AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



283 



LION'S EAR. See Leoiiotis. 

 LION'S FOOT. See Leontopodium. 

 LION'S TAIL. See Leonotis Leonurus. 

 LIFARIA (from liparos, oily, shining 1 ; in allusion to 

 the shining surface of the leaves). ORD. Leguminosce. 

 A genus comprising about four species of greenhouse 

 shrubs, confined to the Cape of Good Hope. Flowers 

 yellow, in terminal heads; bracts large, imbricate, invo- 

 lucrate ; standard oval-oblong ; wings oblong ; keel narrow, 

 acute. Leaves simple, entire, coriaceous. L. parva and 

 L. sphcerica are the two species introduced. They 

 thrive in a compost of fibry loam and turfy peat, with 

 a small quantity of sand added. Propagated by cuttings 

 of young shoots, inserted in sand, under a bell glass. 

 Water must at all times be given with great care. 

 L. parva (small), fl. yellow, small, capitate ; bracts orbicular, 

 acuminate, with bearded edges ; segments of calyx lanceolate- 

 elliptic, bearded. March and April. I. ovate-elliptic, acuminate, 

 three to five-nerved, spreading or reflexed. 1840. 

 L. p. angustifolia (narrow-leaved).* This is a variety having 

 narrower leaves than the type. 1840. (B. M. 4034.) 

 sphasrica (.spherical), fl. orange, in dense nodding heads, 

 ully Sin. or 4in. in diameter. July and August. I. lanceolate- 



f 

 (B. A 



blong, pungent, three 

 B. M?1241.) 



to seven-nerved, smooth, h. 4ft. 1794. 



LIFARIS (from liparos, smooth, oily ; referring to the 

 leaves). STNS. Alipsa, Sturmia. Including Empusa 

 and Platystylis. ORD. Orcliidew. A genus comprising 

 about 100 species of stove or hardy, small-flowered, 

 terrestrial and epiphytal orchids, broadly dispersed 

 through the temperate and warm regions of the globe. 

 Flowers usually dull white, green, or yellow, small, 

 racemose ; column rather long, semicircular or two- winged 

 in the upper part, but not branched. Leaves few, some- 

 times solitary at the base, or below the middle of the 

 stem, on sheathing petioles, often .at length contracted 

 at the joint, membranaceous or slightly fleshy, equally 

 many-nerved or sparingly ribbed. Very few species are 

 worth growing for ornament. The hardy sorts thrive in 

 a moist, shady situation, and do best when planted very 

 shallow, and covered with moss. The stove kinds require 

 a compost of fibry peat, sphagnum, charcoal, and very 

 small pieces of crocks, and are most suitably grown in 

 shallow, open baskets. Except where otherwise indicated, 

 the undermentioned species require stove treatment. 

 L. atropurpurea (dark purple), fl. dark purple ; lip oblong, 

 obtuse, recurved, crenulate : lateral sepals oblong-lanceolate, 

 oblique ; petals very long, filiform ; raceme erect, few-flowered ; 

 scape terete. June. I. two or three, nearly round, acuminate, 

 petiolate, folded, obliquely cucullate at base. Ceylon, 1865. A 

 very pretty species. (B. M. 5529.) 



L. decursiva (decurrent). /. green, darker on each side of the 

 whitish mid-line of the lip ; peduncle narrowly winged. I. 

 cuneate-oblong, with decurrent bases. Pseudo-bulbs thick. 

 India, 1884. 



L. elata (tall), fl., lip purple, obovate, retuse, bicallose at base; 

 sepals herbaceous, lateral ones recurved ; racemes erect, many- 

 flowered ; scape angular. I, many, oblong, acute, folded, shorter 

 than the racemes. East Indies and Brazil. (B. R. 1175.) 

 L. foliosa (leafy), fl. yellowish-green ; lip oblong, obtuse, re- 

 curved ; sepals and petals reflexed, equal. September. I. several, 

 oblong-lanceolate, acute. Mauritius, 1823. (B. M. 2709 ; B. R. 

 882 ; L. B. C. 1097.) 



L. formosana (Formosan). /. light purple, with green borders ; 

 lip sagittate, acute. March. I. oblong, acute, plaited. Formosa, 

 1880. 



L. lilifolla (Lily-leaved).* fl. brownish-purple, with a leaflike lip. 

 July. I. ovate. North America. Hardy. (B. M. 2004, under 

 name of Malaxis lilifolia.) 



L. Lceseli (Lcesel's). fl. pale yellow ; lip obovate, entire, recurved ; 

 spikes few-flowered. July. I. twb, narrow-elliptical ; stalk 

 three-cornered. North America and Europe (Fens of East Eng- 

 land). Hardy. (Sy. En. B. 1488.) 



L. pendula (pendulous), fl. whitish-green, small, disposed in 

 slender, pendulous racemes, 1ft. long, giving the plant an elegant 

 appearance. India. 



LIPARIS. A genus of moths, belonging to a family 

 of which the larvae are at times very destructive to cul- 

 tivated trees (see Hawthorn Caterpillars). The 



larvse of all the species are hairy, and often bear peculiar 



Liparis continued. 



tufts of hair on certain parts of the body, and they ar 

 usually bright-coloured. 



FIG. 447. CATERPILLAR OF LIPARIS AURIFLUA (GOLD-TAIL MOTH). 



L. auriflua (Gold-tail Moth) is satiny-white, with one 

 or more rounded black spots on the upper wings, 



FIG. 448. LIPARIS CHRYSORRIIA;A (BROWN-TAIL MOTH). 



and a tuft of golden-yellow down at the tip of the 

 body. The larva (see Fig. 447) bears three rows of 



FIG. 449. CATERPILLAR OF LIPARIS CHRVSORUH^A. 



tubercles along the body; those nearest the back are 

 black, those in the middle bear each a tuft of whitish 



