254 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



PURSHIA (of Sprengel). A synonym of Onosmo- 

 dium (which see). 



PURSLANE. See Portnlaca oleracea. The 

 name is also used for several species of Claytonia, &c. 



PURSLANE-TREE. See Portulacaria afra. 



PUSCHKINIA (named in honour of M. Pousohkin, 

 a Russian botanist). STN. Adamsia. OBD. Liliacece. 

 A genus comprising only a couple of species of hardy 

 or half-hardy, bulbous plants, natives of Asia Minor, the 

 Caucasus, and Afghanistan. Flowers few, loosely race- 

 mose, sometimes solitary on the simple, leafless scape ; 

 perianth with a short, campanulate tube, and six longer, 

 sub-equal, somewhat spreading segments. Leaves radical, 

 few, the first usually oblong, the rest linear. Only one 

 of the species is in cultivation. This thrives very well 

 in the rock garden and borders, in a compost of sandy 

 loam and leaf mould. Propagated by dividing the bulbs, 

 which should be done every two or three years. 

 P. libanotica (Mount Lebanon). A synonym of P. scilloides. 



FIG. 328. PUSCHKINIA SCILLOIDES, showing Habit, detached 

 Flower, and Upper Portion of Leaf. 



P. scilloides (Scilla-like). Striped Squill, /f. white, richly 

 striped with pale blue down the centre, and on both sides of the 

 reflexed perianth segments ; perianth Jin. to nearly lin. across ; 

 pedicels slender, distant; spikes secund, on slender, bending 

 scapes. Spring. I. few, 4in. to 6in. long, lanceolate, concave, 

 dark green, h. 4m. to Sin. Orient, 1819. A very handsome little 

 sprmg-flowenng plant See Fig. 328. (B. M. 2244 ; Gn., Sept., 1878.) 

 SYNS. P. libanotiea, P. siculi (F. d. S. 2220), Adamsia scilloides 

 (B. G. 310). A more compact-flowering form is in cultivation 

 under the name of cvmpacta; its flowers are also more numerous. 

 P. sicnla (Sicilian). A synonym of P. sciUoid.es. 



PUSILLUS. Very small; weak and slender. 

 PUSS MOTH (Dicranura vinula). This moth is of 

 interest to gardeners, because the larvae feed on leaves 

 of Willows and of Poplars, and, at times, do damage to 

 those trees. The moths reach 2iin. or Sin. in spread of 

 wing, and have large, heavy bodies. Body and wings are 

 grey, with many darker markings. Those on the front 

 wings are as follows : Near the base of the wing are 

 five or six black spots ; then follows a broad, grey cross- 

 band; the middle of the wings is less marked, but the 

 hinder part bears about nine long, dark streaks running 

 inwards, and a number of V-shaped, dark lines, with the 

 tip pointed inwards. The antennae are feathered in both 

 eexes. The larvae are very curious in form ; the head is 

 flat, and is drawn back into the second segment, on 

 which the body rises to a sharp hump, then it sinks to 

 the sixth, then is of uniform breadth to the ninth, and 

 behind this it tapers rapidly to the last segment, which 

 ends in two long, slender, curved horns, from each of 



Puss Moth continued. 



which a pink filament can be pushed out by the larva 

 when irritated. This latter is used for driving away 

 ichneumons and other parasites. The horns are believed 

 to be the last pair of prolegs modified. There are four 

 pairs of prolegs used for grasping, and the larvae generally 

 hold on by them, keeping the ends of the body raised 

 from the twig or leaf to which they cling. In colour, 

 they are remarkable, though by no means conspicuous 

 while on the trees. There is a white line along each side, 

 from the back of the head to the tip of the hump, 

 thence passing obliquely to the middle of each side of 

 the eighth segment, and then again rising to the bases 

 of the horns. Between the white lines the back is 

 white, streaked with purple-brown. This latter colour is 

 deepest near the lines. Below thorn the body is green, 

 with a purple mark above the proleg on each side of 

 the eighth segment. The head is brown, with black 

 sides, and when drawn back is surrounded with a pink 

 rim, with two black spots. When full-fed, the larvae gnaw 

 holes in the bark, in which they form very tough, strong 

 cocoons, of chips and a gluey secretion emitted by 

 themselves, and in these cocoons they become brown 

 pupae in autumn. The moths emerge in June. There 

 are two or three smaller species of the same genus, 

 which are much like the Puss Moth in appearance and 

 in habits, and, because of this and of their smaller size, 

 are called Kittens. Of these, the Poplar Kitten (D. bifida) 

 feeds on Aspen and other Poplars, the Sallow Kitten 

 (D. furcula) on Willows, and the Alder Kitten 

 (D. bicuspis) on Alder. They are seldom so hurtful as 

 to attract observation. 



Remedies. If at any time any of the above are suffi- 

 ciently numerous to be hurtful, the only efficient remedy 

 is hand - picking the larvse, or beating them from the 

 branches. The cocoons should be sought for, and the 

 pupas destroyed; and the moths should be killed when 

 seen. 



PUSTULAR, PUSTULATE. Covered with glan- 

 dular excrescences like blisters. 



PUTAMEN. The endocarp of a stone fruit. 

 PUTORIA (from putor, a strong smell ; in allusion 

 to the smell of the leaves). OBD. Rubiacece. A small 

 genus (two or three species) of dwarf, half-hardy, branched 

 shrubs, inhabiting the Mediterranean region. Flowers 

 white or purple, fascicled at the tips of the branches, 

 about lin. long; calyx with an elongated-ovoid tube and 

 an obtusely four-toothed limb; corolla infundibular- tubu- 

 lose, with an elongated tube and a limb of four, rather 

 short, spreading, valvate lobes ; pedicels bracteolate. 

 Leaves opposite, shortly petioled, linear-oblong, a trifle 

 fleshy. P. calabrica the only species in cultivation is 

 a pretty plant. It thrives in a gravelly soil, and is pro- 

 pagated by division. 

 P. calabrica (Calabrian). fl. red, in terminal, few-flowered 



corymbs. July. I. oblong, obtuse, rather smooth, pale beneath, 



scabrous on the eds;es and keel ; stipules solitary on both sides. 



Stem much branched; branches clothed with velvety down. 



h. 6in. 1820. SYNS. Asperula calabrica, Mrnodea montana 



(S. F. G. 143). 



PUTTERLICKIA (named after A. Putterlick, 1810- 

 1845, assistant at the Botanical Museum of Vienna). 

 OBD. Celastrinece. A genus comprising only a couple of 

 species of greenhouse, very glabrous, spiny, South 

 African shrubs. Flowers green, with a purple disk; 

 calyx segments, petals, and stamens, four or five, the 

 petals and stamens spreading ; cymes axillary, paniculate ; 

 pedicels elongated, divaricate. Leaves alternate or 

 fascicled, stalked, obovate, entire or spinuloso-serrate, 

 exstipulate. Branchlets angular or terete. For culture 

 of the under-mentioned species, see Celastrus. 

 P. Pyracantha (Pynicantha-leaved). /., petals oblong; calyx 



minute, obtuse. Winter. I. tufted, rarely solitary, oval or 



obovate-cuneate, netted veined, h. 2ft. or more (B. M. 1167, 



under name of Celastrus Pyracanthus.) 



