172 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Iberis continued. 



Branches woody, slender, numerous, procumbent. A. 1ft. This 

 garden hybrid is a valuable hardy evergreen shrub, thriving 

 in almost any soil or situation; it has a neat and effective 

 appearance at the angles of walks, or used as an edging. The 

 plant may be easily increased, either by layers or by cuttings. 



I. gibraltarica (Gibraltar).* ft. white, usually suffused with pink 

 or red, large, in corymbose heads. Early spring. I. wedge-shaped, 

 blunt, somewhat toothed at the top, rather ciliated. A. 1ft. to 2ft. 

 Gibraltar, 1732. A very showy, handsome, but somewhat 

 straggling, half-hardy evergreen species, requiring a well-drained 

 light soil. (B. M. 124.) 



X. g. hybrida (hybrid). /. creamy- white, gradually deepening to 

 a pleasing rosy-purple colour. A very desirable variety, being 

 much more compact in habit than the type, and equally as 

 rloriferous. 



I. jucunda (pleasant). A synonym of jEthionema coridifolium. 



I. nana (dwarf), fl. purple. June and July. I. round-spathulate, 

 entire, rather fleshy. A. Sin. South France and Italy, 1822. 

 Plant herbaceous, smooth. Annual or biennial. (B. M. 2788.) 



I. odorata (sweet-scented), fl. white, sweet-scented, racemose. 

 Summer. I. linear, toothed, ciliated at the base, dilated at the 

 top. A. 6in. to 12in. Greece, 1806. Annual. (S. B. F. G. 50.) 



I. Prnlti (Fruit's), fl. pure white, in compact heads or 

 corymbs. May or June. I. obovate-spatbulate, entire, or some- 

 what toothed. Stems suffruticose at the base, smooth. A. 6in. 

 Sicily. Very like I. Tenoreana, but having smooth, not ciliated, 

 leaves, and pure white flowers. Perennial. 



I. saxatilis (rock).* fl. white, corymbose. Spring and summer. 

 I. linear, quite entire, somewhat fleshy, acute, ciliated. Stems 

 ascendent. A. Sin. to 6in. South Europe, &c., 1739. A very 

 common and pretty dwarf evergreen shrub. 



I. semperflorens (ever-flowering).* fl. pure white, large, sweet- 

 scented, corymbose. Autumn to spring. I. cuneated or spathu- 

 late, rather fleshy, blunt, quite entire, smooth. A. 1ft. to 2ft. 

 Italy, &c., 1679. A handsome but somewhat delicate evergreen 

 perennial. 



FIG. 264. FLOWERING BRANCH OF IBF.RTS SF.MPERVIRENS. 



I. sempervirens (evergreen).* Evergreen Candytuft. fl. pure 

 white, in long racemes. Spring and summer. I. oblong, blunt, 

 narrowed at the base, smooth. A. 9in. to 12in. South Europe, 

 1731. This is the common branching evergreen shrubby species 

 of Candytuft. It is adapted for nearly every style of gardening, 

 and is one of the best perennials grown. See Fig. 264. There 

 are several varieties, including /. s. superba, which has a bushy 

 habit, and produces pure white flowers in dense heads. 



I. S. Garrexiana (Garrexian).* fl. white, corymbose. May. 

 1. oblong, narrowed at the base, blunt, quite entire, smooth. 

 A. bin. to 9in. South Europe, 1820. A variety having smaller 

 flowers, and the racemes very much elongated in the course of 

 flowering. Hardy evergreen. (A. F. P. iii. 40, 54.) 



I. Tenoreana (Tenore's).* fl. purplish or whitish, umbellate. 

 May. t. somewhat fleshy, crenated ; lower ones obovate, 

 narrowed at the base, and ciliated ; upper ones oblong-linear 

 Stems ascendent, sub-shrubby at the base. A. 6in. South-west 

 Europe, 1822. A very desirable perennial species. (B. M. 2783.) 



Iberis continued. 



FJG. 265. IBERIS UMBELLATA, showing Habit and detached 

 Inflorescence. 



I. umbellata (umbelled).* Common Candytuft, fl. usually 

 purple, but very variable, in terminal umbels. Spring and 

 summer. I. lanceolate, acuminated ; lower ones serrated ; upper 

 ones quite entire. A. 6in. to 12in. South Europe, 1596. A 

 common and well-known pretty hardy annual. See Fig. 265. 

 (B. M. 106.) The following are the most desirable varieties (the 

 descriptions refer to the flowers) : atropurpurea, dark crimson ; 

 earned, blush or pale flesh-coloured ; nana purpurea, deep purple, 

 dwarf; purpurea lilacina, lilac-purple, dwarf. 

 I. violacea (violet), fl. purple ; corymb somewhat umbellate. 

 June and July. I. stalked, spathulate, blunt-toothed and entire, 

 ciliate. A. 3in. 1782. Annual. 



ICACINA (a name given on account of the resem- 

 blance of the branches to a tree called the Icaco). ORD. 

 OlacinecB. A genns comprising three or four species of 

 shrubs, natives of Western tropical Africa. Flowers 

 villous, in terminal panicles. Leaves simple, alternate, 

 exstipulate, shortly petiolate, ovate, entire, reticulate- 

 nerved. Branches ascending or twining. I. Mannii, the 

 only species yet introduced, is a shrubby stove climber, 

 thriving in rich sandy loam and leaf mould. Propagated 

 by cuttings, made of the young shoots, and inserted in 

 sandy loam, in bottom heat, under a hand glass. 

 I. Mannii (Mann's). /. Jin. long, in short, silky, axillary cymes ; 

 calyx flve-lobed ; petals yellow, linear-oblong ; stamens exserted. 

 October. I. alternate, 5in. to 7in. long, elliptic, abruptly nar- 

 rowed into a long point, rounded at base, quite entire, shortly 

 petioled, membranous, glabrous, or with midrib beneath and 

 petiole puberulous ; nerves few. Stem slender, climbing. Root a 

 large tuber, 6in. to 12in. in diameter, terete, glabrous. Gulf of 

 Guinea, 1865. (B. M. 6260.) 



ICACINEJE. A tribe of Olacinece. 

 ICARANDA. A synonym of Jacaranda (which 

 see). 



ICE PLANT. See Mesembryanthemum crys- 

 tallinnm. 



ICHNEUMON FLIES. A section of Hymenoptera, 

 characterised by usually slender bodies, veined wings, with 

 the veins inclosing several spaces or cells, and long 

 vibratile antennae of numerous joints (see Fig. 266). The 

 females have an ovipositor, which, in some, is very long ; 



FIG. 266. ICHNEUMON FLY. 



they lay their eggs in the bodies of other insects, especially 

 in larvae, and the larvas of the Ichneumon feed in the 

 body of the insect. Sometimes, only one is present ; at 

 other times, a large number feed in the same insect. Few 



