298 breck's new book of flowees. 



NIEREMBEHGIA. 



[Dedicated to Nieremberg, a Spanish Jesuit.] 



IVicremb^rgia gracilis. — Slender Nierembergia. — A 

 charming, half-hardy perennial, from South America. The 

 stems are exceedingly slender and much branching, and 

 bear all summer a profusion of flowers, wijich are an inch 

 across, with a very slender tube ; pale-lilac, with yellow 

 throat. 



IV. filicaulis. — Thread-stemmed Nierembergia, similar 

 to the foregoing, but with a more branching and spread- 

 ing habit and larger flowers, white or lilac, with violet 

 streaks. N". alha^ a splendid white ; N'. intermedia^ deep- 

 purple, with yellow eye ; and N'. alhiflora compacta nana, 

 dwarf, with compact growth, and white flowers with yellow 

 eye, are among the garden varieties. 



NIGELLA. — Fennel-flower. 



[Name from niger, black, from the color of its seed.] 



Nig^lla DamaSC^naj is known by a number of names ; 

 Fennel-flower, because the plant has fine-cut leaves like 

 fennel, Love-in-a-mist, because the flower is enveloped in 

 its finely divided involucre, Devil-in-the-bush, because the 

 flower is partly concealed in its fine-cut foliage, that evil 

 character being supposed to hide himself as much as pos- 

 sible from public view. This species is a native of the 

 South of Europe, one and one-half foot high ; flowers 

 light-blue, with a Avhite variety. The seeds of this and 

 N. saliva, are sometimes used in cookery, instead of more 

 expensive aromatics. They are also said to be extensively 

 used in the adulteration of pepper. The double varieties 

 are handsome border-annuals, requiring but little care in 

 their cultivation. \\\ flower fi'oni July to October. """'^ 



