An Encyclopedia of Horticulture. 



149 



FISONIA (named in honour of Willem Piso, of Amster- 

 dam, an eminent physician and writer on natural history, 

 who died in lt>48). Stns. Cali>idin, Ceodei^, Culumella, 

 PalUivia, and Torntbia. Ord. Niicfuginea;. A genus con- 

 sisting of about sixty species of unarmed or rarely spiny, 

 glabrous or pubescent, erect or rarely sub-scandent, stove 

 or greenhouse trees and shrubs, mostly natives of tro- 

 pical America ; a few arc found in Asia and the Pacific 

 Islands, and six in the Masearenc Islands. Flowers 

 pink, greenish, or yellow, small, disposed in paniculate, 

 sub-sessile, or peduuculate cj'mes, two or three-bracteo- 

 late ; male perianth tultular- or infundibular-campanu- 

 late, female large and oblong ; limb of live short teeth 

 or lobes. Fruit a small or rather large, elongated 

 utricle. Leaves opposite or scattered, sessile or petio- 

 late, oblong, ovate, or lanceolate, entire. A few of the 

 species are known to cultivation, but they have very 

 little to recommeud them to gardeners. Those described 

 below thrive in well-drained loam. Propagation may 

 be easily effected by cuttings, inserted in similar soil. 



P. aculeata (prickly). West Indian Cockspuv. ji. greenish, 

 in small, dense t-ymes or globular clusters. March. Jr. in loose 

 cymes, often forming large pfinioles. I. opposite or here and 

 there alternate, petiolate, ovate, often liroacl, or rarely oblong 

 or lanceolate, obtuse, entire, rarely exceeding 3in., and often 

 less than 2in. bm^. h. 10ft. Tropics, 1806. A tall, woody, green- 

 house climbing shrub, often armed with stout, recurved, 

 axilhu\" prickles. 



P. grandis (j;rand). A synonym of J\ Incniiis. 



P. inermis (lUKnined). jl. greenish, collected in small cymes, 

 foniiiiiy, a tt-niiinal. rather corymbose iianicle, usually shortly 

 pedunevdate. March, l. petiolate, ovate or oblong, acuminate 

 or almost obtuse, rounded or narrowed at b;ise, often 6in. to Sin. 

 long. h. 10ft. Australia, 1806. A small, greenhouse tree. Syn. 

 r. [fraiulif,: 



P, obtusata (obtuse). Jl. greenish, shortly pe<licellate ; cymes 

 stalk*_-il, terniinal. April. I. obovate or obovate-oblong, rounded 

 at tlie tip. and tapering towanls the petiole, glabrous or pubescent. 

 /(. 4l't. \Ve>t Indies, 1824. Stove shrub. 



FISSOD£S. A small genus of beetles, included under 

 the large group of Weevils (CnvvHlionifhi). The species 

 arc few, and arc much alike in size and appearance. All 

 feed, both as larvae and as perfect insects, on coniferous 

 trees. An account of their ravages is given imder the 

 heading of Pine Weevils. 



PISTACHIO OR PISTACIA NUT-TREE. See 



Fistacia vera. 



PISTACIA (from Pistake, the old Greek name, used 

 by Theophrastus, and that from the Persian Pista). 

 Stn. Tei-ebinthuti:. Ord. Aiiacardiacece. A genus com- 

 prising half-a dozen species of hardy, small-growing 

 trees, five of which are natives of the Mediterranean 

 region, from Western Asia to the Canary Islands, and 

 the sixth Mexican. Flowers small, apetalous, dicecious, 

 disposed in axillary panicles or racemes ; pedicels 

 bracteate at base. Fruit a one-seeded, dry drupe. 

 Leaves alternate, perennial or deciduous, trifoliolate or 

 pari- or impari-pinnate. P. Lentiscus, P. Terebinfhus, 

 and P. vera, are trees of great economic value. The 

 species in cultivation thrive best in a rich, deep, sandy 

 loam, and against a wall. Propagated by layers, or by 

 cuttings. 



P. atlantica (Atlantic), rf. in loose, panicled raceme:^ ; anthers 

 deep red, L impari-pinnate ; leaflets usually nine, tapering 

 to the base. lu 40ft. (.'anaries, 1790. Evergreen. 



P. Lentiscus (Lentiscus). Mastich-tree. jl green, on loose 

 racemes, which is,sue fmni the sides of the branches. Spring. 

 I. abruptly jiinnjite ; leaflets eight, lanceolate ; petioles winged. 

 /(. 20ft. South Europe, 1664. Evei'green. This plant yields the 

 drug known as "mastich." '(15. M. PI. 63.) The variety anfnttiti- 

 jolia has almost linear leaflets ; whereas in the form known 

 as Cilia they are ovate. 



P. Terebinthus (Terebinthus). Turpentine-tree. .rf. greenish, 

 disposed in large, compound panicles: anthers dull yellow; 

 stigmas crimson. June. I., leaflets usually numerous, ovate- 

 lanceolate, rounded at the base, acute and mucronate at the 

 apex. ft. 30ft. South Europe, 1656. Deciduous. The red hue 

 of the young leaves of this species is very beautiful. The resin, 

 the Chian or Cyprus turpentine, is obtained from this tree, 

 the liquid flowing from incisions made in the trunk. (II. M. PI. 69.) 



Pistacia — continued. 

 P. vera (true). Pistachio Nut-tree. Jl. brownish-green. .\pril. 

 //■. jiauicled, about lin. long, <»vate, with an oblicpie point, reddish. 

 /. pinnule ; leaflets ovate, tapering a little to the base, rather 

 mucronate at the apex. h. 20ft. Syria, 1770. Deciduous. 



PISTIA (probably Irom pistos, watery ; in reference 



to the habitat). SvNS. Apiof^pennani. Limnonesit,\ Zara. 

 Oku. Aroideit) {Ararcw). A monotypic genus. The 

 species is an ornamental, stove aquatic, requiring plenty 

 of heat. It increases rapidly, and often completely coats 

 tropical ponds and water-tanks with verdure, keeping 

 the water beneath fresh and cool. The plant floats on 

 the water, and sends down many long, feathery roots. 

 Each plant sends out several runners, and upon the ends 

 of these other similar plants are formed, which again 

 send out runners. 



P. Stratiotes (Stratiotes).* Tropical Dockweed ; Water Lettuce. 

 *l. greenish, very small, borne in little si)athes at the end of the 

 leaves, each spathe conUiining one male and one female flower 

 attached to an adnate spadix. I. wedge-shaped, slightly concave, 

 notciied or round topped, Sin. to Sin. long, of :i delicate pale pea- 

 green, covered with tine hairs. Tropics, 1843. (B. M. 4564 ; 

 E. .1. S. 625; L. J. F. 137.) 



FISTIIi. The female organ in flowers ; it consists of 

 ovary, style, stigma, and ovules, or at least of ovary 

 and stigma. 



FISTORINIA. Included under Cotyledon (which 

 see). 



FISUM (the old Latin name, used by Virgil, akin to 

 tho Greek Pison). Pea. Ord. Legiiminosw. A genus 

 comprising only a couple of species of diffuse or climb- 

 ing, hardy, annual liorbs, one of which is much cultivated, 

 and is here and there naturalised, in the Mediterranean 

 regio.i and in Western Asia, and the other is a native 

 of tie Taurian Mountains. Flowers purple, rose, or white, 

 showy ; peduncles axillary, elongated, solitary or a few 

 racemose ; calyx lobes sub-equal, or the two upper ones 

 broader ; standard broadly obovate or sub-orbicular ; wings 

 falcate-oblong, longer than the keel. Pods compressed, 

 obliquely acute, bivalvod. Leaves pinnate ; common petiole 

 terminating in a bristle or tendril ; leaflets one to threo- 

 jugatc. P. eliitiits requires similar treatment to Iiathy- 

 rus (wliich ^ee). For culture, &c., of P. sativum, ^ee Pea. 



P. elatlus (tall). Jl. pale red, with the lamina of the wings dark 

 ]inrple ; pedimcles two-flowered, erect. longer than the leaves. 

 .Tune to September. /.. petioles terete, bearing six lanceohite- 

 olibmg leaflets; stipules rounded and crenated below. Stems 

 erect Ilieria. 1820. Climber. 



P. sativum (cultivated). .//. white or red ; peduncles two or many- 

 flowered. June to September. I., petioles terete, bearing three 

 pairs of ovate, entire, glaucous leaflets, with undulated margins, 

 usually opposite and mucronnlate ; stiimles ovate, somewhat 

 c<irdate, crenated at the base. South Europe. A climber, of 

 which there are several varieties, including arvense, hvmile 

 (Dwjirf Pea), iiiacvocarpuin, f/uadratmn, saccharaf urn {Hw^ar Ve'A), 

 and i>)nh.-llafi')n (Cniwn Pea). 



FITCAIRNIA (named after W. Pitcairn, a phy.sician, 

 of London). Syn. Hepetis. Including Nenmannia and 

 Pepinia. Ord. Bromeliacece. A genus comprising about 

 seventy species of stove perennial herbs, rarely shrubs, 

 generally stemless, with the leaves in a dense rosette ; 

 they are all natives of tropical America. Flowers red, 

 yellow, or whitish ; calyx with a short, obconical tube, 

 adnate to the base of the ovary, and three large, lan- 

 ceolate segments ; corolla of three Ungulate, unguiculate 

 petals, one and a-half to three times the length of the 

 sepals, usually with two minute scales at the base : 

 stamens six ; peduncle leafy, the proper leaves passing 

 gradually into bracts; inflorescence generally a simple 

 or panicled raceme, rarely a head or sub-spicate raceme. 

 Leaves linear or ensiform, rarely oblong, lepidote on the 

 hack, or green and naked on both surfaces, often prickle- 

 margined, especially towards the ba?e, sessile or nar- 

 rowed into a channelled petiole. All the species described 

 below are herbaceous i>erennials. except where otherwise 

 stated. For culture, see iCcliiuea and Billbergia. 

 The following enumeration of species is based on Mr. 



