576 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 



BRODLEA 



Empire foi six years in succession, fruit being every 

 year exhibited. There are no horticultural schools in 

 British Columbia, the nearest approach to these being 

 the short courses conducted by the Horticultural Branch 

 of the Department. Provision has, however, been made 

 for an agricultural college, which is now being put 

 under way, and in this institution ample provision will 

 be made for investigation and experiment as well as 

 education in horticulture. R. M. WINSLOW. 



BRIZA (ancient Greek name for a kind of grain, 

 probably rye). Graminex. QUAKING GRASS. Annual or 

 perennial grasses, with open panicles of handsome 

 spikelets; grown in gardens. 



Spikelets several-fid., flat, trian- 

 gular or heart-shaped; glumes 

 strongly concave, these and the 

 lemmas usually horizontally spread- 

 ing. Species 12, in temperate 

 regions, 3 intro. into the U. S. 

 These and one or two 

 others also cult, for 

 ornament, the panicles 

 being suitable for 

 bouquets. 



A. Plants perennial. 

 media, Linn. COM- 

 MON QUAKING GRASS. 

 Culms erect or decum- 

 bent at base, 1-2 ft.; 

 panicle pyramidal, 

 many-fld . , the branches 

 stiffly spreading; spike- 

 lets nodding, 3 lines 

 long, triangular-ovate. 



AA. Plants annual. 



B. 



maxima, Linn. Fig. 664. One to 2 

 ft.: panicle drooping, few-fld.; spike- 

 lets ovate, large, J^in. long, 5 lines 

 broad, the pedicels slender, drooping. 

 G.M. 47:175. V. 3:246. 



minor, Linn. Four to 15 in.: pani- 

 cle erect, many-fld., the branches 

 stiffly spreading, the branchlets 

 capillary, spreading; spikelet trian- 

 gular-ovate, !)/ lines long. This 

 species is known to gardeners also as 

 B. gracilis and B. minima. 



Thurb. = Eragrostis obtuaa, 



A. S. HITCHCOCK. 



BRIZOPYRUM: Desmazeria. 

 BROCCOLI: Cauliflower. 



BRODLEA (J. J. Brodie, a Scotch 

 botanist). Liliacex. BRODIEA. West 

 American cormous plants of low 

 growth, a few of which are now be- 

 coming popular in some parts of the 

 country for spring bloom. 

 Flowers several on a scape: pedicels jointed: the 

 perianth mostly funnelform and non-saccate, not con- 

 tracted in the throat, ranging from purple to red, white 

 and yellow; stamens 6, 3 of them sometimes reduced to 

 etaminodia: Ivs. all radical, narrow, usually few, some- 

 times evanescent. Monographers include under Bro- 

 diaea a number of genera erected by other authors, 

 as Hookera, Triteleia, Milla, Calliprora, Hesperoscor- 

 dum. (The oldest generic name of the group thus con- 

 stituted is Hookera, but Brodia>a ; s one of the "nornina 

 conservanda" of the Vienna code, retained because of 

 its general use in the 50 years following its publication 

 and since). For horticultural purposes, it is better and 

 more convenient to merge all into Brodiaea. In this 



broad sense Brodisea includes about 30 species, which 

 must be divided into several groups. Monogr. by 

 Baker, in G.C. III. 20, pp. 213, 238, 459; also \\atson, 

 Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sci. 14:236. Closely 

 related genera are Bloomeria, Brevoortia and Stro- 

 pholirion. 



The brodieas are valuable for naturalizing in Cali- 

 fornia and the West, as they can be grown very easily. 

 In colder climates they are worthy a trial for the same 

 purposes but probably better for specimen-beds or the 

 coldframe for cutting. .They bloom during May, June 

 and early July. B. capitata is the earliest to Bower. 

 The flowers are very lasting and beautiful for cutting. 

 Unless planted in large numbers they are of little value 

 for color-massing in beds, but most beautiful and dainty 

 when planted in rockwork or with delicate plants 

 such as ferns, heucheras, or columbines. While there is 

 room for much variation in the treatment of the dif- 

 ferent species, several growing well in very w ; 

 while others can be grown even in rock fissures or grit, 

 it will be found that the following general treatment 

 will bring success. 



On the Pacific slope, brodieas will grow well and can 

 be naturalized in any soil or situation except in heavy 

 shades or generally wet places or in heavily manured or 

 much-watered soils. When the soil is somewhat sandy 

 or gritty, or has been lightened with road grit, spent 

 tan-bark, leaf-mold or any light material, they will 

 usually) thrive best. It is questionable whether they 

 are quite hardy east of the Rockies and north of Vir- 

 ginia. The soil should be well drained, and a winter 

 covering of leaves should be given. Plant in the fall 

 before the ground is frozen up, from 2 to 3 inches apart 

 and not deeper than 2J/*> inches, water sparingly, and 

 ripen well after flowering. It is unnecessary to lift the 

 bulbs in the summer on the Pacific slope but probably 

 advisable east of the Rockies, unless they are kept dry 

 in summer by placing glass over them. 



All brodieas grow readily from seeds, but it requires 

 several years to flower them. Many species produce 

 offsets which, if detached, soon flower. If potted early 

 and placed in coldframes, they can be forced gently. 



In the following taxonomy, the species have been 

 thrown into four more or less marked horticultural 



groups. 



alba. 21. 

 Bridgesii, 8. 

 californica, 12. 

 Candida, 6. 

 capitata, 21. 

 congesta, 19. 

 Douglasii, 22. 

 erecta, 1. 

 filifolia, 17. 

 graciiis, 4. 



INDEX. 



grandiflora, 11. 

 Hendersonii, 9. 

 Howellii, 23. 

 hyacinthina, 2, 3. 

 ixioidea, 1. 

 lactea, 3. 

 laxa, 5. 

 lilacina, 3, 23. 

 major, 3. 

 minor, 1, 13. 



multiflora. 20. 

 Orcuttii, 10. 

 Palmcri, 24. 

 parviflora, 20. 

 peduncularis, 7. 

 Purdyi, 18. 

 rosea. 15. 

 splendens, 1. 

 stellaris, 14. 

 terrestris, 10. 



Group 1. In this group, which contains some of the 

 best species in cultivation, the plants have a fibrous- 

 coated flattened corm, resembling that of the croons; 

 not usually bulbiferous. The Ivs. are few, all radical 

 and grass-like: scapes slender but stiffly erect, naked 

 except for bracts below the many-fld. umbel; fls. usually 

 broadly tubular, borne on slender pedicels, in purples, 

 white and yellow; anther-bearing stamens 6. All are 

 hardy, but a protection of straw or Ivs. is advisable in 

 the colder regions. A light, loose, well-drained, sandy or 

 loamy soil best meets their needs, and an excess of 

 moisture and very rich soils are to be avoided. 



A. Segms. equaling or exceeding the perianth-tube. 

 1. brioides, Wats. Dwarf, 3 in. to 2 ft.: Ivs. linear, 

 fleshy: fls. few to many, on pedicels 1-4 in. long, u 

 shades of yellow and often purple-tinged, 1 in. or less 

 long; filaments winged, 2-toothed above. S. Calif, to 

 Ore. B.R. 1590. B.M. 3588 (as Callijrrara lutea). 

 G.C. III. 20:459. Many handsome varieties. The hi 

 is var. splendens, Hort., with large, bright yellow fls., 



