498 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



WOR 



are not emitted, then there is yet danger of 

 the plants failing. 



■Worm Grass. See Spigelia. 



"Wo'rmia. Named in honor of O. Wormius, a 

 Danish naturalist. Nat. Ord. Dilleniacem. 



A genus of very showy trees, some of them 

 growing to a very large size, natives of the 

 Malayan Peninsula, Ceylon, Australia and 

 Madagascar. W. Burbridgei, from Borneo, 

 the finest species yet in cultivation, has broad, 

 handsome leaves, contracted and decurrent, 

 into a very broad petiole, which expands, and 

 is amplexicaul at the base. The pale, golden 

 yellow flowers are three inches in diameter, 

 borne on a simple peduncle two to four inches 

 long. It is much valued also for its excellent 

 timber, which bears some resemblance to 

 Oak. Syn. Lenidia. 



Worms or Caterpillars. Popular names for 

 Scorpiurus vermiculata. 



Worm Seed. The seed of Chenopodium anthel- 

 minticum. The utricle which surrounds the 

 seed contains a volatile oil, which is con- 

 sidered a worm-destroying medicine. 



Wormvyood. See Artemisia. 



Wri'ghtia. Palay or Ivory Tree. Named after 

 William Wright, a Scotch physician and bot- 

 anist. Nat. Ord. ApocynaceiE. 



A genus consisting of shrubs or small, 

 sometimes scandent and eerial-rooting trees, 

 natives of the eastern hemisphere, ranging 

 from Silhet to Nepal and western Australia. 

 Flowers red, white or yellow, in teu-niinal 

 or sub-axillary, sessile cymes. W. tinctoria 

 furnishes an inferior kind of indigo, and the 

 wood, which is pure white, close-grained and 

 ivory-like, is highly valued for turning, car- 

 ving and inlaying. They grow well in a com- 

 post of loam and leaf-mould and are readily 

 increased by cuttings. 



Wulfe'nia. Named in honor of F. X. Wulfen, 

 a botanical author. Nat. Ord. Scrophulari- 



XAN 



A small genus of perennial herbs with thick 

 rhizomes, natives of the mountains of central 

 Europe and Asia. They are well adapted for 

 the rock-garden or flower-border, their beauti- 

 ful blue flowers being very ornamental when 

 in full blossom. W. Carinthiaca is a remark- 

 ably dwarf, almost stemless, evergreen herb, 

 twelve to eighteen inches high, bearing, in 

 summer, showy spikes of purplish-blue, 

 drooping flowers. It is found only on one or 

 two mountains in Carinthia. W. Amherstiana, 

 from the Himalayas, is another very showy, 

 perfectly hardy species, growing freely in any 

 position in the rock-garden, but preferring a 

 shady spot and a light, rich soil. They re- 

 quire to be protected by a frame in winter, 

 and are propagated by division or seeds. 



Wu'lffia. Named in honor of John C. Wulff, 

 author of "Flora Borussica. " Nat. Ord. 

 ComposilOR. 



A small genus of tropical American perennial 

 herbs, with yellow or orange-yellow flowers. 

 W. maculata, the only species introduced, is of 

 easy culture in any light soil, and may be in- 

 creased by seeds or by division. 



Wu'rmbea. Named in honor of F. Van Wurmb, 



Secretary to the Academy of Sciences at 

 Batavia. Nat. Ord. MelanthacecB. 



A genus of bulbous or tuberous green-house 

 plants, natives of southern Africa and Aus- 

 tralia. W. campanulata, the best known spe- 

 cies, and its varieties are very showy and in- 

 teresting when in flower. They succeed well 

 in a compost of sandy peat and loam, and are 

 easily increased by seeds or by offsets. 



"Wych Elm. Ulmus montana. 



Wye'thia. Named after N. B. Wyeth, the dis- 

 coverer of this genus in northwestern Amer- 

 ica. Nat. Ord. Coviponitce. 



A genus of hardy, perennial plants, of 

 Avhich W. angvstifolia is the only species of 

 interest. None of them ai'e of any horticul- 

 tural interest. 



X. 



Xanthi'sma. From xanthisma, yellowness ; 

 alluding to the color of the flowers. Nat. 

 Ord. CompositcB. 



X. Texanum, the only species, is a showy, 

 hardy annual or biennial, with heads of bright 

 yellow flowers. Seeds may be sown in the 

 open border in April. Syn. Centaur idium. 

 Xa'nthium. From xanthos, yellow ; the plants 

 were formerly used by the Greeks to dye their 

 hair. Nat. Ord. ComjwsitcB. 



A genus of coarse-growing, annual plants, 

 principally weeds ; of no horticultural value. 

 Zantho'ceras. The only species, X. sorbifolia, 

 is a low-growing tree, a native of the moun- 

 tains of northern China, belonging to the 

 natural order SapindacecB, 



It is a beautiful tree, with leaves resem. 

 bling those of Pyrus Aucuparia; the flowers 

 white, with a purple eye, and a yellow spot at 

 the base of each petal. It is still very rare in 

 gardens. 



Xanthorhi'za. (Some adopt the orthography 

 Xanthorrhiza, following the analogy of Xan- 

 thorrcea, etc.) Yellow Root. From xanthoa^ 

 yellow, and rhiza, a root ; the roots being of 

 a deep yellow color. Nat. Ord. Ranunculor 

 cece. 



X. apifolia, the only known species, is an in- 

 teresting, half-hardy, evergreen shrub, with 

 pretty, dark-purple flowers in early spring. It 

 is common along the mountains from Florida 

 northward. It is propagated by suckers. 



