1C9G 



SPATHOGLOTTIS 



SPERGULA 



Vieillardi, Reiehb. f. [S. Augustbrum, Reiehb. f.,. 

 Fig. 2359. Lvs. long-lanceolate, acuminate, 1-2 ft. long: 

 scape 12-18 in. high, robust: raceme 6 in. long, broad, 

 corymb-like at first: fls. 2 in. across, very pale lilac, 

 nearly white; sepals and petals ovate-oblong, subacute; 

 labellum as long as the sepals, lateral lobes orange- 

 brown, with orange calli speckled with red, middle lobe 

 narrow, with a broadened tip variable in form. New 

 Caledonia. B.M. 7013. A.G. 12:93. A. P. 6:631.-(ff. 

 aiiriK- Vie i I I 'anil , Hort , is a hybrid between this and S. 

 aurea. Fls. pale chrome-yellow, with the sepals slightly 

 and the petals profusely dotted with crimson, the tips 

 of the lobes of the lip rich crimson. G.C. III. 23:309. 

 G.M. 41:308. 



S. Eimballiana. Hook., is often regarded as a variety of S. 

 aurea, from which it differs in having the backs of the sepals 

 mottled with red-brown, the crest glabrous, and narrower lvs. 

 B.M. 7443.— S. plicata, var. Micholitzii, is advertised by San- 

 der. Fls. amethyst color, with the segments broader than in 

 the type. Habit more dwarf. 



Heinrich Hasselbring and R. M. Grey. 



SPATHYEMA (Greek; referring to the spathe). 

 Ardcece. Skunk Cabbage. Skunk Cabbage is an ex- 

 ceptionally interesting plant. In the East, it is the first 

 wild dower of the year, though it is oftener considered 

 a weed than a flower by those who have nothing but 

 contempt for it. It is a hardy swamp-loving perennial 

 herb which pushes up its fascinating hooded spathes in 

 midwinter or even before the first of January in favored 

 situations. The spathes are 3-6 in. high, usually grow 

 in clumps, and the variation in their coloring is a never- 

 failing delight. They are mottled with purplish brown 

 and greenish yellow, the former color sometimes be- 

 coming bright red, the latter ranging from dark green 

 to bright yellow. These spathes are produced several 

 weeks before the leaves appear, and they inclose odd 

 flowers which are described below in detail. Just 

 when the Skunk Cabbage flowers is a matter of much 

 debate ; the stamens are generally out in February or 

 March. The hoods retain their beauty for months. In 

 April or May they decay and the strong-growing leaves 

 soon attain a height of 1-3 ft. and a breadth of 1 ft. or 

 more. All parts of the plant give a strong, skunk-like 

 odor, but only when bruised. A young plant uprooted 

 is a picturesque object. Its thick, horizontal rhizome 

 emits great numbers of strong, fleshy, rope-like roots. 

 The presence of the rank foliage of Skunk Cabbage is 

 generally considered a sign of wet, sour soil unfit for 

 gardening. 



Skunk Cabbage is offered by a number of dealers in 

 hardy plants, as also by collectors. There is a consid- 

 erable demand for it outside of its native region, and 

 particularly in England, wdiere the "bog garden" idea 

 has been developed and has the most supporters. 

 Skunk Cabbage has made a strong impress upon Amer- 

 ican literature. Its hardiness and bravery have been 



S-'mfU-* 



2360. Skunk Cabbage, as the hoods come 

 Spathyema foetida(X 1-5). 



up in spring.- 



celebrated by outdoor writers from Thoreau to the 

 present day. The question of its pollination has been 

 much discussed. It was long supposed to be pollinated 

 by the action of the sarrion dies which are attracted by 

 its odor. However, Trelease has shown that the bees 



are busy with the pollen while the plant is in flower and 

 that the carrion flies mostly come later. Skunk Cabbage 

 has long been known as Symplocarpus, but this name 

 must give way to the older one given by Rafinesque. 



Generic characters : spadix globose or oblong, entirely 

 covered by fls., the ovaries of which are embedded in 

 the spadix; perianth of 4 hooded sepals; anthers 2- 

 celled; style pyramidal, 4-sided: ovary 1-loculed, with 

 a solitary, suspended, anatropous ovule; berries in 

 large heads, 1-seeded. Only one species. 



foetida, Raf. (Symplocarpus fa'tidus, Nutt.). Skunk 

 Cabbage. Fig. 2360. Lvs. numerous, 1-3 ft. long, 1 

 ft. wide, ovate, strongly nerved: spathe preceding the 

 lvs., colored as described above: fr. ripe Aug., Sept. 

 Nova Scotia to Minn., south to Fla. and Iowa. B.M. 

 836 (Pothos foetida); 3224. V. 23:186. G.W.F. 27. D. 

 277. A.G. 14:367. B.B. 1:363. -The Siberian plant is 

 probably the same species. \y jyi t 



SPATTER-DOCK. Ifuphar advena. 



SPEARMINT. See Mentha. 



SPEAR-WOOD. Eucalyptus doratoxylon. 



SPEARWORT. Certain species of Ranunculus. 



SPECULARIA (from Speculum Veneris, meaning 

 Venus' Looking-glass). Campanulacece. Venus' Look- 

 ing-glass {Specularia Speculum) is a pretty little 

 hardy annual herb with 5-lobed blue flowers not quite 

 an inch across. The plants grow about 9 in. high, bloom 

 in spring and summer and are desirable for edging 

 flowerbeds. They are of easy culture. See A nnuals. 



Specularia is a genus of about 7 species closely allied 

 to Campanula but differing by the very long calyx-tube, 

 ovary and capsule. The long calyx-tube is one of the 

 most conspicuous features of the plant and has perhaps 

 served to suggest the handle of the mirror. There is 

 one North American species, S. perfoliata, which dif- 

 fers from all the rest in having perfoliate lvs. and the 

 capsule dehiscing laterally near the middle instead of 

 near the calyx-lobes. It is a weed. The others are Old 

 World herbs, small and annual, with the lower lvs. obo- 

 vate and entire, the upper ones ovate-oblong or lanceo- 

 late and nearly entire. Calyx-tube linear, 1 in. or so 

 long: limb 5-parted, the segments linear and as long as 

 the corolla-lobes; corolla nearly wheel-shaped or broadly 

 bell-shaped; stamens free from corolla: ovary 3-loculed: 

 stigma shortly 3-lobed. 



a. Peduncles about 3-fld. 



Speculum, DC. (Campanula Spiculum, Linn. ). Ve- 

 nus' Looking-glass. Fig. 2361. Erect, 9 in. high : ca- 

 lyx glabrous or pubescent, the tube constricted at the 

 apex; lobes finally reflexed, according to DeCandolle. 

 Europe. B.M. 102. — Var. procumbens is offered abroad 

 in addition to white, lilac and double forms. R.H. 1897, 

 p. 254. 



aa. Peduncles 1-fld. 



pentagbnia, DC. Calyx pilose, lobes spreading. Asia 

 Minor. B.R. 1 :56. — This species is not now advertised 

 in America. Some specimens have narrow lvs. and 

 longer calyx-tube than S. Speculum. An interesting 

 feature of this species (and perhaps others) is the 5- 

 angled flower-buds. W. M. 



SPEEDWELL, Veronica. 



SPELT. See Triticum. 



SPERGULA (Latin spargere, to scatter; the seeds 

 are said to be expelled). Canjophyllacea. A genus of 

 3-8 species of annual herbs including Spurrv, which 

 see, a forage plant adapted to poor, dry, sandy soils. It 

 is a common weed in cultivated lands. It grows about 

 6 in., has linear lvs. which appear to be whorled, and 

 bears numerous, small, white, 5-petaled fls. in summer. 

 The fls. are about J4 in. across and borne in terminal 

 panicles. Important generic characters of Spergula are 

 the small, scarious stipules, 5 styles, alternating with 

 the sepals, and capsule - valves opposite the sepals. 



