AMATUNGULA 



33 



AMERICAN CRESS 



we give our definition. We consider that person is an 

 amateur who has a taste for a pursuit (floriculture, or 

 horticulture, for instance), but who neither follows it as 

 a profession nor for pecuniary advantage, or does not 

 employ professional aid. 



AMATUNGU'LA. Carissa grandiflo'ra. 



AMBER, SWEET- See HYPERICUM ANDROS.EMOM. 



AMBER TREE. See ANTHOSPERMUM. 



AM3LOSTO MA. (From amblos, blunt, and stoma, a 

 mouth. Nat. ord. Orchideae ; Tribe, Epidendreae ; sub- 

 tribe, Stenoglosseae.) 



A. ce'rnuum. i. Yellowish-green. Brazil. Syn. A. 

 tridactylum. 



AMBROSI'NIA. (Named after Prof. Giacinti Am- 

 brosim, of Bologna.) Ord. Aroidece (Araceas). 

 A. Ba'ssii. 4 inches. Corsica, Sardinia. 1879. 

 cilia'ta. See CRYPTOCORYNE. 



A'MBURT (Plasmodiophora brassica) is a disease 

 peculiar to the Cabbageworts, and is known by the 

 various names of Hanbury, Anbury, and Club Root. 

 Fingers and Toes, a name applied to it in some parts, 

 alludes to the swollen state of the small roots of the 

 affected plants. 



Cabbage-plants are frequently infected with ambury 

 in the seed-bed, which infection appears in the form of 

 a gall or wart on the stem near the roots. If this swelling 

 is short and thick it will probably contain a grub of the 

 Cabbage Gall Weevil (Ceutorhynchus sulcicoUis), but if 

 elongated it is certain that the spores of the ambury 

 disease have gained an entrance, and if on the main 

 root the swelling soon attains the size of the fist. All 

 the smaller roots get attacked more or less, producing the 

 state known as Fingers and Toes. Very soon the 

 principal roots and base of the stem are more or less 

 completely permeated by the fungus, thus preventing 

 the ascent of water and food constituents, and the first 

 bright day causes the leaves to wilt or flag for want 

 of moisture, owing to the obstruction caused by the 

 fungus. Spores are produced in myriads, forming dark 

 masses in the interior of the clubbed roots, and later on 

 the latter rot. All the cabbage tribe, as well as turnips, 

 wallflower and other crucifers are liable to attack by 

 this destructive fungus, the spores of which remain in 

 the roots and the ground till a favourable period arrives, 

 when they recommence growth. Being one of the 

 slime fungi, its spores leave their cells and swarm over 

 the ground ready to attack the roots of this class of 

 plants again. 



Remedies. All diseased plants should be carefully dug 

 up, and every bit of swollen root burned in order to 

 destroy the spores in them. The ground should be 

 trenched in autumn, and the top soil placed in the 

 bottom of the trench. A good dressing of gas lime 

 should be placed over this. Before placing the bottom 

 spit on the top give another dressing of gas lime on the 

 top of the second spit. Nothing should be planted for 

 two months after using gas lime. Select fresh ground 

 every year for raising seedlings, and also for planting 

 them upon. 



AMELA'NCHIER. (Savoy name of the Medlar, to 

 which this genus is closely allied. Nat. ord. Appleworts 

 [Rosaceae]. Linn. 12-Icosandria. 2-Di-pentagynia.) 



Hardy deciduous shrubs, closely allied to the Medlar. 

 Layers ; common rich loam. Small trees cultivated for 

 their showy white flowers, which are produced early in 

 the season. They are also propagated by grafting on 

 the hawthorn, or on the quince. 



A. alni/o'l^i, 6. Dark purple. N.W. Amer. 1888. 

 asia'tica. White, 1879. Japan. 

 Botrya'pium (grape-pear). See A. CANADENSIS. 

 canade'nsis. White. 12. N. Amer. 1746. 

 fto'rida. (flowery). See A. ALNIFOLIA. 

 ., ,, parvifo'lia (smal'-leaved). See A. ALNIFOLIA. 

 oligoca'rpa (G. and F., 1888, i. 245. 247, f. 44). Eastern 



United States. 



ova'lis (oval-leaved). See A. CAXADENSIS. 

 se'mi-inUgrifo'lia (half - entire -leaved). See A. 



ALNIFOHA. 



,, subcorda'ta (subcordate-leaved). N. Amer. 

 oxy'odon (GfL, 1902. 609, f. 126 B.). N'.W. Amer. 



A. sangui'nea (bloody). See A. CANADENSIS. 

 utaMnsis (Utah). 3. White. Utah, U.S. Amer. 1909. 

 ., vulga'ris (common). 6. South of Europe. 1596. 



AMKLLUS. (A name employed by Virgil for a blue 

 aster-looking plant growing on the banks of the river 

 Mella. Nat. ord. Composites [Compositae]. T.inn. ig-Syn- 

 gcnesia, 2-Superftua.) 



Allied to Aster. The first is a greenhouse evergreen 

 shrub, and the other two hardy herbaceous perennials. 

 Loamy soil ; cuttings. 



A. Lychni'tis (lychnitis). i. Violet July. Cape of 

 Good Hope. 1768. 



spinulo'sus (spinulose). 2. Yellow. August. Mis- 

 souri. 1811. 



villo'sus (long-haired), i. Yellow. August. Missouri. 

 1811. See CHRYSOPSIS. 



AMERICAN ALMOND. See BRABEJUM. 

 AMERICAN ALOE. Aga've america'na. 



AMERICAN BLIGHT. The insect attacking our apple- 

 trees, and known by this name, is the Eriosoma lanigera 

 of some entomologists, and E. mali and Aphis lanigera of 

 others. Later authors give it as Schizoneura lanigera. 

 Its generic characters are, having an abdomen (belly) 

 without tubercles, antennae, or horns, short and thread 

 form, and the whole body more or less cottony or tomen- 

 tose. The presence of these insects is shown by the 

 white cottony matter in the cracks and excrescences of 

 apple-tree branches in the spring. When crushed they 

 extrude a reddish fluid. These insects are injurious by 

 piercing the sap-vessels of the tree, sucking the juice, 

 and causing wounds which ulcerate, and finally destroy, 

 the branch attacked, by corroding through all the sap- 

 vessels. The cottony matter is abundant ; and, wafted 

 to other trees, conveys to them infection by bearing 

 with it the eggs or embryo insects. Such, however, is 

 not the exclusive mode of diffusing the disease ; for, 

 although the females are usually wingless, yet many are 

 produced with wings at the season propitious to colonisa- 

 tion : the males are uniformly winged. In the winter 

 these insects retire underground, and prey upon the roots 

 of the apple-tree. A tree thus ravaged at all seasons 

 will soon be killed, if prompt and vigorous remedies are 

 not adopted. The affected roots may be bared and left 

 exposed for a few days to the cold, and the earth, before 

 being returned, be saturated with ammoniacal liquor 

 from the gas-works. In early March the branches should 

 be scraped and scrubbed with the same ammoniacal 

 liquid, or a strong brine of cornmoa salt ; but, whatever 

 liquid is employed, the scraping and hard bristles of the 

 brush should penetrate every crack in the bark. We 

 have found spirit of turpentine, applied thoroughly to 

 every patch of the insect by means of an old tooth- 

 brush, the most effective destroyer of these insects. The 

 spirit must be applied carefully, because it kills every 

 leaf on which it falls. There are many special prepara- 

 tions which are very effective in destroying this pest. 

 An emulsion of paraffin is one of the most effective 

 remedies. The codlin and June-eating apple-trees are 

 particularly liable to be infected ; but we never observed 

 it upon any one of the russet apples ; and the Crofton 

 pippin is also said to be exempted. Our woodcut repre- 

 sents the insect of its natural size as well as magnified. 

 The head, antennas, and proboscis, by which it wounds 

 the sap-vessels, are still further magnified. 



AMERICAN COWSLIP. Dodeca' theon. 



AMERICAN CRANBERRY. Oxyco'ccus macroca'rpus. 

 Grown extensively for the berries, which are bottled or 

 exported in barrels or cases. It has become a favourite 

 fruit for tarts, &c,, and may be used fresh or kept in 

 bottles for winter use. The English species, 0. palustris, 

 is also grown for its berries, and usually proves very 

 prolific. Both species succeed on moist, boggy ground 

 or by the edge of a stream where there is a fairly deep 

 deposit of decayed leaves and other decayed vegetable 

 matter. The North American species is perhaps the 

 easiest to cultivate. They may be propagated from 

 suckers or cuttings in the autumn, or raised from seed ; 

 once planted they require very little attention. 



AMERICAN CRESS. Barbare'a pra'cox. Soil and 

 Situation: For the winter standing crops, a light, dry 

 soil, in an open but warm situation ; and, for the summer, 



c 



