LEDENBERGIA 



LEEK 



1833 



LEDENBERGIA (von Ladenberg, mispelled in 

 making the name). Phytolaccacese. A twining subshrub 

 from Trop. Amer., allied to Rivina, with ornamental 

 foliage: Ivs. simple, entire, alternate, slender-stalked, 

 ovate or elliptic-ovate: fls. small and whitish, in long 

 axillary peduncled racemes, on very slender pedicels, 

 perfect; perianth 4-parted, the segms. linear-oblong or 

 linear-obovate and obtuse, enlarging in fr.; stamens 12: 

 fr. a small achene. The plant in cult, is L. roseo-senea, 

 Lem. (L. purpurea, Hort.?), which is Trichostigma perw- 

 vianum. The single species of Ledenbergia is L. seguieri- 

 oides, Klotzsch, of the Antilles and S. Amer., which is 

 a slender-branched shrub with elliptic acuminate alter- 

 nate Ivs. and many small greenish fls. in long drooping 

 very slender racemes. Apparently not in the trade. 



LEDUM (ledon, ancient Greek name of Cistus). 

 Ericaceae. LABRADOR TEA. Ornamental shrubs grown 

 for their handsome white flowers and evergreen foliage. 



Leaves alternate, short-petioled, entire: fls. rather 

 small, K-^in. across, long-pedicelled, in terminal, 

 umbel-like racemes; calyx-lobes and petals 5, spreading; 

 stamens 5-10: caps, nodding, 5-celled, separating from 

 the base into 5 valves, with many minute seeds. Four 

 species in the arctic and cold regions of the northern 

 hemisphere, all found in N. Amer. One of the few 

 ericaceous genera with polypetalous fls. The Ivs. con- 

 tain a volatile oil, with narcotic properties; the Ivs. of 

 L. groenlandicum are said to have been used during the 

 War of Independence as a substitute for tea, hence the 

 name "Labrador tea." 



These plants are low, sometimes procumbent, shrubs 

 with evergreen narrow leaves fragrant when bruised, 

 and with handsome white flowers appearing in early 

 summer. They are all hardy North, and well adapted 

 for borders of evergreen shrubberies or for planting in 

 swampy situations. They thrive as well in sunny as in 

 partly shaded situations, and prefer a moist, sandy and 

 peaty soil. Transplanting is easy, if the plants are 

 moved with a sufficient ball of earth. Propagation is by 

 seeds sown in spring in sandy peat and treated like 

 those of azalea and rhododendron, the young plants 

 growing but slowly; increased also by layers and 

 division. 



palustre, Linn. WILD ROSEMARY. One to 2 ft. high : 

 Ivs. linear or linear-oblong, revolute at the margin, dark 

 green and somewhat rugose above, densely ferrugine- 

 pus-tomentose beneath like the young branches, }/%-\ % 

 in. long: stamens usually 10: caps, ovate. May, June. 

 Northern hemisphere, in N. Amer., from Newfound- 

 land to Alaska. L.B.C. 6:560. Var. dilatatum, 

 Gray. Lvs. broader, sometimes glabrescent and glau- 

 cous below: caps, more oblong. Amurland, Japan. 

 Var. decumbens, Ait. (L. decumbens, Lodd.). With 

 procumbent sts. and shorter Ivs. N. E. N. Amer. 

 B.B. (ed. 2) 2:677. 



groenlandicum, Oeder (L. latifolium, Ait). LABRA- 

 DOR TEA. One to 3 ft., similar to the former, but Ivs. 

 broader, ovate to narrow-oblong, 1-2 in. long, tomen- 

 tum beneath often rather pale at first: stamens 5-7: 

 caps, oblong. May, June. Canada to Brit. Col., south 

 to Pa. and Wis. L.B.C. 6:534 and 11 : 1049 (asL. cana- 

 dense). J.H. III. 31:20 (as L. palustre). Gn. 34, p. 31. 

 M.D.G. 1906:74 (habit). G. 35:349. 



L. buxifolium, Berg=Leiophyllum buxifolium. L. columbiH- 

 num, Piper. To 3 ft.: Ivs. glabrous and glandular below, revolute: 

 stamens 5-7: caps, oblong, acutish. Wash., Ore. L. glandu- 

 Idsum, Nutt. Shrub, to 6 ft. : Ivs. oblong or oval, glabrous, glaucous 

 and glandular beneath, not revolute: stamens 10: caps, oval, 

 obtuse. July, Aug. Brit. Col. to Calif. B.M. 7610. L. Lyonii, 

 listed abroad, is undeterminable. It is described as "a lovely shrub 

 ock-garden, very pretty in bud." ALFRED R EHD ER. 



LEEA (James Lee, Scotch nurseryman, 1715-1795). 

 Vitacese. Tropical small trees or shrubs, some of which 

 are cultivated as young plants in warm conservatories 

 for their colored foliage and stately habit. 



Leaves alternate, 1-3 times pinnate or simple, the 

 petiole dilated at base; Ifts. entire or serrate; tendrils 

 none: fls. small or large, red, yellow or green, in cymes 

 opposite the Ivs.; calyx 5-toothed; petals 5, connate at 

 the base and joined with the tube of stamens; ovary 

 3-6-celled; cells 1-ovuled: fr. a berry, mostly succulent, 

 nearly globose but flattened at the top. Species about 

 65, in tropics of Afr., Asia, Austral, and Pacific. Vitis 

 differs in having the climbing habit, ovary 2-celled; 

 cells 2-ovuled. The first species mentioned seems to be 

 valued particularly for its fls.: the others are foliage 

 plants which are presumably distinct horticulturally, 

 but two of them may not be good botanical species, 

 and cannot be distinguished without a knowledge of 

 the fls. 



Leeas are tropical house plants. L. amabilis has 

 beautiful silvery vine-like foliage. It makes a hand- 

 some plant for pillar-posts, and does exceedingly well 

 planted out; but it should be given a season of rest in 

 winter by a partial drying out, when it will lose most, 

 if not all, its foliage. This practice should be followed 

 in any case. It may also be grown as a trained specimen 

 in pots. Peaty soil is often recommended, but good 

 light loam, with plenty of drainage, does equally well. 

 (T. D. Hatfield.) 



A. Foliage green. 



coccfnea, Planch. Lvs. 3-pinnate; Ifts. 5 on each 

 main division of the If., oblong-lanceolate, dentate, 

 margin recurved : fls. 60 or more in a trichotomous, flat- 

 topped cluster about 3 in. across, scarlet in bud, the 

 5 spreading lobes of the corolla pink above; stamens 

 yellow, exserted, each fl. about Viva, across. Burma. 

 B.M. 5299. It begins to flower when only a foot high, 

 but the main stalk of the clusters is only an inch or so 

 long. 



AA. Foliage colored or variegated. 

 B. Lvs. marked bright red; veins white. 



Micholitzii, Sander. Intro, by Sander & Co., 1899, 

 from New Guinea: st. slender: Ivs. pinnate, sometimes 

 gigantic, arching; Ifts. deeply serrate and undulate, rich 

 green strongly marked with bright red and with white 

 veins on the young Ivs. 



amabilis, Veitch. Lvs. pinnate; Ifts. 5 or 7, lan- 

 ceolate, acuminate, serrate, upper surface velvety, deep 

 bronzy green, with a broad white stripe; veins white at 

 the bases; young Ivs. pale pinkish brown. Borneo. 

 G.C. II. 17:493. Gn. 21, p. 352. J.H. III. 43:253. 

 G.Z. 27, p. 145. Var. splendens, Lind., is marked with 

 bright red and has a red st.; very attractive. I.H. 

 31:518. 



BB. Lvs. flushed bronze; veins rosy. 



sambucina, Willd. (L. Roehrsiana, Sander.). Lvs. 

 pinnate or 3-pinnate, very large (often 4 ft. long) ; Ifts. 

 }/<i in. long, 2J^ in. wide, oblong, cordate at the base, 

 acuminate, coarsely crenate. India, Malaya, Philip- 

 pines, Trop. Austral. A very variable species. The 

 above synonymy is the judgment of M. T. Masters in 

 G.C. III. 23:245. F.E. 10:554. A.F. 13:1284. Gng. 

 6:278. A.G. 21:97. 



Other leeas may be expected in the choice collections of ama- 

 teurs, but these plants appear to be little known in the trade. L. 

 mdcropus, Laut. & Schumann, "with broad Ifts.," is a recent intro- 



duction - WILHELM MILLER. 



LEEK (Allium Porrurn), a flat-leaved, bulbous, hardy 

 biennial, is probably a native of the Mediterranean 

 region, where, particularly in Egypt, it has been used for 

 culinary and medicinal purposes since prehistoric time. 

 All parts of the plant possess an offensive pungent 

 odor and acrid taste due to an essential oil also charac- 

 teristic of its close relative, the onion. In medicine, the 

 bulb, like the onion, is used as a renal stimulant. The 

 blanched stems and leaves are much employed in conti- 

 nental cookery as a flavoring for soups, stews, and so on, 

 boiled and served like asparagus, and in the raw state. 



