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HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



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by garden cultivation. Tliere are many who 

 think it finer than S. palmata, a species from 

 Japan, and not so recent as some think it is. 

 S. aruncus, the Goat's Beard, is a very showy 

 species found in rich woods on tlie Catskill and 

 Alleghany Mountains and westward. S. aslil- 

 boides is an exceedingly elegant species intro- 

 duced from Japan in 1880. It differs from S. 

 aruncus in its compact habit, smaller leaves, 

 and shorter spikes of flowers, which are of a 

 pure white, those of S. aruncus being greenish 

 or creamy colored. It is perfectly hardy and 

 may be grown to perfection in any ordinary 

 border of deeply tilled soil. S. ulmaria, with 

 white flowez's, is the Meadow Sweet, a native 

 of Britain. S. Jilipendula, also white, and a 

 native of Britain, is known as Drop Wort. S. 

 Japonica, sometimes called Astilbe and Hoteia 

 Japonica, and Astilba barbatn, though best 

 known here as Spiraea Japonica, is the most 

 useful of the genus. It belongs to the herba- 

 ceous division, forms a most beautiful, hardy, 

 border plant, about two feet in heigiat, with 

 branching spikes of pure white, feather-like 

 flowers. This species is most extensively 

 forced for winter flowers, and is one of the 

 plants most used for decoration at the Easter 

 holidays. Although it can be grown nearly 

 as well here as in Europe, still, at present the 

 demand for it is so great that our home-grown 

 stock has been altogether insufficient to meet 

 the demand, and probably 100,000 roots are 

 annually imported from England, Holland and 

 Germany. The roots best suited for pot 

 culture are those having a diameter of from 

 flve to six inches. These are potted in five 

 and six-inch pots in fall, and covered up so 

 that they do not freeze, but yet have no arti- 

 ficial heat. A dry, sheltered spot against a 

 south fence or wall is best ; then, covered with 

 ten or twelve inches of leaves, they can be got at 

 at any time during winter, and should be taken 

 into a cool house — say an average of 45° at 

 night — and watered sparingly until free inflica- 

 tions of growth are shown. When well rooted, 

 and the flower stems begin to show, they will 

 stand a higher temperature, but at no time 

 should it be higher than 5.5° at night, if the 

 best development of flower is desired. It is not 

 very easy to say what time it takes the plant 

 to be at its best flowering from the time it is 

 placed in the green-house ; hence it is best to 

 have them come in in succession. At an average 

 of 50° at night and ten degrees higher during 

 the day, from four to ten weeks will be required 

 to get the plant in full development of bloom. 

 A beautifully variegated-leaved variety of 

 S. Japonica was introduced into the United 

 States about 1865, from Japan, but it did 

 not take kindly to our hot and dry climate, 

 and has now nearly disappeared ; but we 

 believe, in the more congenial atmosphere of 

 Britain, it makes a beautiful plant, as, added 

 to its fine variegation, the flower spikes are 

 more dense and compact than in the plain- 

 leaved species. Another Spiraea, sent to the 

 United States some ten years ago from London 

 as S. palmata, is now well known, more from 

 the fact of its being sent out as new, and at a 

 A'ery high price, than as being of any special 

 merit in itself. The facts of the case are, that 

 ;S. palmata had been introduced into England 

 as early as 1822, and was to be found in every 

 herbaceous plant collection in Britain, of any 

 note. Some one had probably again found it 



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in its native habitat, had not known of its 

 long introduction, offered it as a new plant to 

 some not over-scrupulous or not too well-post- 

 ed nurseryman in London, and out it came 

 on us at "the modest price of half a guinea 

 apiece, and sickly little morsels at that, while 

 the sam^ plant was offered with the same name 

 in half-a-dozen catalogues at one-twentieth 

 the price. We never yet have been able to 

 understand this error, if error it was, as it 

 was virtually endorsed by a score of the lead- 

 ing nurserymen in England, by their offering 

 it as new in their catalogues, besides being 

 described and lauded in several of the leading 

 horticultural and botanical magazines in Eu- 

 rope, as well as in this country. Evidently 

 the botanist (?) who collected it was a tyro at 

 his work, or he would have known enough to 

 look up the genus, so as not to stumble on 

 some old name for his new-found bantling; 

 but this he evidently did not do ; for, if he had 

 looked up Loudon's Encyclopsedia of Plants, 

 or anj' other of the more recent works, he 

 would have seen that S. palmata was intro- 

 duced in 1822 ; and if he had carried his inves- 

 tigations further, he would have found that 

 his S. palm,ata was identical with that of 1822. 

 Our excuse for treating this matter at length 

 is, that many are not yet aware of the true 

 state of the case, and continue to import S. 

 palmata as a comparatively new plant, and yet 

 at a high price. We may state further, that 

 all the plants of this division of the genus 

 are unsuited to our hot, dry climate, unless 

 planted in partial shade. 



Spiral. Twisted like a screw. 



Spiranthe'ra. From speira, a spiral, and an- 

 thera, an anther; alluding to the spiral an- 

 thers. Nat. Ord. Rutacem. 



S. odoratissima, the only described species, 

 is a very handsome flowering, sweet-scented, 

 glabrous, evergreen shrub, introduced from 

 Brazil in 1823. It succeeds well in a compost 

 of peat and loam, and is propagated by cut- 

 tings of the half-ripened wood. 



Spira'nthes. Lady's Tresses. From speira, a 

 spiral, and anthos, a flower ; in allusion to the 

 spiral manner in which the flowers are ar- 

 ranged. Nat. Ord. Orchidacece. 



A genus of terrestrial Orchids, numbering 

 about fifty species. Some require green- 

 house treatment, and others are perfectly 

 hardy, herbaceous plants. All the species are 

 vei-y pretty, but not of sufficient merit to 

 warrant their introduction into the green- 

 house. Of the hardy species, several are in- 

 digenous in the Middle States, three or four 

 being found on Long Island. The flowers 

 are small and white, produced on a spirally- 

 twisted spike, by which the genus is easily 

 recognized. S. cernua, a pretty, native spe- 

 cies, is very variable in size, foliage, etc. ; the 

 common form, with pure white, sweet-scented 

 flowers, is common in wet places in Septem- 

 ber and October. 



Spire Lily. A common name for Hyadnthus 

 {Galtonia) candicans. 



Spirone'ma. From speira, spiral, and nema, a 

 filament; alluding to the spirally-twisted 

 bundles of vessels containing the filaments. 

 Nat. Ord. Commelinacece. 



S. fragrans, the only species described, is a 

 robust growing perennial herb, more < urious 



