An Encyclopedia of Horticulture. 



19: 



Blechuiuu — amtinued. 



'li^^ 



BLI'XII.NUM DRAy-lLIKiNSL. 



rachis and surfaces naked or slightly pubescent ; texture coriaceous. 

 Temperate South America, 1841. tJreenhouse species. 



B. I«anceola (lance-leaved). r/iC. slender, creeping, stoloniferous. 

 sfi. slender, erect, 2in. to 4in. long, frauds lanceolate, undivideil, 

 4in. to 6in. long, iin. broad, or less, narrowed gradually from the 

 centre towards each end. lYopical America, 1820. Stove species. 



B. If. trifoUatnin (three-leaved), fronds furnished with one or 

 two pairs of small oblong-obtuse lateral pinna; at the base of the 

 large terminal one. Stove variety, (II. S. F. 3, 94.) 



B. longifolimn (Iniig-Ieaved).* rhiz. slender, creeping, sti. firm, 

 erect, nearly naked, 6in. to 12in. long, fnmds 6iii. to 9in. long, 

 with a tenninal iiinna, and three to six lateral unts on each side, 

 which are 3in. to 5in. long, and iin. broad, narrowed gradually 

 towanls the point, sort in broad lines close to the midrib; texture 

 coriaceous. Tropical America, 1820. B. I. fraxincum is a variety 

 found in gardens under the name of B. fraxiviifalmm^ with a 

 habit more close than the type ; pinna? six to eight on a side, 

 sometimes lin. broail. B. interinediinn (Link.) and B. f/ra^iU' 

 (Kaulf.), often seen in gardens, are slender-growing varieties of 

 this rather variable stove species. 



B. nitidum (shining).* sti. .stout, erect, naked, Sin. to 4in. long. 

 fronds oblong-lancecilate, 1ft. or more long, 4in. to 6in. broad ; 

 pinnre numertms, suli-falcate, linear, Sin. to 4in. long, Jin. to Ain. 

 broad, narmwed gradually towards t!ie point, dilated and con- 

 nected at the baae ; edge inidulate-dentate; texture coriaceous; 

 both surfaces smooth. Stove sjiucies. The variety contractum, 

 often seen in gardens, has its pinnai contracted, and the edge 

 much undulated. Brazil. (H. S. F. 3, 55.) 



B* occidentale (western).* can. stout, erect, scaly at the top. 

 sti. 6in. to 12in. long, erect, scaly below, fronds ovate-acuminate, 

 9in. to 18in. long, 4in. to 8in. broad, with twelve to twenty-four 

 linear pinnae on each side, which are 2in. t<t 4in. long, and about 

 Jin. broad, narrowed gradually to a point, truncate or cordate ; 

 texture coriaceous. West Indies, southwards to Chili and South 

 Brazil, 1823. A very handsome stove or greenhouse fern. 



B. o, multifldmn (much-cut).* A pretty variety, said to have been 

 introduced from Dominica ; the apices of the pinn:e are copiously 

 crested and tasstlled, rendering it very desirable. Stove variety. 



B* orientale (oriental).* can. stout, erect, clothed at the crown 

 witli dark brown sc;iles. sti. 4in. to 8in. long, strong, erect, scaly 

 below, fromh 1ft. to 3ft. long, 6in. to 12in. broad, ovate, with 

 very numerous nearly contiguous pinn;e on each side, which are 

 4in. to 8in. long, and aViout iin. broad, narrowe<l to a long point, 

 Australia, north wunls to South China and the Uimalayas. 

 Greenhouse. 



B. polypodioides (Polypodium-like). 

 raie. 



A synonym of B. unilate- 



B. sermlatum (saw-edged).* can. elongated, stout, ascending. 

 utt. bin. to 12in. long, strong, erect, smooth, nearly naked, fronds 

 obloug-acuniinate, 1ft. to 2ft. long, 6in. to 9in. broad, with twelve 

 to twenty-four [)airs of quite distinct articulated linear oblong 

 pinnae on each side, which are about 4in. to 5in. long, Jin. broad, 

 narrowed gradually towards the point, and downwards to a narrow 



Blecliniiiti — continued. 



base, the margins finely incised. Florida, Ac, 

 1819. Stove or greenhouse. Syn. B. striatum. 

 (H. S. F. 3, 159.) 



B. striatum (striped). A synonym of B. serrU' 

 latum. 



B. unilaterale (one-sided).* can. elongated, 

 deiisi-Iy srjily at the crown, sti. slender, erect, 

 lin. tt» 4iu. long, slightly scaly below, fronds 

 lanceolate, 6in. to 12in. long, lAin. to 2in. broad ; 

 piim% numerous, spreading horizontally, linear, 

 |in. to lin. long, central ones iin. to gin. broad, 

 point usually mucronate ; edge entire, or nearly 

 so, the lower part dilateil to a broad b;ise. sori 

 in a line close to the midrili. Tropical America, 

 1829. Widely distrit)uted. Stove or greenhouse 

 species. Svn. B. j'olfijiuiliiiiilrs, under which name 

 it is usually found in gardens. 



BIiECHUIVE (a Greek name for an nn- 



kuowu plant, supposed to resemble Marjoram). 

 Ord. Acanthaceiv. Stove herbaceoua peren- 

 nials. For culture, &c., see JTusticia. 



B* Brownei (Browne's), fl. white, in a dense 

 bracteated spike, which is four-cornered ; bracts 

 ovate, ilowny. Summer. I. ovate elliptical, some- 

 what toothed, k. 2ft. West Indies, 1780. The 

 other species introduced are ; angustifoliuin, blue ; 

 brazilicnse, blue ; and laxijlontm, wliite. 



BLEFHARIS (from blepharis, the eye- 

 lash ; in reference to the fringed bracts of 

 the oaljx). Ord. Acanthacece. Dwarf shrubs 

 or herbs, often spiny and woody, allied to 

 Acanth us. Flowers in bracteate spikes ; calyx 

 cruciately four-parted, bracteate ; upper seg- 

 ment entire, three-nerved; lower, two-nerved ; 

 corolla-tnbe very short; lip five-lobed, three 

 lobc3 often much larg'er than the others ; stamens four, 

 sub-didjnamous. For culture, &c., see Acanthus. 



n. blue. July. L 

 h. 1" 



I. narrow, lanceolate. 

 Greenhouse biennial. 



B. boerhaavisefolia (Boerhaavia-leaved). 



usu;dly four in a whorl, elliptic, toothed. 



Stove annual. 

 B. caponslS (Cape Colony).* fl. blue. July. 



spinose. h. 1ft. Cape of Good Uope, 1816. 



B. furcata (forked-spined). Jl. blue. July. I. lanceolate, entire 

 or spiny ; bracts large, strongly spinose. A. 2ft. Cape of Good 

 Hope, 1846. (_ireenhouse evergreen shrub. 



B. Unearifolia (narrow- leaved). Jt. blue. Jidy. I. long, entire, 



linear, glalirous or hairy, not spiny, k. 2ft. Guinea, 1823. 



Stove annual. 

 B. procumbens (trailing).* fl. blue. July. I. linear lanceolate, 



spiny, h. 1ft. Cape of Good Hope, 1825. Greenhouse evergreen 



trailer. 



BIiBFHILIA {from hlcphariSj the eyelash ; in allusion 

 to the ciliated bracts). Ord. Labiatce. Ornamental hardy 

 perennials, closely allied to Monarda, but differing from it 

 in the calyx tube having thirteen instead of fifteen nerves, 

 and being naked in the throat, while the corollas are much 

 smaller and more dilated. They are of easy culture in 

 ordinary soil. Increased readily by dividing the roots in 

 early spring. 

 B. ciliata (ciliated), fl. blue; whorls all distinct; bracts 



ciliated, reddish at top. July. I. almost sessile, ovate-oblong, 



narrowed at the base, canescent beneath, h. 1ft. to 2ft. North 



America, 1798. 

 B. hlrsuta (hairy), fl. purple or blue ; whorls more numerous 



than in the preceding; ujjper ones appmxiniate. July. /, pe- 



tiolate, ovate, roundly cordate at the ba-se, hairy on both surfaces. 



k. 1ft. to 2ft. Virginia, 1798. Uabit more branched and loose 



than in B. ciliata. 



BItBSSBD THISTLB. See Cnicus benedictus, 

 properly Carbenia benedicta. 



BIiBTIA (ill honour of Don Louis Blet, a Spanish 

 botanist). Ord. Orchidecs. A large genus of, for the 

 most part, stove terrestrial orchids. Flowers purple or 

 whitish, in terminal racemes. Leaves narrow, grass-like. 

 Pseudo-bulbs round, flattened. The flowers are freely 

 produced when the plants are thorougldy established, and 

 are valuable fur bouquets, as well for their pleasing colour 

 as for the time they last in perfection. Bletias thrive 

 best in a compost of loam and leaf mould. About liin. 

 of crocks, covered with a layer of moss, should be placed 



