376 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Saxifraga continued. 



S umbrosa (shade-loving).* London Pride ; None-so-Pretty ; St 

 P*Xs Cabbage, &c. 'ft. white, sometimes -pnnkled with 

 red, iin. in diameter, in a pamcled cyme ; 8 f a Vl ^ S rbicX 

 6in. to 12in. high, leafless. June and July. J. petioled orbicular 

 or broadly ovate, coarsely crenate or toothed, rosulate, 4m. to 

 2in. in diameter; petioles iin. to Iin. long. Ireland, Spam, and 

 Portugal A common plant in gardens, punctata and xerrati- 

 folia are varieties. 



S. valdensis (Lyons).* ft. white, comparatively large, corymbose, 

 borne on short, hairy 7 peduncles. May. and June, t dense, 

 short, flat at the base, but more or less triquetrous at the apex 

 the upper surface marked with irregular dots. /. 3m. Alps of 



Lyons, &c., 1871. 



Fio. 437. SAXIFRAGA VIRGINIENSIS, showing Habit and detached 

 Portion of Inflorescence. 



S. vlrginiensls (Virginian).* JL white ; petals oblong, obtuse, 

 twice as long as the erect calyx lobes ; cyme clustered, at length 

 open and loosely panicled. April to June. I. obovate or oval- 

 spathulate. narrowed into broad petioles, rather thick, crenate- 

 toothed. k 4in. to 9in. North America, 1790. See Fig. 437. 

 (B. M. 1664 ; L. B. C. 1699.) S. v. flore-pleno is a pretty garden 

 variety, with compact, double flowers. (B. G. 1092.) S. elonpata 

 is another form. 



S. Wallacel (Wallace's), of gardens. A synonym of S. Camposii. 



SAXIFRAGE. See Sazifraga. 



SAXIFRAGEJE. A natural order of trees, shrubs, 

 or herbs, of variable habit, inhabiting temperate and 

 frigid regions, rare in the tropics. Flowers hermaphro- 

 dite, rarely unisexual or poly gamo- dioecious ; calyx five- 

 parted, rarely four to twelve -parted, free or adnate with 

 the ovary, the lobes valvate or imbricated ; petals gene- 

 rally four or five, rarely wanting, perigynous, rarely 

 epipynous, very rarely hypogynous, often small, imbri- 

 cated or valvate ; stamens as many, or twice as many, 

 as the petals, rarely indefinite, erect or spreading ; fila- 

 ments free; anthers usually didynamous. Fruit capsular 

 or baccate, rarely follicnlar, very rarely nut-like. The 

 useful properties of Saxifragece are unimportant. The 

 order is divided, by Bentham and Hooker, into six tribes : 

 Cunoniece, Escalloniece, Francoece, Hydrangece, Ribesiece, 

 and Saxifrageas proper. It embraces about seventy-five 

 genera, and 540 species. Well-known examples are : 

 Astilbe, Cunonia, Escallonia, Francoa, Hydrangea, Ribes, 

 and Saxifraga. 



SAXIFRAGE, BUKNET. See Fimpinella. 



SAXIFRAGE, GOLDEN. See Chrysosplenium. 



SAXIFRAGE, MEADOW. A popular name for 

 Saxifraga granulata, the genus Seseli, and Silaus pra- 

 tensis. 



SAXOFRIDERICIA (named in honour of Frederick 

 Augustus, King of Saxony). ORD. Rapateaceae. A genus 

 comprising five species of robust, stove herbs, natives of 

 Guiana and North Brazil. Flowers in sessile heads; 



Saxofridericia continued. 



calyx tube hyaline, the lobes rigid, paleaceous ; corolla 

 tube hyaline, the lobes broad ; involucral bracts two, 

 membranous, readily parting ; scape tall, often thickened 

 under the head. Leaves radical, long, petiolate or ses- 

 sile in a sheath. Only one species has yet been intro- 

 duced. It thrives in a compost of loam and peat, and 

 requires to be kept wet, as it is a marsh plant. Propa- 

 gated by division. 



S. subcordata (sub-cordate;. /. densely brown-spotted, sessile, 

 in semi-globose, mediocre heads ; spathe red, bivalved, at length 

 splitting. I. distichous, ancipitous at base, then petiolate, 

 oblong, acuminate, sub-cordate at base, 6in. or more long; 

 petioles spiny -edged, glabrous, h. 1ft. Amazon, 1873. (G. O. n. s., 

 275.) SYN. Rapatea pandanoides (I. H. xx. 153-154). 



SCAB. A disease of Potato tubers, due to the 

 growth on them of a Fungus named Tubercinia scabies. 

 It gives rise to brown, dry crusts or scabs. For an 

 account of the disease, see Potato (FUNGI). 



SCABIOSA (from scabies, the itch, which disease 

 the common species is said to cure). Pincushion Flower ; 

 Scabious. Including Asterocephalus. Knautia, Ptero- 

 cephalus, and Succisa. ORD. Dipsaceae. A genus com- 

 prising, according to the authors of the " Genera Plan- 

 tarum," not more than eighty distinct species of mostly 

 hardy, annual or perennial herbs, sometimes more or 

 less shrubby at base. Flower-heads blue, rose, purple, 

 yellowish-white, or white, terminal ; involucral bracts in 

 one or two series; involucels two, four, or eight-ribbed; 

 calyx bristly; corolla limb four or five-fid, sub-equal, or 



FIG. 438. INDIVIDUAL FLOWER OF SCABIOSA. 



often oblique or bilabiate (see Fig. 438) ; stamens four, 

 very rarely two, all perfect. Leaves entire, toothed, 

 lobed, or dissected. A great many species have been 

 introduced, but the selection given below comprises the 

 best-known. They succeed in ordinary garden soil, and 

 may be increased by seeds, also sometimes by division. 

 S. atropurpurea and its varieties are most useful subjects 

 for cutting, and plants may be grown in pots for winter 

 flowering with good effect. For this purpose seeds should 

 be sown in June or July, and the plants, when large 

 enough, potted off singly and grown in a cool frame. 

 For flowering outside in summer, sow in March or early 

 in April. 8. caucasica is a very handsome border plant. 

 The species described below are hardy perennials, except 

 where otherwise indicated. 



S. amcena (pleasing).* fl.-heads lilac or rose; corollas radiant; 

 peduncles elongated, villous under the heads. June and July. 

 I., radical ones obovate, toothed or lyrate, rather hairy ; cauline 

 ones pinnatifld, with lanceolate, acute, nearly entire lobes. 

 h. 2ft. to 3ft Russia, 1820. 



S. arvensis (fleld-loving). Egyptian or Gipsies' Rose, &c. 

 fl. -heads pale lilac or blue, Iin. to l^in. in diameter, depressed; 

 corollas hairy, the inner redder ; peduncles long, stout. July to 

 September. L variable, hairy ; radical ones oblong-lanceolate, 

 entire, serrated, or crenate ; cauline ones toothed, lobed, or pin- 

 natifld. Stem 2ft. to 5ft. high, stout, hairy. Europe (Britain), &c. 

 (Sy. En. B. 679.) 



S. atropurpurea (dark purple).* Mournful Widow ; Sweet 

 Scabious, &c. ft.-heads normally deep crimson, very sweet- 

 scented ; corollas radiant, a little longer than the involucre. 

 July and August. L, radical ones lanceolate - ovate, lyrate, 

 coarsely - toothed ; cauline ones pinnatipartite, with oblong, 

 toothed or cut lobes. Stem branched, h. 2ft. to 3ft. South- 

 western Europe, 1629. A very handsome, hardy annual. Under 

 the name of Saudade, the flowers of this species are largely 

 employed by the Portuguese, Brazilians, &c., for funeral wreaths, 

 and similar purposes. See Fig. 439. (B. M. 247.) There are 

 several desirable vaiieties : 'lore-plena has double, purple or white 



