SALPIGLOSSIS 



SALTBUSHES 



1603 



beautifully marbled and penciled with several colors. 

 Calyx tubular, 5-cleft: corolla funnelform, widely bell 

 shaped at the throat; lobes 5, plicate, emarginate: 

 stamens 4, didynamous: capsule oblong or ovoid; valves 

 2-cleft. 



The varieties of Salpiglossis require the general 

 treatment given half-hardy annuals. They prefer a 

 deep, light rich soil not given to sudden extremes of 

 moisture and dryness. The seeds may be sown indoors 

 by the middle of March, or later, or may be sown out- 

 doors in early spring. Care must be taken that the 

 early sown plants do not become stunted before being 

 planted out. They bloom for several weeks in late 

 summer. The flowers are useful for cutting and last 

 well in water. The plant is also excellent as a green- 

 house annual for late winter bloom. Seeds for this pur- 

 pose may be sown in late summer. 



sinuita, Ruiz and Pav. (S. variabilis, Hort. /S. hfj- 

 brida,Uort. S. grandindra,'H.ort.). Pig. 2237. Hardy 

 annual, 1-2 ft. high, suberect, branched, sticky-pubes- 

 cent, with fls. 2 in. long and wide, ranging from straw- 

 color and yellow through scarlet nearly to blue, with 

 great variation in venation, and markings: lower Ivs. 

 petiolate, elliptic-oblong, wavy-toothed or pinnately cut: 

 upper Ivs. more nearly entire: bracts sessile, entire. 

 Vars. azilrea, aiirea, coccinea, ptiinila, nd,na are offered. 

 V.2.3:129. (in. 29, p. 166; 40, p. 75. R.H. 1849:361. Var. 

 superbissima has a more columnar manner of growth 

 with a thick, unbranched stem. G.C. III. 22:363. A.G. 

 18:860. P. W. Barclay. 



SALPINGA {Salpinx, trumpet; referring to the shape 

 of the calyx). Melastomd,ceiv. Here belongs the dwarf 

 stove foliage plant known to the trade as Bertolonia 

 niargaritavea. The Ivs. are large, heart-shaped, metal- 

 lic green above, with lines of small white dots running 

 from the base to the apex as do also the 5 prominent 

 ribs; the lower surface is a dull but rich crimson. Por 

 culture, and botany of allied genera, see Bertolonia. 

 Pis. 5-merous: calyx tube 10-ribbed, limb with 5 ob- 

 scure or elongated lobes: 

 stamens 10, opening by a 

 single pore at the apex. 



margarit&,cea, T r i a n a . 

 {Bertoldnia margaritdcea. 

 Bull. Gravesia gnttdta, var. 

 margdritacea, Nicholson). 

 Tender perennial herb: stem 

 1 /^ to 3 in. long, unbranched : 

 fls. pedicelled, in dichotom- 

 ous cymes, white or rosy 

 white. Brazil. P.S. 16:1697. 

 W. M. 

 SALSAFY is the spelling 

 preferred in England; Sal- 

 sify in America. 



SALSIFY (formerly some- 

 times spelled salsa fy) is 

 Tragopogon porrifolius , one 

 of the com posit 8B. Pig. 

 2238. It is a garden escu- 

 lent, being grown for the 

 fleshy root. This root has 

 the flavor of oysters, hence 

 the plant is sometimes called 

 Vegetable Oyster and 

 Oyster Plant. Salsify is 

 perfectly hardy. The seeds 

 (which are really fruits) are 

 sown in early spring, about 

 as soon as the soil can be 

 prepared, in drills where the 

 plants are to stand. The 

 drills may be 2-3 ft. apart, 

 if tilled by light horse tools, or half that distance 

 if tilled only by hand. In the rows, the plants are 

 thinned to stand 2-5 in. apart. The plant requires the 

 entire season, in the North, in which to grow. The 

 roots may be allowed to remain in the ground until 

 spring, for freezing does not harm them. In fact, they 

 are usually better for being left in the ground, because 



they do not shrivel and become tough as they often do 

 in storage. If they are kept cool and moist in storage, 

 however, the quality is as good as when the roots 





3238. 



Salsify or vegetable 

 oyster (X %). 



2239. Plant of Russian thistle. 



remain in the ground. At least a part of the crop 

 should be stored, in order that the table or the market 

 may be supplied during winter and early spring. 



Salsify is biennial. The second spring, a strong 

 stalk 2-3 ft. tall is sent up from the crown of the root, 

 and in spring or early summer an abundance of light 

 purple flower-heads are produced. The flowers, or 

 heads, close about noon. The leaves are long linear 

 and grass-like. The roots are small, well-grown speci- 

 mens being about 1 ft. long and unbranched, and about 

 2 inches in diameter at the top. The skin is grayish 

 white. Salsify is easy to grow, 

 and it has no serious pests. It 

 is a vegetable of secondary im- 

 portance commercially, although 

 it should be in every home gar- 

 den, particularly in the North, 

 where it thrives best. Eight to 

 ten lbs. of seed is sown to the 

 acre. There are few varieties, 

 and these have no marked char- 

 acteristics except in size. The 

 Mammoth Sandwich Island and 

 Improved Prench are probably 

 the best varieties. Salsify is na- 

 tive to southern Europe. In 

 some places it has escaped as a 

 weed. See Tragopogon. 



Black Salsify is Scorzonera; 

 Spanish Salsify is Scolymus. 



L. H. B. 



SALSOLA KALI, var. Tragus, 

 is the Russian Thistle. Pigs, 

 2239, 2240. Some of the bulletins 

 devoted wholly or largely to this 

 weed are Calif. 107, Col. 28, Iowa 

 26 and 33, New Mex. 16. Min... 

 33, Ohio 55, Wis. 37, 39. See also 

 the following publications of U. 

 S. Dept. of Agric. : Parmer's Bul- 

 letin 10, Bulletin 15, Div. of Bot- 

 any; also Essay 8, "Survival of 

 the Unlike." In the unoccupied • 

 lands of the upper Mississippi 

 valley, the Russian Thistle has 

 covered great areas, and it has 

 spread eastward along the rail- 

 roads. With good tillage and 

 short rotations of crops, little 

 need be feared from the pest. 



SALTBUSHES are plants 

 recommended for alkali lands, 

 belonging to the family Cheno- 

 podidcew and mostly to the genus 

 Atriplex, which see. Used for 

 forage in the dry regions. The 

 introduction of the Australian 

 Saltbush {Atriplex semibaccata) 2240. Sprig of Russian 

 has been a great event in the thistle. Nat. size. 



