212 



ACROSPIRA 



ACTINIDIA 



ACROSPlRA (name of ambiguous application) Lili- 

 acese. One species, A. asphodeltfLdes, Welw., from Trop. 

 Afr., with the habit of Eremurus, and white fls. in 

 spikes; has been offered in Eu. 



ACR6STICHUM (derivation uncertain). Poly- 

 podiacex. As properly delimited, a small genus of 

 coarse tropical swamp ferns, sometimes grown under 



rrlaca 



Stem stout, erect: lys. clustered, erect, once-pinnate, 

 3-8 ft. high : sporangia completely covering the backs 

 of some or all the pinnse of the fertile Ivs. 



aureum, Linn. Fig. 1 14. Three to 8 ft. long, with pinnse 

 6-10 in. long, short-stalked, coriaceous: sporangia only 

 on upper pinnse of fertile Ivs. Fla. to Brazil and in the 

 tropics of the Old World. B. 1 : 187. Strong-growing. 

 One of the best. Should be treated as an aquatic. 



excelsum, Maxpn (A. lomarioldes, Jenman). Simitar 

 in size to preceding: sterile Ivs. also similar. Distin- 

 guished by having sporangia on all the pinnse of the 

 fertile Ivs. Fla. to Brazil. 



Acrostichum has been considered to include a much 

 larger array of species, including, as in the previous 

 editions of the Cyclopedia of Horticulture, ferns of 

 very diverse form and habit of growth. Fern students, 

 however, are now united in distributing the species of 

 Acrostichum as formerly understood among several 

 genera. Thus the species included in Acrostichum in 

 the former Cyclopedia are here grouped in several genera 

 as follows: Acrostichum: (as above). 

 Elaphoglossum : conforme, crinitum, 

 flaccidum, gorgoneum, muscosum, pilo- 

 sum, reticulatum, simplex, squamosum, 

 vicosum, villosum; Leptochilus: alie- 

 num, nicotianxfolium ; Olf ersia : cervina; 

 Polybotrya: osmundacea; Rhipidop- 

 teris: peltata; Stenochlaena : scandens, 

 sorbifolia. R. c. BENEDICT. 



ACTJEA (ancient name of the elder, Aj 

 transferred by Linnaeus). Ranuncu- * 

 lacese. ACTEA. BANEBERRY. COHOSH. 

 Native hardy herbacous perennials. 

 Sometimes offered in collections of 

 hardy border plants. Not to be con- 

 founded with blue cohosh, which is 

 Caulophyllum. 



Leaflets of the twice- or thrice-ter- 

 nate Ivs. ovate, sharply cleft, and cut- 

 toothed: fls. small, white, in terminal 

 racemes; sepals 4 or 5, falling early; 

 petals 4-10, clawed; stamens many: fr. a many-seeded 

 berry. 



Acteas are grown chiefly for the showy spikes of 

 small white flowers in spring, and handsome clusters of 

 berries in autumn. Useful for rockery and wild gar- 

 den, or for clumps and borders. They thrive in rich 

 woods and shade. 



Propagation is by seeds sown in late fall to germinate 

 the next spring or sown in spring. Old seed is said not 

 to germinate well. A more satisfactory means of propa- 

 gation is by root-division in spring. 



alba, Mill. (A. rubra, Bigel.). WHITE BANEBERRY. 

 Height 1-1 Yi ft.: much like A. spicata, but the Ifts. 

 more cut, teeth and points sharper; plant smoother: 

 fls. white, in an oblong raceme, and a week or two later: 

 pedicels in fr. very thick ; turning red; berries white, 

 ovate-oblong, often purplish at the end. N. states. 



spicata, Linn. COHOSH. HERB-CHRISTOPHER. Plant 

 1-2 ft.: Ivs. bi- or triternate, serrated: fls. white or 

 bluish, in ovate racemes in Apr. to June: berries pur- 

 plish black, oblong. Eu., Japan. Less cult, than the 

 red-fruited variety. Figured as A.racemosa in G.W. 5:4 

 and 14:507. Figured as A. japonica in G.M. 50:28 

 and G.W. 5:3 and 15:173. 



Var. rubra, Ait. (A. rubra, Willd.). RED BANEBERRY. 

 Rather taller than A. alba: Ivs. bi- or triternate, ser- 

 rated: fl. -cluster white, larger than in A. spicata: ber- 

 ries bright red, very handsome. Northern states. 



Var. arguta, Torr. Sts. rather taller than var. rubra: 

 Ifts. very deeply incised: racemes elongated in age: 

 berries either red or white. Neb., W., and N. W. 



K. C. DAVIS. 



ACTINELLA (Greek, small-rayed). Tetraneims, 

 Greene. Composite. Hardy perennials from W. N. 

 Amer., for cult, in alpine gardens and the open bor- 

 der. Height &-12 in.: fls. tubular and radiate, yellow; 

 bracts of the involucre appressed; rays 3-tpothed. Of 

 easy culture in light soil. Prop, by division of the 

 roots in spring, or by seeds. 



grandifldra, Torr. & Gray (Rydbergia grandiflbra, 

 Greene). Plant densely woolly: lower Ivs. pinnately or 

 bipinnately parted, with margined petioles from broad, 

 scarious bases; upper cauline Ivs. simple or sparingly 

 divided: fls. 2-3 in. wide; summer. A pretty alpine 



plant. 



scaposa, Nutt. Plant 

 villous: Ivs. radical, linoar- 

 epatulate, 2-3 in. long, 

 punctate, entire: fls. 1 in. 

 wide; scapes single, leaf- 

 less, 1-fld., 3-9 in. long. 



A. lanata, Pursh=Eriophyl- 

 lum cfespitosum. A. Lnn'itn, 

 Nutt. Short, densely hairy Ivs. 

 with scape 5-9 in. long. Sum- 



mer ' N. TAYLOR.f 



ACTINfDIA (aktis, ray; referring to the 

 radiate styles). Dilleniacex, Climbing shrubs 

 cultivated for their handsome foliage which is 

 beautifully variegated in some species, and a few 

 also for their edible fruit. 



Twining shrubs: winter-buds inclosed in the 

 'swollen base of the petiole: Ivs. alternate, long-stalked, 

 serrate or sometimes entire: fls. in axillary cymes 

 sometimes solitary, dioecious or polygamous, cup- 

 shaped, H-2 in. across, white or rarely reddish; sepals 

 5, imbricate; petals 5, convolute; stamens numerous; 

 ovary superior, many-celled; styles numerous, ray-like 

 spreading: fr. a berry, with numerous small seeds. 

 More than 20 species, chiefly in E. Asia from Saghalin 

 to Java, also on the Himalayas. A revision of the 

 genus has been published by Dunn in Jour. Linn. Soc. 

 Bot. 39:394-410(1911). 



About 7 species are in cultivation; of these A. Kolo- 

 mikta is the hardiest, growing as far north as eastern 

 Canada; A. arguta, and A. polygama are hardy in Massa- 

 chusetts, while A. chinensis, which is the most beauti- 

 ful of all, and A. coriacea, are hardy only south of 

 Washington, but may be grown farther north if taken 

 down in autumn and covered with leaves. A. arguta is 

 excellent for covering arbors, trellises, walls and the 

 like and is remarkably free from insects and fungi. ^1 . 

 Kolomikta and A . polygama show a very striking silvery 

 white or pinkish variegation of the foliage, which is 

 more pronounced in the staminate plant. A. arguta 

 and A. chinensis are also worth cultivating for their 

 edible fruits, particularly the latter, which has fruits 

 up to 2 inches long, of a gooseberry-like flavor; to 

 obtain fruit, it is necessary to plant both sexes or a 

 plant with polygamous flowers. A. polygama, and, in 

 a lesser degree, A. Kolomikta, attract cats and are 

 often destroyed by them if not protected by screens. 



The actinidias prefer somewhat moist and rich soil 

 and grow as well in a sunny as in a half-shady position. 



Propagation is by seeds, which are sown in spring and 

 germinate readily; also by cuttings, of half -ripened wood 

 in summer or by hardwood cuttings under glass, and 

 also by layers. 



