BOSWELLIA 



124 



BOUCHEA 





ing of this insect is given at page 329, vol. iii. of The 

 Cottage Gardener. 



B. Pinastri, Pinaster, or Red-bark beetle, confines its 

 attacks to the pines, leaving the firs untouched, as the 

 B. larius lives exclusively on the larch, and the B. 

 ortltographus on the spruce-fir. 



BOSWE'LLIA. Olibanum-tree. (Named after Dr. 

 Boswell, of Edinburgh. Nat. ord. Amyrids [Burseracea?]. 

 Linn. lo-Decandria, i-Monogynia.) 



The brittle resin of Boswellia, boiled with oil to render 

 it soft, is used in the East as pitch for the bottoms 

 of ships, and, in the dry state, as frankincense. Stove 

 trees ; cuttings of half-ripened shoots, in sand and peat ; 

 peat and loam. Summer temp.. 60 to 80 ; winter, 

 50 to 60. 



B. gla'bra (smooth). See B. SERRATA. 

 serra'talsavr-edged-leaved). 20. Pale yellow. E. Ind. 

 1820. 



BOTHPJOSPE'RMUM. (From bothrion, a smal pit, 

 and spertna, a seed ; the seeds are pitted. Nat. ord. 

 Boraginaceee.) 



Hardy annual. Seeds. Garden soil. 



B. tendllum (very-slender). White. July. N. China. 

 1820. 



BOTHY. The lodgings assigned to young gardeners 

 in the northern part of the kingdom, and the same name 

 is now applied to the lodgings of gardeners in many parts 

 of England ; and miserable hovels they often were, but 

 they have been greatly improved within recent years. 



BOTRY'CERAS. (From botrus, a bunch, and kerns, a 

 horn ; in reference to the bunches of horn-like racemes. 

 Nat. ord. Anacards [Anacardiaceae]. Linn. ^-Tetrandria, 

 i-Monogynia.) 



Greenhouse evergreen shrubs ; cuttings of ripened 

 shoots in sand, under a hand-light, in a frame, and the 

 hand-light tilted up at night ; sandy peat and loam. 

 Summer temp., 55 to 65 ; winter, 38 to 45. 



B. lauri'num (laurel-like). 4. S. Africa. 1823. 



BOTRY'CHIUM. Moon wort. (From botrus, a bunch ; 

 in reference to the bunch-like formation of the seed- 

 apparatus on the special branch of the leaf. Nat. ord. 

 Ferns [Filices]. Linn. 2^-Cryptpgamia, i-Filices.) 



Perennial Ferns, hardy, with but one exception ; 

 chiefly divisions ; peat and loam. B. austra'le should 

 be protected in winter. 



B. austra'le (southern). See B. TERNATUM AUSTRALE. 

 daucifo'lium (carrot-leaved), i. Himalayas. Cey- 

 lon, &c. 1862. 



disse'ctum (cut-leaved) . See B. TERNATUM DISSECTUM. 

 ,, fumarioi'des (fumitory-like). J. Brown. July. 



Carolina. 1806. A garden name for B. terna- 



turn. 

 Luna'ria (common moonwort). J. Brown. May. 



Britain. 



obli'quum (twisted). See B. TERNATUM OBLIQUUM. 

 subcarno' sum (somewhat fleshy). See B. DAUCI- 



FOLIUM. 

 terna' turn (divided into three). Hudson's Bay 



Territory to New Granada. 

 ,, austra'le (southern). }. June. Australia and 



New Zealand. 1823. Not quite hardy. 

 disse'ctum (cut-leaved). \. July. Segments 



sharply incise-serrate. N. Amer. 1806. 

 lunarioi'des (moon-like). A smaller form. N. 



Amer. 

 obli'quum (oblique). $. August. Larger and 



more divided. N. Amer. 1821. 

 virgi'nicum (Virginian), i. Brown. August. N. 



Amer. 1790. 



BOTRYODE'NDRUM. See MERYTA. 



BOTTIONE'A. (A small-flowered Lilywort allied to 

 Anthericum. Nat. ord Liliaceas.) 



A fibrous-rooted Lilywort for a warm, sheltered border. 

 Seeds and divisions in spring. 



B. thysanthoi'des (Thysanthe-like). i. White. March. 

 Chili. 1828. Syn. Anthericum plumosum. 



BOTTLE GOURD. See LAGENARIA. 

 BOTTLE TREE. See STERCULIA RUPESTRIS. 



BOTTOM-HEAT. Naturally the temperature of the 

 soil always bears a due relative proportion to that of the 

 air. When the temperature of the air decreases, that 

 of the soil also decreases, but very slowly ; and, when 

 the atmospheric heat increases, that of the soil also 

 gradually rises. Bottom-heat, or heat applied to the 

 roots of plants, is the artificial mode of imitating this 

 proceeding of nature in our hothouses and other struc- 

 tures of that kind. If the temperature of the soil be too 

 cold in proportion to the temperature of the atmosphere, 

 the roots are not stimulated sufficiently to imbibe food 

 as fast as it is required by the branches and foliage ; 

 and, as a consequence, the leaves or fruit will fall or 

 wither. On the other hand, if the temperature of the 

 soil be too great in proportion to that of the atmosphere, 

 the roots absorb food faster than it can be elaborated 

 by the leaves ; and, as a consequence, over-luxuriant 

 shoots and an extra development of leaves are caused, 

 instead of blossoms and a healthy progress in all the 

 parts. 



Every plant obviously will have a particular bottom- 

 heat most congenial to it. Plants growing in open 

 plains will require a higher bottom-heat than those 

 growing in the shade of the South American forests, 

 though the temperature of the air out of the shade may 

 be the same in each country. That gardener will suc- 

 ceed in exotic plant-culture best, who, among his other 

 knowledge, has ascertained the relative temperature of 

 the air and soil in which any given plant grows naturally. 

 At present, such information from actual observation is 

 not obtainable ; but it is not so difficult to ascertain 

 the maximum and minimum temperature of the air of a 

 country ; and, these being obtained, the gardener may 

 adopt this as a safe rule : Let the bottom-heat for 

 plants of that country be always 5 higher than the 

 average temperature of each month ; that is, if the 

 lowest temperature of the month is 40, and the highest 

 70, the average is 55 ; and, if we add 5 to that, we 

 shall have 60 as the bottom-heat for that month. If 

 the average maximum temperature of the air only be 

 known, let the bottom-heat be less by 10 than the 

 maximum temperature of the air. In relation to the 

 propagation of plants bottom-heat is of the greatest 

 advantage, for with a cool surface the sap is drawn 

 downwards, and induces root growths and when top 

 growth is wanted the surface temperature should be the 

 highest. Taking ordinary subjects, we find root-growth 

 is made during the autumn after the ground has been 

 warmed by the summer sun and moistened by rain, and 

 top-growth commences with spring sunshine. 



BOTTOMING. A term usually applied to the drainage 

 of pots, although equally applicable to any kind of 

 horticultural drainage. (See DRAINING.) It is also ap- 

 plied to mowing grass on lawns, and signifies that the 

 mower should take extra pains in mowing, cutting down 

 almost to the surface of the turf, in order to facilitate 

 future mowings by the production of an entirely fresh 

 herbage, free from moss and the residue of former 

 mowings. 



BOUCERO'SIA. (From boukeros, furnished with 

 buffalo-horns ; in reference to the horns of the corona. 

 Nat. ord. Asclepiadaceas.) Succulent perennials allied to 

 Stapelia and requiring similar cultural treatment. 



B. crenula'ta (notched). . Pale yellow. India. 1829. 

 ,, europ&'a (European). . Purple-brown, yellow. 



Summer. S. Europe. 1832. 

 ,, gussoma'na (Gussonian). J. Red-striped. October. 



Algeria. 1833. 



,, incarna'ta (flesh), i. Flesh. June. S. Africa. 1793. 

 ,, mammilla' ris (teated). i. Brown or dark purple. 



Summer. S. Africa. 1774. 

 marocca'na (Morocco). $. Red-purple and yellow 



lines. Summer. Morocco. 1875. 

 ,, munbya'na (Munbyan). Algeria. 

 ;, hispa'nica (Spanish variety). Corolla lobes narrow. 



Spain. 1898. 



tesseWa'ta(tasselled). See ECHIDNOPSIS CEREIFORMIS. 

 umbella'ta (umbelled). Pink. India. 1804. 

 BOU'CHEA. (Named after two German naturalists, 



C. and P. Boucke. Nat. ord. VERBENACE^E.) 



Stove or greenhouse, evergreen herbs or sub-shrubs. 

 Propagated by cuttings of half-ripened wood in sand, 

 under a hand-glass or close frame, with a gentle bottom- 

 heat, in spring. Loam, peat, and sand. 



