AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



59 



Alternanthera continued. 



some house or pit in the full light and warmth of the sun ; 

 for, unless so grown, green or ba/Uy coloured plants will be 

 the result. The best and quickest way of producing this 

 class of plants in large quantities, is to make up a special 

 hotbed for them about the end of March or beginning of 

 April. If a pit be used, it should be filled up within 

 Gin. of the glass with leaves and manure, or any other 

 material that will produce a steady bottom heat of SOdeg. 

 or 85deg., and will last for three weeks or so at that 

 point ; which, at this season, will be an easy matter. 

 When the heat has become regular and steady, about 4in. 

 or Sin. of light, rich, sandy soil should be placed all orer 

 the surface, adding, at the same time, a sprinkling of silver 

 sand on the top, and pressing it moderately firm with a 

 flat board. The cuttings may now be prepared and dibbled 

 in, lin. apart each way. If kept close, moist, and shaded 

 from bright sunshine, in a few days they will be forming 

 roots, and so soon as that takes place the shading should 

 be discontinued, and the ventilation gradually increased 

 until they are finally hardened off and planted out. If 

 carefully lifted, and placed in trays or baskets, with a 

 rhubarb leaf over them, they may be taken any distance, 

 and planted without flagging ; with this advantage that 

 the plants being in good colour, the beds are effective 

 at once. April is early enough to commence striking them, 

 and these will be fit to plant out by the middle of June. 

 The several species quoted in various dictionaries hitherto 

 are unknown in English gardens. 



A. amabilis (lovely).* I. elliptic, acuminate, greenish in some 

 stages, with the principal ribs stained with red, bat under free 

 growth becoming almost entirely suffused with rose colour, mixed 

 with orange, the midribs continuing to be of a deep red hue. 

 Brazil, 1868. 



A. a. apimi. (charming).* I. small, spathulate, orange red and 

 purple in colour, which is shaded with deep green and bronze. 

 Brazil, 1865. A most elegant little plant, with a spreading habit 



A. a. tricolor (three-coloured).* L broadly ovate, glabrous, dark 

 green at the edge, and have a centre of vivid rose, traversed by 

 purple veins, an irregular band of orange yellow intervening 

 between the centre and margin. Brazil, 1862. 



A* Bettzicbiana (Bettzich's). L olive and red. Brazil, 1862. 



A. B. spathnlata (spathulate-leayed). 1. spathulate, but more 

 elongated than the others ; the principal colours are reddish pink 

 and light brown ; these are shaded with bronze and green. 

 Brazil, 1865. A rather tall species. 



A. ficoldea (fig-like).* L variegated with green, rose, and red. 



A. paronychioldes (Paronychia-like).* I. narrow spathulate, 

 ground colour deep orange red, beautifully shaded with olive 

 green. Dense and compact grower, forming a little clump 

 about 4m. high. 



A. p. magnifies (magnificent).* A very fine variety, with a much 

 higher colour than the type. 



A. p. major (greater).* L bronze, with rich orange tips ; very 

 effective. 



m. aurea (greater-golden).* J. bright golden yellow, 

 .ich colour they retain all through the season. 



A. versicolor (various-colour).* I medium sized, ovate, bright 

 rosy pink and crimson, shaded with bronzy green, branching 

 freely, and making a compact and handsome plant. Brazil, 1865. 



ALTERNATE. Placed on opposite sides of an axis 

 on a different line, as in alternate leaves. 



ALTHJEA. (from altheo, to cure ; in reference to the 

 medicinal qualities of some of the species). Marsh Mal- 

 low. OBD. Malvaceae. Hardy biennials or perennials, 

 closely allied to Malva. Outer calyx six to nine- cleft, inner 

 one five-cleft. Most species belonging to this genus are 

 worthy of cultivation, particularly in woods, coppices, and 

 shrubberies; they will thrive in almost any kind of soil 

 They may be either increased by dividing the plants at the 

 roots, or by seeds ; the biennial species must be raised from 

 seed every year, which may be sown in spring where they are 

 intended to remain, or in pans placed in a cold frame, from 

 which the young plants may be removed when large enough. 



A. cannabina (Hemp-leaved).* JL rose-coloured ; peduncles axil- 

 lary, many-flowered, loose, longer than the leaves. June. L pu- 

 bescent, lower ones palmately-parted, upper ones three-parted ; 

 lobes narrow, and grossly toothed. A. 5ft to of t Sooth France, 

 1597. Perennial. 



Althaa continued. 

 A. caribSBa (Caribean)* /. rose coloured, with a yellow base, 



solitary, almost sessile. March. J. cordate, roundish, lobed 

 crenate^serrated. Stem straight, hispid, A. 3ft Caribbee Islands 



^Ucl 



I (fig-leaved). Antwerp Hollyhock. JL generally yellow 

 or orange coloured, in terminal spikes, large, single or double 

 June. I. divided beyond the middle into seven 5 lotos : lob 

 oblong, obtuse, irregularly toothed. A. 6ft Siberia, 1597. Bi- 



A. flexuosa (zigzag).' JL scarlet axillary, solitary, stalked ; petals 

 obcordate. June. L cordate, somewhat seven-lobed, obtuse, on 

 long footstalks. A. 2ft to 3ft North India, 1803. Perennial. 



A. frutex (shrubby). Synonymous with HOriteiu tyriaciu. 



A. narbonensis (NarbonneX* A- pale red; peduncles many- 

 flowered, loose, longer than the leaves. August L pubescent 

 lower ones five or seven-lobed, upper ones three-lobed. A. 3ft to 

 6ft France, 1780. Perennial. 



FIG. 69. FLOWER ASD BUDS OP ALTH.EA OPHCIXALIS. 



A. offlcinalis (officinal). Common Marsh Mallow. A. of a delicate, 

 uniform blush colour ; peduncles axillary, many-flowered, much 

 shorter than the leaves. July, t clothed with soft, white tomen- 

 tum on both surfaces, cordate or ovate, toothed, undivided, or 

 somewhat flve-lobed. A. 3ft to 4ft Marshes, Britain. Peren- 

 nial. See Fig. 69. 



A. rosea (rose).* Hollyhock. JL rose-coloured, large, axillary, 

 sessile, somewhat spiked at the top. July. I. cordate, with five 

 or seven angles, crenated, rough. Stem straight hairy. A. 8ft 

 China, 1573. For special culture and varieties, tet Hollyhock. 

 A. striata (streaked). JL white, 2iin. in diameter, solitary, on 

 short pedicels; calyx striped. July. 'I. cordate, bluntly three- 

 lobed, crenated. Stem pnberulous, and somewhat scabrous. A. 

 5ft Biennial 



ALUMINOUS. Pertaining to, or containing alum, 

 or alumina ; as Aluminous soils. 

 ALUM-BOOT. See Heuchera. 

 AXiYSSTJM (from a, not, and lyssa, rage ; in reference 

 to a fable that the plant allayed anger). Madwort. In- 

 cluding Ptilonema, Ptilotrichum, Schivereckia. ORD. 

 Cruciferae. Annnala or dwarf, branching, shrubby pe- 

 rennials, often clothed with hoary, stellate hairs. Flowers 

 small, cruciform, white or yellow. Leaves distant, or the 

 radical ones tufted, usually entire. Several of the species 

 are very much alike. They are excellent plants for the 

 rockery, or for the front of borders, growing freely in 

 common but well-drained garden soil. They may.be in- 

 creased by cuttings, by division of the roots, or by seed. 

 The cuttings should be made from young shoots, 2in. to Sin. 

 in length, inserted in sandy loam, early in the season, in a 



