AMERICAN PLANTS 



34 



AMOMUM 



a rather moister and shady border in neither instance 

 rich. Sow every six weeks from March to August, for 

 summer and autumn ; and one sowing, either at the 

 end of August or beginning of September, for a supply 

 during winter and spring. Sow in drills nine inches apart. 

 Culture: Water occasionally during dry weather, both 

 before and after the appearance of the plants. Thin to 

 three inches apart. In winter, shelter with a little litter 

 or other light covering, supported by some twigs bent 

 over the bed, or some bushy branches laid among the 

 plants ; keep clear of weeds. In gathering, strip off the 

 outside leaves, which enables successional crops to become 

 rapidly fit for use. When the plants begin to run, their 

 centres must be cut away, which causes them to shoot 

 afresh. To obtain Seed, a few of the strongest plants, 

 raised from the first spring sowing, are left ungatbered 

 from. They flower in June or July, and perfect their 

 seed before the commencement of autumn. Since we 

 have had the better salads forced and procurable all the 

 year through, the American or winter cress is not appre- 

 ciated, and is rarely found under cultivation. 



AMERICAN PLANTS. These comprise many very 

 different species, which, resembling each other in re- 

 quiring a well-drained, peaty soil and abundance of 

 water, are usually cultivated in a separate department, 

 where the garden-establishment is extensive ; and, 

 wherever grown, should have a compartment to them- 

 selves, a very acutely sloping bank, facing the north or 

 east ; and some of them as the Rhododendron, Andro- 

 meda, and Azaleas do not object to being overshadowed 

 by trees. The soil, as already stated, should, if pos- 

 sible, be peaty ; and the best annual dressings that can 

 be applied are such matters as decayed leaves and the 

 bottom of old wood-stacks, or any other mixture of 

 decayed woody fibre ; and, in fact, these tribes in general 

 have been well grown in an artificially compounded soil, 

 such as rotten leaves, and ordinary light soil, with some 

 sand, using twice as much of the vegetable matter as of 

 the others. 



AMERI'MNUM. (From a, not, and merimna, care ; 

 in reference to the little care needed by the Houseleek, 

 to which this name was applied by the Greeks. Nat. 

 ord. Leguminous Plants [Leguminosae]. Linn. i6-Mona- 

 delphia, g-Decandria. Now referred to Dalbergia.) 



Stove evergreen shrubs. Cuttings of the young shoots 

 in sand and gentle heat ; rich loam. 

 A. Bro'wnii (Brown's). 10. White. W. Ind. 1793. 

 ,, strigulo'sum (strigulose). 20. White. Trinidad. 

 1817. 



AMETHYSTEA. (From amethu'stos, the amethyst; 

 in reference to the blue colour of the flower. Nat. ord. 

 Labiates, or Lipworts [Labiate]. Linn. Didynamia, 

 i-Gymnospermia. 



Hardy annual. Seed ; peat and sandy loam. 

 A. c(Eru'lea (blue-flowering). 2. Blue. July. Siberia. 

 1759- 



AMHE RSTIA. (In honour of the Countess Amherst. 

 Nat. ord. Leguminous Plants [Leguminosae]. Linn. 17- 

 Diadelphia, i-Decandria.) 



Allied to Jonesia. This splendid flowering tree, " the 

 cream of the Indian Flora," was first flowered in England, 

 by Mrs. Lawrence, in 1849. The individual flowers 

 sustain the praise lavished on this tree ; but they are so 

 ephemeral, lasting hardly three days, as to render its 

 cultivation less desirable. Stove evergreen tree. Rich, 

 strong loam ; cuttings of half-ripened wood, in sand, 

 in stove propagating pit. 



A. no'bilis (noble). 40. Rich vermilion. E. Ind. 

 1837. 



AMIA'NTmUM. See ZYGADENUS. 



AMTCIA. (In honour of B. Amici, physician. Nat. 

 ord. Leguminous Plants [Leguminosae]. Linn. ij-Mona- 

 delphia, i-Decandria.) 



Stove evergreen climber. Rough sandy loam ; cut- 

 tings sand and peat, to which good loam may be added, 

 and put in close stove propagating pit. 



A. Zygo'meris (two- join ted- podded). 8. Yellow. June. 

 Mexico. 1826. 



AMMO'BIUM. (From ammos, sand, and bio, to live ; 

 in reference to the sandy soil in which it thrives. Nnt. 



ord. Composites [Composite]. Linn. lo-Syngenesia, 

 i-JEqualis.) 



Half-hardy annuals or biennials. Cuttings and seed 

 sown in the autumn flower the next year ; common soil. 



A. ala'tum (winged). 2. White. June. N. Holland. 



1822. 



grandiflo'rum. Pure white. 

 plantagi' neum (plantain-leaved), i. White. August. 



N. Holland. 1827. 



AMMO'CHARIS. (From ammos, sand, and charts, de- 

 light ; the plant grows in sand. Nat. ord. Amarylli- 

 daceae.) 



Greenhouse bulbs. Offsets. Loam, a little leaf- 

 mould, and plenty of sand. 



A. falca'ta (sickle-shaped), r. Red. May. S. Africa. 



1774- 



pa'llida (pale), i. Pink. September. S. Africa. 

 1826. 



AMMODE NDRON. (From ammos, sand, and dendron, 

 a tree ; in reference to the situation it grows in. Nat. 

 ord. Leguminous Plants [Leguminosas]. Linn. 10- 

 Decandria, i-Monogynia.) 



A hardy evergreen tree. Allied to Sophora. Propa- 

 gated from seeds or layers. Light sandy soil. 



A. Sieve' rsii (Siever's). 4. Purple. June. Siberia. 

 1837- 



AMMOGE TON. (From ammos, sand, and geton, near ; 

 the situation it likes. Nat. ord. Composites [Composite]. 

 Linn. ig-Syngenesia, i-dEqualis.) 



Hardy herbaceous perennial. Root division ; sandy 

 loam. 



A. SCOT 'zonerifo 'Hum (scorzonera-leaved). Yellow. May. 

 N. Amer. 1834. See TROXIMON GLAUCUM. 



AMMO PHILA. (Greek, sand-loving. Gramineas.) 



A. arundina'cea (A. arenaria). Grown on coast to bind 

 sand. 



AMMY'RSINE. (From ammos, sand, and myrsine, 

 myrtle. Nat. ord. Heathworts [Ericaceae]. Linn. 10- 

 Decandria, i-Monogynia.) 



Hardy evergreen shrubs, allied to Ledum, but requiring 

 slight protection in winter. Peat ; layers. This genus 

 should be united to Leiophyllum, which see. 



A. buxifo'lia (box-leaved), i. White. May. N. Amer. 



1736. 

 ,. prostra'ta (flat-lying). White. June. N. Amer. 



AMOMOPHY'LLUM. See SPATHIPHYLLUM. 



AMO'MUM. (From a, not, and momos, impurity ; in 

 reference to the quality of counteracting poison. Nat. 

 ord. Gingerworts [Scitaminaceas]. Linn. i-Monandria, 

 i-Monpgynia.) 



Grains of paradise, acrid seeds used to give pungent 

 flavour to liquors, belong to different species of Amomum. 

 Being aromatic herbs, they were used in embalming ; 

 whence the word mummy. Stove herbaceous perennials. 

 Root division ; rich, light loam ; require, when growing, 

 a high, moist heat. 



A. aculea'tum (prickly). 10. Orange. May. E. Ind. 



1819. 

 Afze'lii (Afzelius's). 3. Pink. May. Sierra Leone. 



1795- 

 angustifo'lium (narrow-leaved). 8. Red. June. 



Madagascar. 

 aroma'ticum (aromatic). 3. Purplish-yellow. June. 



E. Ind. 1823. 



,, Cardamo'mum (small cardamom). See A. CARDAMON. 

 Ca'rdamon. 4. Pale brown. June. E. Ind. 1823. 

 , Clu'sii (B. M., t. 5250). See A. DANIELLI. 

 , purpu'reum. See A. DANIELLI. 

 , costa'tum. 6. Red. July. E. Indies. 1815. 

 , Danie'lli (bastard melegueta). 2j. Red. W. Africa. 

 , dealba'tum (whitened). 3. White. April. Bengal. 



1819. 

 ,, grandiflo'rum (large-flowered). See A. GRANUM- 



PARADISI. 



Gra'num-paradi'si (grain of paradise). 3. Red. March. 



Madagascar. 

 ., hemisphte'ricum (B. M., t. 7592). Java. 



