A C R 



A C R 



different parts of the kingdom. It is siifficicmly 

 distinguisiied bv its long, narrow, sword-shaped 

 leave*, which are of a bright green colour, waved 

 along one of the edges, and when broken yielding 

 a strona; aromatic scent; and also by its oblong, 

 cylindru; spike of flowers, coming out from the 

 side of the stem at the edge of the leaf, which is 

 generallv single, though sometimes double. The 

 root islons, e\-lindrie, tuberous, spongy, marked 

 with rings, and putlino- out abundance "t fibres, 

 which are the proper roots of the plant. It 

 flowers in the months of June and July. 



The second sort has the roots in tufts, with a 

 few thready fibres : the stem is scarcely any, or 

 very short : the leaves are cquitant, erect, some- 

 what alternate, linear-swovd-shaped, pointed, a 

 little thickened at the margin, smooth, ever- 

 green, a span long, edged at the base, with a 

 white, pellucid, shining membrane : the stalk 

 like the leaves, but a little shorter, erect, some- 

 what thickened under the spadix, afterwards nar- 

 rower, and altogether leafy ; about equal to it in 

 length, scarcely longer. The spadix, arising la- 

 terally from the stalk near its top, is erect, cylin- 

 drical, obtuse, being entirely covered with yel- 

 lowish-green sessile florets. 



The whole plant has an aromatic smell when 

 bruised, much resembling the Sweet Flag, from 

 which it is distinguished by the shortness of that 

 portion of its stalk which is above the spadix, as 

 well as by all its parts, except the florets being 

 five times smaller than in that plant. Professor 

 T. Martyn observes in his Dictionary, that it 

 is probably a iiative of China, being at least 

 frequently cultivated, for the sake of its smell, 

 in pots, about the habitations of the Chinese. 



Culture. — The first of these plants requires 

 little trouble in its cultivation, as it may be pro- 

 pagated by its creeping roots with great facility. 

 It should be transplanted from its natural situa- 

 tion in the autumn or early spring months, and 

 placed in such anoist ground as that its roots may 

 be well supplied with water, for where this is not 

 the case it seldom produces flowers. The si- 

 tuation should likewise be open, as it does not 

 thrive well under the shade of trees. 



It has been suggested that the root of this 

 plant might be en^ployed as a spice, when re- 

 duced tolhe state of a powder ; but it is chiefly 

 cultivated on account of the fine smell which it 

 aft'ords, and the ornament of the flowers. 



The second, or Chinese sort, may be propagated 

 by parlincr the roots, and placing them in pots of 

 good mold in dry stoves, where they will re- 

 quire only a moderate degree of heat. Tiiis 

 jpeeies is cultivated for variety, as well as the 

 frao^rant odour which it afibrds. 



ICROSTICIIUM, a genus including various 



plants of the fern kind, some of which may be 

 cultivated for the purpose of ornament and variety. 



It belonos to the class and order of Cii/ptoga- 

 mia Filircs. 



The characters of which are: that the fructifi- 

 cations cover the whole inferior surface <>f the 

 frond or leaf. 



The species are extremely numerous : but 

 those hitherto cultivated for the purposes of or- 

 nament in open exposures are: \. yJ. septcn- 

 Irio/iale ; 2. A. australe ; 3. A. rufuni ; 4. A, 

 Marantce; 5. A. ilpcuse. 



The first grows in tufts somewhat resen-)ling 

 rushy grass. The fronds are from one to four mches 

 in length ; commonly a little curved, narrow, 

 entire at the base, but dilated towards the extre- 

 mity, and divided into two or three lanceolate 

 segments, which are again irregularly cut into two, 

 three, or more, smaller recurved ones. The fruc- 

 tifications first appear in small lines, but in the 

 adult plant the lower surface of the leaf is totally 

 covered with brown dusty capsules. 



The second species much resembles the above; 

 but it is silver)', and more regularly divided, hav- 

 ing purple fructifications proceeding from the in- 

 ner edge, which are cleft longitudinally ; the last 

 divisions of the fronds being subulate, roundish, 

 and straightish. 



The third sort rises to eighteen or twenty 

 inches in height. The cup is round, covered with 

 ferrufi^inous hair, and leafy almost from the root. 

 The pinnas are about an inch from each other, on 

 a small pedicel ; each pinna being about an inch 

 long, and half an inch broad at the base, whence 

 they decrease to the end, which is round ; and 

 they are covered all over with a rusty woolly hair. 



The fourth species has the stipes about seven 

 inches high, of a dark purple colour. The frond 

 is almost'blpinnate, lanceolate, closely imbrica- 

 ted beneath, with chafly orange-coloured scales. 

 The leaflets are opposite, almost pinnate ; having 

 the pinnas ovate, obtuse, thick, quite eatire; but 

 the lower ones often toothed on each side at the 

 base. The fructifications spread between the leafy 

 scales over the whole under surface. Sometimes 

 the stipes is blood-red, all hairy, from eight 

 inches to a foot in height. 



The fifth has much resemblance to the above, 

 but only rises a few inches in height, seldom ex- 

 ceeding seven. In this the stipes is of a green 

 colour. 



There arc several other species described by 

 Professor T. Martyn, m his edition of Miller's 

 Dictionary, that may be cultivated with equal 

 facility, but they have been yet little introduced 

 amonij; gardeners. 



Culture. — All the above species may be culti- 

 vated and preserved by being planted out in pot» 



