AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



185 



Besleria continued. 



B. incarnata (flesh-coloured-berried).* /t, corollas purplish ; tube 

 very long, ventricose ; lobes of limb reflexed, roundish, unequal, 

 fringed ; peduncles axillary, solitary, one-flowered. L oblong, 

 crenated, tomentose on both surfaces, h. 2ft Guiana, 1820. 

 Herbaceous perennial. 



B, violacea (purple-berried), fl. purple, small ; corolla with a 

 curved tube and spreading limb ; peduncles racemosely panicled, 

 terminal. Berrv purple, edible. I. ovate, acute, quite entire, 

 stiff. Guiana, 1824. Climbing shrub. (A. G. 254.) 



BESOM, or BROOM. Birch-brooms are best for 

 garden purposes, and are generally used. The most suit- 

 able for paved yards are those made of the common Ling 

 (Calluna vulgaris). Those made of bass fibres are fre- 

 quently used on paths, for which they are very suitable, 

 but their expensiveness prevents them being generally 

 employed. Whatever material is used in its composition, 

 a Besom will last much longer if soaked in water for some 

 time before using. 



BESSERA (in honour of Dr. Besser, Professor of 

 Botany at Brody). OBD. Liliacece. An elegant little half- 

 hardy, Squill-like, bulbous plant, from Mexico. Perianth 

 bell-shaped, six-parted. Leaves narrow, linear. It re- 

 quires a compost of loam, leaf soil, peat, and sand, with 

 good drainage. If cultivated in pots, a plentiful supply of 

 water must be given from the commencement of growth 

 until ripening off. When at rest, however, it should be 

 kept dry and cool, but secure from the effects of frost. 

 If planted out, a well-drained sunny position must be 

 chosen, such as close to the wall of a greenhouse with a 

 southern aspect. Propagation may be effected by offsets. 

 B. elegans (elegant).* A. scarlet, or scarlet and white. July to 

 September. I. 1ft. to 2ft. long, narrow, furrowed on the upper 

 side. h. 2ft Mexico, 1850. This is the only species. The colour 

 of the flowers varies considerably, on which account other names 

 have originated. (B. R, 25, 34.) 



BETA (from bett, the Celtic word for red ; in reference 

 to the colour of the Beet). Beetroot. OBD. Chenopodiacece. 

 Perianth single, half-inferior, five-cleft, persistent. Seed 

 one, reniform, imbedded in the fleshy base of the calyx. 

 B. Cicla is largely used as a decorative plant in sub-tropical 

 and other styles of gardening. They require the same cul- 

 ture as the ordinary Beet. The other sorts, with dark 

 blood-red leaves, are largely employed in flower gardens, 

 and the roots utilised for culinary purposes. See also Beet. 



FIG. 248. BETA HORTENSIS METALLICA, or > ICIOKIA BEET. 



L Clola (Sicilian). Jl. greenish, disposed in threes. August. L 

 with ery thick ribs. Roots scarcely any. h. 6ft. Portugal, 1570. 



Beta continued. 



The variety, B. e. variegata, usually known as the Chilian Beet, is 

 a very handsome plant, having its leaves often more than a yard 

 in length and over 1ft. in diameter, with a remarkably handsome 

 variegation. The midribs are usually dark orange or scarlet. It 

 is a most desirable and effective plant for sub-tropical gardening. 

 B. hortcnsifl metallioa (metallic). Victoria Beet An orna- 

 mental variety with glistening deep blood-red leaves. Useful for 

 decorative purposes in summer, either as a single specimen or in a 

 mass. Roots may also be used for cooking. See Fig. 248. 

 B. marltima (sea). /. greenish, disposed in hairs. August. L, 

 lower ones rhomboia-ovoid, acute ; upper ones lanceolate. Stem 

 diffuse. Root scarcely any. A. 1ft. Britain. 

 B. vulgaris (common). The Common Beetroot JL greenish, 

 clustered. August. I., lower ones ovate. Root fleshy. A. 4ft 

 South Europc.1548. 

 BETCKEA. See Plectritis. 

 BETEL, or BETLE. See Piper Betle. 

 BETONICA. This genus now forms a sub-division of 

 Stachys (which see). Betony (Stachya Betonica) ia a 

 native herb formerly much used in medicine, but now 

 almost entirely discarded. 

 BETONY. See Stachys Betonica. 

 BETUTiA (according to some authorities, from Betu, 

 its Celtic name ; others give the derivation of the word as 

 from batuo, to beat, the fasces of the Roman lictors, which 

 were made of Birch rods, being used to drive back the 

 people). Birch. OBD. Cupuliferce. TBIBS Betulea. Orna- 

 mental, hardy (except where otherwise specified), deciduous 

 trees or shrubs, allied to Alnus, having round, slender, 

 often drooping branches, and the bark in most species in 

 thin membranous layers. The flowers appear at the same 

 time as the leaves. Male catkins cylindrical, lax, imbri- 

 cated all round with ternate concave scales, the middle 

 one largest, ovate ; corolla none ; filaments ten to twelve, 

 shorter than the middle scale, to which they are attached. 

 Female catkins similar, but more dense ; scales horizontal, 

 peltate, dilated outwards, three-lobed, three-flowered; 

 corolla none. Nut oblong, deciduous, winged at each side. 

 The Betulas are easily cultivated in any ordinary soil; 

 but a light sandy loam suits them best. Most of the 

 species are best increased by seeds, which ripen in Sep- 

 tember, and need to be dried, in order to prevent fer- 

 mentation. They should be sown in March, in a sandy 

 soil, the surface of which has been previously made per- 

 fectly level. They must be 

 spread on the surface, and not 



><3g> covered with soil, but pressed 



^~-i"'i~ down with the feet. When 



"ity'' ' grown in quantities, beds 4ft. 



in width are preferred, with 



^M^fl.4 an alley of 1ft. between 



them. In early summer, if the 

 weather be warm and dry, the 

 beds should be shaded with 

 branches. The young seedlings 

 must be transplanted when a 

 year old. The dwarfer kinds 

 may be propagated by layering 

 in the autumn. The numerous 

 beautiful varieties are best in- 

 creased by grafting or budding 

 upon seedling stocks of the 

 common kinds, the former being 

 done in spring, and the hitter 

 in summer when the buds are 

 ready. Those most useful as 

 forest trees and for protection 

 are quick-growing and very or- 

 namental. The time of maturity 

 of the Birch depends very 

 much upon the soil and situa- 

 tion, but it seldom increases in 

 size after it is thirty years old. 

 The common species (B. alba) 



is one of the hardiest and most useful trees in cultivation, 

 growing quickly, and withstanding exposure better than 



2 B 



