An Encyclopedia of Horticulture. 



G5 



AmomTun — continued. 

 A. Granum Faradisi."^ (Jrains of Pannlise. fl. white, tinged 



with yellow ami rose. /. elliptic-lanceulatt!. loiig-poiiitt'd. Steins 



veiv 11(1 at Itase. ami dull purpli.sli-ied al>uve fioiii the kmj,', 



&he*athiii;jt leafsialks. h. 3ft. West Africa. 

 A. Melegueta (Melegueta).* Grains of Paratlise. Jl. pale pink, 



suhtary, « ith an orhicidar, irregularly toothed lip. May. t. 



narrnw, linear-elliptic, distichous, sessile, h. 1ft. to 2ft. »Sierra 



Leoue, 1869. Uabit creeping. 

 A. sceptrum (sceptre). Ji. bright rose purple, larse, sub-erect ; 



thi' must ruiispi.'iiniis portion is the lii), whicli is 2',in. indianietor; 



Hower-Map.s Clin, liinli. January. I. narrow, ohlnn^-Ianccolate. 



h. 5ft. to Ot't. Old Calabar, 1863. 

 A. vitellinum (yolk-of-egj;-coloured). Jl. yellow; Up oblong:, 



obtuse, tootticd ; spike oblonn', sessile, rather loo.so. April 



l. oval. /(. 2ft. East Indies, 1846. Plant stendess, glabrous. 



AMORPHA (from a, not, and tnorithe, form ; incom- 

 plete formatiun of the .flowers). Bastard Indigo. Ord. 

 Lp(juininoscc. A handsome g-enus of hardy deeiduoiis shrub.s 

 with very graceful impari-pinnate leaves, and many pairs of 

 leaflets, which are tull of pellucid dots. Racemes spicate, 

 elong-ated, usually in fascicles at the tops of tlio branches ; 

 corolla without wings and keel ; vexillum or standard 

 ovate, concave. They are well adapted for small shrub- 

 beries, requiring a sheltered situation, and thrive well 

 in common garden soil. Increased by layers, or cuttings, 

 taken off at a joint, and planted in a sheltered situa- 

 tion early in autumn ; these should bo allowed to remain 

 undisturbed till the following autumn. Amorphas produce 

 an abundance of suckers, from which they may bo readily 

 propagated. 



A, canescens (hnarvV* Tlic T,ea<l Plant, ff. dark Ithie. Jnlv. 

 /.. leatlrts ..vate elliptic, niiicn.Tiate. h. 3ft. Missouri, 1812. 

 Wlu.le plant cluthe.l with hoary liairs. 



A. fruticosa (shrubby).* The False Indigo. Jl. very dark 

 bluish purple. June. ^..leaflets elliptic-oblong; lower ones dis- 

 tant fioiu the stem. /(. 6ft. (.'arolina. 1724. Sliruli glabrous, or 

 a little villous. There are several varieties, having mncronate, 

 emarginate, or narrower leaflets, but all with purple Hnwers. A 

 host of names, representing the merest forms of A.Ji-iitlcomf are 

 to he found in nurserymen's catalogues. Amongst theui are: 

 caroiiniani, crocea, rrocea-lanata, dealbata, Jra-iram, filibra, her- 

 hircfa, nnnn, puhe-.-' ens, Ac. These (.lifter so slightly from the type 

 and from each otiier, that it is impossible to distinguish them. 



AMORFHOFHAIiLUS (from (imorphos, deformed, 

 and plutUoa, a mace ; alluding to the inflorescence). Syn. Py- 

 thiuii. Including PruteinopliallaK. Ord. Aroidew {Aracece). 

 A very remarkable genus, closely allied to Artiniy but dis- 

 tinguished therefrom by '" their spreading, not convolute, 

 spatiies ; by their anthers opening by pores, not by longitu- 

 <linal slits ; by the numerous cells to the ovary ; and by the 

 solitary, erect ovules, those of Arum being horizontal." 

 A soil consisting of two-thirds good rich loam, with the 

 additional third of sweet manure, thoroughly rotted, siiits 

 them well. Other essentials are plenty of pot room, a 

 genial atmosphere, and a temperature ranging from 55deg. 

 to G5deg., or even VOdeg. They require to be kept dry, 

 and warm in winter, as nothinn- is more fatal to them than 

 cold or damp. Beneath a shelf or stage in the stove is an 

 excellent spot for them, or they may bo stored in sand, 

 and kept free from frost. They are ditHcult to increase ; 

 the corms of most of them are of great size, and rarely 

 make offsets. Efforts should consequently be made to 

 induce the plants to seed whenever practicable. All the 

 species are strikingly effective in sub- tropical bedding. 

 For fertilising and growth of seedlings, see Arum. 

 A. campanulatus (bell-shaped).* Sinnlar to ,4. It i rim', but the 

 Mowers are brown, red, and black, and the scai)e is neither so 

 stout nor so tall. /(. 2ft. Imha, 1817. Svn. Arum campaiuUatuin. 

 A. grandls (large). it., srathe green, white inside; spadix 



purjilish. h. 3ft. Java, 1865. Utove species. 

 A. Lacourii (Lacour's).* I. pedatisect, the ultimate s -p nients 

 laucL-ohite, yellow-spotted; petioles transversely mottled with 

 y.-llow markings. Cochin China. 1879. (ireenhouse. The correct 

 nauu! of tbis species is Psi'uUodracoiitiain Lacinirii. 

 A. nivosus. Scu Dracontlum asperum. 

 A. Rivieri (Uivier's).* Ji., spadix, spathe, and scape, reaching 

 3ft. or more in height, appearing hehire the leaves; scape stout 

 and strong, nf a deep green colour, speckled or dotted with rose ; 

 spadix projecting, deep red ; spathe of a rosy-green colcnn-. 

 March to May. L solitary, decompound, 40in. to 50iU. across, on 



Amorph ophallus — continued. 



tall marbled petioles. Cochin China. Perhaps the most useful 

 species. Syn. ProteinophaUxis lUvieri. See Kig. 78. 



Fig. 78. AMOiiruoriiAi.n'S Rivir.m, Foliage and Inflorescence. 

 A. Titanum (Titan's).* fl, spadix 5ft. high, black purple ; spathe 

 nearly 5ft. in diameter, 'canipanulate in shape, with patent and 

 deeply toothed edges. The deeper portion of the interior is pale 

 greenish, but the lindi is of a bright black purple hue ; the outside 

 is pale green, smooth in the lower portion, but thickly corrugated 

 and crisp above; scape about l.Ut. long, green, marked with 

 small whitish orbicular spots. /. the divided l>]ade covers an area 

 of 45ft. in circumference. West Sumatra, 1878. As will be seen 

 from the above, this extraordinary plant i.s of gigantic propor- 

 tions, and, in size of the flowers, i-clip>ing nearly all others in the 

 vegetable kmgdom. SVN. Ci»i>>ii/iiillus THaui'in. 



AMOKFHOUS. Without deflnite form. 

 AMFEIiOFSIS (from ampelos, a vine, and opsis^ 

 resemldaneo ; rescndiling- the Grape Vine in habit, and to 

 which it is closely allied). Syn. Quinaria. Ord. Ampe- 

 lidete. A genus nearly allied to Vitis. Calyx slightly five 

 toothed ; petals concave, thick, expanding before they fall ; 

 disk none. Fast growing and ornamental climbing, hardy 

 deciduous shrubs, of very easy culture in common garden 

 soil. Cuttings, having- a good eye, may bo taken in Sep- 

 temher, and pricked either under haudlights in sandy soil 

 on the open border, or in pots stood on the stage or shelf in 

 a greenhoiise ; they root readily, and will be fit for trans- 

 planting early in the spring. Or cuttings made from the 

 young soft wood, expressly grown for the purpose, in spring, 

 root freely in gentle heat. This applies especially to 

 A. iricuspidata. They are also easily increased by layers. 

 Most of the species will tiirive with equal vigour in almost 

 any position, however exposed. 



A. aconitifolia (Aconite-leaved).* /. palniisect, with pinnntitid 

 segments. China, 1868. A sleniler antl very elegant free-growing 

 species, with long reddish branches. 'J'hcre are two or more 

 varieties. SvNS. A. lucida, A. triloba, A. tripartita, and Vitis 

 disuccta. See Fig. 79. 

 A. bipinnata (hipinnate). /. green, small ; raceme stalked, twice 

 hitid. Berries globose. June. /. bipinnatc, smooth ; leaflets deeply 

 lobed. h. 10ft. Virginia, 1700. 

 A. hederacea (ivy-leaved). Synonymous with A. guinqu-efolia. 

 A. japonica (Japanese). Synonymous with A. tricunpldata. 

 A. lucida (shining). Synonymous with A. aconitifolia. 

 A. napiformis (turnipdike).* (h-eenish. China, 1870. See Fig. 80. 

 A. quinquefolia (flve-leaved).* Virginian Creeper. Jl. greenish- 

 purple ; raceme coryndjose. .June. /. palmate, with three anil five 

 leatlets, smo<itli <in botli surfaci's; leaflets stalked, obloug-acumi- 

 nated, nmcronately toothed ; autumnal tint red. ISorth America, 

 16^. iSVN. A. hcderacca. 



