394 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



SAN 



grown under glass with artificial lieat, has 

 very little of the fragrance for which the spe- 

 cies is remarkable. 

 Santoli'na. Lavender Cotton. From sanctus, 

 holy, and linum, flax ; in allusion to its medic- 

 inal qualities. Nat. Ord. Compositm. 



A genus of dwarf evergreen shrubs, natives 

 of the south of Europe. S. CliamcecyparUi8us, 

 var. incana, is a valuable bedding plant and 

 particularly useful in ribbon borders. Its 

 slender, twig-like growths and knotty leaves 

 are densely covered with silvery tomentum, 

 contrasting finely with plants of dark foliage. 

 It is readily incrnased by cuttings. 



Saiivita'lia. Named after the Sanvitale Family, 

 of Parma. Nat. Ord. ComposiiaB. 



S. procumbens is a beautiful little Mexican 

 annual, well adapted from its dwarf and com- 

 pact habit of growth for covering a bed in a 

 flower-garden. The flowers are large in pro- 

 portion to the size of the plant and are of a 

 rich brown and yellow color. It is quite hardy, 

 and only requires sowing in March or April in 

 the open border. Introduced in 1798. 



Sapinda'ceae. A large natural order of trees or 

 shrubs, sometimes climbing, and very rarely 

 almost herbaceous, dispersed over the whole 

 globe, but more numerous in tropical regions. 

 There are over seventy genera distributed into 

 five tribes, or sub-orders, as follows : Sapin- 

 decB, Acerinece, DodonauE, Meliantheoe and Sta- 

 phylew ; comprising six to seven hundred 

 species. Several produce edible fruits and 

 others furnish timber. Well-known genera 

 are Acer, Cardiospermum, Paullinia, ^aculus, 

 MelianthuH, Cupania, etc. 



Sapi'ndus. The typical genus of SapindacecB, 

 consisting of trees and shrubs, found in both 

 hemispheres, mostly within the limits of the 

 tropics. The species are of botanical and 

 economic interest only, the fruits of several 

 being used in the tropics as a substitute for 

 soap, their outer covering or shell containing 

 a saponaceous principle in sufficient abundance 

 to produce a lather with water. Their exces- 

 sively hard, round, black seeds are used for 

 making rosaries, bracelets, buttons, etc., and 

 a medicinal oil is extracted in India from those 

 of <S'. emarginuta. 



Sapodi'Ua or Sapotilla Plum. Sapota Achras. 

 The West Indian Sapodilla-wood yielded by 

 this tree is a fancy wood used for furniture. 



Sapona'ria. Soapwort. Bouncing Bet. From 

 .sapo, soap ; the bruised leaves of S. officinalis 

 form a lather-like soap when agitated in water. 

 Nat. Ord. Caryophyllacece. 



A genus of hardy annuals and herbaceous 

 perennials, mostly natives of Europe. One 

 species, S. ocymoides deserves for its neat 

 habit, and the profusion with which it bears 

 its pretty pink flowers in summer, to be culti- 

 vated in every garden. It is a trailing plant, 

 and therefore suitable for rock-work, the front 

 of the borders or for small beds ; and being 

 at the same time quite hardy, and not partic- 

 ular as to soil or situation, it is well adapted 

 for suburban gardens. The double variety of 

 S. officinalis is also a showy plant of the easi- 

 est management, and continues to produce 

 its numerous flesh-colored flowers from June 

 to November. This species has become nat- 

 uralized, until, notwithstanding its beauty, it 



SAR 



has in some places become troublesome as a 

 weed. 



Sapo'ta. Bully-tree. Sapodilla or Sapotilla 

 Plum ; the native name. Nat. Ord. SapotacecB. 

 S. Achras is a native of the West Indies and 

 Central America, where it forms a tree from 

 ten to fifty feet in height. It produces a very 

 luscious fruit resembling an apple in shape ; 

 much esteemed in the West Indies, but those 

 that have ripened in cultivation have been 

 little esteemed. The bark and seeds have 

 medicinal properties. Syn. Achras Sapota. 



Sapota'ceae. A natural order of trees and 

 shrubs, chiefly tropical or sub-tropical, with 

 the juice frequently milky, and alternate, un- 

 divided, coriaceous leaves. " Several species 

 are useful to man. The fruits of Lucuma 

 mammosa (the Marmalade of the West Indies) 

 are a very agreeable food, as are those of 

 Sapota Achras, and various species of Chryso- 

 phyllum which are much sought after in the 

 Antilles ; those of Bassia and Imhricaria are 

 also edible. Other genera, both Asiatic and 

 African (Sideroxylon, Argania, etc.), are em- 

 ployed for building purposes on account of the 

 hardness of the wood, whence the name Iron- 

 wood. There are over twenty genera in the or- 

 der and over three hundred species; the follow- 

 ing are good examples : Chrysophyllum, Ison- 

 andra, Lucuma, Bumelia and Mimvsopa." — Le 

 Maout and Decaisne. 



Sapucaya Nut. See Lecythis. 



Sap "Wood. The new wood of an exogenous 

 stem. 



Sara'ca. Said to be from Sarac, the native 

 name. Nat. Ord. Leguminosce. 



A small genus of shrubs or trees, natives of 

 tropical America. The species are but little 

 known and are generally included under 

 Jonesia. 



Sara'cha. Named in honor of Isidore Saracha, 

 a Benedictine Monk, who sent many rare 

 plants to the Royal Gardens at Madrid. Nat. 

 Ord. SolanaceoR. 



A genus of hardy or green-house herbs, 

 natives of western America from Bolivia to 

 Mexico. S. Stapelioides and S. ujnbellata are 

 hardy annuals, with yellow or cream-colored 

 flowers, thriving in ordinary garden soil from 

 seeds sown in the open border, 



Sarca'nthus. From sarx, flesh, and anthos, a 

 flower; in allusion to the fleshiness of the 

 flowers. Nat. Ord. Orchidacece. 



A genus of epiphytal Orchids, natives of 

 China and the East Indies. The flowers are 

 mostly small but rather showy. S. erinacetis 

 is a beautiful species with pink and white 

 flowers, the lip with purple markings pro- 

 duced freely on drooping spikes. There 

 are several species under cultivation. They 

 succeed best when grown in wooden baskets 

 with sphagnum moss, and require plenty 

 of heat and copious waterings. During the 

 season of rest they may be kept in a cool house 

 and given but very little water. 



Sarcoca'pnus. From sarx, sarchos, flesh, and 

 Kapnos, the Greek name for Fumitory; in 

 allusion to the fleshy leaves. Nat. Ord. Pa- 

 pavaracecB. 



A small genus of hardy, dwarf, tufted pe- 

 rennials, natives of the Spanish Peninsula and 

 North Africa. S. eneaphylla, the only species 

 introduced, has yellow flowers marked with 



