ASTROCARYUM 



ATRIPLEX 



117 



dex : Ivs. terminal, pinnately parted ; spffraents ap- 

 proximate, equi-distant or fasciculate, lanceolate-ai-iinii- 

 nate or attenuate to the obliquely truncate api-x, pli<'ate, 

 whitish beneath, the terminal ones free or eoiidueut, the 

 spiny margins recurved at the base ; petiole very short; 

 sheath short, open : spadices short or long, the finely 

 divided branches pendulous, thickened at the base, 

 thence very slender, long, naked, the tioriferous naked 

 basal portion, as it "were, pedunculate ; spathes 2, the 

 lower one membranous, deciduous, the upper fusiform, 

 coriaceous or woody, open on the ventral side, persist- 

 ent ; bracts of the female tis. broad, imbricated, like the 

 bractlets ; pistillate fls. with a stipitate male one on 

 either side: fr. rather large, ovoid or subglobos3, beaked, 

 smooth or spiny, red or orange. Species 30. Trop- 

 ical America. 



Astrocaryiims are elegant palms of medium height, 

 very suitable for moderate sized conservatories. A. 

 Afurumiirii, A. Mexican ii in and A.argenteum are the 

 kinds most commonly met with in collections. The Ivs. 

 are pinnate, and in small plants, at least in some of the 

 species, the segments are narrow, four or five pairs of 

 these alternating with two very broad ones. A. argen- 

 teitm has the under surfaces of the Ivs. of a much 

 lighter color than the others. In a young state, the 

 plants require the temperature of the stove, and after 

 attaining the height of a few feet they may be removed 

 to a house where the temperature frequently falls as 

 low as 45° F. Specimens 8-10 ft. high fruit freely. 

 Prop, by seeds, which are slow in germinating. The soil 

 in which they are sown should be changed occasionally, 

 to prevent it from becoming sour. Be careful not to 

 overpot, or the fleshy roots will decay. See Palms. 



A. Lrs. scurfy, at least beneath or on the 2}efioles. 



Murumuru, Mart. Lvs. 9-12 ft. long; segments lanceo- 

 late, somewhat falcate, rich green above, silvery beneath : 

 sts. 12-1.5 ft. high, densely covered with stout, black 

 spines 6 in. long. Brazil. I.H. 22: 213. 



arg^nteum, Hort. Petioles and under surface of the 

 lvs. covered with silvery white scurf ; lvs. arching, 

 wedge-shaped, 2-lobed, distinctly plicate, bright green 

 above ; petioles with numerous dark, spreading spines 

 1 in. long. Colombia. F.R. 3:569. 



tili&re, Hort. Small, slender : lvs. erect, narrowly cu- 

 neate, with 2 divergent lobes, inversely sagittate ; 

 petioles densely scurfy ; rachis scurfy on both sides ; 

 spines numerous on the petioles and rachis, and on the 

 principal nerves above ; brown. Colombia. 



AA. Lvs. not scurfy. 



Ayri, Mart. Trunks 18-30 ft. high, 8-12 in. in diam., 

 usually caespitose : lvs. 15 ft. long, equally pinnatisect 

 to the apex ; petiole piano-compressed, membranaceous 

 on the margins, densely scaly and with scattered spines; 

 lower segments over 3 ft. long. 15^-2 in. wide, 2 in. 

 apart, the upper ones 2-2!-^ ft. long, 1 in. wide, IM in. 

 apart, conduplicate at the base, linear, long attenuate, 

 pointed, minutely and remotely spiny along the margins, 

 whitc-tomeutose below. Braz. 



Mexic4num, Liebm. St. 4-6 ft. high, cylindrical, 

 thickly covered with rings of black, straight, ancipital 

 spines : petiole 2 ft. long, 4-sided, the 2 upper sides 

 concave, clothed (as is the rachis) with straight black 

 spines ; blade 6 ft. ; segments 1.5-18 in. long, 1 in. wide, 

 alternate, broadly linear, acute, straight, white beneath, 

 with deciduous black spines along the margins. Mex. 



A* Granathise, Hort., is an unidentilied trade name. 

 Jared G. Smith and G. W. Oliver. 



ASTKOFir?TlTM. See Echhwcactus. 



ASYSTASIA (obscure name). Including Henfreya 

 and Mackaya. Acanthdcece. Twenty to 30 herbs or 

 shrubs of the Old World tropics. Corolla tube straight 

 or curved, the spreading limb 5-lobed and nearly or 

 quite regular : stamens 4, unequal : stigma blunt or 

 minutely 2-lobed : lvs. thiu, entire : fls. white, blue or 

 purple, in axillary or tenniual clusters, often very showy. 

 CJeneral treatment of Justieia, in intermediate or warm- 

 houses. 



billa, Benth. & Hook. (Mackhya hHla, Harvey). 

 Glabrous, upright subshrub : Ivs. ovate-oblong, acumi- 

 nate, spreading, short-stalked, sinuate-toothed : fls. li- 

 lac, 2 in. long, with a long tube below the flaring throat, 

 the spreading segments ovate-obtuse, disposed on one 

 side of a raceme 5-8 in. long. S. Afr. B.M. 5797. — A 

 beautiful plant, rarely seen, and thought to be difScult 

 to manage ; but it seems to flower readily in fall in our 

 climate, if rested during the previous winter and 

 brought on in the summer. Prop, by cuttings of firm 

 wood in spring or summer. Young plants in small pots 

 often bloom well. 



A. Coromandelidna. Nees (A. Comorensis, Bojer. Justieia 

 Gangetica, Linn.). Zigzag subshrub : lvs. ovate-cordate, wa-^^y: 

 fls. purple, nearly sessile, in 6-10-fld. raceme. Ind. B.M. 4248. 

 P.M. 14; 125. F.S. 2: 179.— jl. scdndens, Lindl. (Henfreya soan- 

 dens, Lindl.). Climbing: lvs. obovate to ovate, thick, entire : 

 fls. large, yellow, white and blush, iu a thyrse. Afr. B.M. 4449. 

 B.B. cl3:31. r.S. 3:231. J H B 



ATAMASCO lily. See Zephyrunthes. 



ATHANASIA. Consult Lonas. 



ATHY^EIUM. See A.-tplenium. 



ATKAGENE. See Clematis. 



ATEAPHAXIS (ancient Greek name). PolyqonAcem. 

 Low shrubs : lvs. alternate or fasciculate, deciduous : 

 lis. small, apetalous, in few-fld. axillary clusters, form- 

 ing terminal racemes ; sepals 4-5 ; stamens (i-8 : fr. a 

 small akene, enclosed by the enlarged inner sepals. 

 Summer. About 18 species in central and western Asia, 

 Greece, and N. Afr. Low shrubs of spreading habit, 

 with usually small lvs., attractive with their numerous 

 racemes of white or rose-colored fls., which remain un- 

 changed for a long time, owing to the persistent calyx. 

 They grow best in well-drained soil and sunny situations, 

 but do not stand transplanting well when older. Prop, 

 by seeds sown in spring ; the seedlings are liable to rot 

 if kept too moist, or in damp air. Increased, also, by 

 greenwood cuttings under glass in early summer, and by 

 layers. 



A. hvxifblia, Janb. & Spach. (Polygonum crispulum, Sims). 

 Height 1-2 ft., spineless : lvs. obovate, erenate, dark green, 

 K-1 in. long : racemes short. Transcaucasia, Turkestan. B.M. 

 1065.— A. frutescens. Koch (A. lanceolata, Meissn.). Height 

 1-2 ft., spineless : lvs. ovate-lanceolate, glaucescent, %-! in. 

 l-ong : racemes loose. Caucasus, Turkest., Siberia. L. B.C. 5:489. 

 B.R. 3:254.— A. latifblia, Koehne (A. Musehketowi, Krassn.). 

 Erect, 2-3 ft., spineless : lvs. lanceolate, erenate, /^-2 in. long: 

 fls. white, incompact racemes. Turkest. B.M. 7435. 6t. 40:1344. 

 —A. spinbsa.Liinn. Height 1-2 ft., spiny : lvs. elliptic, entire, 

 glaiicescent, yi~y^ in. long : racemes short. S. Russia. Orient, 

 Siberia. . ,, 



Alfred Rehder. 



ATBIFLEX (derivation disputed). Chenopodiilcece. 

 A large genus containing many succulent weeds of des- 

 ert regions, A. hortensis is a garden vegetable used like 

 spinach ; for culture, see Orach. A. leptocarpa and A. 

 semibaccata are two plants lately introduced as supple- 

 mentary forage plants for arid regions. See Circular 

 No. 3, Div. of Agrost., U. S. Dept. Agric. 



A. Garden vegetable {with orna mental -Ivd. variety). 



hortensis, Linn. Orach, Sea Purslane. Annual : 

 stem herbaceous, erect : lvs. hastate, cordate, or trian- 

 gular-oblong, acute, 4-5 in. long, 2J-2-3in. wide ; petioles 

 12-18 lines long : fruiting bracts 4-8 lines long, short- 

 pediceled. Var. &tro-sangiiinea, Hort.. is a crimson- 

 leaved ornamental about 4 ft. high, sometimes grown 

 with amarantus-like plants. 



AA. Ornamental shrubs. 



can^scens, James. A pale, densely scurfy shrub, 1-3 ft. 

 high : lvs. oblanceolate, entire : fruiting bractlets with 

 4 vertical, reticulated wings. July-Sept. N. Mex. to S. 

 Dak. and W. to Calif. 



HWmuB, Linn. Low-spreading shrub with grey foli- 

 age, cult, in Calif, for hedges and for seaside planting: 

 Ivs. 1-lH in. long ; petioles 3-4 lines long : fls. purplish: 

 fruiting bracts IH lines long, 2 lines wide, sessile, reni- 

 form, obtuse, entire : seed compressed, yellowish. 

 Mediterranean region and S. Afr. ^ jj 



