AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



149 



PISONIA (named in honour of Willem Piso, of Amster- 

 dam, an eminent physician and writer on natural history, 

 who died in 1648). SYHS. Calpidia, Ceodes, Columella, 

 PaUavia, and Torrubia. OBD. Nyctaginece. A genus con- 

 sisting of about sixty species of unarmed or rarely spiny, 

 glabrous or pubescent, erect or rarely snb-scandent, store 

 or greenhouse trees and shrubs, mostly natives of tro- 

 pical America; a few are found in Asia and the Pacific 

 Islands, and six in the Mascarene Islands. Flowers 

 pink, greenish, or yellow, small, disposed in paniculate, 

 sub-sessile, or pedunculate cymes, two or three -bracteo- 

 late ; male perianth tubular- or infundibular-campann- 

 late, female large and oblong; limb of five short teeth 

 or lobes. Fruit a small or rather large, elongated 

 utricle. Leaves opposite or scattered, sessile or petio- 

 late. oblong, ovate, or lanceolate, entire. A few of the 

 species are known to cultivation, but they have very 

 little to recommend them to gardeners. Those described 

 below thrive in well-drained loam. Propagation may 

 be easily effected by cuttings, inserted in similar soiL 



P. aculeate (prickly). West Indian Cockspur. ft. greenish, 

 in small, dense cymes or globular clusters. March, fr. in loose 

 cymes, often forming large panicles. L opposite or here and 

 there alternate, petiolate, orate, often broad, or rarely oblong 

 or lanceolate, obtuse, entire, rarely exceeding 3in., and often 

 less than 2in. long, h. 10ft. Tropics, 1806. A tall, woody, green- 

 house climbing shrub, often armed with stout, recurred, 



P. grandis (grand). A synonym of P. intnms. 



P. inermis (unarmed), ft. greenish, collected in small cymes, 

 forming a terminal, rather corymbose panicle, usually shortly 

 pedunculate. March, i. petiolate, orate or oblong, acuminate 

 or almost obtuse, rounded or narrowed at base, often 6in. to Sin. 

 long. A. 10ft Australia, 1806. A small, greenhouse tree. SYN. 

 P. grand**. 



P. obtnsata (obtuse), ft. greenish, shortly pedicellate ; cymes 

 stalked, terminal. April L obovate or obovate-oblong, rounded 

 at the tip, and tapering towards the petiole, glabrous or pubescent. 

 A. 4ft West Indies, 1824. Store shrub. 



PISSODES. A small genus of beetles, included under 

 the -large group of Weevils (CurruUonidce). The species 

 are few, and are much alike in size and appearance. All 

 feed, both as larvae and as perfect insects, on coniferous 

 trees. An account of their ravages is given under the 

 heading of Pine Weevils. 



PISTACHIO OB. FISTACIA NUT-TREE. See 

 Pistacia vera. 



FISTACIA (from Pistalie, the old Greek name, used 

 by Theophrastus, and that from the Persian Pista). 

 STN. Terebinthus. OBD. Anacardiacece. A genus com- 

 prising half-a-dozen species of hardy, small-growing 

 trees, five of which are natives of the Mediterranean 

 region, from Western Asia to the Canary Islands, and 

 the sixth Mexican. Flowers small, apetalous, dicecions. 

 disposed in axillary panicles or racemes ; pedicels 

 bracteate at base; ^Prnftr-a~~6ne-seeded, ^ dry drupe. 

 Leaves alternate, perennial or deciduous, trifoliolate or 

 pan- or impari-pinnate. P. Lentiscus, P. Terebinilius, 

 and P. vera, are trees of great economic value. The 

 species in cultivation thrive best in a rich, deep, sandy 

 loam, and against a walL Propagated by layers, or by 

 cuttings. 



P. atlantica (Atlantic), ft. in loose, panicled racemes ; anthers 

 deep red. I. impari-pinnate; leaflets usually nine, tapering 

 to the base. A. 40ft Canaries, 1790. Evergreen. 



Mastich-tree. ft. green, on loose 

 issue from the sides of the branches. Spring. 



L abruptly pinnate; leaflets eight, lanceolate ; petioles winged. 

 A. 20ft South Europe. 1664. Erergreen. This plant yields the 

 drug known as "mastich." (B. M. PL 63.) The variety angutti- 

 fotia has almost linear leaflets; whereas in the form known 

 as CAio they are orate, 



P. Terebinthns (Terebinthus). Turpentine-tree, ft. greenish, 

 disposed in large, compound panicles; anthers dull yellow; 

 stigmas crimson. June. 1., leaflets usually numerous, orate- 

 lanceolate, rounded at the base, acute and mucronate at the 

 apex. A. 30ft South Europe, 1656. Deciduous. The red hue 

 of the young leaves of this species is very beautiful. The resin, 

 the Chian or Cyprus turpentine, is obtained from this tree, 

 the liquid flowing from incisions made in the trunk. (B. M. PL 69.) 



Fistacia continued. 



P. vera (true). Pistachio Nut-tree, ft. brownish-green. April 

 fr. panicled, about lin. long, orate, with an oblique point, reddish, 

 t pinnate; leaflets ovate, tapering a little to the base, rather 

 mucronate at the apex. A. 20ft. Syria, 1770. Deciduous. 



FISTIA (probably from pi*tos, watery ; in reference 

 to the habitat). STNS. Apiospermum. Limnonesis. Zo.ro.. 

 OBD. Aroideoe (Aracece). A monotypic genus. The 

 species is an ornamental, stove aquatic, requiring plenty 

 of heat. It increases rapidly, and often completely coats 

 tropical ponds and water-tanks with verdure, keeping 

 the water beneath fresh and cooL The plant floats on 

 the water, and sends down many long, feathery roots. 

 Each plant sends out several runners, and upon the ends 

 of these other similar plants are formed, which again 

 send out runners. 



P. Stratiotes (Stratiotes).* Tropical Dock weed ; Water Lettuce. 

 ft. greenish, very small, borne in little spathes at the end of the 

 leaves, each spathe containing one male and one female flower 

 attached to an adnate spadix. I. wedge-shaped, slightly concave, 

 notched or round topped, 2in. to Sin. Ion::, of a delicate pale pea- 

 green, covered with fine hairs. Tropics, 1843. (B. WL 4664; 

 F. d. S. 625 ; L. J. F. 137.) 



PISTIL. The female organ in flowers ; it consists of 

 ovary, style, stigma, and ovules, or at least of ovary 

 and stigma. 



PISTOB.INTA. Included under Cotyledon (which 

 tee). 



FISTJM (the old Latin name, used by Virgil, akin to 

 the Greek Pison). Pea. OBD. Legumitwtae. A genus 

 comprising only a couple of species of diffuse or climb- 

 ing, hardy, annual herbs, one of which is much cultivated, 

 and is here and there naturalised, in the Mediterranean 

 region and in Western Asia, and the other is a native 

 of the Taurian Mountains. Flowers purple, rose, or white, 

 showy; peduncles axillary, elongated, solitary or a few 

 racemose; calyx lobes sub-equal, or the two upper ones 

 broader ; standard broadly obovate or sub-orbicular : wings 

 falcate-oblong, longer than the keeL Pods compressed, 

 obliquely acute, bivalved. Leaves pinnate ; common petiole 

 terminating in a bristle or tendril ; leaflets one to three- 

 jugate. P. elatiut requires similar treatment to Iathy- 

 TUB (which see). For culture. &c., of P. sat i rum. see Pea. 

 P. elatius (tall). H. pale red, with the lamina of the wings dark 

 purple ; peduncles" two-flowered, erect, longer than the leaves- 

 June to September. I., petioles terete, bearing six lanceolate- 

 oblong leaflets ; stipules rounded and crenated below. Stems 

 erect Iberia, 1820. Climber. 



P. sativnm (cultivated), ft. white or red ; peduncles two or many- 

 flowered. June to September. /., petioles terete, bearing three 

 pairs 'of ovate, entire, glaucous leaflets, with undulated margins, 

 usually opposite and mncronulate ; stipules ovate, somewhat 

 cordate, crenated at the base. South Europe. A climber, of 

 which there are several varieties, including arrenne, humiie 

 (Dwarf Pea), macrocarpum, guadratum, saccharatum (Sugar Pea), 

 and wnbettatum (Crown Pea). 



FITCAUbNXA (named after W. Pitcairn, a physician, 

 of London). STN. Hepetis. Including Keumannia and 

 Pepinia. OBD. Bromeliacece. A genus comprising about 

 seventy species of stove perennial herbs, rarely shrubs, 

 generally stemless, with the leaves in a dense rosette; 

 they are all natives of tropical America. Flowers red, 

 yellow, or whitish ; calyx with a short, obconical tube, 

 adnate to the base of the ovary, and three large, lan- 

 ceolate segments ; corolla of three Ungulate, unguiculate 

 petals, one and a-half to three times the length of the 

 sepals, usually with two minute scales at the base; 

 stamens six; peduncle leafy, the proper leaves passing 

 gradually into bracts; inflorescence generally a simple 

 or panicled raceme, rarely a head or sub-spicate raceme. 

 Leaves linear or ensiform, rarely oblong, lepidote on the 

 back, or green and naked on both surfaces, often prickle- 

 margined, especially towards the base, sessile or nar- 

 rowed into a channelled petiole. All the species described 

 below are herbaceous perennials, except where otherwise 

 stated. For culture, see JEchmea and Billbergia. 

 The following enumeration of species is based on Mr. 



