1062 



DIURIS 



DOCK 



ous from the elongated tail-like lateral green sepals; 

 remainder of perianth yellow, purple or white, some- 

 times purple-blotched or -spotted; dorsal sepal remain- 

 ing close to and over the column; lip 3-parted. The 

 species are attractive or even handsome. D. longi- 

 folia, R. Br., has fls. several, yellow 

 and purple, moderately large; dorsal 

 sepal broadly ovate, the lateral long 

 and narrow; lip as long as dorsal 

 sepal, lobed from the base : Ivs. linear, 

 one of them often very long. D. ma- 

 culdta, Smith, is rather slender, usu- 

 ally under 1 ft. tall, with long-pedi- 

 celled yellow much-spotted fls. ; dorsal 

 sepal erect and rigid, embracing the 

 column at the base but open at the 

 top; lip shorter than dorsal sepal, 

 lobed from base: Ivs. narrow. B.M. 

 3156. D. punctata, Smith. St. 1-2 ft. 

 or more: Ivs. usually 2, and 3-6 in. 

 long: fls. 2 or 3, blue or purplish, 

 often dotted but not blotched; dorsal 

 sepal typically broadly ovate-oblong; 

 lip about as long as dorsal sepal, 

 divided to base. L, jj. B. 



DIZYGOTHECA (Greek, in allu- 

 sion to the anthers having double the 

 usual number of cells). Araliacess. 

 Graceful hothouse plants, grown 

 practically exclusively for foliage; usu- 

 1336. Spiiiage ally known as Aralia. 



dock. Usually shrubs, sometimes small 



trees, entirely unarmed, and differ- 

 ing in this from some hardy aralias : Ivs. always digi- 

 tate, of 5-9 Ifts., varying much in adult and juvenile 

 characters, sometimes slender and threadlike, again 

 broad and leathery, usually long-stalked: calyx and 

 corolla 5-parted; stamens 5, with thick anthers; 

 ovary 10-celled; styles 10. All these fl.-characters are 

 drawn from wild plants, as the cult, specimens are 

 not known to flower. Only 3 or 4 species are known 

 in the wild state, all from the tropical isls. of the Pacific. 

 The many names in horticultural literature are prob- 

 ably referable, ultimately, to some of these species, but 

 their true position will be settled only when they 

 flower. Here must be sought all the digitate-lvd. tender 

 aralias of the first edition of this cyclopedia, the pin- 

 nate-lvd. species going toPolyscias. R.H. 1912, p. 491. 

 Dizygothecas require light rich soil, made up of 

 equal parts of sandy loam and peat or leaf-mold. They 

 require plenty of water and a moist warm atmosphere. 

 Scale pests are numerous and must be kept down by 

 frequent sponging with weak solutions of whale-oil 

 soap, fir-tree oil or other insecticide. 



The names here used are retained in the absence of 

 specific information as to what wild species of Dizy- 

 gotheca they are to be associated with. Only complete 

 flowering material can settle this much-vexed question. 

 All of the following are distinct horticulturally. 



Kerchoveana, Hort. Lvs. the shape of a Ricinus, the 

 7-11 Ifts. elliptic-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, with 

 undulate and serrate margins and a pale midrib. S. 

 Sea Isls. Certificated in England in 1881 (Gn. 19, p. 

 457). R.H. 1891, p. 225. Slender-stemmed, of beauti- 

 ful habit. According to Harms, perhaps better put in 

 Pseudopanax. 



Veitchii, Hort. Lfts. 9-11, very narrow or almost 

 filiform, undulate, shining green above and red beneath. 

 New Caledonia. <)ne of the best and handsomest spe- 

 cies. Var. gracfllima, Hort. (Aralia gracilma, Lind.). 

 Lfts. still narrower, with a white rib. R.H. 1891, p. 

 226. Gn. 39, p. 565. I.H. 22:225. Very desirable. 

 Originally described as Aralia gracilina (thin-lined), 

 which name has been mistaken for gracillima (very 

 graceful). 



elegantissima, Veitch. Petioles mottled with white; 

 Ifts. 7-11, filiform and pendulous. New Hebrides. 

 G.Z. 21, p. 28 Excellent. Thought by Guillemin to 

 be the juvenile form of some Dizygotheca. Many of 

 the greenhouse aralias have a permanent juvenile con- 

 dition. 



leptpphylla, Hort. Slender plant: Ifts. filiform and 

 drooping, broadened at the extremities, deep green. 

 Australasia. 



Reginse, Hemsl. (Aralia reglna, Hort.). Graceful: 

 petioles olive, pink and brown; Ifts. drooping, very nar- 

 row, not undulate. New Hebrides. I.H. 26:337. 



The following greenhouse aralias, with showy Ivs., probably 

 belong to Dizygotheca, unless otherwise noted: 



A. Chabrieri, Hort. See Polysoias. D. crassi folia, Soland. 

 See Pseudopanax. D. longipes, Hort. Lvs. digitate, the Ifts. 

 oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, wavy. N. Austral. D. nobilis, 

 Hort. "A theophrasta-like plant, with closely packed, bold foliage, 

 the Ivs. oblong obovate-acuminate, undulate at the margins." 

 Not certainly referable to Dizygotheca. D. Osyana, Hort. Like 

 A. leptophylla, but Ifts. deeply bifid, and nerves and veins brown. 

 S. Sea Isls. D. quercifdlia, Hort. Lfts. 3, sinuate: Ivs. opposite. 

 New Britain. Perhaps not of the Araliacese. The plant has opposite 

 Ivs. D. rotunda, Hort. Lf. of a single orbicular-cordate 1ft. or 

 sometimes 3-foliolate, white-toothed. Polynesia. Not certainly 

 referable to Dizygotheca. D. spectdbilis, Hort.=? D. splendidts- 

 sima, Hort. Lvs. pinnate, the Ifts. shiny green. New Caledonia= 

 Polyscias. D. ternata, Hort. Lvs. opposite, ternate, or 3-lobed, 

 the Ifts. oblong-lanceolate and sinuate. Not certainly referable to 

 Dizygotheca. D. Victdrix, Hort.=Polyscias. AT T A YT rr> 



DOCK. A name applied to various species of Rumex 

 (Polygonacese) . The commonest species growing in 

 fields and yards are the curled or narrow-leaved 

 dock (R. crispus, Linn.) and the bitter or broad-leaved 

 dock (R. obtusifolius, Linn.). These are introduced 

 from the Old World. Several species are native. See 

 Rumex. 



Various species of docks and sorrels have long been 

 cultivated as pot-herbs. Some of them are very desir- 

 able additions to the garden because they yield a pleas- 

 ant food very early in spring, and, once planted, they 

 remain for years. The Spinage dock and the Large 

 Belleville are amongst the best kinds. The former 

 (Fig. 1336) is the better of the two, perhaps, and it has 

 the advantage of being a week or ten days earlier. The 

 crisp leaves (blade 1 foot long) appear early in April, 

 when there is nothing green to be had in the open, 

 and they can be cut continuously for a month or more. 

 This dock is the herb patience (Rumex Patientia, Linn.). 

 It has long been an inhabitant of gardens, and it has 

 sparingly run wild in some parts of this country. It is 

 a native of Europe. 



The Belleville (Fig. 1337) is also a 

 European and northern North Ameri- 

 can plant. It has also become spon- 

 taneous in some of the eastern portions 

 of the country. It is really a sorrel 

 (Rumex Acetosa, Linn.). It has thin- 

 ner, lighter green and longer-stalked 

 leaves than the Spinage dock, with 

 spear-like lobes at the base. The leaves 

 are very sour, and will probably not 

 prove to be so generally agreeable as 

 those of the Spinage dock; but they 

 are later, and afford a succession. In 

 some countries this sorrel yields oxalic 

 acid sufficient for commercial purposes. 

 The round-leaved or true French sorrel 

 (Rumex scutalus, Linn.) would prob- 

 ably be preferable to most persons. 



All these docks are hardy perennials, 

 and are very acceptable plants to those 

 who are fond of early "greens." Some, 

 at least, of the cultivated docks can be 

 procured of American seedsmen. They 

 are readily grown from seeds, and give 

 a good produce the second year and 

 subsequently and often yield good Belleville 



leaves the first season. L jj B. dock 



