118 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



PHYTEUMA (an old Greek name, meaning simply 

 " the plant," used by Dioscorides, for a kind of Reseda). 

 Horned Rampion. SYN. Rapunculus. Including Petro- 

 marula. OBD. Campanulacece. To this well-known genus 

 about fifty plants have been referred as species, but this 

 number may be reduced. They are mostly hardy peren- 

 nial herbs, natives of Europe, the Mediterranean region, 

 and temperate Asia. Flowers often sessile, variously dis. 

 posed ; calyx tube adnate, hemispherical or oblong-ob- 

 conical, with a five-parted limb ; corolla five-parted 

 almost to the base, the lobes linear and cohering a long 

 time. Eadical leaves long-stalked ; canline ones alter- 

 nate, smaller. The species are very pretty plants for 

 rockwork and borders ; they thrive in any moderately 

 good garden soil. Propagation is easily effected by 

 seeds, or by divisions, in spring. The dwarf -growing 

 mountain species, such as P. comosum, like a well-drained 

 spot in the rockery. The following are the best known ; 

 they are all hardy perennial herbs. 



P. betonicsefolium (Betony-leaved). fl. blue; spikes ovoid, 

 almost bractless. June. I. glabrous or pilose, lower ones oblong, 

 acuminated, simply serrulated ; upper ones linear-lanceolate, 

 nearly entire. Stems glabrous, h. oin. to 12in. Pyrenees, &c., 

 1818. 



P. campanuloidcs (Campanula-like). /. deep violaceous-blue, 

 disposed in a spike 2in. to Sin. long, one to three together, from 

 the axils of the bracts. June to August. I., lower ones petiolate, 

 ovate, bluntisb, crenated ; middle ones broad, sessile, ovate, 

 acute, crenated; upper ones lanceolate, serrated, h. 1ft. to 

 2ft. Caucasus, 1804. (B. M. 1015.) 



FIG. 13d. PHYTEUMA CHARMKLII, showing Habit and detached 

 Inflorescence and Flower. 



P. Charmclii (Dr. Charmeil's). fl. blue, in spherical heads. May 

 to August. I. of various forms ; radical ones on long petioles, 

 cordate-ovate, acute, coarsely serrate-toothed; lower cauline 

 ones petiolate, lanceolate, irregularly serrate-toothed, h. 6in. 

 to 12in. Apennines, &c., 1823. See Fig. 139. 



P. comosum (tufted).* fl. on short peduncles, disposed in loose, 

 umbel-formed fascicles; corolla purple or blue, inflated at the 

 base, tube-formed. July. /. coarsely and acutely toothed ; 

 radical ones on long petioles, cordate-ovate-roundish ; cauline 

 ones on short petioles, ovate-lanceolate, acute, h. 3in. to 6in. 

 Dalmatia, Carniola, South of Tyrol, &c., 1152. (B. M. 6478; 

 J. F. A. app. 50.) 



P. humile (dwarf).* fl. blue, in globose heads. July. I., radical 

 ones crowded, linear-lanceolate, narrow at the base, nearly entire ; 

 cauline ones few, linear, entire, h. Sin. Switzerland, &c., 1825. 

 See Fig. 140. 



P. limonilfolium (Limonium-leaved). /. blue, sessile ; spikes 

 long, interrupted. June and July. I., radical ones on long 

 petioles, quite glabrous, lanceolate, a little toothed. Stems 

 branched, h. 2ft. to 3ft. South Europe, &c., 1819. (B. M. 

 2145, under name of P. stricta ; L. B. C. 667, under name of 

 P. vintata ; S. F. G. 2183.) 



P. Michelii (Micheli's). /. pale or deep blue ; spikes ovate ; 

 bracts reflexed. July and August. I. of various forms; radical 

 ones petiolate, ovate-cordate or ovate ; cauline ones linear-lanceo- 

 late. Stems simple, h. 1ft. to 2ft. South Europe, 1819. (B. M. 

 2271 ; B. M. 2066, under name of P. betoniccefolium). SYN. 

 P. 



Phyteuma continued. 



P. orbiculare (orbicular), fl. deep blue, in round heads. June 

 to August. L, radical ones petiolate, lanceolate, sub-cordate, 

 crenated ; cauline ones sessile, linear-lanceolate, h. bin. to 18in. 

 Europe, Ac. (in pastures and by roadsides, on a chalky soil). 

 (B. M. 1466 ; Sy. En. B. 864.) 



P. pinnatum (pinnate), fl. blue or white, pedicellate, disposed 

 in loose racemes. August. L, first radical ones petiolate, ovate, 

 acute ; the later ones pinnate, with the petioles margined and 

 lobed. h. 3ft. to 6ft. Crete, 1640. (S. B. F. G. ser. ii. 224.) 



FIG. 140. PHYTEUMA HUMILE, showing Habit and detached 

 Flower. 



P. Scheuchzeri (Scheuchzer's). fl. deep blue, in spherical beads. 



May. I. petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, bluntly serrated ; lower 



cauline ones linear-lanceolate, acutely serrulated; upper ones 



linear, nearly entire, h. 1ft. European Alps, 1813. (B. M. 



1797.) 

 P. scorzonerifolinm (Salsify - leaved). A synonym of P. 



Michelii. 

 P. Sieberi (Sieber's). fl. deep blue, in spherical heads. May. 



I., radical ones petiolate, ovate-roundish, sub-cordate, crenated ; 



lower cauline ones petiolate. lanceolate, coarsely toothed ; 



upper ones stem-clasping, h. Sin. to 6in. Apennines, 1826. 

 P. spicatnm (spiked), fl. white, cream-coloured, or blue ; spikes 



cylindrical, elongated. July. I., lower ones on long petioles, 



cordate, ovate-acute, bi-serrated ; upper ones ovate-lanceolate. 



h. 1ft. to 3ft. Temperate parts of Europe (Britain), 1597. 



(B. M. 2347 ; Sy. En. B. 865.) 



PHYTOCRENE (from phyton, a plant, and Jcrene, 

 a fountain ; alluding to the quantity of sap which flows 

 from the plants when cut). SYN. Gynocephala. OED. 

 OlacinecB. A genus comprising about five species of tall, 

 stove, climbing or twining shrubs, abounding in limpid 

 jnice (which is drunk by the natives of Martaban), 

 natives of tropical Asia. Flowers villous, small, the 

 female heads solitary, larger than the paniculate male 

 heads. Leaves alternate, entire or palmately lobed. The 

 wood of these plants is soft and porous, and of peculiar 

 structure. P. gigantea, the East Indian Fountain-tree, 

 is the only species introduced. It is a stove climber, 

 of no particular horticultural value. 



PHYTOCRENEJE. A tribe of Olacinece. 



PHYTOLACCA (from phyton, a plant, and lac, lake ; 

 referring to the crimson juice of the fruit). OBD. Phyto- 

 laccaceee. A genus comprising about half-a-score species 

 of stove, greenhouse, or hardy shrubs, herbs, or rarely 

 trees, erect or climbing, natives of tropical and sub- 

 tropical America, Africa, and Asia. Flowers mediocre, 

 racemose or thyrsoid, opposite the leaves ; perianth her- 

 baceous or slightly coloured, four-parted, the segments 

 remaining unchanged during fructescence, spreading or 

 reflexed j stamens five to twenty-five, inserted at the base 



