248 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Leg-a.min.os88 continued. 



nacece, and among illustrative exotic genera are : Cla- 

 drastis, Desmodium, Phaseolus, Robinia, Wistaria, &c. 



CoBsalpiniece have the corolla imperfectly or not at 

 all papilionaceous, sometimes nearly regular, the upper 

 or odd petal inside and inclosed by the others. Stamens 

 ten, or fewer, commonly distinct. Illustrative genera 

 are: Ccssalpinia, Cercis, Gleditschia, Gymnocladus, &e. 



Mimosas have regular flowers, with corolla valvate in 

 aestivation and exserted; stamens often very numerous. 

 Illustrative genera are : Acacia, Albizzia, Mimosa, &c. 



LEIANTHUS (from leios, smooth, and anthos, a 

 flower ; alluding to the absence of hairs on the flower). 

 Including Petasostylis. OBD. Gentianece. A genus 

 comprising ten species of glabrous stove herbs or shrubs, 

 allied to Lisianthus, of which five are from the West 

 Indies ; the rest are natives of Mexico and Central 

 America. Flowers yellowish-green or blackish, rarely 

 white, often rather large; cymes Bometimes loosely tri- 

 chotomous, at others in corymbose clusters or umbellate; 

 bracts foliaceous, involucrate ; corolla narrow, funnel- 

 shaped. Leaves opposite, petiolate, sessile, or amplexicaul. 

 The species thrive in a compost of sandy peat and loam. 

 Propagation may be effected by seeds, sown in a pot, and 

 placed on a hotbed ; or by cuttings of young shoots, in- 

 serted in sandy soil, under a bell glass. 

 Zi. exsertns (exserted). fl. yellow ; stamens very long, exserted, 



flexuose. I. ovate-lanceolate, pedunculate, trichotomous. West 



Indies, 1793. Shrub. 

 L. longifolius (long-leaved). fl. lemon-yellow, long, drooping, 



on short axillary and terminal pedicels ; tube funnel-shaped, the 



five lobes being at first spreading, and afterwards reflexed. 



August. I. lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute, downy. 



Branches fastigiate, tetragonal, h. 1ft. to 2ft. West Indies, 1793. 



An evergreen sub-frutescent annual. (B. M. 4169.) SYN. 



Lisianthus longijolius (B. K. xi. 880). 

 L. L cordlfolius (heart-leaved). I. smaller than in the type, 



shortly petiolate ; superior ones cordate-ovate. A. 2ft. West 



Indies, 1816. Annual. 

 L. nigrescens (blackish), fl. blackish, pendulous ; panicles much 



branched, loose. July and August. I. decussate, lanceolate, 



acuminate, three to five-nerved. Branches terete. A. IJft. Mexico, 



1842. Annual. SYN. Lisianthus nigrescens. (B. M. 4043.) 

 L. umbellatus (umbellate), fl. green ; umbels many-flowered, 



involucrate, axillary. May to July. I. obovate-lanceolate, acumi- 

 nate ; petioles connate, h. 10ft. Ja ' 



A synonym of Melanthium 



______ _____ Jamaica, 1843. Shrub. (B. M. 



LEIMANTHIUM. 



(which see). 



LEIOCHILUS (from leios, smooth, and cheilos, a 

 lip; in allusion to the smooth labellum). Erroneously 

 spelt Leochilus. SYN. Cryptosaccus. OBD. Orchidece. A 

 small genus (four or five species) of stove epiphytal 

 orchids, natives of the West Indies, Mexico, and Central 

 America, closely allied to Oncidium, but differing in 

 having the arms of the column placed below the stigma, 

 and by the presence of a honey-pore at the base of the 

 lip. Flowers usually yellow, small, racemose. Leaves 

 oblong or narrow, flat, narrowed into the petiole. For 

 culture, &c., see Oncidium. 



L. carinatus (keeled), fl. panicled, on a long terete peduncle ; 

 sepals light copper-coloured ; petals with a deep copper-coloured 



- 



limb, and copper-coloured dots and streaks on a yellow disk ; 

 lip yellow, with white crests and chestnut spots and streaks on 

 the disk. I. one to each pseudo-bulb, yellowish-green. Pseudo- 



, . 



bulbs ovoid, ancipitous. Mexico. (Rcf. B. ii. 750 

 L. cochlearis (spoon-shaped), fl. pale yellow or purple-and-yellow 

 variegated ; lip obovate, blunt, crested at base ; crest semi-lunar ; 

 scape filiform, erect, simple or divided. I. short, oblong, pointed, 

 variable in size, usually exceeded by the scape. West Indies, 1842. 



L. oncidioides (Oncidium-like). fl. yellow-green, tinged with 

 red, spreading, uniform, elliptical ; lip lemon-colour, blotched 

 with pale purple. April. Pseudo-bulb ovate or oblong-ovate, 

 smooth, green, crowned with a single, oblong-lanceolate, rather 

 rigid, but scarcely coriaceous leaf, acute, and very obsrmvlv 

 strutted. Mexico, 1840. (B. M. 3845, under name of Oncidium 

 macrantherum). 



L. sanguinolentus (bloody), ft. crimson. La Guayra, 1842. 

 LEIOPHYLLUM (from leios, smooth, and phyllon, 



a leaf ; referring to the leaves being quite smooth). Sand 



Iieioph.yll.Tun continued. 



Myrtle. STNS. Ammyrsine, Dendrium, Fisc.hera. OBD. 

 Ericaceae. A small, erect, bushy evergreen shrub, which 

 thrives in a peat soil, or a very sandy loam. Propagated 

 readily by layers, made in autumn; or by seeds, sown 

 in pans and placed in a frame, care being taken never 

 to allow them to want water. 



L. buxifolium (Box-leaved).* ft. white, with pink tips and backs 

 to petals, disposed in terminal corymbs. May and June. /. small, 

 convex, oval, glabrous, shining, h. 6in. to 1ft. New Jersey and 

 mountains of Virginia, 1736. SYNS. Aminyrsine buxifolia (under 

 which name it is figured in B. K. 531), Ledum buxifolium 

 (B. M. 6752). There are two or three distinct forms of this pretty 

 little shrub. 



LEIOSPERMUM. A synonym of Weinmannia 



(which see). 



LEIOTULUS. A synonym of Malabaila (which see). 



LEITNERIE2:. A small and but little known 

 order of shrubs, allied to the Walnuts, inhabiting Florida 

 and Texas. It contains but one genus, Leitneria, and a 

 couple of species. 



LEMBOTROFIS SESSILIFOLITJS. A synonym 

 of Cytisus sessilifolius. 



LEMNA (an old Greek name, of uncertain meaning). 

 Duckmeat ; Duckweed. OBD. Lemnaceae. A genus com- 

 prising seven species of small, floating herbs, distributed 

 pver Europe, Northern Asia, and North America, but 

 rare in the tropics, five being natives of Britain. These 

 plants are without distinct stems, or real leaves, "but 

 consist of small, leaf-like fronds, either separate, or 

 cohering two or three together by their edges, emitting, 

 in most species, one or more fibres from their under 

 surface into the water, and multiplying by similar 

 fronds growing out of their edges. Flowers very rare, 

 appearing from a fissure in the edge, or on the upper 

 surface of the frond" (Bentham). The species are of 

 no horticultural value. The pretty little Chilian Nertera 

 depressa, with its red fruits, sometimes passes in gardens 

 under the absurdly wrong name of Fruiting Duckweed. 



LEMNACEJE. A natural order of very small her- 

 baceous plants,, found floating freely on the surface of 

 stagnant waters in all climates, but especially in tem- 

 perate regions. Flowers achlamydeous, naked, or en- 

 closed in a spathe, reduced to one or two stamens, 

 accompanied by a sessile pistil. Lemnacem are the 

 smallest known Phanerogams, and are allied to Aroidece 

 and Naiadece. There are two genera Lemna and 

 Wolffia and twenty species. 



LEMON. The fruit of Citrus Limonum (which 

 see). 



LEMON BERGAMOTTE. See Citrus Limetta. 

 LEMON GRASS. Several species of Andropogon 



are called Lemon Grass, viz., A. citratum, A. Nardus, 

 and A. Sch&nanthus. The proper name of the latter 

 species is Ginger Grass. 



LEMONIA. Included under Ravenia (which see). 



LENS (the classical name). Lentils. OBD. Legu- 

 minoxcB. A small genus (probably of not more than two 

 or three species) of hardy, dwarf, erect or snb-scandent 

 annuals, natives of the Mediterranean region, one of 

 them (L. esculenta) being extensively cultivated in 

 Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and the warmer 

 parts of Asia. It is not much cultivated in this 

 country, but will succeed, if desired, in a light soil 

 and warm situation. Seeds should be sown, at the 

 beginning of April, in drills about lft. apart, and the 

 plants allowed to grow on the ground. When the stems 

 turn yellow, the plants should be pulled up, and left 

 to dry in the sun. Seeds may be stored in the husks 

 when ready, and will keep good a long time in a dry 

 place. 



