506 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Elseag-nus continued. 

 E. hortensis (garden).* /. 



. yellow w 

 , fragrant 



within, scaly without, solitary, 



all over with stellate hairs, 2in. to 3in. long. Branches bro 

 and smooth, more or 'less spiny, h. 15ft. to 20ft. Orient, 

 naturalised in South Europe, 1633. A handsome deciduous tree. 

 (S. F. G. 152.) 



E. h. angustifolia (narrow-leaved) only differs from the type 

 in its narrower leaves. See Fig. 701. (B. R. 1156.) 



E. longipes (long-stalked). fr. orange, studded with small ferru- 

 ginous scales, long-stalked, transparent, and produced in clusters. 

 ?. green above, silvery-white beneath, h. 3ft. Japan, 1873. A 

 very desirable spreading evergreen shrub, with deep reddish- 

 brown twigs. SYN. E. crispa. (G. C. 1873, 1014.) 



E. macrophylla (large-leaved).* fl. greenish-yellow, clustered. 

 Autumn. I. roundish-ovate, large, smooth, green above, covered 

 below with bright silvery scales. h. 6ft. Japan. An unarmed 

 bush. 



E. pnngens (stinging).* fl. yellowish, one or two together. /. ob- 

 long, entire, undulate, smooth, green above, silvery beneath. 

 h. 6ft. Japan. A spiny shrub. There are very handsome varie- 

 gated forms of this species. 



EL2BIS (from Elaia, the Olive; oil expressed from 

 the fruit as from olives). Oil Palm. ORD. Palmce. A. 

 very small genus of stove palms. Fruit bright red, in 

 large, somewhat obovate heads. Leaves pinnatisect, with 

 strong prickly stalks. They form excellent decorative 

 plants when in a young state, and thrive well in a rich 

 sandy soil. Increased by seeds. 



E. guineensis (Guinea). Stem erect, 20ft. to 30ft. high, termi- 

 nated by a fine crown of pinnate dark green leaves, of about 15ft. 

 in length. Guinea, 1730. This species yields the celebrated 

 palm oil of commerce. (G. C. n. s., vii. 373.) 



E. melanococa (black-seeded). This closely resembles the fore- 



going, but is smaller, with a somewhat decumbent habit, emitting 



roots from lower side of prostrate stem. Tropical America, 1821. 



EL-ZEOCARFUS (from Elaia, an Olive, and karpos, 



a fruit; fruit round, containing a nut furnished with 



rugosities). Including Monocera. OBD. Tiliaceae. Very 



handsome stove or greenhouse evergreen trees or shrubs. 



Flowers small, in racemes, usually fragrant ; petals five, 



either toothed or beautifully fringed. Leaves alternate, 



or rarely opposite, entire or serrate. They thrive well 



in a mixture of loam and peat. Increased by cuttings, 



made of the ripened shoots, with leaves intact, and placed 



in a sandy soil, in bottom heat; or by seeds, sown in a 



hotbed. 



E. cyaneus (blue), fl. white; racemes axillary, close-flowered. 

 July. Drupe somewhat globose, blue. 1. oblong - lanceolate, 

 serrated, netted with veins. A. 15ft. Australia, 1803. Green- 

 house. (B. M. 1737.) 



E. grandiflora (large-flowered).* fl., racemes few, two, four, or 

 five-flowered, generally one or two among the terminal clusters 

 of leaves, drooping ; calyx of five narrow, almost linear-lanceolate 

 sepals, quite red externally, white within ; petals five, spreading, 

 white or pale yellow, cuneate, more or less silky, especially ex- 

 ternally ; the apex laciniated ; pedicels red, much longer than the 

 petioles. Summer. I. from 3in. to nearly 6in. long, including 

 the petiole, broad-lanceolate, tapering into a footstalk, a good 

 deal clustered at the apices of the branches; apex generally 

 obtuse ; margin entire, or usually more or less crenato-serratecl or 

 smuated. h. 7ft. Java, 1852. An extremely handsome stove 

 plant. SYN. Monocera grandiflora. (B. M. 4680.) 

 E. serratus (serrate), fl. white, but purplish before opening, 

 sweet-scented ; racemes axillary or lateral, drooping. March to 

 October. Drupe globose. I. with glands in the axils of the 

 veins beneath, elliptic-oblong, serrated, acuminated, h. 50ft. 

 East Indies, 1774. Stove. 



EIJEODENDRON (from Elaia, an olive, and dendron, 

 a tree ; the fruit is like that of an Olive, and the seeds 

 are oily). Olive-wood. Including Portenschlagia. OBD. 

 Celastrineai. This genus, which embraces about thirty 

 species of ornamental stove or greenhouse trees or shrubs, 

 is represented in all tropical countries; the majority, 

 however, grow in Africa and India. Flowers small, in 

 axillary fascicles. Leaves small, Laurel-like, opposite. 

 For culture, see Elasocarpus. 



E - . ap * ense ( Ca R e )-t % reen - inconspicuous ; corymbs axillary, 

 dichotomous, a single flower standing in the fork, and the branches 

 supporting three flowers each; bracts lanceolate, opposite, 

 resembling much diminished leaves, fr. yellow, oval, about the 

 size of a Hazel-nut, fleshy, and containing a hard nut with one to 

 three cells. L petiolate, sub-opposite, lanceolate-elliptical, the 



Elaeodendron continued. 



sides somewhat unequal, coriaceous, distantly spinuloso-serrulate, 

 slightly revolute in the edges, dark green above, paler below, and 

 often becoming rusty. Branches spreading, pendulous, h. 18ft. 

 Cape of Good Hope, 1828. A handsome greenhouse decorative 

 plant, when laden with its showy yellow fruits. (B. M. 3035.) 

 E. glaucum (milky-green), fl. greenish-yellow, small ; panicles 

 axillary ; cymes loose, nearly the length of the leaves. I. acute, 

 or acuminate, crenate or nearly entire, membranous or sub- 

 coriaceous, h. 6ft. India, &c., 1824. Stove evergreen. 

 E. xylocarpnm (woody-fruited). /. greenish-yellow; cymes 

 dichotomous, one-half shorter than the leaves. I. obovate-oblong, 

 entire or somewhat scalloped, glaucous, on very short petioles. 

 h. 4ft. Island of St. Thomas, 1816. Stove evergreen. 

 ELAPHOGLOSSUM. Includer under Acrostichum. 

 ELATA. A synonym of Phoenix. 

 ELDER. The popular name of Sambucus. 

 ELECAMPANE. See Inula Helenium. 

 ELECTRA. A synonym of Schisnms. 

 ELEMI. The name of certain stimulant gum resins, 

 derived from various plants. 



ELEPHANT APPLE. See Feronia Elephan- 

 tuni. 



ELEPHANT'S FOOT. See Testudinaria ele- 

 phantipes. 



ELEPHANTUSIA. A synonym of Phytelephas. 

 ELETTARIA (Elettari is the native name of the 

 plant in Malabar). OBD. Scitaminea. A genus of stove 

 plants, having much the appearance of Amomum, natives 

 of the tropical parts of India. There are only two 

 species, and, according to some authorities, these are 

 but varieties of one. E. Cardamomum yields the Carda- 

 moms of commerce. For culture, see Maranta. 

 E. Cardamomnm (Cardamom), fl. pale greenish-white, alter- 

 nate, short-stalked, in short racemes from the axils of the large 

 bracts of the long-jointed flexuous flower-stems ; calyx tubular, 

 three-toothed, finely striated ; corolla tube as long as the calyx ; 

 limb double, exterior portion of three oblong, concave, nearly 

 equal divisions ; inner lip obovate, longer than the exterior divi- 

 sion, curled at the margins ; apex three-lobed, marked in the 

 centre with purple-violet stripes. I. lanceolate, acuminate, sub- 

 sessile, entire, 1ft. to 2ft. long. Stem erect, jointed, enveloped in 

 the sheaths of the leaves, h. 6ft. to 9ft. Hilly parts of Tra van- 

 core and Malabar. (B. M. PI. 267.) 



ELETTSINE (mythological; from Eleusis, where was 

 a celebrated temple of Ceres [Demeter]). ORD. Graminece. 

 A genus of chiefly uninteresting grasses, all natives of the 

 warmer parts of the globe. The culture is very simple, 

 in the open air during summer, in a light soil. Propagated 

 by seeds. E. barcinonensis has a fascicled spicate inflores- 

 cence, and E. oligostachya is pretty for winter bouquets. 



ELICHRYSUM. See Helichrysum. 



ELISENA (named in honour of Princess Elise, sister 

 of Napoleon). ORD. Amaryllidece. A small genus (three 

 species are described, and these only appear to differ 

 slightly from each other) of ornamental greenhouse 

 bulbous plants. For culture, see Hymenocallis. 



E. longlpetala (long-petalled).* /. white ; divisions of the limb 

 rotate, linear, 3in. long, the edge undulated, the point recurved ; 

 corona IJin. deep ; scape two-edged, about six-flowered. March. 

 h. 3ft. Lima, 1837. (B. M. 3873.) 



ELLEANTHUS (from eilo, I shut in, and antlios, a 

 flower ; in reference to the flower being closed by bracts). 

 SYN. Evelyna. OBD. Orchidece. A genus of pretty stove 

 terrestrial orchids. About fifty species have been de- 

 scribed, but few have been in cultivation. All are natives 

 of tropical America. They are of easy culture in an 

 ordinary orchid house, requiring a compost of loam and 

 peat. 



E. Caravata (Caravata). fl. bright yellow, with a short, purplish, 

 inferior, twisted ovary ; spike elongato-capitate, very compact, 

 formed of numerous erecto-patent, purple, lanceolate-acuminate, 

 imbricated, striated bracts, longer than the flowers ; calyx of 

 three ovato-lanceolate, suddenly acute, nearly erect sepals ; petals 

 shorter than the lip, as are the oblong, obtuse, nearly erect 

 petals ; lip large, erect, three-lobed. November. I. distant, on 

 long, sheathing bases, lanceolate, rigid, very long, and gradually 

 and finely acuminate. Stem about 1ft. high, erect, slender, 



