170 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Plumbago continued. 



P. rosea (rose).* fl. rosy-scarlet, l*in. to 2in. long, axillary or 

 disposed in long, terminal spikes ; calyx shghtly-reddisn ; 

 coroUa tube slender, four times as long as the calyx. July- 

 I. large, oblong, attenuated and slightly obtuse above, shortly 

 cuneate at base, and attenuated into very short, amplexicaul, 

 exauriculate petioles. Stem erect, terete, slender, stnated, simple 

 beneath, branched above, h. 2ft. East Indies, 1777 Stove 

 perennial. (B. M. 230.) coccinea is a splendid variety, with 

 larger, more brightly-coloured flowers. (B. M. 5565.) 

 P. scandens (climbing). Devil's Herb ; Toothwort fl. white, 

 disposed in loose, terminal, elongated spikes ; corolla tube twice 

 as long as the calyx. July. I. oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 

 acuminate, on short petioles, amplexicaul at base. Stem some- 

 what climbing, slender, striated, much branched. A. 3ft. West 

 Indies, 1699. Stove shrub. SYN. P. occidental. 

 P. zeylanlca (Cingalese), fl. white, disposed in elongated, rather 

 dense spikes ; corolla tube twice as long as the calyx. June. 

 J. ovate or oblong, slightly acute, very shortly and abruptly 

 attenuated into an amplexicaul, short petiole. Stem somewhat 

 climbing, angular-striate, much branched, h. 14ft East Indies, 

 1731. Steve shrub. (B. B. 1846, 23.) 

 PLUM, CHERRY. See Prunus cerasifera. 

 PLUM, COCOA. See Clirysobalanus Icaco. 

 PLUM CUB.CULIO. See remarks on INSECTS 

 under Plum. 



PLUM, DATE. See Diospyros. 

 FLUMERIA (named in honour of Charles Plumier, 

 1646-1706, a French traveller and writer on botany). 

 SYN. Himatanthus. OBD. Apocynacece. A rather large 

 genus (about forty species have been described) of 

 glabrous or pubescent stove trees, with thickish branches, 

 natives of tropical America. Flowers white, yellowish, 

 or rose-purple, large, in terminal cymes. Leaves alter- 

 nate, often on long petioles, penniveined. The species 

 thrive best in a compost of sandy loam and fibry peat. 

 Propagated, in spring, by cuttings of ripe shoots, inserted 

 in sand, under a handlight. Very few species are now 

 in cultivation. 



FIG. 207. FLOWERING BRANCHLET OF PLUMERIA TRICOLOR. 



P. acuminata (acuminate). A synonym of P. acutifolia. 



P. acutifolia (pointed-leaved).* fl. pink outside and white within 

 very fragrant, in compound, spreading cymes. June to Septeml 

 ber I scattered, lanceolate acuminated, glabrous, flat A. P 20ft. 

 Natralised in India, Ac., 1790. (B. M. 3952; B. B. 114.) SYN. 





P. bicolor (two-coloured), fl, white, with a yellow throat, a very 

 long, thick, incurved tube, and obovate-oblong, oblique segments 

 peduncles thickened at top, corymbose, lily T lan^olate- 



' acuminated ' 



P. Jameson! 



tube long, 

 yellow segme 



on! (Jameson's). /., corolla large, hypocrateriform ; 

 , yellow, deeply tinged with red; limb of five rich 

 ments; peduncles terminal, 9in. to 12in. long; pedkels 

 red. July. I. mostly confined to the tips of the branches large 

 broadly-oblong, on rather long, nearly terete petioles (furrowed 



P lum er ia continue d . 

 P. Kerii (Ker's). A synonym of P. tricolor. 

 P. Lambertiana (Lambert's), fl. white, with a yellow throat, 

 and broad-rhomboid, obtuse segments. May to August. I. ob- 

 long, acuminated, flat. h. 10ft. Mexico, 1824. This differs from 

 P. tricolor in having larger, inodorous flowers, and in the seg- 

 ments being broader and rounder. (B. B. 1378.) 

 P. Intea (yellow-flowered).* fl, very sweet-scented ; corolla 4in. in 

 diameter; lobes very pale pink, with a broad, pale golden- 

 yellow base ; tube hairy within ; cymes terminal, sub-umbellate, 

 about as long as the leaves. June. I. crowded at the ends of 

 the branches, spreading, Sin. to 18in. long, narrowly oblong- 

 obovate, tapering into the stout petiole, sub-acute. Branches 

 and branchlets stout, scarred, h. 10ft. to 20ft. Peru, 1869. 

 (B. M. 5779.) 



P. rubra (red).* Frangipani-plant /. red, crowded in fascicles, 

 with a pilose throat, and obliquely obovate-oblong segments, 

 which are rounded at the apex ; peduncles elongated. July. 

 I. obovate-oblong, acute, with flat edges. A. 12ft. to 20ft. Jamaica, 

 1690. (B. M. 279 ; B. B. 780.) 



P. tricolor (three-coloured), fl., corolla with a yellow throat, 

 white above the yellow part, and red round the margins of the 

 segments ; peduncles terminal, cymose. July to October. I. ob- 

 ovate-oblong, tapering at both ends, entire, h. 15ft. 1815. 

 See Fig. 207! (B. B. 510.) SYN. P. Kerii, 



P. tuberculata (warty - stemmed). ft. white, scentless ; 

 peduncles axillary, much shorter than the leaves, many- 

 flowered_. August. Z. coriaceous, narrow-oblong, obtuse, taper- 

 ing a little way into the petioles, downy beneath. Branches 

 tuberculate. h. 6ft St. Domingo, 1812. (L. B. C. 681.) 

 PLUM, GINGERBREAD. See Parinarium 

 macropliyllum. 



PLUM, MAIDEN. See Comocladia. 

 PLUMOSE. Feathery, as the pappus of Thistles. 

 PLUM SLUG. See Slugworms. 

 PLUM TOR.TRIX. See Plum (INSECTS). 

 PLUM WEEVILS. See Plum (INSECTS). 

 PLURI. Used in composition, this term signifies 

 many or several, e.g., Plurilocular, many-celled. 

 FLURIDENS. A synonym of Bidens. 

 PLUSIA. A genus of Noctuidce, the larvas of some 

 of which do considerable injury to cultivated plants. The 

 British species vary between lin. and Ifin. in spread of 

 wings, and they almost all possess shining metallic, 

 silvery, or golden spots and markings on the rather 

 pointed front wings. The thorax and abdomen bear 

 crests of hair-like scales. The moths generally fly during 

 the day; when at rest, the wings are held like a roof 

 over the hinder part of the body. The larvae are rather 

 slender, tapering markedly towards the head, which 

 is small; they have six true legs in front, but only six 

 prolegs, being the last three pairs of the five usually 

 present in larvae of Noctuce. Owing to the absence of the 

 front prolegs, they "loop" in walking, like Geometer 

 larvae. When full-fed, they spin loose cocoons among 

 dead leaves, or on the food-plants, and in these become 

 black pupae. Two, or even more, broods may be hatched 

 in a year. 



The larvae of several species feed on Groundsel, Nettles, 

 and other low weeds, and may at times devour cultivated 

 plants along with these ; but the only species that is really 

 dangerous to garden and field produce is P. Gamma, the 

 too well-known Silver T, or Gamma Moth. The larva 

 of the moth is, indeed, one of the worst pests at times, 

 alike in the garden and in the field. The moths may 

 be seen, from June to the end of October in some years, 

 flying in the bright sunshine, and not less in the twilight ; 

 nor do they cease to fly even at night. Frequently, they 

 swarm in myriads in hay-fields, among Turnips, in gardens, 

 and, in fact, everywhere. Some idea of the form, size, 

 and markings, may be obtained from Fig. 208, in which, 

 however, the characteristic silvery mark on the front 

 wings, like the Greek letter gamma (y), or the letter y, 

 is not well shown. It is plainest in the left wing near 

 the middle. The front wings are grey or violet-grey, 

 marbled with warm brown, which is darkest in a lozenge- 

 shaped patch on the inner margin; in this patch lies 



