AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



153 



Pits continued. 



early forced Strawberries, these might possibly be watered 

 from the outside, by opening the sashes a little. Special 

 propagating Pits are best built rather low, in order 

 that they may not be too much exposed to cold winds, 

 and that cuttings, when inserted, may be near the 

 light. To this end, the floor for these is also often sunk 

 into the ground ; a path passes through the centre, 

 with a door at the end, and a heated plunging-bed is 

 provided on one or both of the sides (see Fig. 192). If 

 the top sashes are fixed, instead of being movable, then 

 a structure of this sort is more correctly termed a house. 

 Although wood is sometimes used, nothing surpasses 

 ordinary bricks for constructing a framework on which 

 to rest the rafters and sashes. Bricks keep out frost 

 better than wood, and are also much more substantial. 

 Pits are sometimes built with hollowed walls that is, 

 a double set of bricks is arranged so as to leave a 

 hollow space between ; the idea being that of retaining 

 heat, which passes more readily through a solid wall 

 than where there is a chamber midway containing air. 



PITTED. Having numerous small, shallow depres- 

 sions or excavations. 



FITTOSFORE2E. A small order of glabrous, or 

 rarely tomentose or pilose, arborescent or erect shrubs, 

 or twining or flexuous-procumbent under-shrnbs, dis- 

 persed over the warmer regions of the globe, but mostly 

 found in Australia. Flowers white, blue, yellow, or 

 rarely reddish, hermaphrodite, regular or slightly oblique, 

 sometimes borne on terminal, solitary and nodding, or 

 corymbose or paniculate peduncles, occasionally axillary 

 and solitary or fasciculate ; sepals five, distinct, imbri- 

 cated, or rarely connate at base; petals five, hypo- 

 gynous, imbricated, longer than the sepals ; claw con- 

 nivent or sometimes coherent ; stamens five, hypogynous, 

 free, alternating with the petals, the filaments filiform, 

 or dilated in the middle or at the base. Fruit a capsule 

 or berry. Leaves alternate, entire, toothed, or very 

 rarely slightly cut; stipules none. The species contain 

 resinous, aromatic, and bitter principles, which impart a 

 disagreeable flavour to the fruit. Nine genera and about 

 ninety species are included in the order. Examples are : 

 Billardiera, Marianthus, Pittosporum, and Sollya. 



PITTOSFORUM (from pitta, pitch, tar, and sporos, 

 seed; in allusion to the resinous coating of the seeds). 

 ORD. Pittosporeco. A rather large genus (fifty species 

 have been described) of greenhouse or half-hardy, gla- 

 brous or tomentose, erect shrubs or small trees, occurring 

 in Africa, the warmer parts of Asia, the Pacific Islands, 

 Australia, or New Zealand. Flowers sometimes in ter- 

 minal clusters, corymbose, sub-umbellate or paniculate, 

 sometimes solitary or few, terminal, axillary, or 

 lateral ; sepals distinct or connate at base ; petals 

 connivent or cohering at base, or rarely spreading. 

 Leaves entire, sinuate- dentate, in some species 

 often snb-verticillate at the apices of the branches. 

 All the species form very handsome subjects, and 

 are well adapted for growing in conservatories. 

 The half-hardy ones thrive in any common garden 

 soil, but, except in the south-western counties, &c., 

 require the shelter of a wall. The greenhouse ones 

 succeed in a well-drained, fibry loam. P. Tobira is a 

 favourite plant in the Paris flower-markets, and is 

 largely grown for its very fragrant blossoms. All are 

 readily propagated by means of cuttings of the half- 

 ripened wood, inserted in sandy soil, under a bell 

 glass, in a greenhouse, and kept shaded until roots 

 are formed. 



P. coriaceum (leathery-leaved), fl. bluish-white; pe- 

 duncles umbellately branched, many-flowered, and, as 

 well as the calyces, villous. May. I. obovate, obtuse, 

 coriaceous, quite smooth, h. 8ft. Madeira, 1783. Green- 

 house shrub. (A. B. E. 151; L. B. C. 569.) 



Vol. III. 



Pittospornm continued. 



P. cornlfolium (Cornus-leaved). JL dingy-red, polygamous, on 

 very slender, terminal, one or two-flowere'l peduncles ; sepals 

 very narrow, subulate ; petals as narrow, with slender tips. May. 

 I. whorled, obovate or elliptic-lanceolate, shortly petioled, quite 

 entire and glabrous, coriaceous. Branches forked or whorled. 

 h. 2ft to 4ft. New Zealand, before 1832. A small, slender 

 half-hardy shrub. (B. M. 3161.) 



P. crassifolium (thick-leaved).* Parchment-bark. fl. dark 

 chocolate-purple, freely produced in nodding, pedunculate um- 

 bels. April. I. alternate, narrow-obovate, linear-obovate, or 

 oblong, obtuse, quite entire, light green, tomentose on the under 

 surface, h. 4ft. to 10ft. New Zealand, 1872. A bushy-growing, 

 half-hardy shrub, of erect branching habit. (B. M. 5978.) 



P. elegans (elegant). A synonym of P. eugenioideg. 



P. eugenioides (Eugenia-like), ft. greenish-white, more or less 

 dioecious, fragrant; sepals very variable, ovate, acuminate, 

 glabrous; petals narrow and spreading, recurved. I. usually 

 elliptical, acute, narrowed into long petioles, rarely broader and 

 obovate, quite entire, undulated or crisped, rather coriaceous, 

 with numerous fine veins. h. 20ft. to 30ft. New Zealand. 

 Greenhouse tree. SYNS. P. elegant, P. microcarjnnn. 



Fio. 193. PITTOSPORUM TOBIRA, showing Habit and detached 

 Flowering Twig and Flower. 



P. ferrugineum (rusty), fl. yellow, small ; peduncles terminal, 

 usually clustered several together above the last leaves. April to 

 July. I. from obovate or ovate, and obtuse or scarcely acuminate, 

 to oblong or almost lanceolate, acuminate, and Sin. to 4in. long, 

 quite entire, narrowed into a petiole, rusty-tomentose on both 

 sides when very young, h. 6ft., sometimes attaining 50ft. to 60ft. 

 Australia, 1787. Greenhouse tree. (B. M. 2075.) 



P. microcarpum (small-fruited). A synonym of P. eugenioides. 



P. revolutum (revolute). fl. yellow ; peduncles terminal, few or 

 solitary, usually decurved, bearing sometimes a single, rather 

 large flower, but more frequently a dense, ovoid or corymbose 

 raceme. February to April. I. ovate-elliptical, or elliptical- 

 oblong, shortly acuminate, 2in. to 4in. long, scarcely undulate, 

 narrowed into a petiole. A. 4ft. to 6ft. Australia, 1795. Green- 

 house shrub. (B. B. 186 ; 8. F. A. 25, under name of I>. fulvum. 



P. sinense (Chinese). A synonym of P. viridijloruin. 



Fio. 194. FLOWERING BRAKCULET OF PITTOSPOKU 



