20 



ACONITUM 



25. Aconitum Napetlus 



coming a panicle ; blue, lilac or whitish; helmet closed. 

 Sept. -Nov. N. China. 



Lyc6ctOinim, Linn. {A. iarbtltutn, Patr. A. sqnarro- 

 SUM, A. ochroleucum, Willd.). Pale Yellow Wolfs- 

 bane. St. slender, simple, 3-6 ft. : Ivs. deeply cut into 

 5-9 lobes ; long petioles and un- 

 der ribs pubescent : (3s. yellow or 

 whitish, in racemes ; helmet a 

 pinched elongated cone ; middle 

 sepals usually bearded : fr. usu- 

 ally 3-celled. June-Sept. Eu., 

 Siberia. B.M. 2570. G.M. 34: 124. 



BB. Sepals persistent. 

 Anthdra, lArm. ( A. PyrenAieum, 

 Pall.). St. 1-2 ft.: Ivs. parted al- 

 most to the base, parts deeply 

 cut and lobed, more or less his- 

 pid beneath, smoothish above; 

 petioles long : fls. in lateral and 

 terminal racemes, pale yellow, 

 often large; racemes or panicles 

 generally pubescent ; spur bent 

 back or hooked ; helmet 

 arched, but cylindrical at 

 base: follicles 5. June-July. 

 S. Eu. B.M. 2654. -Several 

 varieties. 



A . Chinknse, Sieb. Deep blue 

 spike of fls. from the axil of 

 every leaf : foliage bold and 

 handsome. B.M, 3852. P.M. 

 5:3.— j1. delphinifdlium, DC. 

 Allied to A. Napellus.— J., ket- 

 erophylhim, Wall. Fls. yellow 

 .and violet. Used as a tonic medicine in India. B.M. 6092.— A. 

 Auveboraceiise, Gray. Probably =A. paniculatum. — A . panini- 

 latum, ham. (A. toxicum, Reiehb.). Has bhie fls. L.B.C. 9:810. 

 —A.pyramiddle, Mill. Form of X. Napellus.— A. reclmdtmn 

 Gray, of the Alleghanies, with white fls. and larse Ivs.. is worth 

 cult.— A. septentrinndle, var. Oarpdticttm, Sims, is a bea\itiful 

 purple kind, closely related to A. Lycoctonnm. B.M. 2196.— A. 

 tortvdstitn, Willd. Once listed in the trade: not now found. 

 K. C. Davis. 



ACORUS (ancient name of unknown meaning). 

 A ro'ideeF. Hardy, herbaceous water-loving plants. Lvs. 

 sword-shaped, erect; spadix appearing lateral, with no 

 true spathe: tis. inconspicuous. They thrive best in 

 moist soil, and may be growTi in shallow water or on dry 

 land. Prop, easily in spring or autumn by division. 



CAlamus, Linn. Sweet Flag. Height 2 ft. : root- 

 stock horizontal, pungent, aromatic. Fls. early summer. 

 N. Amer. , Eu. Var. variegS,tus, Hort. Lvs. striped deep 

 yellow when young. f;tdiiii; to a paler color later in sum- 

 mer. Eu. — Commonir in cult, than the type. 



gramineus, Soland. Height 8-12 in. Much smaller 

 than .1 . (''fl'iuni.^, forming compact, grassy tufts. Japan. 

 Var. variegatus, Hort. Lvs. striped white. Used in hang- 

 ing b;isk<.-ts, vases, rockeries and forcutting. Often grown 

 >°''""r«- J. B. Keller. 



ACHOCLlNIUM. See Eeliptentm. 



ACBOCdMIA (name means a tuft of leaves at the top). 

 PalmeiceiVj tribe Cocoinece. Spiny tropical American 

 palms : caudes erect, solitary, ringed aud swollen at the 

 middle, densely spiny: lvs. terminal, pinnately cut; seg- 

 ments narrowly linear-lanceolate, long, obliquely acumi- 

 nate, the naked margins recurved at the base ; midnerves, 

 rachis and petiole with long spines: fr. globose or ob- 

 long, glabrous or prickly; black or brown. Species 8, 

 mostly difficult to distinguish; allied to Cocos. They 

 aeed a rich, sandy loam. The chief danger with young 

 plants is overpotting, as few leaves are on a plant at a 

 time, and the roots are not abundant. 



sclerocfirpa, Mart. {A. aeuledta, Lodd.). Height 30- 

 45 ft.: trunk cylindrical, about 1 ft. thick, with black 

 spines 2— 4 in. long: lvs. 12-15 ft. long; segments in ir- 

 regular groups of 2 or 3, 2-3 ft. long, %-l in. wide, 

 smooth and shining above, whitish, appressed-pilose be- 

 low, entirely free of spines, except along the midrib. 

 Braz. to W. Ind. I.H. 15:547.-Not hardy at On^co, Fla. 

 Cult, in Calif. "Gru-gru"and"corojo"are native names. 



ACROSTICHUM 



Havan^nsis, Hort. A slow-growing, thorny plant, of 

 which little is known. Trade name. 



Jared G. Smith and G. W. Oliver. 

 ACEOPfiRA. See Gongora. 



ACROPH'S'LLUM (Greek, top and leaf). SaxUragA- 

 cew. One Australian evergreen shrub, A. venbBiim, 

 Benth. {A. rerticiUiitum, Hook.), excellent for spring 

 flowering in the coolhouse. Prop, by cuttings in early 

 summer. Let the plant rest during summer. Do not 

 expose to frost. It produces many pinkish fls. in dense 

 spicate whorls near the top of the branches. Lvs. in 

 3's. sessile, dentate: fls. with 5 petals and 10 stamens. 

 4-6 ft. B.M. 4050. 



ACROSTICHUM (derivation obscure). Polypodidcew. 

 Greenliouse ferns. Includes plants of great diversity of 

 foliage, which are often referred to many genera. Seri 

 spread in a layer over the entire under surface of the 

 leaf or of certain of the upper pinnae, rarely over both 

 surfaces. Foliage rather coarse, the leaves simple or 

 pinnate, rarely forked. All the 140 species are plants of 

 tropical regions, two species growing in S. Fla. Some 

 kinds are adapted to covering walls, columns, trunks of 

 tree ferns, etc. The kinds with long fronds are excellent 

 for hanging baskets. As all kinds require an abundance 

 of water at the roots, the compost should be very porous. 



26. Aconitum autumnale (X K). 



A mixture of two parts fibrous peat, one of chopped 

 sphagnum, and one of coarse silver sand is recom- 

 mended. For general culture, see I^erns. 



The following species are cult, in Amer.: alieuum, 

 No. 15; aureum, 17; cervinum, 14; couforme, 7| crini- 



