulgaris 

 and its varieties, and our native P. paucifolia 

 are beautiful subjects for the rock-garden. 

 P. Senega, Seneca Snake Koot, is a species 

 common in the Middle and Western States, 

 and has considerable reputation for its medic- 

 inal properties. 



Polygala'ceae. A natural order of shrubs or 

 herbs, occasionally twining, found in all 

 quarters of the globe. The flowers have a 

 resemblance to PapilionacecB, from which they 

 are distinguished by the odd petal being 

 inferior, and the sepal superior. They are 

 generally bitter, and their roots yield a milky 

 juice. Polygala, Monnina, and Trigonia, are 

 examples of the genera, of which there are 

 about flfteen, and about four hundred species. 



Poly'gamous. Having on the same plant some 

 flowers that are male, others that are female, 

 and others hermaphrodite or perfect. 



Polygona'ceae. A natural order of herbaceous, 

 rarely shrubby plants, found in almost all 

 parts of the world, more especially in the 

 temperate region of the Northern Hemisphere. 

 Fagopyrujn escrdentum (Buckwheat), and Rheum 

 officinale (Rhubarb), are both important eco- 

 nomic plants of the order, which contains 

 thirty genera, and about six hundred species. 



Polygona'tum. Solomon's Seal. From poly, 

 many, and gonu, a joint or knee ; referring to 

 the numerous joints of the stem. Nat. Ord. 

 Liliacece. 



A small genus of very handsome, hardy 

 herbaceous plants, of easy culture and grace- 

 ful habit, not often seen in the borders, but 

 deserving a place in every collection of hardy 

 plants. P. muUifiorum, a native of Great 

 Britain, grows from two to three feet high, 

 and has a stout stem, the lower part bare of 

 leaves ; the upper gracefully recurves, and 

 produces from the axils of its broad leaves 

 numerous green and white flowers, in clusters 

 of two to four. P. giganteum, a native of the 

 Western States, is a species of similar habit, 



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but with smaller flowers. They thrive well in 

 almost any soil or situation, but prefer one 

 that is shady and moist. They ai-e readily 

 increased by root division, or from seeds. 



Polycarpae'a. From poly, many, and karpos, a 

 fruit ; alluding to the numerous seeds. Nat. 

 Ord. Illecebracece. 



A genus of annual or perennial plants, 

 natives of tropical and sub-tropical regions, 

 one being widely dispersed over ti-opical 

 America. The species are of easy culture, 

 but are not much known to cultivation. 



Poly'gonum. From poly, many, and gonu, a 

 joint or knee ; referring to the numerous joints 

 of the stem. Nat. Ord. Polygonacexp.. 



A very extensive and widely-distributed 

 genus of hardy plants, many of which 

 may be properly classed as weeds. P. hydro- 

 piper is our well-known Smart Weed. P. 

 orientale is the Ragged Sailor or Prince's 

 Feather of the old gardens, which has escaped 

 from the garden in some places and estab- 

 lished itself in the fields. P. cuspidatum (syn. 

 P. Sieboldii) and P. sachalinense, both hardy 

 perennial sorts, are very ornamental, especially 

 when grown as isolated specimens. P. fili- 

 forme variegata, is also a favorite hardy sort, 

 its large, drooping, oblong leaves being finely 

 splashed or marbled with pale green and 

 yellow. It is a comparatively late introduc- 

 tion from Japan. P. amplexicaule \ar. oxyphyl- 

 lum, happily named the "East Indian Moun- 

 tain Fleece," a native of the Himalaj^as, intro- 

 duced about 1879, forms a beautiful spreading 

 bush about thi-ee feet high, with cordate, 

 lanceolate leaves, and very numerous small 

 white flowers arranged in axillary and termi- 

 nal panicled racemes. The beautiful little 

 drooping basket plant known as P. coinplexum, 

 is now placed under Muehlenbeckia, which 

 see. P. capitakim is a charming little annual 

 of a spreading habit, with oval grayish-green 

 leaves, with a dark blotch in the centre of 

 each, and numerous globose heads of pink 

 flowers. P. alpinum, a native of the Swiss 

 Alps, grows three to four feet high, with an 

 abundance of pure white flowers, very ser- 

 viceable when quantities of cut flowers are in 

 request. Several other species are in cultiva- 

 tion and are much esteemed for their hardi- 

 ness, graceful habit, and general useful quali- 

 ties. Propagated by division or by seeds. 



Poly'mnia. A genus of Compositm, comprising 

 about a dozen species of rather coarse look- 

 ing plants with yellow flowers, natives of 

 America. Several of the species are much 

 used for sub-tropical gardening in England. 

 P. edulis is cultivated in the Andean region 

 for the sake of its edible tubers. 



Polymo'rphous. Where a part of, or an entire 

 species, is subject to considerable diversity 

 of form ; assuming various forms. 



Polype'talous. Having many separate or dis- 

 tinct petals. 



Polypodia'ceae. A natural order of Ferns 

 comprising nearly all that are known, the 

 other orders, Marattiacece and Ophioglossacece., 

 being of very limited extent. Their chief 

 distinguishing peculiarity consists in the 

 presence of an elastic jointed ring nearly sur- 

 rounding the spore-cases, hence called Annu- 

 late Ferns, while the other two families. 



