4G8 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



SFATHYEMA. A synonym of Symplocarpus 



(which see). 



SPATULARIA (of Haworth). Included under 

 Saxifraga (which see). 



SPAWN, MUSHROOM. The underground, vege- 

 tating part of the plants of which Mushrooms are the 

 parts devoted to the reproduction of the species. It 

 consists of white threads of mycelium growing among 

 masses of decaying animal or plant remains; e.g., in old 

 hotbeds, in stable-yard manure, in droppings of horses 

 or cattle, &c. In artificially-prepared Spawn, the mycelium 

 grows in firm and brick-shaped, or loose, masses of the 

 food (dung, &c.\ penetrating into all parts of these, and 

 filling them with the white cells of which it is composed. 

 If kept dry, Mushroom Spawn will remain unchanged for 

 years; but, when a piece of it is placed in a moist 

 bed of manure, or other suitable food, at a temperature 

 of about GOdeg. Fahr., growth goes on vigorously. The 

 new food is traversed by mycelium, and, in a short time, 

 Mushrooms begin to grow upon the surface of the bed. 

 Thus the Spawn does not correspond to seed, but 

 rather may be compared, in its mode of reproducing the 

 species, with the tubers, or so-called seed, of potatoes. 

 For the mode of preparing and using Spawn in the 

 artificial cultivation of Mushrooms, see Mushrooms. 



SPEARMINT. See Mentlia viridis and Mint. 



SPEARWORT. A name applied to several species 

 of Ranunculus. 



SPECIES. "A Species comprises all the individual 

 plants which resemble each other sufficiently to make us 

 conclude that they are all, or may have been all, descended 

 from a common parent. These individuals may often 

 differ from each other in many striking particulars, such 

 as the colour of the flower, size of the leaf, &c., but these 

 particulars are such as experience teaches us are liable 

 to vary in the seedlings raised from one individual" 

 (Bentham). 



SPECKLINIA. Included under Flenrothallis 



(which see). 



SFECULARIA (from Speculum Veneris, Venus' 

 Looking-glass, the early name of the common European 

 species). SYNS. Apenula, Legouzia, Prismatocarpus (in 

 part). OBD. Campanulacece. A genus comprising about 

 eight species of hardy, erect or decumbent, hispid or 

 glabrous herbs, natives of the Northern hemisphere, one 

 being also found in South America. Flowers sessile or 

 shortly pedunculate in the axils, bibracteate, the upper 

 ones panicled ; calyx five-parted ; corolla blue, violet, or 

 white, sub-rotate or broadly campanulate, five-lobed ; 

 stamens free of the corolla, the filaments flat. Leaves 

 alternate, entire or toothed. The genus is represented 

 in Britain by S. hybrida. For culture of the four species 

 described below, see Campanula. 



S> t . llyl> 5 id 5 (h yk>d). Corn Violet, fl. sub-sessile ; calyx longer 

 than the floral leaves shortly angled ; corolla blue within, lifac 

 outside, cleft to near the middle. June to September. I. small, 



S. pentagon!** "(five-angled). fl. blue; calyx shorter than, or 

 as long as, the corolla, with spreading lobes. July. I lower 

 ones obovate, entire ; the others ovate-oblong or lanceolate 

 nearly entire. Stem branched, h. 1ft. Levant 1686 (BE 

 So, under name of Campanula pentagonia.) 



S. pcrfoliata (perfoliate). Venus' Lookin"-<*lass of North 

 America. /. sessile, solitary or two or three togethl? ; the upper 

 M-wlo^nV' 11 ? with * ^Wous purplish-blue corofla 

 y to August. I. roundish or ovate, clasping by the heart- 

 shaped base, toothed, h. Sin. to 20in. North America, 1680. 



S. Speculum. Speculum Veneris; Common Venus' Lookin"- 

 plass. fl. purple ; calyx glabrous or pubescent a,s lone as the 

 corolla t he i obe2 a t length reflwad. July. l.rin5to*o*tJ 



, . . . 



S. pentagmia. Stem branched ; branches 'three- 



M - 102 aud s - F - G - 216> uuder 



those of 



SPEEDWELL. See Veronica. 



SFEIRANTHA (from speira, a coil, and anlhos, a 

 flower ; in reference to the inflorescence). ORD. Liliacece. 

 A monotypic genus. The species is a highly glabrous, 

 stemless, greenhouse plant, with an oblique, thick, stoloni- 

 ferous rhizome. It was formerly classed under Albuca 

 (which see for culture). 



S. convallarioides (Convallaria-like). fl., perianth white or 



greenish, about Ain. long, six-parted ; stamens six ; racemes 

 twenty to thirty-flowered, lin. to 2in. long; scape slender, Sin. to 

 4in. long. June. I. six to eight in a rosette, sub-erect, oblanceo- 

 late, sessile, 5in. to 6in. long, lin. to liin. broad, acute. China, 

 1854. SYN. Albuca Gardeni (B. M. 4842). 



SPELT. See Triticum Spelta. 



SPERAGE. An old name for Asparagus. 



SFERGULA FILIFERA. A synonym of Sagina 

 pilifera. 



SFERLINGIA. A synonym of Hoya (which see). 



SFERMACOCE (from sperma, a seed, and akoke, a 

 point ; probably alluding to the pointed calyx teeth on 

 the fruit). Button Weed. Including Bigelovia (of Spren- 

 gel). OBD. Rubiacece. A large genus (about 150 species) 

 of stove, greenhouse, or hardy, low, annual or perennial 

 herbs or sub-shrubs, scattered over tropical and sub- 

 tropical regions. Flowers white, pink, or bine, small or 

 minute, sessile, solitary and axillary, or in fascicles, 

 cymes, heads, or whorls. Leaves opposite, sessile or 

 stalked, membranous or coriaceous. The species, several 

 of which have been introduced, have little horticultural 

 value. Borreria (which see) is included here by the 

 authors of the " Genera Plantarum." 



SPERMADICTYON. A synonym of Hamiltonia 

 (which see). 



SFERMAXYRUM. A synonym of Olaz (which 



SFERMUM. This term, used in Greek compounds, 

 denotes a seed or any seed-like parb, e.g., Macrospermum, 

 large-seeded ; Polyspermum, many-seeded. 



SFHACELE (from Sphakos, the Greek name of Sage, 

 which these plants resemble in foliage). SYN. Phytoxis (of 

 Sprengel). OBD. Labiatce. A genus of about twenty species 

 of stove or greenhouse shrubs or sub -shrubs; one is a 

 native of the Sandwich Islands, and the rest are mostly 

 Western American, extending from Brazil and Chili to 

 California. Flowers red, violet, blue, or whitish ; calyx 

 five-toothed ; corolla tube ample ; limb short, scarcely 

 bilabiate, four-cleft, with broad, erecto-patent lobes ; sta- 

 mens four; whorls loosely two to six-flowered, or densely 

 six to many-flowered, racemose or spicate. Nutlets ovoid, 

 smooth.. Leaves often bullate- wrinkled, and canescent 

 beneath ; floral ones reduced to bracts. Three species 

 have been introduced, all requiring greenhouse heat. 

 For culture, see that advised for the tender species of 

 Salvia. 



S. Cferulea (blue), fl. pale lavender-blue, disposed in numerous 

 spikes. I. ovate, serrated. 1866. A soft-wooded, winter-blos- 

 soming sub-shrub. (F. M. 281.) 



k (bell-shaped). /., calyx four lines long ; corolla 

 pale bluish, nearly eight lines long, with broad, crenulated lobes ; 

 whorls two-flowered ; racemes loose, secund. July. I. shortly 

 petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, Jin. to nearly lin. long, narrowed at 

 base ; uppermost ones much wrinkled, h. 2ft. to 3ft Chili, 1795. 

 Shrub. (B. E. 1382.) 



S. lilndleyl (Lindley's). /., corolla purplish-violet, twice as long 

 as the calyx, pubescent outside, slightly incurved ; whorls many- 

 flowered ; raceme simple, dense. July. 1. ovate, IJin. to Sin. 

 long, cordate at base, much bullate-wrinkled, white-woolly be- 

 neath, h. 3ft. to 4ft. Chili, 1825. Shrub. (B. M. 2993.) SYN. 

 Stachys Salviee (B. E. 1226). 



SPH2ERALCEA (from sphaira, a globe, and Alcea, 

 Marsh Mallow; the carpels are disposed in a round head). 

 Globe Mallow. SYNS. Phymosia, Spliceroma. OBD. Mal- 

 vaceae. A genus comprising about twenty-five species of 

 ornamental, stove, greenhouse, or hardy herbs, sub-shrubs. 



