60 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Ainu* continued. 



Alder, the young trees should be put in holes, made with 

 an ordinary garden spade, about 9in. deep, and about 4ft. 

 apart. They are also increased, but rarely, by cuttings, by 

 suckers, and by grafting. 



k a5SSaraa^4Kn^ag 



acuminate, dark green, and shining, h. 15ft to 50ft. Calabria 

 and Naples, 1820. A large, very distinct, and handsome round- 

 headed tree. It grows rapidly in dry soil, and is one of the most 

 interesting of ornamental trees. 



A. firma (firm).* I oval lanceolate, acuminate, sharply serrated, 

 ^nanjMnerved. Japan. One of the most distinct of all the Alders. 



&&*&!** "<*\ ked . clustered, ovoid, 

 glutinous and smooth or 



Fio. 60. ALNUS GMJTINOSA, showing Catkins and Fruit 



A. glntlnosa (sticky)*, barren catkins long, large, and cylindrical, 

 pendent, their footstalks branched, .fertile calking small, ovate, 

 with deep red scales. Spring. I. roundish-cuneiform, obtuse lobed 

 at the margin, and serrated, somewhat glutinous, downy in the 

 axils of the nerves beneath, h. 50ft. to 60ft. Britain. The Alder 

 affects moist and damp situations, and, as it grows quickly, it is a 

 useful tree to plant hi bare situations. It is valuable as a nurse to 

 other trees by the sea-side. See Fig. 60. 



A. g. anrea (golden).* I. golden colour. 



A. g. inoisa (incised).* Compact form, with leaves quite like those 

 of common Hawthorn. SYN. A. g. oxyacanthifolia. 



A. g. lacinlata (cut).* 1. oblong and pinnatittd, with the lobes 

 acute. This has elegant drooping branches and Fern-like leaves, 

 and is one of the best. 



A. g. oxyacanthifolia (sharp-prickled). Synonymous with A. g. 



A. g. qnercifolia (Oak-leaved).* l. with a sinuate outline, like 

 that of the common Oak. A very distinct form. The variety 

 \mperialis (=atplenifolia) slightly differs in its more or less lobed 

 or cut foliage ; A. g. variegata is a variegated form. 



softly downy beneath, serrate, with very" sharp and closely~set 



teeth. Mountainous regions of northern hemisphere. 



ALOCASIA (from a, without, and Colocasia). Allied to 



Colocaaia. OBD. Aroidece (Araceos). Stove plants of great 



beauty, often with large and handsomely variegated usually 



peltate, leaves, and shortly petiolate, glaucous spathes 



They are not difficult to grow, with a strong moist heat and 



n abundant supply of water to the roots. The soil should 



Alocaaia continued. 



consist of fibrous peat, with a little light fibry loam, in 

 large lumps ; to this add a good proportion of sphagnum 

 and lumps of charcoal, with plenty of silver sand. Keep 

 the bulbs and soil raised well above the rim of the pots, 

 and finish off with a surfacing of either sphagnum or 

 cocoanut fibre. The latter will soon encourage new root- 

 lets. Crock the pot quite two-thirds up with clean, broken 

 potsherds. Water freely when in good growth, and give 

 liquid manure once or twice a week through the growing 

 season. Shade during bright sunshine in the spring and 

 summer months. Increased by seeds and division of the stems 

 or rhizome. Winter temperature, 60deg. to 65deg. ; summer, 

 75deg. to 85deg. See also Caladium and Colocasia. 



A. alba (white), fl. white, h. IJft. Java, 1854. 



A. amabilis (lovely). Synonymous with A. lonyiloba. 



A. chelsonil (Chelsea).* An interesting hybrid between A. cuprea 



and A. longiloba. I. large, upper surface deep green, glossy and 



metallic, under side purplish, as in A. cuprea. 

 A. cucullata (hood-leaved), ft. green, whitish. Spring, h. 2ft. 



India, 1826. 

 A. cuprea (coppery).* ft., spathe purplish-red, with short lamina. 



I. cordate-ovate, peltate, deflexed, 12m. to 18in. long, rich bronze 



colour, purple beneath. h. 2ft. Borneo, 1860. SY.NS. A. 



metattica, Xanthosoma plumbea. 

 A. glgantea (gigantic). Synonymous with A. longiloba. 



^guttata (spotted). ft., spathe white, spotted with purple, 

 leafstalk also spotted, h. 2Jft. Borneo, 1879. 



A. hybrida (hybrid).* A cross between A. Lowii and A. cuprea. 

 1. elliptic in outline, with a very short acuminate point, and very 

 slightly parted at the base, deep olive-tinted green on the upper 

 surface, having stout, well-defined ribs, and the margin of an ivory 

 white ; dull purple at the back. 



A. illustris (brighl). 1. ovate-sagittate, rich green, with olive- 

 black patches, deflezed, lift, long. India, 1873. 



A. Jennings!! (Jennings's).* I. peltate, cordate-ovate, acuminate, 

 with their blades deflexed from the top of the erect mottled 

 stalks, ground colour green, surface marked with large wedge- 

 shaped blotches of dark brown ; veins bright green, 6in. to 8in. 

 long. India, 1867. A very distinct and free growing species. 



A. Johnston! (Johnston's).* I. semi-erect, arrow-shaped, pel- 

 tate, the front lobe being about 12in. long, and the two back lobes 

 14in. long and divergent, olive-green, prettily variegated and 

 strikingly veined with bright rosy red. The leafstalks are fur- 

 nished at intervals with irregular whorls of stiff spines, the points 

 of which are turned upwards. Stem darkly mottled with flesh- 

 coloured bands just above the spines. Solomon Isles, 1875. This 

 plant has quite a unique appearance. 



A. Llervalil (Lierval's). I. bright green. Philippines, 1869. 



A. longiloba (long-lobed). I. large, sagittate, with the upper part 

 spreading put, green, with silvery veins, h. 4ft. Java, 1864. SY.NS. 

 A. ainabilis, A. gigantea. 



A. Lowii (Low's), ft., spathe white. 1. cordate-sagittate, 14in. 

 to 16in. long, peltate, deflexed, olive-green, with thick white 

 ribs, deep purple beneath. Borneo, 1862. 



A. maororhiza (long-rooted), fl. green, whitish, h. 5ft. Polynesia. 



A. m. variegata (variegated). I. large, somewhat cordate, with 

 slightly waved margins, bright green, blotched and marbled with 

 white, sometimes nearly quite white ; footstalks broadly streaked 

 with pure white. Ceylon. A very striking and effective large 

 growing plant. 



A. MarrftallH (Marshall's). I. green, with dark blotches, and 

 broad central silvery band. India, 1811. 



A. metallioa (metallic). Synonymous with A. cuprea. 



A. navlcularis (boat-shaped spathe). ft., spathe boat-shaped, 

 whitish. A. 1ft. India, 1855. 



A. Roozlil. See Caladium marmoratum. 



A. scabriuscula (roughish).* /., spathe entirely white ; limb 

 Sin. long, oblong, cuspidate. I. spreading, not deflexed, sagittate, 

 not hi the least peltate, deep shining green above, pale green 

 beneath, extreme length 22in. to 31in. h. 4ft. to 4Jft. North- 

 West Borneo, 1878. Although this is not such an ornamental 

 species as A. Lowii, A. Thibautiana, or A. cuprea, it has the merit 

 of being a much larger and bolder plant than either of these, and 

 is one of the largest species in the genus. 



A. Sedeni (Seden's).* A hybrid between A. Lowii and A. cuprea. 

 I. oval, cordate, sagittate, deflexed, bronzy green, purple beneath, 

 veins distinct ivory white. 



A. Thibautiana (Thibaut's).* I. ovate-acute, deeply cordate ; basal 

 lobes rounded and not sharply pointed, deep olive greyish-green, 

 traversed by numerous grey veinlets branching from the midrib, 

 which is greyish-white, purple beneath. Borneo, 1878. This is 

 said to be by far the finest of the genus. 



A. variegata (variegated), ft. whitish. I, leafstalk mottled with 



