LODOICEA 



1899 



2191. Lobelia 

 Rivoirei. 



violet, 13^ in. or more long. Obtained by Chabanne 

 and Goujon of the Botanic Garden of Lyons, and intro. 

 to the trade in 1895 by Rivoire Pere et Fils, Lyons. The 

 hispid calyx suggests L. syphilitica. R.B. 22, p. 112. 

 I.H. 42, p. 268. It varies into rose-color (var. lugdu- 

 nensis), and into coral-red, violet-purple, and the like. 

 The pistillate parent was a form of L. syphilitica and 

 the staminate parent was the "Queen Victoria" form of 

 L. fulgens. The plant was named for 

 M. Gerard, director of the botanical 

 collection at Lyons. 



12. Rivdirei, Hort., Fig. 2191, 

 comprises still more recent types, 

 with very large rose or pink fls. Gn. 

 56 : 182, which plate represents sev- 

 eral derivative lobelias. G.C. III. 

 24:233. G.W. 4, p. 127. 



BB. Corolla somewhat equally 2-lipped, 

 the lower Up only notched, the 

 upper one 2-parted. 



13. laxifldra, HBK. (Syphocdmpylus 

 bicolor, Don). Tall, branching herb 

 or subshrub, with thinly hairy sts. : 

 Ivs. lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 

 acuminate, sharp - denticulate : fls. 

 nodding, on long, axillary pedicels, 

 13/2 in- long, cylindrical, the stamens 

 projecting from the side, red and yel- 

 low, pubescent. Mex. An old plant 

 requiring cool greenhouse cult., or 

 thriving in the open in pots. It may 

 also be planted out like L. fulgens. 

 Var. aurea, Hort., is a yellow-fld. 

 variety. Var. angustifolia, DC. (L. 



Cavanillesii, Hort.). Lvs. long and narrow, sometimes 

 even linear: fls. scarlet with orange-yellow lip; corolla 



1 in. long. Mex. B.M. 3600 G.C. III. 1:585; III. 

 57:263. A good tall subject for pots in a greenhouse 

 and for planting-out in summer. Seeds sown in Feb. 

 should give blooming plants in Aug. 



BBB. Corolla with all the lobes united by the tips 



into 1 lip. 



14. Tfcpa, Linn. (Tupa montana, Hort. T. Feuillei, 

 Don. Lobelia Feuillei, Hort.). Very strong herb or 

 subshrub (4-7 ft. tall), erect and mostly simple: Ivs. 

 oblong-oval, mostly acuminate, rugose, tomentose, 

 denticulate: fls. in a long, terminal raceme, blood-red, 



2 in. long, the hooded lip curving downwards and the 

 column of stamens ascending ; calyx-lobes short. Chile. 

 B.M. 2550. G.C. III. 52:243. R.H. 1898, p. 189. 

 G.W. 4, p. 139. Cool greenhouse; hardy in southern 

 states with protection. 



L. amaena, Michx. Much like L. syphilitica, but the calyx 

 plain and not hispid; corolla J^in. long, bright blue. N. C., south. 

 L. dnceps, Thumb. Perennial, blue-fld., with somewhat fleshy Ivs. 

 and 2-winged st. S. Afr. B.M. 2277 (as L. decumbens); 2519 

 (as L. rhizophyta). L. coronopifdlia, Linn. Somewhat shrubby, 

 with pinnatifid hairy Ivs. and handsome blue fls. (sometimes 1 in. 

 long), on long scapes. S. Afr. B.M. 644. G.C. II. 15: 105. L. 

 Dortmdnna, Linn. WATER LOBELIA. Aquatic perennial, 1 ft. or 

 less, with Ivs. radical and submerged, and small pale blue fls. on a 

 scape. Useful amongst aquatic plants. Native. L. heterodonta, 

 Sprague. Erect, 3 ft. or more (perennial?): Ivs. sessile, lanceolate, 

 serrate: fls. pale green in a long raceme, the lobes about 1 in. long. 

 Trop. Amer. L. hortensis, DC., is a hybrid form of L. amcena, 

 probably not in cult. now. L. inflata, Linn. INDIAN TOBACCO. 

 Annual, of N. Amer., with ovate, pubescent, denticulate lys., erect 

 habit, and small blue or whitish fls.: herbage very acrid: plant 

 formerly a domestic remedy. L. linnxoides, Petrie. One of the 

 New Zeal, lobelias: perennial, creeping: Ivs. orbicular or ovate- 

 orbicular, toothed: fls. white, purplish beneath, the corolla }^in. 

 long. L. nicotianxfdlia, Heyne. A striking perennial, 6 ft. and 

 more: st. as thick as the arm at base: Ivs. narrow-lanceolate, to 2 

 ft. long: fls. white (or pale lilac) in a branching infl. 2 ft. or more long. 

 S.India. B.M. 5587. G.C. III. 35: 195. L. sessilifdlia, Lamb., 

 from Kamtschatka: perennial, 1 ft. or so: fls. violet-blue, produced 

 freely: Ivs. broad, serrate: requires a wet place. G. 29:541.!,. 

 subniida, Benth. Annual from Mex., with radical lyrate Ivs. and 

 small pale blue fls. on long pedicels. G.C. III. 2:304. L. taliensis, 

 Diels. Erect, to 4 ft. (perennial?): Ivs. narrow-obovate or obovate- 

 oblong: fls. blue, 1-1 "4 in. long. W.China. T H R 



. LOBLOLLY BAY: Gordonia Lasianthus. 



LOBOSTEMON (Greek lobe and stamen: the stamens 

 opposite the corolla-lobes). Boragindcese. Perennial 

 herbs and shrubs, rough-pubescent or hispid, with 

 alternate sessile often granular Ivs., and white or blue 

 fls. mostly in terminal cymes and heads. They are 

 closely allied to Echium: species perhaps 50 in S. Afr. 

 Apparently none is in the trade, although L. formosus, 

 Buek (Echium formosum, Pers. E. grandiflbrum, Andr.), 

 is likely to be found in choice collections: shrubby and 

 branched, 3 ft.: Ivs. lanceolate to obovate-lanceolate : 

 fls. reddish changing to blue, in spicate racemes. B.M. 

 1772. B.R. 36 (both as E. fruticosum). 



( LOCHERIA (for Dr. Hans Locher of Zurich). Gesneri- 

 acese. Comprises a few species, which are now referred 

 to Achimenes. In the trade are 2 species, L. hetero- 

 phylla, CErst., or L. ignescens, Klotzsch (see Achimenes 

 heterophylla, p. 207), and L. hirsuta, Regel (see Achi- 

 menes hirsuta, DC., p. 208, suppl. list). 



LOCO- WEED: Astragalus; Oxytropis. 



LOCUST: Common locust is Robinia Pseudocode. Honey L., 

 Gleditsia triacanthos. Swamp or Water L., G. aquatica. 



LODOICEA (said to be a modification of Laodice, 

 daughter of Priam). Palmacese. DOUBLE COCONUT. 

 Coco DE MER. MALDIVE-NUT, from the specimens 

 found on the shores of the Maldive Islands in early days. 

 One remarkable palm in the Seychelles (Indian Ocean), 

 bearing an immense double nut which is one of the 

 curiosities of the vegetable kingdom; the tree is some- 

 times seen in botanic gardens. 



maldivica, Pers. (Cbcos maldivica, Gmel. Bordssus 

 Sonnerdti, Giseke. Lodoicea callipyge, Comm. L. 

 sechellarum, Labill.). Fig. 2192. Tall dioecious palm, 

 large in all its parts: Ivs. palmately not deeply cut 

 into many flabellate lobes or segms., the blade 6 ft. 

 across, ovate-subrhomboid, cuneate at base, the segms. 

 bifid, petiole 8-10 ft. long: fls. in axillary spadices which 

 are subtended by several truncate spathes, the male fls. 

 in clusters in the hollows of the axis of the spadix and 

 the female fewer and in cups or receptacles formed by a 

 pair of bractlets; stamens in male fls. about 36, the 

 pistil rudimentary; ovary in female fls. mostly 3-celled, 

 the stamens being represented by staminodia: the great 

 fr. usually 1 -seeded, mostly 2-lobed: male spadix to 



2192. The double coconut. Lodoicea maldivica. 



6 ft. long; female spadix of similar length, pendulous on 

 a peduncle 1 ft. long; perianth ^in. long. B.M. 

 2734-8. G.C. II. 25:557; III. 4:732; 8:417. F.S. 5:523. 

 Journ. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 7:8, 9 (1906). 



The double coconut is one of the giants among 

 palms, its straight and smooth trunk frequently reach- 

 ing a height of 100 feet, and it is also a centenarian 

 before its full growth is attained. The seeds of lodoicea 

 are probably the largest known, the individual nuta 



