170 



The Dictionary of Gardening, 



Plumbag'o — continued. 



P, rosea {r<i.sc).* Jf. rosy-seailot, Uin. to 2in. loiifi, axillary or 

 (liyp<»seil in lon<r, teriiiiTiai spikes ; calyx slightly-redilish ; 

 corolla tube slender, four times as long as the calyx. July. 

 I. lar^e, obhin^, attenuated and slightly obtuse above, shortly 

 cuneate at Vtaso, and attenuated into very short, aniplexii-aul, 

 exauriciilate petioles. Stem erect, teiete, slender, striated, simple 

 beneath, branched above. A. 2ft. Kast Indies, 1777. Stove 

 perennial, (li. M. 230.) cocciiiea i.s a sjdendid variety, with 

 larger, more lirightly-colnured flowers. (H. M. 5563.) 



P. scandens (climbing). Devir.s Herb ; Toothwort. fl. white, 

 disposed in Ioo.se, terminal, elongated spikes ; corolla tube twice 

 as long as the calyx. July. I. oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 

 acuminate, un Kliort petioles, amplexicaul at base. Stem some- 

 what climbing, slender, striateil, much branched. It. 3ft. West 

 Indies, 1699. Stove shrub. SVN. /'. occidcntaliJt. 



P. zeylanica((.'iiigalese). Jl. white, clisposed in elongated, rather 

 dense sjiiki's ; c(ir<d]a tube twic^e as long as tlie calyx. June. 

 I. ovate nr nldniig. stii^htly acute, very shortly and abruptly 

 attenuated into an amidexicaul, short petiole. Stem somewhat 

 climbing, angular-striate, much l)ranched. h. lift. East Indies, 

 1731. Stove .shrub. (B. R. 1846, 23.) 



PLUM, CHERRY. See Prunus cerasifera. 



PLUM, COCOA. See Chrysobalanus Icaco. 



PLUM CURCUIiIO. See remarks on Insects 

 under Plum. 



PLUM, DATE. Sec Diospyros. 



PLUMERIA (named in honour of CharleH Plnmier, 

 IGUl- 17011, a French traveller and writer on botany). 

 Syn. Himatanthus. <_»rd. Apocynacew. A rather lar^e 

 genus (about forty species have been described) of 

 glabrous or pubescent stove trees, with thickish branches, 

 natives of tropical America. Flowers white, yellowish, 

 or rose-purple, largo, in terminal cymes. Leaves alter- 

 nate, often on long petiole.s, penniveined. The species 

 thrive best in a compost of sandy loam and fibry peat. 

 Propagated, in spring, by cuttings of ripe shoots, inserted 

 in sand, under a handlight. Very few species are now 

 in cultivation. 



Fig. 207. Flowering Branciilet of Plumeria tricolor. 



P. acuminata (acuminate). A synonym of P. acvtifoUa. 



P. acutifolia (pointed-leaved).* .//. pink outside and white within, 



very fragrant, in compoiuul, spreading cymes. June ti» Septem- 



ber. t. scattered, lanceolate, acuminated, glabrous, flat. h. 20ft. 



Naturalised in India, Ac, 1790. (IJ. M. 3952; B. R, 114.) Syn. 



P, acuminata. 



P. bicolor (two-coloured). Jf. white, with a yellow throat, a very 

 long, thick, incurved tube, and obovate-oblong, oblique segments ; 

 peduncles thickened at top, cnryndjose. July. l. lanceoiate- 

 oblong, with revnlute edges, acuminated, 1ft. long. h. 15ft. West 

 Indies, 1733. (B. R. 480.) 



P. Jameson! (Jameson's). Jl., corolla large, hypocrateriform ; 

 tube long, yellow, deeply thiged with red ; limb of five rich 

 yellow segments; peduncles terminal, 9in. to 12in. long; pedicels 

 red. July. L mostly confined to the tips of the branches, large, 

 broadly-oblong, on rather long, nearly terete petioles (furrowed 

 on the upper side), attenuated at base, acuminated at the ex- 

 tremity, h. 4ft. Guaya<iuil. (B. M. 4751.) 



Plumeria — continued. 



P, Kerii (Ker's). A synonym of P. tricolor. 



P. Lambertlana (Landiert's). Jl. white, with a yellow throat, 

 ;iri(l Ino.id rlumibnid, obtuse segments. May to August. /. ob- 

 long, acuminated, Hat. fi. 10ft. Mexico. 1824. This differs from 

 /'. trirulnr in having larger, inodorous flowers, and in the seg- 

 ments being broader and rounder. (B. E. 1378.) 



P. lutea (yellow-flowered).* .//. very sweet-scented ; corolla 4i!i. in 

 diameter; lubes very pale pink, with a broad, pale golden- 

 yellow biuse ; tube hairy witliin ; cymea terminal, sul)-umbellate, 

 about as long as the leaves. June. L crowdeii at the ends of 

 the l>ninches, spreading, Sin. to IBin. long, narrowly oblong- 

 obovate, tapering into the sLout petiole, sub-acute. Branches 

 and brauchlets stout, scarred, h. 10ft. to 20ft. Peru. 1869. 

 (li. M. 5779.) 



P, rubra (red).* Frangipani-plant. Jl. red, crowded in fascicles, 

 with a pilose throat, and oblifjuely ubovateoblong segments, 

 which are rounded at the apex ; peduncles elong.ited. July. 

 I. obovate-oblong, acute, with flat edges, h. 12ft. to 20ft. .Tamaica, 

 1690. (B. M. 279; B. R. 780.) 



P. tricolor (three-coloured). Jl., corolla witli a yellow throat, 

 wliite above the yellow part, and red roiiud the margins of the 

 segments ; peiluncles ternnnal, cyniose. July to Octolier. I. ob- 

 ovate-oblong, tapering at i>oth ends, entire, h. 15ft. 1815. 

 See Fig. 207. (11. R. 510.) SVN. /'. Kcni. 



P. tuberculata (warty ■ stemmed). Jf. white, scentless ; 

 peduncles axillary, mucli shorter than the leaves, many- 

 tiowered. August I. coriaceous, narrow-obluug, obtuse, taper- 

 ing a little w;iy into the petioles, downy beneath. Branihes 

 tub.-iculate. li. 6ft. St. noun"ng.>, 1812. (L. B. V. 681.) 



PIiUH, GINGERBREAD. See Parinarium 

 macrophyllum. 

 PLUM, MAIDEN. See Comocladia. 



PLUMOSE. Feathery, as tiie pappu.s of Thistles. 



PLUM SLUG. See Slug^orms. 



PLUM TORTRIX. See Plum (Insects). 



PLUM WEEVILS. See Plum (Insects). 



PLURI. Used in composition, this term signifies 

 many or several, e.g., Plurilocular, many-celled. 



PLURIDENS. A synonym of Bidens. 



PLUSIA. A genns of Noctuidce, the larvie of some 

 of which do considerable injury to cultivated plants. The 

 British species vary between l:jin. and l','in. in spread of 

 wing-s, and they almost all possess shining metallic, 

 silvery, or golden spots and markings on the rather 

 pointed front wings. The thorax and abdomen bear 

 crests of hair-like scales. The moths generally fly during 

 the day ; when at rest, the wings are held like a roof 

 over the hinder part of the body. The larvae are rather 

 slender, tapering markedly towards the head, which 

 is small ; they have six true legs in front, but only six 

 prolegs, being the last three pairs of the five usually 

 present in larvie of Noctuce. Owing to the absence of the 

 front prolegs, they "loop" in walking, like Geometer 

 larvEB. When full-fed, they spin loose cocoons among 

 dead leaves, or on the food-plants, and in these become 

 black pupte. Two, or even more, broods may be hatched 

 in a year. 



The larvje of several species feed on Groundsel, Nettles, 

 and other low weeds, and may at times devour cultivated 

 plants along with these ; but the only species that is really 

 dangerous to garden and field produce is P. Gamma, the 

 too well-known Silver Y, or Gamma Moth. The larva 

 of the moth is, indeed, one of the worst pests at times, 

 alike in the garden and in the field. The moths may 

 be seen, from June to the end of October in some years, 

 flying in the bright sunshine, and not less in the twilight ; 

 nor do they cease to fly even at night. Frequently, they 

 swarm in myriads in hay-fields, among Turnips, in gardens, 

 and, in fact, everywhere. Some idea of the form, size, 

 and markings, may be obtained from Fig. 208, in which, 

 however, the characteristic silvery mark on the front 

 wings, like the Greek letter gamma (y), or the letter y, 

 is not well shown. It is plainest in the left wing near 

 the middle. The front wings are grey or violet-grey, 

 marbled with warm brown, which is darkest in a lozenge- 

 shaped patch on the inner margin ; in this patch lies 



