S I D 



S I I) 



SHOT INDIAN. See Canna. 

 SIDA, a genus containing plants of the ex- 

 otic, tedder, herbaceous, perennial kind, for the 

 hot-house. 



It belongs to the class and order Monddelphia 

 Polyandria, and ranks in the. natural order of 

 Columniferce. 



The characters are: that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianth, angular, half-five-cleft, perma- 

 nent : the Corolla lias five petals, wider above, 

 emarginate, fastened below to the tube of sta- 

 mens": the stamina have very many fila- 

 ments, united below into a tube, in the apex 

 of the tube divided: anthers roundish: the 

 pistillum is an orbicular germ : styles five or 

 more; or else one many-cleft : stigmas headed: 

 the pericarpium is a roundish-angular capsule, 

 composed of five or more cells, (corresponding 

 with the number of the styles or stigmas,) two- 

 valved, awnless, acuminate or horned, opening 

 above, or close, and finally separating: the seeds 

 solitary, two, three, or five, roundish, mostly 

 acuminate, convex on one side, angular on the 

 other, fastened to the interior suture. 



The species chiefly cultivated are: 1. S. rhom- 

 lifolia, Rhomb-leaved Sida; 1. S. periplocifolia, 

 Great Bindweed-leaved Sida; 3. S. triquetra, 

 Triangular-stalked Sida; 4. S. Alutilon, Broad- 

 leaved Sida ; 5. S. alba, White-flowered Sida ; 

 6. S. cordifolia, Heart-leaved Sida. 



The first has the leaves lanceolate rhomb- 

 shaped with the axils two-thomed. It is a 

 native of the East Indies and Jamaica. 



The second species has an annual root : the 

 stem from two to four feet high, erect, simple, 

 round, pubescent, sometimes divided towards 

 the top into spreading branches : the leaves pe- 

 tioled, alternate, smooth, somewhat wrinkled, 

 hoary beneath : the panicle terminating, half 

 the length of the stem, erect, almost simple, 

 spreading : the peduncles simply subdivided, 

 alternate, filiform, the last one-flowered : the 

 flowers pale, sometimes light purple. It is a 

 native of the West Indies and Ceylon. 



The third species is a shrub three feet in 

 height, with subtomentose branches, having 

 each of the three sides hollowed out with a 

 blunt groove : the leaves cordate without angles, 

 very soft, obscurely tomentose, bluntly serrate, 

 acuminate : the peduncles axillary, one-flowered : 

 the flower is of a yellow colour. It is a native 

 of the West Indies. 



The fourth species is in height about four 

 feet, putting out some side branches towards the 

 top : the leaves soft and woolly : the flowers 

 axillary, on long peduncles. It is annual, and 

 a native both of the East and West Indies, Vir- 

 ginia, and Siberia. 



The fifth has the leaves round : the corolla 

 is white with purple stigmas, and the tips of the 

 petals purplish. It is annual. 



The sixth has a hairy annual root : the stem 

 simple, more than three feet high, sending out 

 several erect branches from the sides : the leaves 

 two inches and a half long, and two broad, of a 

 light sjreen colour, soft to the touch, on very 

 long hairy footstalks : the calyx hairy : beaks 

 of the seeds, when the corolla falls, prominent, 

 in a bundle the length of the calyx: the capsules 

 from seven to ten : the flow ers small, of a pale 

 obscure yellow- or sulphur-colour. It is a na- 

 tive of the East Indies and the Cape. 



Cidlure. — These plants may be increased by 

 seeds, which should be sown upon a moderate 

 hot-bed in the early spring, or in pots deposited 

 in them. In the. first case, when the plants 

 have attained some growth, they should he re- 

 moved to another hot-bed and set out four 

 inches apart each way, or into separate pots, 

 rcplunging them in the hot-bed, being shaded till 

 they have taken new root ; a large proportion of 

 free air being admitted in fine weather, and also 

 frequent waterings : they should afterwards be 

 gradually hardened to bear the open air in the 

 summer season. 



Some of them may also be raised from offsets 

 and cuttings planted in pots in the summer 

 season. 



The fourth sort is sufficiently hardy to bear 

 the open air : the seeds should be sown where 

 the plants are to remain, as they do not bear 

 transplanting well. It is an annual plant. 



Some of the species do not flower till the se- 

 cond year; of course they should be placed in 

 the stove in the autumn, and be managed during 

 the winter as other tender exotic plants of the 

 same nature. 



They afford ornament among other potted 

 plants in the stove, and the fourth sort in the 

 borders. 



SIDERITIS, a genus containing plants of 

 the under shrubby, and shrubby exotic kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Didynamia 

 Gymnospermia, and ranks in the natural order 

 of VerticillalcB. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianth, tubular, oblong, about half-five- 

 cleft: segments acute, almost equal: the corolla 

 one-petalled, almost equal : tube cylindrical, 

 throat oblong, roundish : upper lip erect, bi- 

 fid, narrow : lower lip trifid ; lateral segments 

 sharper, commonly smaller than the upper lip ; 

 middle segment roundish crenate : the stamina 

 have fourfilaments, within the tube of the co- 

 rolla, shorter than the throat, two of which are 

 smaller : anthers roundish, two twin : the pis- 



