BLOOM 



119 



BOG-EARTH 



flowers; the stamens, or male portion of the flower, 

 secreting the pollen, or impregnating powder ; the 

 pistils, or female portion, impregnatable by the pollen, 

 and rendering fertile the seeds ; and, lastly, the peri- 

 carp, or seed-vessel. 



The stamens can be removed without preventing the 

 formation of fertile seed ; but their loss must be sup- 

 plied by the application to the pistils of pollen from 

 some kindred flower. 



The calyx is not useless so soon as it ceases to 

 envelope and protect the flower ; for the flower-stalk 

 continues increasing in size until the seed is perfected, 

 but ceases to do so in those plants whose calyces remain 

 long green, if these be removed. On the other hand, in 

 the poppy and other flowers, from which the calyx falls 

 early, the flower-stalk does not subsequently enlarge. 



The corolla, or petals, with all their varied tints and 

 perfumes, have more important offices to perform than 

 thus to delight the senses of mankind. Those bright 

 colours and their perfumed honey serve to attract 

 insects, which are the chief and often essential assistants 

 of impregnation ; and those petals, as observed by 

 Linnaeus, serve as wings, giving a motion assisting to 

 effect the same important process. But they have 

 occasionally a still more essential office ; for, although 

 they are sometimes absent, yet, if removed from some 

 of those possessing them, the subsequent processes are 

 not duly performed. 



The corolla is not always short-lived, as in the cistus ; 

 for some continue until the fruit is perfected. The 

 duration of the petals, however, is in some way con- 

 nected with the impregnation of the seed, for in most 

 flowers they fade soon after this is completed ; and 

 double flowers, in which it occurs not at all, are always 

 longer enduring than single flowers of the same species. 

 Then, again, in some flowers they become green, and 

 perform the function of leaves, after impregnation has 

 been effected. A familiar example occurs in the Christ- 

 mas rose (Helle'borus ni'ger), the petals of which are 

 white, but which become green so soon as the seeds 

 have somewhat increased in size, and the stamens and 

 other organs connected with fertility have fallen off. 



BLOOM. This term is also applied to the fine exuda- 

 tion on the surface of some fruit purple on the Black 

 Hamburgh Grape, and on some plums, and green on 

 the cucumber. 



BLOGME RIA. (Name commemorative. Nat. ord. 

 Lily worts [Liliaceae]. 



Hardy, summer-flowering bulbs allied to Brodia?a, and 

 require similar cultural treatment. They should be 

 planted on the rockery to succeed the spring bulbs. 

 Well drained garden soil. 



B. au'rea (golden), i. Lemon-yellow. California. 1869. 

 ,, Clevela'ndi (Cleveland's). Yellow. California. 1896. 



BLUE- BELTS. Campanula rotundifo'lia (Scotch Blue- 

 bell) ; Sci'lla fesla'lis (English Bluebell). 



BLUE-BOTTLE. Centau'rea Cya'nus. 

 BLUE GUM TREE. Eucaly'ptus Glo'bulus. 



BLUETS. French name for Centau'rea Cya'nus. In 

 America the Bluets are Housto'nia c&ru'lea and Vacci'- 

 nium angustifo' Hum. 



BLUMENBA'CHIA. (Named after /. F. Blumenbach, 

 of Gottingen. Nat. ord. Loasads [Loasaceaej. Linn. 

 i8-Polyadelphia, 2-Polyandria.) 



Hardy annuals. Seeds in April ; rich mould. 



B. chuquiU'nsis (Chuquitan). Red, yellow within. 



September. Peru. 1863. Climbing perennial. 

 ,, conto'rta (contorted). See B. GRANDIFLORA. 

 corona' to (crowned). Pure white. June. Chili. 1872. 

 grandiflo'ra (large-flowered). Orange-red, green 



within. July. Peru. 1874. 

 insi'gnis (remarkable). J. White. July. Monte 



Video. 1826. Trailer. Syns. Loasa pdlmata and 



L. muralis. 



lateri'tia (brick-red). See LOASA. 

 multi'fida (many-clef t-leaved). i. Greenish-red. 



July. Buenos Ayres. 1826. 



BOATUP. Scaphyglo'ttis. 



BOBA RTIA. (Named in honour of Jacob Bobart, 

 professor of botany at Oxford in the seventeenth century. 

 Nat. ord. Irids [Iridaceae]. Linn. $-Triandria, i-Mono- 

 gynia.) 



The species in this genus are allied to Sisyrinchium. 

 Seeds in April ; divisions in autumn or spring. Sandy 

 loam ; protection of a cool greenhouse or pit in winter. 

 B. aphy'lla (leafless), i. White, purple. S. Africa. 

 auranti'aca (orange). See HOMERIA AURANTIACA. 

 ,, filifo'rmis (thread-leaved), i. Purple. S. Africa. 

 gladia'ta (sword-shaped). 2. Yellow. June. Cape 



of Good Hope. 1816. 



i'ndica( Indian). |. Yellow. June. S.Africa. 1798. 

 ., spatha'cea (sheathed). See B. INDICA. 



BOCCaNIA, (Named after P. Boccone, M.D., a 

 Sicilian. Nat. ord. Poppyworts [Papaveraceae]. Linn. 

 ii-Dodtcandria, i-Monogynia.) 



Stove evergreen shrubs. The first and last named are 

 hardy herbaceous plants. Cuttings in sand and heat ; 

 fibrous, sandy loam. Summer temp., 60 to 80 ; winter, 

 55 to 60. 

 B. corda'ta (heart-shaped)* Cream. Summer. China 



and Japan. 1866. Foliage handsome. 

 ,, frute'scens (shrubby celandine). 10. White, yellow. 



February. W- Ind. 1739. 

 ,, integrifo'lia (entire-leaved). 4. White. February. 



Mexico. 1820. 



,. japo'nica (Japanese). See B. CORDATA. 

 microca'rpa (small-fruited). Brown and cream. N. 

 China. 1896. 



BCE'A. (A genus of stove and greenhouse plants. 

 Nat. ord. Gesneraceae. Seeds. Soil, loam, leaf-mould, 

 and sand. A little peat may be used.) 

 B. clarkea'na (Clarkean). Yunnan. 



,, ferrugi'nea (rusty). Malaya. 



,, viola' cea (violet). See CALCEOLARIA VIOLACEA. 



BCE'BERA. (Named after Boeder, a Russian botanist. 

 Nat. ord. Composites [Composite]. Linn. iq-Syngenesia, 

 2-Superflua.) 



A greenhouse evergreen shrub. Cuttings of young, 

 firmish shoots under a glass ; requires a pit or a cool 

 greenhouse in winter. 



B. inca'na (hoary-herbaged). See DVSSODIA PUBESCENS. 

 There are other species, but not deserving cultiva- 

 tion. 



BCEHMETRIA. (Named after George Rudolph Bcehmer, 

 a German botanist. Nat. ord. Nettleworts [Urticaceae]. ) 

 B. nivea is the only species worth cultivating for th 

 sake of its foliage. Cuttings of shoots getting firm, 

 placed in sand under a bell-glass in the greenhouse, or 

 by divisions. Light soil in the open ground. 



B. ni'vea (snowy-leaved). 4. Green. September. 

 Trop. Asia. " China Grass." 



BCENNINGHAUSE'NIA. (A plant closely allied to 

 Ruta, but differing by having flat, undivided petals. 

 Nat. ord. Rueworts [Rutaceae].) It is a hardy border 

 plant, thriving in any good garden soil. Seeds and 

 divisions. 



B. albiflo'ra (white-flowered), ij. White. August. 

 Japan. Syn. B. japonica. 



BOG-BEAN. Menya'nthes trifolia'ta. 



BOG-EARTH, HEATH-MOULD, or PEAT. By gar- 

 deners this is understood as not meaning that mass of 

 moss, or sphagnum, dug out of wet, fenny places for 

 fuel, but a sharp, sandy soil, mixed with the dead, 

 fibrous roots of heath, and usually of a dark-grey colour, 

 such as is found upon the surface beneath the heath on 

 Wimbledon, Bagshot, and many other dry commons. 

 Peat of the best description is thus constituted. Of 

 400 parts : 



Fine silicious sand . . 

 Unaltered vegetable fibre . 

 Decomposing vegetable matter 

 Silica (flint) . 

 Alumina (clay) . 

 Oxide of iron 



Soluble, vegetable, and saline 

 Muriate of lime . . 

 Loss : i 



156 

 2 



no 

 102 

 16 

 4 

 4 

 4 



