An Encyclopedia of Horticulture. 



209 



Brachy sema — continu e d , 



sub-compound racemes. I. opposite, rarely alternate, ovate or 



ovate-lanceolate, entire, silky white beneath, h. 3ft. Swan River, 



1848. (B. M. 4652.) 

 B. latifoUum (brnail-leavetl).* ^. crimson-scarlet, Iar?:e; vexillnni 



obKuig-ovn.te. April. I. ovate, flat, silky beneath. New UoUaml, 



1803. A handsome climlier. (IJ. R. 118.) 

 B. melanopetalum (black -petaleil). Synonymous with B. imdu- 



latum. 

 B. Ttndulatum (undulated).* _fl. deep violet-maroon, solitary or 



twin ; vexitluni oblong, cordate, convolute, and bluntish above. 



March. I. oblonj;-ovate, mucronate, undulated. New South 



Wales, 1820. A tall sub-scandent plant. SYN. B. melanopetalum. 



(li. It. 642.) 



BIIACHYSFATHA (from hrachys, short, and spatha, 

 a spathe ; tho spathe is much shorter than the spadix). 

 Obd. AroidecE. Stove tuberous perennial, allied to, and 

 requiring" the same cultivation as, Amorphophallus (which 



see). 



B. variabilis (variable).* /. exhaling an abominable foetor, 

 which is, however, of very short duration ; spathe much shorter 

 than the spadix, p;reenish-purple, sharply acuminate, and many- 

 nerved; spadix whitish, with female flower at tho base, and 

 above contiguous to them are the males without any interme- 

 diate neutral flowers ; anthers orange red ; the naked apex of 

 the spadix is very long, wrinkled, and pitted on the surface. 

 I. solitary, 18in. across; the spotted petiole divides at the top 

 into three main divisions, each of which is again forked and 

 deeply pinnately cut ; the segments alternate, sessile, or decur- 

 rent, very unequal in ."^ize, ovate or oval-lanceolate, acuminate, 

 glabrous, shining, h. 3ft. India, 1876. (G. C. 1876. 129.) 



BRACHYSTELMA (from hrachys, short, and stelma, 

 a crown ; in reference to the short coronal processes of 

 the flowers). Oed. Asclepiadacece. Extremely curious 

 little suffruticose, tuberous, twining, greenhouse peren- 

 nials. Corolla campanulate, having angular sinuses ; corona 

 simple, five-cleft, lobes opposite the anthers, simple on 

 the back. Leaves opposite, membranous. They thrive 

 best in fibry loam. Propagated by cuttings, which will 

 root in sandy soil, in heat ; also by divisions of the root. 



B* Amotti (Arnott's). Jl. brown, green. I. in opposite pairs, 

 nearly sessile, crisped, ovate, dull gieen above, densely gi'ey, 

 pubescent beneath. /(. 4in. South Africa, 1868. (Ref. B. i., 9.) 



B. Barberse (Mrs. Barber's). Jl. dingy purple, speckled with 

 yellow. August. I. large, hnear-oblong, acute, k. bitx. South 

 Africa, 1866. (B. M. 5607.) 



B. ovata (ovate-leaved). Jl. yellowish-green. I. ovate, shortly- 

 stalked, pubescent, h. 1ft. South Africa, 1872. (Ref. B. 226.) 



B. spathulatnm (spathulate-leaved). Jl. green. June. I. spathu- 

 late, oblong, hairy, k, 1ft. Cape of Good Hope, 1826. (B. R. 

 1113.) 



B. tuberosum (tuberous). Jl. purple. June. I. linear-lanceolate, 

 ciUate. k. Uft. Cape of Good Hope, 1821. (B. M. 2343.) 



BBACKBN, or BRAKE FERN. See Fteris 

 aquilina. 



BRACTEATE. Having bracts. 



BRACTEOIiATE. Having secondary bracts between 

 the true bracts and the flowers. 



BRACTS. Modified leaves placed near the calyx on 

 the peduncle or pedicel. 



BRAHEA (named after Tycho Brahe, the celebrated 

 astronomer). Ord. Palmew. A small genus of dwarf 

 palms, with fan-shaped leaves, and hermaphrodite, greenish 

 flowers. They require rich light loam and fibrous peat, 

 in equal parts, to which may be added a good portion of 

 washed sand ; thorough drainage and liberal supplies of 

 water are also absolutely necessary. Propagated by seeds. 

 During summer, they may be removed to the greenhouse, 

 and can be employed with much success for sub-tropical 

 gardening. 



B. dulcis (sweet).* I. nearly circular, bright shining green ; 

 petioles clothed with woolly tomentum, armed at the edges with 

 small close-set spines, and enveloped at the base in a network of 

 brown fibre. Stem stout. Mexico, 1865. A rare and slow deve- 

 loping species. 



B. fllamcntosa (filamentose). A synonym of Washingtonia filifera. 

 BRAINEA (commemorative of C. J. Braine, Esq., of 

 Hong Kong, China). Ord. Filices. Sori continuous along 

 transverse veins, near the midrib, and also produced along 

 the veins in the direction of the edge of the frond. 



Brainea — continued, 



B. insignis (remarkable), which is the only species, has a tnink 

 3in. to 4in. thick ; scales linear, nearly lin. long, ati, firm, 3in. 

 to 4in. long, scaly only at the base, fronds 2ft. to 3ft. long, 8in. 

 to 12in. broad, .simply pinnate ; pinnm close, numerous, linear, 

 finely serrated. Hong Kong, 1856. A very handsome and 

 interesting gi-eenhouse tree fern, requiring a soil of loam and 

 peat, in equal parts, with the addition of some sharp sand, and 

 thorough drainage. 



BRAMBLE. See Rubus. 



BRASSAVOLA (named in honour of A. M. Bras- 

 eavola, a Venetian botanist). Ord. Orchidea". A genus 

 of epiphytal orchids, requiring the heat of an intermediate 

 house. Flowers large, usually with narrow acuminate 

 greenish petals and sepals, and a white lip, which is some- 

 times broad ; column having a pair of great falcate ears on 

 each side of the front, and eight pollen masses. Leaves 

 solitary, succulent. They are of easy culture on blocks of 

 wood, with a little moss, suspended from tho roof. Water 

 should be plentifully given during the growing season ; 

 at other times, a very small quantity wiU sufiice. About 

 seventeen or eighteen species have been introduced, of 

 which the following only are worth growing : 

 B. acaulis (stemless). Jl. large ; sepals and petals long, narrow, 

 greenish and creamy-white; lip large, heart-sliaped,"and pure 

 white ; base of tube spotted with dull rose. September. I. very 

 narrow, rush-like. h. 4in. Central America, 1852. (P. F. G. ii., 

 152.) 



B. Digbyana (Digby's).* Jl. solitary, 4in. across, produced from 

 the top of the bulb; sepals and petals creamy-white; lip same 

 colour, streaked with purple down the centre, and beautifully 

 fringed. Winter, h. 9in. Honduras, 1844. A com pact-gi-o wing 

 evergreen. (B. M. 4474.) 



B. Glbbsiana (Gibbs's).* Jl. white, spotted with chocolate, 

 large, three on each spike. I. rather broad and very thick. 

 This rare, erect-growing species must be potted in peat and 

 sphagnum. 



B. glauca (glaucous).* Jl. solitary, produced from a sheath at the 

 top of the bulb ; sepals and petals yellow ; lip orange, with a 

 white throat. Early spring. I. of a milky-green, h. 1ft. Vera 

 Cruz, 1837. A very handsome fragrant species, somewhat difficult 

 to flower, but this obstacle may be overcome by libendly growing 

 during the proper season, and giving it a severe dry rest. (B. M. 

 4033.) 



B* lineata (lined).* Jl. large, very fragi'ant ; sepals and petals 

 creamy-white ; lip large, pure white. I. long, terete, channelled 

 above, tapering to a point, very deep green. South America, 

 1850. (B. M. 4734.) 



B. venosa (veined).* Jl. small and compact ; sepals and petals 

 cream-coloured ; lip white, strongly veined. A pretty free flower- 

 ing species. Honduras, 1839. (B. U. 26, 39.) 



BRASSIA (named after Mr. William Brass, who was 

 sent by Sir Joseph Banks to Cape Coast and the neigh- 

 bouring districts as a botanical collector, at the end of 

 the last century). Ord. Orchidece. A genus of tropical 

 American orchids, very nearly allied to Oncidium, with 

 which, indeed, Reichenbach unites it. From this genus, 

 however, Brassia may be distinguished by its simple in- 

 florescence, elongated tail-like sepals, and short column, 

 which is quite destitute of the side lobes or ears that form 

 a marked feature in the species of Oncidium. There are 

 about seventeen species, of which many are not sufficiently 

 attractive to deserve the cultivator's attention. They will 

 succeed either in pots or in baskets, the drainage of which 

 must be perfect. They require to be potted in good 

 fibrous peat, broken in pieces not less in size than a 

 walnut, placed in the warm end of a Cattleya or Brazilian 

 house, and supplied liberally with water during summer. 

 In winter, they must still be kept in a tolerably warm 

 place, and given sufficient water to keep the pseudo-bulbs 

 from shrivelling. It is useless to dry off until shrivelling 

 takes place, for experience assures us that when a plant 

 shrivels it is generally safe to assume that it has been 

 tried beyond its powers of endurance, and that its con- 

 stitution has given way. Propagated by dividing the 

 plants, when growth has commenced. 



B, antherotes (brilliant).* Jl. 7in. in diameter from tip to tip 

 of tho sepals; sepals and petals yellow, brownish-black at the 

 base, narrow, jin. broad, tapering; petals IJin. long; lip tri- 

 angular, yellow, barred with brown ; spike strong, about 2ft. in 

 length. Tropical America, 1879. 



2 B 



