AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



493 



Drakaea continued. 



porting: same is slender, and about IJft. long. D. ciliata 

 and D. irritalilis have several flowers on a stem They 

 thrive in a compost of peat, loam, and rough sand. Pro- 

 pagated by divisions. 



DRAWING, or DRAWN. A term applied to 

 plants whose growth has been unnaturally hastened by 

 overcrowding, or being placed too far from the glass. 

 Soft-wooded plants, or young shoots, often become Drawn 

 in consequence of insufficient air and light, or an excess 

 of heat and moisture. Such a condition is always to be 

 avoided, as solidity of growth is impossible, and weak- 

 ness in the plant follows as a matter of course. 



DREPANOCARPUS (from drepanon, a rickle, and 

 karpos, a fruit; in reference to the form of the pods 

 which are falcate)^ Sickle-pod. ORD. Leguminosas. A 

 genus comprising eight species of ornamental stove ever- 

 green shrubs, all of which are natives of tropical America, 

 and one of West tropical Africa also. They thrive best in 

 a peat and loam compost. Cuttings of nearly ripe shoots, 

 intact, root in sand, if placed under a glass, in bottom 

 heat. 



IX lunatus (half-moon-podded). /. white; panicles terminal, 

 ferruginous. I. impari -pinnate, with usually from five to nine 

 nearly opposite oval-oblong leaflets ; spines stipular, hooked. 

 h. 6ft. to 10ft. Tropical America and Western Africa, 1792. 



DRESSING. A term applied both to the renovation 

 by digging, and the incorporation of manure for en- 

 riching, the ground. Top-dressing is the operation of 

 spreading manure, &c., over the surface, whilst the plant 

 or crop is in a growing condition. 



DRILLING. A term applied to the plan of sowing 

 small seeds in the open ground, in drills or shallow 

 trenches usually made with a hoe. The ground should 

 first be raked rather fine, and a line laid the required 

 distance, and strained tight. The workman must then 

 rralk on the ground and make a trench next the line 

 with the end of the hoe-blade. The depth may be regu- 

 lated according to the size of the seed or the sorts. 

 This method, for economy in seed sowing, is much 

 superior to any other; for not only can the quantity at 

 command be distributed more evenly, and the necessity 

 of severely thinning the young plants thereby obviated, 

 but weeding can be performed with every facility. Drills 

 should be parallel to each other, and uniform in depth 

 and distance apart. 



DRIMIA (from drimys, acrid ; the juice of the roots 

 in so acrid as to cause inflammation when applied to the 

 ukin). STNS. Idothea and Idothearia. ORD. Liliacece. A 

 genus of greenhouse bulbous plants. They require a 

 mixture of sandy loam and leaf mould, or peat soil, and, 

 when not in a growing state, water should be almost 

 entirely withheld. There are over a dozen species, all 

 natives of tropical and Southern Africa; the few in cul- 

 tivation are rarely met. with, except in botanic gardens. 

 None of them can fairly be called showy plants. For 

 other species, formerly included here, see Scilla. 



DRIMIOPSIS (from Drimia, and opsis, resemblance). 

 ORD. Liliacece. A genus of about six species of little- 

 known greenhouse bulbous plants, not unlike Drimia, and re- 

 quiring similar treatment. Flowers usually greenish-white. 

 The following species are most worthy of cultivation : 

 D.Kirkli(Dr. Kirk's). /., perianth white, Jin. long; segments 

 oblong, obtuse, slightly cucullate at the tip ; raceme Sin. to 4in. 

 long, the upper flowers crowded ; those of the lower half looser, 

 many of the uppermost abortive ; scape terete, 1ft. or more long. 

 July. 1. contemporary with the flowers, lanceolate, 1ft. long, 

 acute, narrowed to the base, pale green on the upper surface, with 

 large irregular blotches of dark green, still paler beneath. Bulb 

 globose, liin. in diameter, with thin whitish truncate tunics. 

 A.9in. Zanzibar, 1871. A very curious plant. (B. M. 6276.) 

 D. maculata (spotted), JL twelve to twenty, a few of the lowest 

 often lax and abortive ; perianth at first milk-white, but changing 

 to greenish-white as it matures ; scape terete, Sin. to 12m. long. 

 I. cordate-ovate, fleshy-herbaceous, acute, the upper surface bright 

 ercen, blotched with deeper green. Bulb globose, the upper half 



Drimiopsis continued. 



emergent and sqnamose. h. 9in. to 1ft Cape Colony 1851 An 

 ornamental and interesting plant, flowering frVely wffe'n grown in 

 a warm, airy house, and kept near the light (Ref. B. Hi 191 ) 



DRIMOFHYLLUM. A synonym of Umbellnlaria 

 (which gee). 



DRIMYS (from drimys, acrid, or drimytet, sharpness 

 referring to the taste of bark). STN. Wintera. Including 

 Tasmannia. ORD. Magnoliacece. A genns of five species, 

 one of which is South American, two Australasian, and 

 one each from New Zealand and Borneo. Fine ever- 

 green half-hardy trees, with aromatic bark, and axillary 

 and terminal flowers. D. Winteri, the species most fre- 

 quently seen in cultivation, grows freely, but requires a 

 little management in training, and the long branches will 

 need cutting back. It succeeds out of doors when planted 

 in sandy loam against a wall, if the winters are not 

 severe. Propagated by cuttings, made of half-ripened 

 shoots, inserted under a glass, in a cold frame. 

 D. aromatlca (aromatic). JL white, pink, dioecious ; sepals three, 

 very concave; petals six, in two rings or occasionally eight 

 April, /r. globose, sub-didymous. 1. oblong, gradually tapering 

 at base along the petiole, light green, distinctly marked with 

 transparent dots, veinless on the under side. A. 9ft. to 12ft 

 Tasmania, 18*3. Every part of the plant is highly aromatic 

 and pungent to the taste. The fruit is occasionally used as 

 pepper. (B. R. 1845, 43, under name of Tasmania aromatica.) 

 D. Winteri (Winter's).' JL milk-white, lin. or more across, 

 with a Jasmine-like perfume ; petals eight to twelve ; peduncles 

 almost simple, aggregate, divided into elongated pedicels. L 

 oblong, obtuse ; under surface glaucous, h. 25ft South America, 

 1827. SYN. Wintera aromatica. (B. M. 48JO.) 



DRIMYSPERMT7M. A synonym of Phaleria. 



DROPWORT. See Spiraea Pilipendula. 



DROSERA (from droseros, dewy; the plants appear 

 as if covered with dew, in consequence of being beset with 

 glandular hairs). Sundew. ORD. Droseracece. A genus 

 of about a hundred species of annual or perennial glandular 

 (very rarely glabrous) herbs, sometimes bulbous. They are 

 small-growing, but very beautiful, plants, of insectivorous 

 notoriety. Some of the species, too, are climbers. Dro- 

 seras are scattered over most parts of the world, and 

 usually prefer marshy places. Some, however several Aus- 

 tralian kinds especially grow in the driest ground, where 

 their bulbous roots remain dormant for the greater part of 

 the year, reviving with the first rains. Flowers in scor- 

 pioid revolute cymes, rarely solitary. Leaves ornamented 

 with reddish irritable glandular hairs, discharging from 

 their apices a drop of viscid, ,acrid fluid. Droseras are of 

 easy culture, and the majority of those in cultivation 

 thrive in a compost of living sphagnum and a little peat. 

 Plenty of drainage is essential, and the pots in which they 

 aro grown should be stood in a pan of water. Thorough 

 exposure to the light is also important. Propagated by 

 seeds, which should be sown so soon after gathering as 

 possible. D. binata, which is, of the exotic species, mostly 

 grown, was formerly increased by the tedious method of 

 sub-divisions of the crowns. It is now found, however, 

 that roots taken from strong plants, and cut into pieces 

 of iin. or lin. in length, will serve the purpose admirably. 

 These are laid on the surface of shallow earthenware 

 pans, in sandy peat soil, and covered about iin. deep with 

 the same material. They are then placed under a bell 

 glass, and transferred to a damp, warm propagating 

 house. In the course of a fortnight, swellings begin 

 to appear on the surface of the detached roots, which 

 increase in length till they reach the top of the soil. 

 This generally takes place about five weeks after being 

 put in. When about 2in. or so in height, they are 

 separated, and put into small pots, in similar soil to 

 that into which the roots were originally placed, with 

 the addition of some chopped sphagnum. If carefully 

 attended to, they soon make excellent plants. All the 

 species (even the British ones, which, as a matter of 

 course, are perfectly hardy) do well treated as green- 

 bouse plants. 



