392 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Scirpus continued. 



and August. I. one or two, narrow, channelled, short and bristly. 

 Stems filiform, 3in. to 6in. long, tufted, rigid. Europe (Britain). 

 This is similar to S riparius in appearance. (Sy. fcn. K. iow.) 

 SYN. Isolepis aetacea. 



S. Tabernasmontani zebrina (Tabernaemontana-like, striped) 

 Banded Hush. I. erect, terete, transversely banded with white 

 and green, generally in nearly equal zones of about half an men 

 deep. The appearance suggested by a group of the stems is 

 that of a cluster of porcupine quil.s. h. 2ft. to 3ft Japan, 

 about 1881. SYN. Juncus zebrinus (I. H. n. a., 393). The green- 

 stemmed type is found in all temperate climates. 



SCISSORS. Scissors are used by gardeners chiefly 

 for thinning the berries in bunches of grapes, and by 

 flower-workers for cutting stems of flowers, &c., when 

 making buttonhole and other bouquets. For this latter 

 purpose the Scissors used should have short, strong 

 blades, and sharp points. Grape Scissors have long 

 blades, tapering to a point, which should not be too 

 sharp, or there is a danger, when using them, of 

 pricking the berries that are to remain. Scissors may 

 be procured in several sizes : a medium size, rather than 

 either extreme, is found most generally useful. 



SCITAMINE.2E. A natural order of usually peren- 

 nial herbs, with creeping rhizomes, broadly dispersed over 

 the warmer regions of the globe. Flowers hermaphrodite 

 or rarely polygamous, irregular, naked or bracteate, 

 spicate, racemose, or panicled ; perianth normally double, 

 superior, the outer part calycine, the inner corolla-like, 

 the segments variously connate, or one or other deficient ; 

 ovary inferior, three, rarely one or two-celled ; stamens 

 sometimes five, equal, free, the sixth deficient or small, 

 often only one perfect, and the rest changed into irre- 

 gular, polymorphous, variously connate, petaloid stami- 

 nodes; style terminal, elongated, undivided. Fruit 

 crowned by the persistent calyx, or the whole perianth 

 deciduous, three-celled, or by abortion one or two-celled, 

 sometimes fleshy and indehiscent, sometimes loculidally 

 three-valved ; seeds one or many. Leaves variously dis- 

 posed, the petiole usually forming a sheath, the blade 

 sessile or petiolate above the sheath, often large. Arrow- 

 root, the starch derived from the rhizomes of Maranta 

 arundinacea, is recommended for its digestibility. " The 

 root of ginger (Zingiber officinale) .... is considered in 



India to be anti-scorbutic and aphrodisiac The 



fruits of Amomum, called Cardamoms, are employed as a 

 condiment, and esteemed for their stomachic qualities. 

 .... The Banana and Plantain fruits (Musa paradisiaca 

 and M. sapientum) afford an agreeable, sweet, farinaceous 

 food, and a refreshing drink " (Decaisne and Le Maout). 

 Several other species are of great economic value. Can- 

 neae, Maranteae, Musece, and Zingiberece, are regarded by 

 the authors of the " Genera Plantarum " as tribes of 

 Scitaminece. The order embraces thirty-six genera and 

 about 450 species. Among well-known examples the 

 following may be cited : Alpinia, Canna, Curcuma, Hedy- 

 chium, Maranta, Musa, and Zingiber. 



SCIUROIDEOUS. Like a squirrel's tail. 



SCLAREA. Included under Sal via (which see). 



SCLERANTHUS (from skleros, hard, and anthos, a 

 flower; alluding to the indurated perianth). Knawel. 

 ORD. niecebraceae. A genus comprising about ten species 

 of small, weedy herbs, distributed throughout Europe, 

 East Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. S. annuis, 

 and its variety biennis, and S. perennis, are British plants. 



SCLERIA (from skleria, hardness; alluding to the 

 indurated fruit). Nut Bush. OKD. Cyperaceae. A large 

 genus (about 100 species) of stove, greenhouse, or hardy, 

 dwarf or tall herbs, broadly dispersed over tropical and 

 sub-tropical regions, and extending as far as temperate 

 North America. Flowers unisexual ; spikelets small, often 

 fascicled; hypogynons bristles none; bracts at the base 

 of the cyme or panicle leafy. Leaves sometimes grass- 

 like and flaccid, sometimes long, broad, and plicate-nerved. 



Scleria continued. 



Of the few species introduced, two examples are here 



described. Both are hardy. For culture, see Cyperus. 



S. clllata (hair-fringed), ft., sterile spikes large, many-flowered ; 



clusters terminal : sheaths pubescent June to August. L two, 



narrow-linear, rigid, smooth, or with scattered hairs on the 



margins. Culms slender, rigid, lift, to 2ft. high, smooth below, 



sparingly fringed on the angles above. South United States, 



S. verticillata (whorled). fl., spikes small ; clusters four to six, 

 erect, scattered near the summit of the culm, forming an inter- 

 rupted spike. June and July. I. narrow-linear or filiform, 

 smooth. Culms very slender, 6in. to 12in. high, smooth. North 

 America, 1825. 



SCLEROGEN. "The hard matter deposited by 

 some plants in the interior of their cells, as in those 

 forming the shell of the walnut" (Lindley). 



SCLEROID. Hard. 



SCLERONEMA. A synonym of Xeronema (which 

 see). 



SCLEROFTERIS. A synonym of Cirrlisea (which 

 see). 



SCLEROTHAMNTTS (from sUero*, hard, and 

 thamnos, a shrub; alluding to the rigid aspect of the 

 bush). ORD. Leguminosce. A monotypic genus, now 

 included, by Bentham, under Eutaxia. The species is a 

 very ornamental, glabrous, divaricate or diffuse, green- 

 house, evergreen shrub. For culture, see Chorizema. 

 S. microphyllus (small-leaved), fl. yellow, small, on axillary 

 pedicels ; calyx having acute or acuminate lobes ; standard Jin. 

 or more long ; petals shorter, the keel deeply coloured. May. 

 I. usually elliptic-oblong or linear, one to three lines long, rigid, 

 concave, obtuse or almost acute. Branches rigid, sometimes 

 short and ending in slender spines, sometimes elongated, slender, 

 and erect. Australia, 1803. The proper name of this shrub is 

 Eutaxia empetrifolia. 



SCLEROTIA (from skleros, hard). Small, hard 

 bodies, produced by many Fungi belonging to various 

 groups. They exhibit variations in size, colour, and form, 

 but agree in being made up of very closely interwoven 

 mycelium. The outer layer of the Sclerotium is pecu- 

 liarly dense, and is formed of hyphse so adherent to 

 one another, and with so many cross walls, as to 

 resemble true parenchyma in appearance. Sclerotia vary 

 considerably in size, from the minute 8. cepcevorum 

 (which gives rise to Mucor subtilissimus on Onions), 

 resembling a grain of gunpowder, to the size of a large 

 pea in the Sclerotia of some Agarics. They are usually 



Fio. 451. SCLEROTIUM OF PEZIZA POSTUMA (natural size), with 

 two Cups on slender stalks. 



round or oval (see Fig. 451), but may be irregularly 

 lobed or elongated, as in Ergot of Eye. Many are 

 black, or nearly so ; others are brown, dull yellow, or 

 white. By their texture, they are fitted to withstand 

 extremes of temperature, and of drought or moisture, 

 better than ordinary mycelium ; and it is by means 

 of them that many Fungi are preserved through the 

 winter. A considerable number of Sclerotia make their 

 appearance only on dead parts of plants in a state of 

 decay, e.g., the very common 8. semen (like a small 

 pea, at first white, then changing to black), which 

 produces Typhula ; or in dung, e.g., S. stercorarium, 

 from which Coprinus stercorarius is developed. But 



