330 



The Dictionary of Gardening, 



Roxbnrgfliiaceae — continued. 

 aphrodite, regular ; perianth of four sub-equal, petaloid, 

 biseriate, lobes or segments ; stamens four, affixed at 

 the base of the lobes or segments, or nearly bypo- 

 gynous ; filaments rather thick, free or connate in a ring 

 at the base ; peduncles axillary, filiform, one or loosely 

 few-fiowered, or densely many-flowered. Capsule at 

 length two-valved. Leaves alternate or scattered, petio- 

 lato, three to many-nerved, with thick, parallel, trans- 

 verse voinlets. The tuberous root of the species of 

 Slemona is candied in India. Ro^cbui'dltincetp comprises 

 only about eight species, which Bentham and Hooker 

 classify under three genera: Croomia, Stemona, and 

 Shiv]ione}iron. 



ROYAL FERN. See Osmunda regalis. 



ROYAI. PEACOCK FLOWER. See Foinciana 

 regfia. 



ROTEITA (named by Linnaius, in honour of Adrian 

 Van Royen ; he and his son David were successively pro- 

 fessors of Botany at Leyden). Obd. Ebenacece. A genus 

 comprising thirteen species of greenhouse shrubs or trees, 

 natives of tropical and southern extra-tropical Africa. 

 Flowers axillary, pedunculate, solitary or rarely few in 

 a fascicle or three to five in a cyme ; calyx five, rarely 

 four, parted or toothed ; corolla urceolate or campanu- 

 late, with five, rarely four, twisted, reflexed lobes. Fruit 

 globose, ovoid or oblong. Leaves sessile or shortly petio- 

 late. The species possess but little beauty. Several have 

 been introduced, but the two described below are the 

 only representatives of the genus which call for mention 

 here. They thrive in sandy loam. Propagation may be 

 effected by means of cuttings, which strike freely in 

 sand, under a bell glass. 



R, ludda (clear).* African Bladder Nut or Snowdrop-tree. /I. 

 wliite, solitary on axillary peilunules Jin. to lin. long ; corolla 

 five-tid. _ ,/>. red and fleshy when ripe, iin. to lin. in diameter. 

 /. elliptical or somewhat ovate, usually" pointed or apiculate at 

 apex, olitu.se or sub-.acute, rounded or cordate or very rarely nar- 

 rowed at base, iin. to 2!!n. lonR, iin. to P,in. broad, shining 

 above, on short petioles, /i. 5tt. to 12ft. 1690. (B. R. 1846, 40.) 



R. pallens (pale). Jl. white or yellowish ; peduncles u.sually nuich 

 longer than the flowers. .lune. ft: iin. to lin. in diameter, sub- 

 gloliose or ovoid. /. narrowly obovate-elliptic, obtuse or riirely 

 acute at apex, narrnweil ;it the base into a short petiole, silky, 

 especially beneatli. nr ulalirate, evergi'een, iin. to2in. long, ;m. ti> 

 :^in. wide. Branc-lies iiale or cinereous, silky-puliescent or' often 

 glalirescent. Ii. 4ft. to ISft. 1762. Syn. R. pubescens (B. R. 500). 



R. pubescens (pubescent). A synonym of R. pallens. 



ROTLEA (named in honour of John Forbes Boyle, 

 once superintendent of the Bot.anic Gardens at Saha- 

 rumpur, and Professor of Materia Mediea at King's Col- 

 lege, London). Ord. Lnbiatte. A monotypic genus. The 

 species is an interesting, erect, much-branched, green- 

 house, cinereous shrub, with obsoletely quadrangular, 

 spreading, paniculate branches. It will thrive in any 

 light, rich soil. Cuttings will root readily in similar soil, 

 if a glass be placed over them. 



R. ele^ans (elegant). Jl., whorls six to ten-flowered, loose ; calyx 

 over .ini. long, cano-pubescent ; corolla white, much diluted with 

 rose-colour. July. I. copious, petiolate, ovate, acute, loosely 

 sub-cordate, deeply and obtusely serrated, lin. to Uin. long, 

 green above, hoary beneath. Ii. 3ft. to 5ft. Himalayas", 1824. 



RUBBER FLANT, EAST INDIAN. A common 



name for Fint^ ftn.^iirn. 



RUBBER-TREE, AFRICAN. A common name 



for Lii nihil pliur. 



RUBESCENT. Beddish; toining red. 



RUBIA (from ruber, red ; alluding to the dye which 



is extracted from the plant). Madder. Ord. Riibiarea;. 

 A genus comprising about thirty species of mostly hardy 

 herbs, sometimes shrubby at the base, inhabiting mostly 

 temperate regions. Flowers small or minute, in axillary 

 and terminal cymes. Leaves in whorls of four or rarely 

 six, very rarely opposite and stipuled, sessile or petio- 



Rubia — continued. 

 late. The species are of no particular horticultural value. 

 P. peregrinn is a British evergreen. R. tinctoria is the 

 species which furnishes the valuable dye. 



RUBIACEiE. A large and important natural order 

 of erect, prostrate, or climbing trees, shrubs, or herbs, 

 mostly tropical and sub-tropical. Flowers hermaphro- 

 dite, rarely unisexual, usually regular and symmetrical, 

 variously disposed ; calyx tube adnate to the ovary, the 

 limb superior, obsoletely cup- like or tubular, entire, 

 toothed, or lobed ; corolla gamopetalous, infundibular, 

 hyi)Ocrateriform, campanulate, or rotate, rarely urceolate 

 or tubular, glabrous, pilose or villous within ; limb 

 equal, or very rarely unequal or bilabiate ; lobes valvate 

 in aestivation, rarely twisted or imbricated ; stamens as 

 many as the corolla lobes, very rarely fewer, inserted 

 in the throat or tube ; filaments short, elongated, or 

 wanting, very rarely monadelphous ; anthers usually two- 

 celled. Fruit a capsule, berry, or drupe, two to ten 

 (very rarely one) seeded. Leaves simple, opposite or 

 whorled, entire, very rarely obtusely crenate, serrated, 

 toothed, or pinnatifid-lobed : stipules various, persistent 

 or deciduous, simple, or bifid or two-parted, free or 

 connate with the petioles, or confluent in an axillary 

 sheath, entire, toothed, or bristly, very rarely leaf-like. 

 Among the economical products of Rubiacecr, coffee and 

 quinine take front rank : madder, a valuable dye, may 

 also be mentioned. The order comprises about 340 

 genera and 4100 species, many of which are well known 

 in gardens. Examples: Bouvardia, Cinchona, Gardenia, 

 Guettarda, Rondeletia. 



RUBICUND. Blushing ; turning rosy-red. 



RUBIGINOSE. Brownish rusty-red. 



RUBUS (the Boman name, kindred with ruber, red). 

 Bramble, &c. Including Coinarop.Hs (in part), Dalibarda. 

 Ord. Rosacem. A large genus (comprising, according to 

 Bentham and Hooker, probably about 100 distinct species) 

 of stove, greenhouse, or hardy, creeping herbs or gene- 

 rally sarmentose and prickly shrubs, broadly dispersed. 

 Flowers white or pink, disposed in terminal and axillary 

 panicles or corymbs ; calyx explanate, with a short, 

 rather broad, ebracteolate tube and five persistent lobes ; 

 petals five ; stamens numerous, very rarely definite ; 

 filaments filiform ; anthers didymous ; carpels numerous, 

 rarely few, inserted on a convex receptacle ; achenes 

 drupaceous, rarely dry. Fruit often edible. Leaves 

 scattered, alternate, simple, lobed, three to five-foliolate, 

 or impari-pinnato ; stipules adnate to the petioles. Among 

 the most important species of this extensive genus are the 

 following : R. Cha^na^monts (Cloudberry), R. fntticosus 

 (Blackberry) and K. /. cmsius (Dewberry), R. Idivus 

 (Baspberry), and B. occidentalis (Virginian Raspberry). 

 A selection of the best-known species is presented below. 

 Except where otherwise indicated, they are hardy, de- 

 ciduous shrubs. They succeed in almost any good garden 

 soil, and may be propagated by seeds, by layers, and by 

 covering the points of the shoots with soil. R. bifiuriiit 

 is very ornamental on a wall, because of its stems, 

 which appear as if they had been whitewashed. R. la- 

 ciniatus is a fine, free-growing, and ornamental subject for 

 planting in beds where it can be allowed to grow freely. 

 Of the common Bramble (R. fntticosus) there are several 

 varieties well worthy of being cultivated for their large 

 fruits, which are handsome and good, either raw, cooked, 

 or preserved. They are mostly of American origin, and 

 succeed well under similar culture to the Raspberry 

 (which see). The following are the best : Early Harvest, 

 medium-sized fruit, an immense cropper, very vigorous ; 



KiTTATINNY ; LawTON ; MaMMOTH ; PaRSLET-LEAVED ; 



Wilson, Jon., one of the finest and most prolific varieties, 

 new ; Wilson's Early, fruit large, early, plant very 

 productive. The common species itself bears immense 



