ACHLYS 



ACHLYS (the goddess of obscurity). BeyberiilAcntF. 

 Hardy lii-rt'ai-fous perennial. Fls. minute, numerous, 

 spicule, on a slender scapt. 



triphylla, IK'. Root-stock terminated by a strong, 

 scaly winter-bud : Ivs. 1 or 2 ; leaflets 3, fan-shaped, 

 sinuate-dentate, 2}^x5 in.: scape 1 ft. long, spike 1 in. 

 long. Spring. W. N. Amer. — An interesting and deli- 

 cate plant. Int. 1881. 



ACHRAS. See Snpo.lillo. 



ACHYRANTHES. See Iresine. 



ACID ANTHfiRA (pointed anthers). Irid&cea. Ten- 

 der lierbai'eous ]>erennials, intermediate between Gladio- 

 lus and Ixia. Lvs. many, linear ensiform. 1-l^ft. long: 

 spikes ;i-('i-tluwere(l. simple, lax : Hs. long-tubed, some- 

 what i>enduluus: ci.irnis roundish, flattened, covered with 

 a matted fiber. — Prop, by seed or b}- the numerous corms. 



bicolor, Hochst. St. 1.5-18 in. : H.s. creamy white, 

 blotched chocolate brown within, fragrant : corms M-l 

 in. in diam. Abyssinia. G.F. 1 : 486, 487. Gn. 47: 1014. 

 G.C. III. 211:393. Mn. 8: 11.- Requires a somewhat 

 .stiffer soil than the tender species of Gladiolus. May he 

 grown in a tub outdoors during summer, and flowered 

 within during Oct. Several corms in a large pot give 

 good results. Corms should be dried as soon as lifted, 

 to prevent rot. 



A. (Tquinoctidlis, Baker. St. 3-4 ft., stout, stifiay erect: lvs. 

 strongly ribbed: fls. white, blotched crimson or purple within: 

 corms large. Sierra Leone. B.M. TA^i'i. May be a stronger 

 growing and more tropical form of the above. 



W. E. Endicott and W. M. 



ACIN£TA ( immovable, the lip being jointless). Orclii- 

 rfih'cir. Stout epiphytes with interesting pendent scapes. 

 Pseudobulbs conspicuously furrowed, slightly com- 

 pressed : leaf-blades smooth, conspieuously veined, 

 plaited and pliable : fls. globose. As a genus it is too 

 near to Peristeria and Stauhopea. The species are 

 rarely seen, as they are less conspicuous in their color- 

 ing than many orchids. They require a warm house and 

 plenty of moisture during the growing season, with a 

 ileeided rest, to make them flower. Use baskets, not pots, 

 ;is the flower-spikes are produced from the base of the 

 bulbs, as in Stanhopea, and should have free egress or 

 they will be lost. Cult, by E. O. Orpet. 



B&rkeri, Lindl. (Peristeria Bdrkeri, Batem.). Pseu- 

 dobulbs sub-conic, about 5 in. : leaf -blades longer than 

 in .1. Humboldtii : fls. 12 or more, in pendent racemes, 

 gcdden vellow spotted with brown. Mex. B.M. 4203. I.H. 

 2:44. Gn. 54, p. 332. P.M. 14:145. 



Humboldtii, Llndl. Pseudobulbs ovate, about 3 in.: 

 leaf -blades about 1 ft. long, lanceolate, acute: scapes 

 pendent, 2 ft. long ; fls. 6 or more, chocolate colored, 

 about 2 in. in diam. Ecuador, high elevations. Gn. 

 3: 11. 



A.chrysantha.lAnAX. Racemes pendent: fls. golden yellow, 

 with whitish labelhun and crimson or purplish column; label- 

 lum furnished with a long, blunt, papillose horn. Mes. — A. 

 densit. Lindl. (A. Warscewiczii, Klotzsch). Fls. subglohose, fra- 

 grant , pale yellow, spotted externally with reddish brown : label- 

 him yellow, spotted with reddish brown. Costa Rica. — A.Hrxi- 

 hjiann, Reichb. f. Fls. ivory white, in loose racemes: lip spotted 

 purple, with erect side lobes. New Grenada. — A. st/icd(a, Reichb. f. 

 Simihir to A. Humboldtii. Fls. yellow. 0.\KES Ames. 



ACOKANTHfiRA (mucronate anthers). Apociinhcfir. 

 Tender shrubs, cult, in greenhouses North, and outdoors 

 in Fla. anil Calif. Fls. with the odor of jasmine, lasting. 



Bpectabilis, G. Don. {Toxicophlosa speetdbiUs, Sond. 

 T. Thiiiibergii, Hort., not Harv.). Lvs. 3-5 in. long, 

 short petiolate, leathery, elliptic, acute, shining above: 

 fls. numerous, in dense axillary, branched, short cymes, 

 pure white, verv sweet scented. Natal. B.M. 6359. R.H. 

 1879:270. G.F."6:185. G.C. 1872: 363.- Poisonous. The 

 plants cult, under this name are said by trade catalogue.s 

 to have pink or violet flowers. 



venenata, (_t. Don. {Tojricophltea cestroldes, DC. T. 

 Til iDihuiiii.llnTv.. not Hort.). Pis. white or rose. Dif- 

 fers from tile above in the well marked venation of the 

 leaves, its flowers a third smaller, its calyx not pubescent, 

 and its corolla-limb less widely spreading. 



ACONITE, WINTER. Sec Eranthis. 



ACONITUM 19 



ACONiTUM. RanunculHei'ir. Aconite. Monrshood. 

 ^V<JLFSBANE. A genus of hardy ornamental, perennial 

 herbs, much tised in borders, etc. Many species are 

 planted in European gar<lens, but only nine have been 

 much used in America. The number of species varies 

 from 18 to 80, with different botiinists. Native in moun- 

 tain regions of Europe, teinper;ite Asia, and five in N. 

 Amer. Root tuberous, turnip-shaped, or thick fibrous: 

 St. tall or long, erect, ascending or trailing : Ivs. pal- 

 mately divided or cleft and cut-lohed : fls. large, irregu- 

 lar, showy; sepals 5, the large upper sepal in shape of a 

 hood or helmet; petals 2-5, small; stamens numerous; 

 carpels 3-5, sessile, many-ovuled, forming follicles when 

 ripened. The following species do well in any garden 

 soil, but rich preferred; they thrive in open sun, but 

 flowers last longer in shaded places. Aconites should 

 never be planted in or too near the kitchen garden or 

 the children's garden, as the roots and some of the 

 flowers have a deadly poison. Prop, easily by division. 

 Reichenbach Monographia Generis Aconiti, Leipsic, 

 1820, 2 vols., folio. Reichenbach lUustratio Specierum 

 Aconiti, Leipsic, 1822-7, folio. 



A. Hoots gtobular-fuberous. 

 B. i-rs. deeply cut, but not to the base. 



Fischeri, Reichb. {A. Columbidnnm, Nutt. A. Cali- 

 /(iriii'tK/H, Hort.). Stems 4-0 ft. : lvs. large, smooth, 3- 

 parted, attractive; segments much cut and divided : fls. 

 numerous, pale blue, panicled. pedicels pubescent; hel- 

 mets hemispherico-couical. Autumn. N. Amer. and 

 Asia. Int. 1889. B.M. 7130. 



Cammirum, Linn. (.1. decorum, Reichb.). St. 3-4 ft.; 

 lvs. with short, bluntish lobes: fls. purple or blue; pani- 

 cles or loose spikes few-flowered ; helmet hemispheri- 

 cal, closed. July-Sept. Hungary. Int. 1889. A. Storkid- 

 niim, Reichb., is a dwarf form of this, with fewer flowers 

 and somewhat fibrous roots. 



uncinitum, Linn. Wild Monkshood. St. slender, 

 3-5 ft., inclined to climb: lvs. thick, deeply cut into 3-.5 

 cut-toothed lobes : fls. loosely panicled, but crowded at 

 the apex ; blue, pubescent, I inch broad ; helmet erect, 

 nearly as broad as long, obtusely conical : follicles 3. 

 June-Sept. Low grounds of Penn. S. and W., Japan. 

 Mn. 4: 81. —Much planted now. 



BB. Lvs. divided to the base. 



Tariegitiim, Linn. Erect, 1-6 ft.: lvs. variously di- 

 vided into usually broad lobes and cut divisions; lower 

 petioles long, others short or none: fls. in a loose pani- 

 cle or raceme, blue, varying to whitish, rather smooth ; 

 helmet higher than wide, top curved forward ; visor 

 pointed, horizontal or ascending. July. Europe. A. 

 album, Ait., is a pure white-flowered form of this, with 

 rather fibrous roots. 



AA. Moots long -tuberous. 

 B. Carpels usually 5. 



Japbnictim, Decne. St. erect, 3^ ft., smooth : lvs. 

 dark green, shining, petioled; lobes 2-3 times cut, the 

 parts bhmt and deeply toothed: fls. large, deep blue or 

 vi<det. tinged with red. on loose panicles with ascending 

 briinches ; helmet conical ; beak ahmiptlv pointed : fol- 

 lic-les .-.. July-Sept. Japan. Int. 1889. R."H. 1851. p. 475. 

 Var. caeriileum, Hort. Fls. very abundant ; panicles 

 shortened. 



BB. Carpels 3 or 4. 



Nap6Uu3, Linn.(4. Tauricum, Jacq. A.pyramiddle, 

 Mill.). True Monkshood. Officinal Aconite. Fig. 25. 

 The best known and most poisonous species, and used 

 in medicine. Sts. erect, 3h1 ft.: lvs. divided to the 

 base, and cleft 2-3 times into linear lobes: fls. blue, in a 

 raceme; peduncles erect, pubescent; helmet broad and 

 low, gaping, smoothish: fr. 3^-celled. June-July. Gn. 

 12, p. 362. -Very many varieties, differing in .shade of 

 flowers, often mottled or lined with white. Var. dlbtun 

 is nearly white. Var. bicolor and var. versicolor, much 

 used in gardens for the large blue and white flowers. 

 Reichenbach has divided this species into 20-30 species. 

 AAA. Roots in the form of a scaly, elongated bulb, or 

 somewhat fibrous. 

 B. Sepals deciduous. 



autumn&le, Reichb. Autitmn Aconite. Fig. 26. St. 

 3-5 ft.: Ivs. pedately 5-lobed: fls. in a simple spike, be- 



