100 



The Dictionary of Gardening, 



Apricot — continued. 



Moorpark.*^ The sort most generally gro\vn ; large, handsome, 

 and of excellent quality. Colour brownish-orange ; flesh rich, 

 juicy, and sweet. It is one of the best and most useful sorts in 

 cultivation. 



Peach, or Grosse Peche. Distinct and very desirable. Fruit 

 very large ; flesli rich, firm, and juicy. One of the very best. 



Royal/ Not unlike Mooi-park, but with a more robust constitution, 

 and less given to limb dying. Fruit large, dull, yellow, rich, 

 and juicy. 



Turkey.* A good variety. Colour pale yellow ; flavour rich and 

 juicy ; flesh firm. 



For modes of Training and Budding, Diseases, Insect 

 PestSj &c., full information will be found under each indi- 

 vidual title. 



APTERANTHES. See Boncerosia. 



APTEROUS. "Without wings. 



AQUATIC PLANTS. The cultiu-e of Aquatic Plants, 

 both indoors and in the open air, has been greatly neglected 

 of late years ; they are, therefore, rarely seen to perfection 

 in places other than where their culture is made a speciality. 

 Generally speaking, they are most easily gro^vn. The 

 following stove and greenhouse genera are well worth at- 

 tention : Aponogeto7i, Cyperus, Damasonium, Herpestis, 

 Limnocharis, Nelumbiitm, Nymphcva, Ouvirandra, Pistia, 

 Pontederia, Salvinia, Thalia, Trianea, Victoria. Many 

 species belonging to some of the foregoing genera are 

 hardy, as are also the following : Alisma, Butomus, Callaf 

 Hottonia, Menyanthes, Nuphar^ Polygonum, Sagittaria, 

 Trapa, Typha, Villarsia. 



AQUATICUS. Living in water. 



AQUATIItlS. Living under water. 



AQUIPOLIACE.ffi. See Ilicineffi. 



AQUILEGIA (from aquiln, an eagle ; in reference to 

 the form of the petals). Columbine. Ord. Ranunculacei.v. 

 Erect hardy perennial herbs with fibroiis roots. Flowers soli- 

 tary or panicled, drooping ; sepals five, petaloid, deciduous ; 

 petals five, concave, spuiTed ; spurs very large, produced 

 downwards into hollow tubes^ and frequently curved at 

 the extremity ; carpels five, sessile, free. Radical leaves 

 on long stalks, twice or thrice ternate, with trifid-toothed, 

 usually blunt segments. Too much praise can scarcely be 

 lavished upon this elegant genus of plants. They prefer 

 a moist and sheltered situation, with exposure to the 

 sun. The more robust species will thrive in ordinary 

 garden soil, bxit the rarer and more delicate kinds 

 require a good friable sandy loam and leaf soil, with good 

 drainage. Seed is produced in abundance, and must be 

 sown very thinly, as soon as practicable after being ripe, 

 in a shady place or in pans in a cold frame. When up, 

 and strong enough to remove, the seedlings may be 

 planted out where they are to bloom, allowing every 

 plant at least 9in. each way. The strong-growing kinds 

 may be placed in the border, tbe dwarf ones on the 

 rockery. When in bloom, the inferior sorts should be 

 weeded out, retaining only the best varieties. To obtain 

 seed true of any species, it is absolutely necessary to plant 

 the separate kinds far apart, and cover them with fine 

 musKn, to prevent the access of insects to the flowers, as 

 none are more easily cross-fertilised. Division of the root 

 is the only way to perpetuate any particular variety with 

 certainty, unless seed is saved in the way mentioned, or 

 imported from the native habitats of particular species. 

 There are many beautiful hybrids, as well as species, in 

 cultivation. 



A. alpina (alpine).* Jl. from 2in. to Sin. in diameter when ex- 

 panded, deep blue or blue and white, on leafy, two to three- 

 nowered stems ; spii*:3 straight, but somewliat incurved at the 

 apex, one-half shorter than the petal limb. May. I. with seg- 

 ments deeply divided into linear lobes. A. 1ft. Alps of Swit- 

 zerland, in shady humid places, 1731. Plant this on the rockery. 



A. arctica (Arctic). A form of A.formosa. 



A. atropurpurea (dark purple). Jl. dark purple or bluish violet, 

 about lin. or liin. in diameter when expanded, two or three in 

 a head ; spurs "straight, equal in length with the petals' limb ; 



Aciailegia — continued. 



sepals about as long as the petals. May. I. petioled, bitemate. 

 h. 2ft. to 3ft. Siberia. Border plant. 



A. anrea (g'jlden).* A synonym of A. chrysantha jlavesceim. 



A. Bertoloni (Bertoloni's).* Jl. about lin. across, blue-violet 

 throuLvhout ; sepals about §in. long, rounded ; petals about the 

 same length ; spurs very short, knobbed ; stems two to four 

 flowered. June and July. I. small, dark green, and glaucous. A 

 very pretty little alpine, grooving about 1ft. high. Syn. .-1. lieutcri. 



Fig. 133. Aq.uilegia C£RULEa. 



A> csemlea (sky-blue).* Jl. several on a stem, blue and white, 

 sometimes more or less tinted with lilac or claret, rarely pure 

 white, wlien expanded 2iin. to 3in. in diameter ; spur very 

 slender, nearly straight, green tipped, aliout 2in. long. AprU to 

 July. I. large, biternate. h. 9in. to 15in. Rocky Mountains, 

 1864. A very lovely species for the border or base of the rockery. 

 SYiNS. a. lepioccras, A. macrantha. See Fig. 133. 



A. C. alba (white).* fl. the same size and form as the type, white 

 throughout. Rocky Mountains. A very rare and lovely variety ; 

 sometimes met with under the name of A. grandifiora. 



A. C. bybrida (hybrid).* Jl. blue and white, not so wide across as 

 the type, but more numerous, and the plant has a much more 

 vigorous habit. Of garden origin. 



A. califomlca (Californian).* A form of A./onnosa. 



Fig. 15*. Aquilegia canadensis, showing Habit and Flower. 



A. canadensis (Canadian).* Jl. scarlet, mixed with yellow, less 

 than lin. in diameter ; spin" straight, longer than the limb ; styles 

 and stamens protruding ; sepals acutish, a little longer than the 

 petals' limb. April to June. I., segments three-parted, bluntisfa, 

 and deeplv toothed at the apex. h. 1ft. to 2ft. North America, 

 1640. Border or rockery ; very pretty. See Fig. 134. 



A. chrysantha (vellow-flowered).* Jl., sopals primrose yellow, 

 spreadijig horizontally in full expansion, nearly or quite lin. long, 



