504 



BILLBERGIA 



denser spikes and longer bracts: Ivs. 8-10, from 1-2 ft. 

 long, mealy, white-blotched and banded. Brazil. I H 

 11:421. B.M. 6937. 



AA. Petals not spirally twisting, 



B. Infl. nodding. 



c. Fls. in panicles. 



speci&sa, Thunb. (B. amama, Lindl. B. pdllida, 

 Ker). Lvs. strap-shaped, connivent, and forming a 

 tube at the base, 1-2 ft. long, somewhat spine-margined, 

 green above and lepidote and somewhat striped on the 

 back: fl. -cluster large and loose, drooping; bracts rose; 

 fls. pale green or whitish, tipped with blue. Brazil. 

 An old and well-known species. 



cc. Fls. in racemes. 



nutans, Wendl. Stemless, stoloniferous: Ivs. linear 

 and long-pointed, 1-2 ft., distantly small-toothed, 

 finely striate on the back: fls. 4-8, in a loose, drooping 

 raceme; petals green, blue-edged; bracts lanceolate, red. 

 Brazil. B.M. 6423. Gn. 32. p. 107. 



Morelii, Brongn. (B. Moreliana, Hort. B. Wether- 

 ellii, Hook.). Lvs. short, 1-1 Yy. ft., with few weak 

 spines, wide, glabrous and green: fl.-cluster exserted and 

 drooping, with showy, pointed red bracts, the rachis 

 woolly; fls. with red sepals and purple-limbed petals. 

 Brazil. B.M. 4835. J.F. 2, pi. 138. Very showy. 



BB. Infl. erect. 



c. Fls. red. 



thyrsoidea, Mart. Lvs. 1-2 ft., broad-ligulate, spine- 

 margined, concave on upper surface, green above and 

 paler beneath, abruptly acuminate: fl.-cluster shorter 

 than Ivs., farinaceous, densely red-bracted; fls. numer- 

 ous, bright red, petals reflexing. Brazil. B.M. 4756. 

 J.F. 3, pi. 267. Showy. Runs into several varieties, 

 some of them with purple-tipped fls. (as vars. splen- 

 dida and fastudsa, Andre, R.H. 1883:300). B. splen- 

 dent, Hort., is evidently one of the forms. Species too 

 near the next. 



pyramidalis, Lindl. (Bromelia pyramidalis, 

 B. Croyiana, De Jonghe). A foot high: differs 

 from the last in having more gradually acumi- 

 nate Ivs., which are more strongly and dis- 

 tantly toothed and whitish, or even banded 

 on the back: fl.-cluster less farinaceous, 

 broader and looser, the 

 fls. less numerous. Peru. 

 B.M. 1732. 



cc. Fls. purple. 



vexillaria, Andr6. Fig. 

 555. Hybrid of B. thyrs- 

 oidea and B.Morelii. Fls. 

 purple; lower bracts 

 long-pointed and red ; 

 spike erect, exceeding 

 the Ivs. R.H. 1889:468. 



vittata, Brongn. (B. 

 Leopoldii, Hort., not 

 Morr.). Vigorous, 2-3 

 ft.: Ivs. long and large, 

 concave above, recurved 

 at the summit obtuse, 

 or abruptly pointed, red- 

 spined, cross-banded on 

 the back : fl.-cluster loose 

 and nodding, shorter 

 than the Ivs., red- 

 bracted; fls. deep blue, 

 with recurving limbs. 

 Brazil. Gn. 32:106. R. 

 H. 1869, p. 87. 



Liboniana, De Jonghe. 

 Small, \-\Yz ft., produc- 555. BUlbergia veiillaria. 



Sims. 



BIRDS 



ing runners: Ivs long-linear or strap-shaped, spiny very 

 sharp-pointed, concave and green above and whitish- 

 mealy below: fl.-cluster erect or nearly so, rather slen- 

 der, the bracts not prominent; fls. with red sepals and 

 erect blue petals. Brazil. B.M. 5090. F.S. 10:l()l,s 

 J.F. 2, pi. 197. 



In the American trade the following names have been used' 

 B. cicala longifttia, once offered by Pitcher & Manda, is prohuMv 

 an ^chmea B. /asato=<chmea fasciata. B. mdxima= 

 B mniUa-d). B. QuesneKdna-Quesnclia.-B. rhodocuanta= 

 ^Echmea fasciata. B. s(rirto=(?). 



Any of the following may be expected to appear in the American 

 trade at any time: B. andegavt.isis. Hort., is B. thyrsoidea X Mo- 

 rellii: fls. red and blue. B. B&hm, Morr. (B. pallesoens, Baker) 

 Fls. greenish, tipped purple. B.M. 0342. B. Brmulrana, Andr6 (B 

 pallescensx vittata), has reddish, purple-limbed fls. R.H. 188o'30o' 

 B. Bruantti. Hort. (B. Bakeri X decora). Fls. greenish, bracts 

 red. B. bnden, Regel. Small: fls. very deep blue; bracts coral-red 

 Brazil. B. ForutUAna. Hort. Lvs. large with bands of white on a 

 green ground. G.C. III. 33:258.. B. inlifolia. Lindl. Fls. red and 

 yellow, blue-tipped. Brazil. B.R. 1008. B. Lietzei, Morr Fls a 

 bracts rose. Brazil. B. nobilis. Bull. Cat. Bracts cerise- rmine 

 petals green, curling spirally after (lowering: Ivs. barred IVrlnn 

 only a form of B. decora, Poepp. & Endl. B. I'orteAna. Bronirn 

 FIB. green, the petalsrolling spirally. Brazil. B.M. 6(170 B San- 

 deriAna Morr. Fls. green, tipped blue. Brazil. B. Saundersii, 

 Bull. Fls. greenish, tipped blue: Ivs. striking, green above, reddish 

 beneath, white-blotched and red-spined. Brazil. Gt 39-1316 



L. H. B. 



BILSTED: Liquidambar. GEORGE V. JvASH.f 



BILTIA: Rhododendron Vaseyi. 



BINDWEED: Name applied to various twining weedy plants 

 rticularly to various kinds of Convolvulus. 



parti 



BIOPHtTUM (life-plant, some of the species being 

 sensitive to the touch). Oxulidacex. Oxalis-like peren- 

 nial herbs, sometimes grown under glass as curiosities: 

 Ivs. abruptly pinnate, with many Ifts. : valves of caps 

 separating to base. There are about 20 species in Trop 

 Asia, Afr. and Amer. B. sensitivum, DC., with 6-15 

 pairs of Ifts., has Ivs. that contract at the touch: fls. 

 small, yellow: 6 in. Generally spread in the tropics. 

 B.R. 31:68 (as Oxalis). B. F6xii, Sprague, is a recently 

 described species from Peru, with st. 2 in. high and 

 bearing 8 Ivs. at the apex in a whorl: Ifts. 3-6 pairs' 

 fls. white. 



BI6TA: Thuja. 

 BIRCH: Betula. 

 BIRD CACTUS: Pedilanthus. 



BIRD-OF-PARADISE FLOWER: Strelitzia; also Caaalmnia 

 Gilliesii. 



BIRDS. The horticulturist has the opportunity to 

 avail himself of a mighty band of helpers in the birds. 

 It seems not to be understood that it is perfectly pos- 

 sible for a bird to be eating something useful to man 

 at some particular moment, and at the same time to be 

 spending by far the greater part of its time eating 

 things that "are harmful to man, for which service it 

 should be carefully protected. Very thorough studies of 

 the food of birds have proved that the great majority 

 are helpful to one who raises crops. Most birds are 

 beneficial most of the time, and very few have no re- 

 deeming traits in this regard. Moreover, if useful birds 

 are protected at all times, so as to encourage the natural 

 increase, they will do their part in an emergency, such 

 as an invasion of insects. Aside from these economic 

 reasons for bird-protection is the gain that comes from 

 their presence as attractive and interesting objects in 

 nature, as much to be desired as blossoms and gardens. 



It is said that there is less need of birds now that 

 insects are being destroyed by arsenical sprays. This 

 is perhaps to some extent true, but even in fruit-planta- 

 tions the birds are still effective; and there are hosts of 

 insects that are not effectively held within bounds by 

 the sprays. Spraying will never take the place of birds. 



Protection of birds from their enemies. 



Birds should be both protected and attracted. Men 

 and boys with guns and sling-shots, cats, and the Eng- 



