VENIDIUM 



Var. calendulaceum, Harvey ( V. calendulaceum, 

 Less.), differs in having the petioles not earetl at the 

 base or with only a small ear. B.H. 1857, p. 123. Gn. 

 21, p. 405. — Opinions differ as to its merits. Some con- 

 sider it coarse and weedy ^y_ jj_ 



VENTILATION. See Greenhouse Management, p. 694. 



VENUS' FLY-TRAP. Diona>a muscipula. 



VENUS' HAIR. Adiantum Oapillus-Veneris. 



VENUS' LOOKING-GLASS. Specularia Speculum. 



VENUS' or VENICE SUMACH. Rhus Cotinus. 



VEPRIS. See Toddalia. 



VERATRUM (ancient name of Hellebore). Liliacea . 

 False Hellebore. A genus of about 10 species of tall, 

 perennial herbs from the tem- 

 perate regions of the northern 

 hemisphere with short, thick, 

 poisonous root - stocks and 

 rather stout simple stems 

 bearing many broad, plicate 



leaves and terminated by a - i 



long, branched or simple pan- 

 icle of numerous black-pur- i 

 pie, white or greenish flowers. 

 Perianth-segments 6, persis- 

 tent, spreading ; stamens 6, 

 attached at the base of the 

 segments: capsule ovoid, 3- 

 lobed, 3-loculed : .seeds flat, 

 broadly winged. 



Veratrums are striking foli- 

 age plants, of easy culture in 

 moist shady positions. In 

 the open sunlight or in dry 

 ground the foliage is liable to 

 burn and decay prematurely. 

 They may be propagated by 

 division or seeds. 



A. Fls. whitish or greenish. 



B. Perianth-segments crisped- 



dentate. 



album, Linn. European 

 White Hellebore. A hardy 

 perennial 3-4 ft. high: root 

 short, fleshy: lvs. green, pli- 

 cate; radical lvs. 1 ft. long, 

 oblong, 5-6 in. wide, firm in 

 texture : panicle 1-2 ft. long, 

 dense : fls. whitish inside, 

 greenish outside; segments oblong - spatulate, crisped- 

 dentate; pedicels almost none. June, July. Eu., N. 

 Asia. 



bb. Perianth-segments serrulate or entire. 



vlride, Linn. American White Hellebore. Indian 

 Poke. Fig. 2647. A hardy perennial, 2-7 ft. high : root- 

 stock 2-3 in. long: lvs. plicate, acute, the lower oval, 

 about 1 ft. long, the upper gradually smaller: fls. yel- 

 lowish green; segments oblong or oblanceolate, ciliate, 

 serrulate; pedicels 1-3 lines long. July. North America. 

 B.B. 1:408. B.M. 1096 (Helonias vir'ide). 



Calif6rnicum, Durand. Stem very stout, 3-7 ft. high: 

 lvs. ovate-acute, the upper ones lanceolate but rarely 

 acuminate: perianth-segments broadertharj in V. viride, 

 obtuse, whitish with a greener base. Colo, and Wyo. to 

 N. Calif, and Ore. -Int. 1883 by Pringle and Horsford. 

 The long panicle of whitish, bell-shaped, drooping fls. 

 is followed by ornamental fruits or capsules. 



aa. Fls. blackish purple. 

 nigrum, Linn. A hardy perennial often 2^1 ft. high, 

 somewhat bulbous at the base : lower lvs. oblong pli- 

 cate, 1 ft. long, 6-8 in. wide, narrowed at the base; 

 upper leaves lanceolate: panicle narrow: fls. blackish 

 purple; segments oblong, obtuse. June. Eu., Asia. 

 B.M. 963. j_ g Keller and F. W. Barclay. 



VERBASCUM 



1909 



VERBASCUM (old Latin name of the Mullein used 

 by Pliny). Scrophulariacea. Mullein. A genus of over 

 a hundred species, mostly coarse, woolly, weedy yellow- 

 fld. biennials native to the Mediterranean region. Con- 

 sidering the fact that the familiar Mullein ( V. Thap- 

 sus) is everywhere known and despised in America, 

 the popularity of the genus in English wild gardens is 

 highly surprising. Over 30 kinds are cultivated, and 

 some of them have been pictured many times. A little 

 study of the group shows how much pleasure can be 

 missed by any one who persists in one point of view. 

 The English farmer has no dread of the Mullein. The 

 Mullein is actually a favorite border plant in England, 

 especially for the back row and for shrubberies. One 

 connoisseur after growing many kinds of Verbascums 

 discarded them all except the common species. The 

 plant probably came to America from England, certainly 

 from Europe, but not long ago it was sold in England 

 under the name of "American Velvet Plant." The 

 "Soldierly Mullein" has often been praised by Ameri- 



2647. False Hellebore— Veratrum viride 

 Showing the handsome foliage of early spring when the leaves 



are about a foot high. 



can writers for its sturdy habit and resistance to 

 the wintry winds; and even a Mullein has its poetic 

 moment, for the young rosette of leaves in the early 

 morning is undeniably beautiful. 



There are a few true perennials and some subshrubs 

 among the Verbascums, but the species mentioned below 

 (except No. 17) are believed to be biennials. Yellow is 

 the dominant color, with pale yellow and white variations. 

 The origin of the other colors is explained under No. 12 

 below. Mulleins usually self-sow freely. Their large 

 symmetrical rosettes are very satisfactory the first year, 

 especially in the case of the silvery-leaved species. 

 The second year they send up stalks 2-10 ft. high and 

 give scattering bloom over a long season, in some cases 

 June to Nov., being at their best in August. The best 

 species are V. phceniceum (see No. 12), V. Olympicum 

 (No. 17) and 1". phlomoides (No. 3), the last two de- 

 serving special notice. 



The Olympian Mullein is the showiest of all Verbas- 

 cums because of its short season of bloom. It is pecu- 

 liar in the fact that three and sometimes four years are 

 necessary to bring it into bloom. Meanwhile it makes 

 noble tufts of silvery foliage, the lvs. often attaining 

 3 ft. in length. The species is the best of the candela- 

 brum type, by reason of its great height (6-10 ft.) and 

 the symmetrical branching of the spike. The fls. are 

 produced in multitudes for three weeks and they are 



