AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



531 



Sy mphy andra continued. 



of hardy, mostly perennial herbs, natives of the Orient, 

 distinguished from Campanula in having connate anthers. 

 Flowers white, yellow, or blue, often nodding, rather 

 large, racemose or loosely paniculate, five-parted; in- 

 florescence centrifugal. Leaves broad, often cordate, 

 toothed ; radical ones on long petioles ; cauline ones 

 alternate, few or small. Three species have been intro- 

 duced. A rather rich sandy loam, with plenty of drainage, 

 suits these plants. They are propagated by division of 

 the roots, or by young cuttings, in spring ; also by seeds. 



S. Armena (Armena). fl. blue, terminal, solitary, erect ; calyx 

 hoary, with triangular segments ; corolla tubular, velvety. June. 

 I. ovate, acute, deeply serrated, velvety-hoary, h. 2ft. 1836. 



S. pendula (pendulous). /. cream-colour, paniculate ; calyx lobes 

 lanceolate ; corolla funnel-shaped, velvety. July. I. ovate, 

 acute, crenate-toothed, velvety. Stem branched, pendulous, 

 somewhat woody, pilose. h. 2ft. 1823. (S. B. F. G. ser. ii. 66.) 



S. Warmer! (Wanner's).* fl. blue ; calyx lobes acuminate, one-half 

 shorter than the tubular-campanulate corolla; peduncles one- 

 flowered, axillary and terminal. Summer. 1. lanceolate, un- 

 " toothed, villous-pubescent, the lower ones petiolate. 

 erect, 6in. high, terete, striated, pubescent. Alps. STN. 

 Campanula Wanneri. Biennial. 



SYMPHYOGLOSSUM. A synonym of Cynan- 

 chum (which see). 



SYMFHYOSTEMON (from symphyo, to unite, and 

 stemon, a stamen ; the filaments are connate at base, in 

 a cylindrical tube). STNS. Psithyrisma, Susarium. OBD. 

 Iridecn. A small genus (two or three species) of green- 

 house or half-hardy plants, with fibrous roots, natives 

 of extra- tropical South America or the 

 Andes. Flowers several in a spathe, 

 pedicellate ; perianth yellow, whitish, or 

 purple-striped, the tube rather long, 

 funnel-shaped, the lobes sub-equal and 

 erecto-patent ; stamens affixed to the 

 throat ; scape sometimes very short, 

 sometimes very tall and leafless, or with 

 one floral loaf. Leaves radical, linear, 

 clustered. S. narcissoides, the only 

 species introduced, thrives in a compost 

 of sandy loam and leaf mould. Propa- 

 gation may be effected by seeds, or by 

 offsets, in spring. 



S. narcissoides (Narcissus-like), fl. dirty- 

 white, veined with brownish-purple, very 

 fragrant, nodding, on short stalks, funnel- 

 shaped ; spathe consisting of bracts, mem- 

 branous at the margin, of which the lower- 

 most is sharper than the others. June. I. 

 very narrow, glaucous, subulate at apex. 

 Stem 1ft. to lift. high. South coasts of 

 South America, 1828. SYN. Sisyrinehiun 

 odoratissimum (B. R. 1283). 



SYMPHYOSTEMONOUS. With 



Symphytum continued. 



thriving in almost any soil or situation. They succeed 

 under the shade of trees, and flower throughout the 

 principal part of the summer. Propagation may be 

 effected by divisions. 



S. asperrimum (very rough). Prickly Comfrey ; Trottles. ft. 

 bluish-purple ; corolla campanulate, four times as long as the 

 calyx. L ovate-lanceolate, very acute at both ends, scabrid; 

 lower ones petiolate ; uppermost ones sub - sessile. Stem 

 branched, strigosely bristly, h. 4ft. Caucasus, 1799. See Fig. 557. 

 The variety aureo-mriegatum has the leaves bordered with 

 yellow. 



S. bohemicum (Bohemian). A synonym of S. offlcinale bohe- 

 micum. 



S. caucasicum (Caucasian).* fl. blue ; corolla sometimes tlirice 

 as long as the obtusely flve-toothed calyx, the limb campanu- 

 late. I. ovate-lanceolate, hairy ; lower ones attenuated into long 

 petioles ; upper ones nearly opposite, shortly decurrent at the 

 sides of the stem. h. 3ft. Caucasus, 1820. (B. M. 3188.) 



S. Donii (Don's), fl. blue ; calyx lobes subulate, scabrid ; corolla 

 tube equalling the calyx, the limb campanulate, with linear, 

 obtuse appendages. I. scabrid; lower ones ovate-lanceolate, 

 attenuated into the petioles; upper ones lanceolate, narrow, 

 decurrent at the sides of the stem. A. 2ft. (S. B. F. O. ser. ii. 

 294, under name of S. caucasicum.) 



S. offlcinale (officinal). Alum; Black Root; Common Com- 

 frey; Knitback, &c. fl. creamy-yellow, drooping, in scorploid 

 cymes; calyx lobes narrow-lanceolate ; corolla Jin. long. I. ovate- 

 lanceolate ; radical ones 4in. to Sin. long, on long, winged pe- 

 tioles ; cauline ones shortly petiolate. Stem 1ft. to 3ft. high, 

 branched. Europe (Britain), Ac. (Sy. En. B. 1115.) 



S. O. bohemicum (Bohemian).* fl. red or reddish-purple; ra- 

 cemes twin, erect, revolute at apex. I. running into the petioles. 

 Bohemia, 1810. (S. B. F. G. ser. ii. 304.) SYN. S. bohemicum. 



SYMPHYSIS. A term signifying a growing together. 



SYMPHYTUM (the old Greek name used by Dios- 

 corides, and derived from symphuo, I make to grow 

 together; from its supposed power of healing wounds). 

 Comfrey. ORD. Boraginece. A genus comprising about 

 seventeen species of hardy, erect, sometimes tuberous 

 herbs, natives of Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. 

 Flowers yellowish, blue, or purplish, pedicellate, cymose 

 or racemose ; calyx five-cleft or five-parted, the segments 

 linear ; corolla broadly tubular, enlarged above, with five 

 scales in the throat ; lobes five, very short, erect and tooth- 

 like or scarcely spreading; stamens five, affixed to the 

 middle of the tube. Nutlets four, ovoid, smooth. Leaves 

 alternate or mostly radical; cauline ones sometimes de- 

 current; uppermost ones sometimes closely approximate 

 and nearly opposite. S. officinale is a well-known plant 

 which has become rather widely naturalised along our 

 water-courses ; it has much the taste and properties of 

 Borage. The species described below are showy subjects, 



FIG. 558. SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE LUTEO-MARGINATUM. 



S. O. luteo-marginatum (yellow-margined). A variety taring 

 the leaves margined with yellow. 1870. See Fig. 558. S\N. S. 

 o. variegatum. 



S. o. patens (spreading). A purple-flowered form. (Sy. En. B. 



S. O. variegatum (variegated). A synonym of S. o. luteo-mar. 

 yinatum. 



S orientale (Oriental). fl. whitish ; corolla twice as long us 

 'the flve-toothed calyx, funnel shaped above, with linear-at- 

 tenuated appendages. I. oblong-ovate, acute, narrowed at base ; 

 lower ones alternate, petiolate, sub -cordate; uppermost ones 

 nearly opposite, sessile. Stem branched, h. 3ft. Orient, 1752. 

 Plant clustered, pubescent. 



S o anjrustior (narrowed). I. oblong- or oval-lanceolate, undu- 

 lated. (B. M. 1912, under name of S. orientale.) 



S peregrinum (foreign), fl. reddish and purplish; calyx five- 

 parted nearly to the base, the segments acuminate; corolla 

 three or four times longer than the calyx, sub-campanulate above 

 the middle, shortly five-cleft. I., lower ones on long petioles, 

 elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate; upper ones sessile. Stem tall, 

 branched. Iberia, &c., 1816. See Fie. 559. (B. M. 6466.) This 

 species is largely cultivated as a fodder plant, under the erro- 

 neous name of S. asperrimum. By some authors it is regarded 

 as a hybrid between S. atperrimum and S. offlcinale. 



