POLLTA 



688 



POLYCARP^A 



the palest shade to deep orange. Occasionally it is 

 shaded with purple, blue, violet, or green in different 

 genera and families. 



PO'LLIA. (Commemorative of Van der Poll, a Dutch- 

 man. Nat. ord. Commelinaceae. ) 



Stove perennial trailing herb. Seeds ; divisions and 

 cuttings in sand in a close case. Loam, leaf-mould, 

 and sand. 



P. condensa'ta (condensed). Trop. Africa. 

 variega'ta (variegated). Leaves variegated with 



yellowish-white. Trop. Africa. 1908. 

 crispa'ta (crisped). Blue. Australia. 1822. 



POLLINATION. The term is applied to the placing of 

 the pollen on the stigma of the same or a different flower 

 from that whence it was taken. The wind, birds, and 

 other animals insects chiefly do this in a state of 

 nature, effecting self or cross-pollination. It is done by 

 man, with the object of securing certain results. When 

 the pollen is applied to the stigma of the same flower 

 or one on the same plant, it is termed self-pollination ; 

 but if transferred to the stigma of another variety it 

 is termed cross-pollination, and is done with the object 

 of getting new and improved varieties. Hybrids are 

 obtained by cross-pollinating two different species. 

 Pollination is distinct from fertilisation ; the latter is 

 only accomplished when the pollen tube reaches the 

 germinal vesicle, and forms a union with it. 



POLY. See FOLIUM. 



POLYA'CHYRUS. (From polus, many, and achuron, 

 chaff. Nat. ord. Composites [Compositae]. Linn. 19- 

 Syngenesia, i-Mqualis.) 



Half-hardy herbaceous perennials. Division and cut- 

 tings of the young shoots, in spring, in sandy soil ; the 

 protection of a cold frame, or some analogous place, in 

 winter. 

 P. Pceppi'gii (Poeppig's). Blue. June. Chili. 1830. 



POLYA'LTHIA. (From polus, much, and altheeis, 

 healing ; literally, all-healing, from its supposed medicinal 

 qualities. Nat. ord. Anonaceae.) 



Stove evergreen shrubs or small trees. Cuttings of 

 half-mature shoots in sand, placed in a close case with 

 bottom-heat. Fibrous loam, a little peat, and sand. 

 P. crasoi'd(Cerasus-like). 5-60. Green. India. 1820- 

 Kori'nti (Korint's). 2-30. Green. India. 

 longifo'lia (long-leaved). 4. Purple. India. 1820. 

 Sche'fferi (Scheffer's). Java. 

 simia'rum (monkeys'). Brown. Himalaya ; Burma. 



1823. 

 subero'sa (corky). 3-30. White. India. 1820. 



POLYA'NTHTJS. This is a variety, but a very per- 

 manent one, of the common Primrose (Pri'mula vulga'ris). 

 There are many varieties, and their excellence as florists' 

 flowers may be determined by the following rules : 



The Pip of a Laced Polyanthus. i. This should be 

 perfectly flat and round, slightly scolloped on the edge, 

 and three-quarters of an inch in diameter. 



2. It should be divided in (five or) six places, appa- 

 rently forming (five or) six flower-leaves, each indented 

 in the centre to make it a kind of heart-shaped end ; 

 but the indentations must not reach the yellow eye. 



3. The indenture in the centre of the apparent flower- 

 leaves should be exactly the same depth as the indenture 

 formed by the join of these flower-leaves, so that it should 

 not be known, by the form of the flower, which is the 

 actual division and which is the indenture ; in other 

 words, which is the side and which the centre of the flower- 

 leaf ; and all the indentures should be as slight as pos- 

 sible, to preserve the character. 



4. The flower should be divided thus : the yellow tube 

 in the centre being measured, the yellow eye, round the 

 tube, should be the same width as its diameter ; and the 

 ground colour of the flower should be the same width ; 

 or draw with the compasses, opened to a sixteenth of 

 an inch apart, a circle for the tube or centre, open them 

 to three-sixteenths, and draw another circle for the eye, 

 then open them further to five-sixteenths, and draw a 

 third circle for the ground or dark colour. Beyond 

 these circles there is a yellow lacing, which should reach 

 round every flower-leaf, to the yellow eye, and down 

 the centre of every petal to the eye, and so much like the 

 edging that the flower should appear to have (ten or) 

 twelve similar petals. The ends of these (ten or) twelve 



should be blunted, and rounded like so many snni- 

 circles, so that the outline of the circle should be inter- 

 rupted as little as possible. 



5. The tube (one-fifth the width of the whole flower) 

 should be nearly filled up with the six anthers, which 

 are technically called the thrum (have an elevatc'l 

 rendering it trumpet-eyed), and the flower should not 

 exhibit the pistil. 



6. The edging round and down the centre of the petals 

 formed by the divisions should be of oven width all the 

 way, and uniformly of the same shade of sulphur, lemon, 

 or yellow as the eye, and there must not be two shades 

 of yellow in the eye. 



7. The ground colour may be just what anybody likes 

 best, but clear, well-defined, perfectly smooth at the 

 edges inside next the eye, so as to form a circle, and 

 outside, next the lacing. A black or a crimson ground, 

 being scarce, is desirable ; but the quality of the colour 

 as to clearness, rather than the colour itself, constitutes 

 the property. 



The Plant. i. The stem should be strong, straight, 

 elastic, and from four to six inches in length. 



2. The footstalks of the flower should be of such length 

 as to bring all the flowers well together. 



3. The truss should rise from the centre of the foliage, 

 comprise seven or more flowers, and be neatly arranged 

 to be seen all at once. 



4. The foliage should be dark green, short, broad, thick, 

 and cover the pot well ; but erect and clustering round, 

 though lower than the truss. 



The Pair, or Collection. The Pair, or pan of more, 

 should comprise flowers of different and distinct colours, 

 either the ground colour or the yellow of each being 

 sufficiently different from the rest to be well distin- 

 guished. The whole should be so near of a height as to 

 range the heads of bloom well together. The great fault 

 of the Polyanthus now, even among the best sorts, is 

 that the divisions between the petals are so wide as to 

 make the flower look starry, whereas there should be no 

 more gap where the division is than is in the indentation 

 of the petal itself. Glenny's Properties of Flowers, 6-c. 



Culture. The Polyanthus may be cultivated exactly 

 as the Auricula. 



POLYBO'TRYA. (From polus, many, and bolrus, a 

 bunch ; the appearance of the fertile or seed-bearing 

 frond. Nat. ord. Ferns [Filices]. Linn. 2^-Cryptogamia, 

 i-Filiccs. Now referred to Acrostichum.) 

 P. acumina'ta (pointed-leaved). See ACROSTICHUM 



ACUMINATUM. 



apiifo'lia (parsely-leaved) . See ACROSTICHUM APII- 



FOLIUM. 

 appendicula'ta (appendaged). See ACROSTICHUM 



APPENDICULATUM. 



,, articula'ta (jointed). See ACROSTICHUM ARTICULATUM. 

 ,, c-t>t'na(hart's-tongue). See ACROSTICHUM CERVINUM. 

 ,, corcovade'nsis (Corcovado). See ACROSTICHUM CER- 

 VINUM CORCOVADENSE. 



inci'sa (cut-leaved). July. W. Ind. 



interme'dia (intermediate). April. Isle of Luzon. 



lechleria'na (Lechlerian). See ACROSTICHUM LECH- 



LERIANUM. 



osmunda'cea (Osmunda-like). See ACROSTICHUM 



OSMUNDACEUM. 



,, serrula'ta (saw-edged). July. Isle of Luzon. 



,, specio'sa (showy). July. W. Ind. 



,, vivi'para (viviparous). J. June. W. Ind. 1823. 



POLYCALY'MMA STUA'RTn. See MYRIOCEPHALUS 

 STUARTII. 



POLYCARE'NA. (From polus, many, and karenon, a 

 head ; in reference to the numerous heads or clusters 

 of flowers. Nat. ord. Scrophulariaceae. Allied to 

 Zaluzianskya.) 



Half-hardy annuals with numerous clusters of flowers. 

 Seeds in a gentle heat, and planted out in May. Ordinary 

 soil. 

 P. cape'nsis (Cape), i. White. June. S. Africa. 1788. 



POLYCA'RPA MAXIMOWTCZH. See IDESIA POLY- 



CARPA. 



POLYCARP-TE'A. (From polus, many, and karpos, a 

 fruit ; the seed-vessels are numerous. Nat. ord. Caryo- 

 phyllaceae. Allied to Polycarpon.) 



Hardy or half-hardy perennials. Seeds ; divisions and 

 cuttings. Ordinary soil, with frame protection in winter. 



