432 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Siegesbeckia continued. 



usually annual herbs; one (including several so-called 

 species propounded by various authors) is broadly dis- 

 persed over tropical and sub-tropical regions; the other 

 is a native of Peru. Flower-heads yellow or white, 

 small, paniculate, sub-radiate; involucral bracts few, 

 herbaceous ; receptacle small ; achenes glabrous. Leaves 

 opposite, often broad, toothed. Only 8. orientalis calls 

 for description here. Seeds should be sown on a hot- 

 bed, in spring, and the seedlings, when strong enough, 

 planted in the open border, at the end of May. 

 S. orientalis (Eastern). fl.-heads yellow ; outer involucral scales 

 three or four times longer than the inner ones. August. I. ovate- 

 triangular, cuneate at base, acuminate at apex, deeply toothed. 

 h. 2ft Tropics, widely dispersed, 1824. (B. S. 1061 ; S. B. F. G. 

 203, under name of S. droseroidet.) 



SIEVERSIA. Included under Oeum (which see). 

 SIEVES. These are in frequent demand for sifting 

 soils intended for potting, seed -sowing, &c., also for 

 screening cinders and gravel. What may be termed a 

 handy set, would be one of each with Jin., iin., fin., and 

 lin. wire meshes respectively. For covering very minute 

 seeds a small-meshed Sieve should be used, but the iin. 

 size is fine enough for the major portion of seeds, if it 

 is properly and carefully handled. Sieves for cleaning 

 dry, ripe seeds are specially made for that purpose in 

 different sizes. 



SIGILLARIA. A synonym of Smilacina (which see). 

 SIGMATOSTALYX (from sigma, sigmatos, S-shaped, 

 and stalix, a stake). OED. Orchidece. A. genus com- 

 prising about seven species of dwarf, stove Orchids, 

 natives of tropical America. Flowers mediocre or rather 

 small, shortly pedicellate, scattered, racemose ; claw of 

 the lip long, two-keeled ; peduncles axillary under the 

 one-leaved pseudo-bulbs. Few of the species are yet in 

 cultivation. For culture, see Oncidinm. 

 S. malleifera (hammer-bearing). /. yellow, brown-spotted, de- 

 veloped at distant periods ; sepals and petals ligulate-triangular, 

 acute ; lip three-parted, the divisions 1 



hammer-like; raceme slender. I. light green, cuneate-ligulate, 

 oin. long, 4in. broad. Pseudo-bulbs dark brown, oblong, I4in. 

 long, 4m. broad. New Grenada, 1883. 



S. radicans (rooting), fl. yellow, greenish, and violet-purple, in 

 an elongated raceme ; sepals and petals cuneate-oblong, acute ; 

 lamina of the Up transversely sagittate, one to three-lobulate ; 

 calli in one or two series. I. cuneate, linear-ligulate, acute, twin. 

 Pseudo-bulbs oblong-ligulate. Ehizome radicant. Brazil. 



SIGMOID. Somewhat resembling in form the letter S. 

 SILAUS (an old Latin name, used by Pliny to 

 indicate some umbelliferous plant). OKD. Umbelliferce. 

 A genus comprising only a couple of species of hardy, 

 perennial, glabrous herbs, found in Europe and Russian 

 Asia. Flowers yellowish or greenish-yellow, in compound 

 umbels; bracts two or none. Leaves pinnately decom- 

 pound ; segments slender. 8. pratensis (Meadow or Pepper 

 Saxifrage) is a British plant. The species are of no 

 value from a garden standpoint. 



SILENE (said to be derived from sialon, saliva; 

 alluding to the viscid exudation on the stems and 

 calyces of many of the species ; the English name 

 Catchfly alludes to the same peculiarity). Campion ; 

 Catchfly. OBD. Caryophyllece. A very large genus (400 

 have been described as species, but, according to Bentham 

 and Hooker, few more than 200 are entitled to specific 

 rank) of greenhouse or hardy, erect, tufted, decum- 

 bent, or diffuse-climbing, annual, biennial, or perennial 

 herbs; they are mostly natives of South Europe, North 

 Africa, and extra-tropical Asia, about a dozen are South 

 African, scarcely eighteen are found in North America, 

 and eight k are included in the British Flora. Flowers 

 solitary or variously cymose, often in unilateral spikes, 

 forming a terminal thyrse or panicle ; calyx variously 

 tubular, five-toothed or five-cleft, usually ten-nerved; 

 petals five, with a narrow claw and an entire, bifid, or 

 rarely laciniate lamina, often having two scales at base ; 



Silene continued. 



stamens ton ; disk usually columnar. Leaves opposite, 

 entire. Amongst Silenes there are a few beautiful sub- 

 jects for planting on rookwork, and in the open border, 

 and none are difficult to cultivate. They succeed in 

 almost any light, loamy soil, and may be readily propa- 

 gated by one or more of the following methods seeds, 

 cuttings, or divisions. 8. pendula, and its compact variety, 

 are plants grown extensively for spring flower gardening, 

 a purpose for which they are admirably adapted. The 

 seed should be sown early in the previous autumn. The 

 species best-known to cultivation are described below. 

 All are hardy, except where otherwise indicated. 



S. acaulls (stemless).* Cushion Pink ; Moss Campion, fl. pink, 

 rarely white, iin. in diameter; calyx tubular, with obtuse 

 teeth; petals notched. June to August. 1. Jin. to iin. long, 

 linear-subulate, close-set, channelled above, keeled below, 

 ciliated, h. 2in. Europe (Britain), &c. A densely-tufted peren- 

 nial. (A. F. P. 79 ; L. B. C. 568 ; Sy. En. B. 205.) alba is a 

 white-flowered form. 



S. alpestris (alpine).* /. white, shining, rather large, panicled ; 

 calyx campanulately-clavate ; petals with a four-toothed border 

 and two-parted appendages. May to July. I. almost all radical, 

 lanceolate, rather blunt. Stem simple, few-leaved. A. 6in. 

 Austrian Alps, 1774. Perennial. (S. B. F. G. 111.) 



FIG. 484. UPPER PORTION OF PLANT AND DETACHED FLOWED, 

 OF SILENE COMPACTA. 



S. anglica (English), fl. in leafy, racemose cymes ; calyx Jin. 

 long, membranous, with pubescent ribs, the teeth setaceous ; 

 petals and scales small, entire or slightly bifid. June to October. 

 I variable; lower ones spathulate. h. lit. to 2ft. Europe 



eJritain), &c. An erect or diffusely-branched annual. S. gattica 

 a form with white or pink flowers and bifid petals ; S. quinque- 

 vulnera, another variety, has entire, white petals with a red 

 spot. (Sy. En. B. 202.) 



S. Armerla (Armeria). Sweetwilliam Catchfly. fl. pink, in 

 corymbose panicles ; calyx long, clavate ; petals obcordate, 

 crowned. July to September. I. ovate-lanceolate, rather cordate 

 at base. Stem branched, h. 1ft. to 14ft France and Switzer- 

 land (naturalised in Britain). A smooth annual. (Sy. En. B. 

 204.) 



S. Atoclon (Atocion).* fl. pink, in fastigiate, trichotomoua 

 panicles; calyx long, clavate; petals obcordate, obtuse, witb 

 an acute tooth on each side at the base, crowned by two 



