^THIONEMA 



AGAPANTHUS 



229 



or two. They keep fully as well as the candytufts in 

 water, and can be cut with longer and straighter stems. 

 Propagation is by seeds in spring or by cuttings in 

 summer; annual and biennial kinds by seeds. 



A. Perennial. 



coridifolium, DC. (Iberis jucunda, Schott & Kotschy). 

 Branches numerous, thick, 4-6 in. high: Ivs. crowded, 

 short, nerveless, linear or linear-oblong, acute or obtuse: 

 fls. rosy lilac, smaller and later than in the next, in 

 dense, short, rounded racemes. Chalky summits of 

 Lebanon and Taurus. B.M. 5952. Good for edging. 

 M. pulchellum was sold under this name for many 

 years. 



grandifl&rum, Boiss. & Hohen. Branches 1-1 1 A ft., 

 prostrate: Ivs. usually longer than in JE. coridifolium, 

 more linear and more acute: fls. as large as those of 

 Arabis alpina, rose-colored, in slender, elongated 

 racemes; petals 4 times as long as the sepals. Persia. 

 Gn. 9:108. Useful in the rock-garden. 



pulchellum, Boiss. & Huet. Similar to M. coridi- 

 folium, but more diffuse and trailing. Fls. smaller and 

 brighter-colored; petals 2J^ times as long as the sepals. 

 Persia. Gn. 25:320. 



iberideum, Boiss. St. cespitose, ascending, rough: 

 Ivs. glaucous, bunched, oblong or linear- lanceolate, 

 narrowly acute at the base: fls. large and showy, white, 

 racemose, flowering from June to Sept. E. Medit. re- 

 gion. Not well known in Amer. 



AA. Annual, 



cappaddcicum, Spreng. (JE. Buxbaumi, DC.). Six to 

 8 in.: Ivs. oblong or linear-oblong, spatulate, glaucous: 

 fls. racemose, the racemes crowded, corolla pale red. 

 June. Orient. 



M. didstrophis Bunge. 10 in. high: fls. pale, rosy lilac. MtB. of 

 Armenia. GN. 63: 100. M. persicum, Hort. Stout, erect, shrubby, 

 dwarf: fls. deep rose. Best of dwarfs. Intro. 1892, by J. W. Man- 



N. TAYLOR/? 



.flJXTOXICON (Greek, aix, goat, and lexicon, poison). 

 Euphorbiacex. Trees, rarely cult. Younger parts 

 covered with deciduous scales: Ivs. alternate, simple, 

 leathery: fls. with petals and disk, in short clusters: 

 fr. fleshy, 1-seeded. The single species from the Chilian 

 coast (jE. punctatum, Ruiz & Pav.), and known there 

 as tique, palo muerto, acietunillo and olivillo, is listed 

 once in the U. S. Dept. of Agric. inventories of seeds 

 and plants intro. j. B. S. NORTON. 



AFZELIA (named for Adam Afzelius, of Upsala, and 

 once resident in Sierra Leone). Leguminbsx. A small 

 genus of unarmed trees, in Afr. and the Pacific Isls. : 

 fls. with vexillum much exceeding calyx and clawed, the 

 lateral and anterior petals scale-like or wanting; perfect 

 stamens 7, staminodia 2. A. bijuga, Gray. Tree: Ivs. 

 abruptly pinnate, the Ifts. mostly in 2 pairs, ovate: 

 fls. in small terminal panicles: pod oblong and flat, 

 5-8 in. long by 2 in. wide; seeds compressed-orbicular, 

 1 in. or more in diam. Described from the Fiji Isls., 

 but apparently widely distributed in Oceanica. Appar- 

 ently not cult., but it is the "ifit," used in Guam as a 

 cabinet-wood and for general construction purposes. 



AGALLdCHA: Eicacaria. 



AGALMYLA (agalma, ornament, and hide, wood ; an 

 ornament to the woods in which they grow wild). Ges- 

 neraceas. A genus of 3 species of tender climbers from 

 Java and Sumatra which may be grown in a basket like 

 ^Eschynanthus (Trichosporum) . Fls. in axillary bunches, 

 the corolla 5-lobed, oblique, but scarcely 2-lipped: Ivs. 

 simple, alternate. 



A. longistyla, Carr., is considered a synonym of the next, but 

 iparently has a longer style. R.H. 1873:270. A. stamlnea, 

 ume. SCARLET ROOT BLOSSOM. St. rooting from the lower sur- 



face: Ivs. alternate, with an abortive one opposite the base of each; 

 petioles 4-8 in. long; blade as long, ovate, serrate: fls. in large axil- 

 lary sessile fascicles of 12-14; stamens exserted. B.M. 5747. P.M. 

 15:73. F.S. 4:358. N. TAYLOR.f 



AGANISIA (Greek, meaning desirable). Orchidacex. 

 Epiphytes grown on blocks. 



Stems short, finally forming pseudobulbs, arising 

 from a creeping rhizome: If. 1: fls. few, in an erect 

 raceme from the base of the pseudobulb; sepals and 

 petals nearly alike, spreading; lateral lobes of the lip 

 short or obsolete, the middle lobe broad, spreading, 

 entire or 2- or 3-lobed; pollinia 4. Species 2; natives of 

 S. Amer. For culture and propagation, see article on 

 Orchids. 



cyanea, Reichb. (A. tricolor, N. E. Br. Acacdllis 

 cyanea, Lindl.). Pseudobulbs ovoid, up to 2 in. long, 

 1- or 2-lvd.: Ivs. narrowed to a short petiole, up to 6 

 in. long: raceme of 4-7 fls. over 2 in. wide; sepals and 

 petals pale mauve, especially the latter; lip with a 

 rose-purple reniform limb and a fringed claw. Brazil. 

 Lind. 1 :45. Very rare in cult. Needs a high temp. 



pulchella, Lindl. Pseudobulbs ovoid, barely 1 in. 

 long, 1-lvd.: Ivs. 3-5 in. long, narrowed into a long 

 petiole: raceme of 4-6 fls. about 1 % in. broad; sepals and 

 petals white; lip with the lower part nearly round, 

 concave, spotted with red, the upper part larger, broadly 

 ovate, yellow in the center. Guiana. B.R. 26:32. 

 Very rare in cult. 



A. ionfptera, Nichols. Fls. blue, nodding, the sepals and petals 

 tipped white, the white lip with the lateral lobes red-streaked, the 

 middle lobe transversely oblong, with 2 red bars. Peru. B.M. 



GEORGE V. NASH. 



AGAPANTHUS (agape, love, and anthos, flower). 

 Liliacex. Conservatory plants, with tuberous root- 

 stocks, blooming from late spring to fall, but mostly in 

 summer. 



Plant robust and tall (dwarf forms): scape simple, 

 fls. in 2-bracted umbels, in shades of blue and varying to 

 white; perianth with 6 wide-spreading divisions, nearly 

 regular; stamens 6: pod many-seeded; seeds flat, winged 

 above: foliage usually evergreen, but vanishing early 

 in some of the forms. S. Afr. Probably only one 

 species, although several have been described. 



In this country, agapanthuses are usually grown in 

 tubs (the roots are likely to burst pots), and are flowered 

 in summer in the conservatory, window-garden, living- 

 room, or set in protected places in the open. The plant 

 is kept dormant during winter, as in a frame or light 

 cellar, only enough life being maintained to prevent the 

 leaves from falling. When in bloom, give abundance of 

 water. Plants will bloom many years if given a large 

 enough tub, not allowed to become overcrowded in the 

 tub, and supplied with manure-water, sending up 

 many clusters each year. Good results can also be 

 obtained in single pots. It forces well. If kept dormant 

 until spring, plants may be bedded in the open, or 

 massed in vases, for summer bloom. Propagation is 

 effected by dividing the roots (and rarely by seeds). 

 Old roots break up more easily if soaked in water a few 

 hours. When dormant, the plant will stand a few de- 

 grees usually 10 or less of frost. 



umbellatus, L'Her. AFRICAN LILY. LILY-OF-THE- 

 NILE (although native to Cape of Good Hope region). 

 Fig. 136. Lvs. 2 ft. long and numerous, thick, narrow: 

 scape rising 2-3 ft. from the If .-rosette, bearing an um- 

 bel of 10-30 handsome blue fls. ; perianth funnel-shaped, 

 1^-2 in. long, with short tube. B.M. 500. One 

 of the best known of half-hardy liliaceous plants. Very 

 variable in the wild, and many of the forms have been 

 intro. to cult. Tall or giant forms: Var. multiflorus, 

 Voss. (var. mdximus, Hort. A. mulliflbnis, Willd.), 

 taller than the prevailing forms, the bright blue large 

 fls. as many as 30-60 in an umbel, the Ivs. broader; 

 Var. giganteus, Hort., a very robust form (to 4 ft.) 



