3056 



SALPIGLOSSIS 



SALSIFY 



SALPIGLOSSIS (Greek, tube and tongue; alluding to 

 the form of the corolla and the appearance of the style). 

 Solanaceae. Viscous-pubescent half-hardy annual, bien- 

 nial, or perennial herbs, chiefly used for garden flowers, 

 but sometimes also grown in the greenhouse; of rich 

 and attractive colors. 



Plants about 18 in. high, erect, covered with short 

 glandular hairs: Ivs. entire, wavy-margined, dentate or 

 pinnatifid : fls. long-stemmed, large, funnel-shaped, rang- 

 ing in color from various shades of purple and blue 

 through numerous reds and yellows to creamy white, 

 and usually beautifully marbled and penciled with 

 several colors; calyx tubular, 5-cleft, corolla funnel- 

 form, widely bell-shaped at the throat; lobes 5, plicate, 

 emarginate; stamens 4, didynamous: caps, oblong or 

 ovoid; valves 2-cleft. About 8 species, natives of 

 Chile. 



The usual species in cultivation is S. sinuata, which 

 was formerly divided into about 6 species mainly on 

 the color of the flowers. S. sinuata has greatly improved 

 in size of flowers and range of color until it is at the 

 present time " amongst the very finest half-hardy 

 annuals. The varieties of salpiglossis require the general 

 treatment given half- 

 hardy annuals. They pre- 

 fer a deep light rich soil 

 not given to sudden ex- 

 tremes of moisture and 

 dryness. The seeds may 

 be sown indoors by the 

 middle of March or later, 

 or may be sown outdoors 

 in early spring. Care 

 must be taken that the 

 early sown plants do not 

 become stunted before 

 being planted out. They 

 bloom for several weeks 

 in late summer. The 

 flowers are useful for cut- 

 ting and last well. The 

 plant is also excellent as 

 a greenhouse annual for 

 late winter bloom. Seeds 

 for this purpose may be 

 sown in late summer. (F. 

 W. Barclay.) 



sinuata, Ruiz and Pav. 



(S. varidbilis, Hort. S. 



Barclayana, Sweet. S. 



hybrida, Hort. S. grandi- 



flbra, Hort.). Fig. 3531. 



Hardy annual, 1-2 ft. 



high, suberect, branched, 



sticky-pubescent, with fls. 2 in. long and wide, rang- 

 ing from straw-color and yellow through scarlet 

 nearly to blue, with great variation in venation and 

 markings: lower Ivs. petiolate, elliptic-oblong, wavy- 

 toothed or pinnately cut; upper Ivs. more nearly 

 entire: bracts sessile, entire. Vars. azurea, aurea, coc- 

 cinea, ptlmila, nana, Hort., are offered. V. 23:129. 

 Gn. 29:166; 40, p. 75. R.H. 1849:361. G. 14:269. 

 Gn.W. 22:659; 25:586. J.F. 4:395. Var. superbis- 

 sima, Hort., has a more columnar manner of growth 

 with a thick, unbranched stem. G.C. III. 22:363. 

 A.G. 18:860. 



S. atropurpiirea, Graham. St. procumbent at base, then erect, 

 about 2 ft. high : Ivs. scattered, various in shape, lanceolate-elliptical, 

 elliptical, or ovate-elliptical, flaccid, sinuated, the segms. generally 

 blunt and entire: fls. deep rich purple on rather long pedicels. Chile. 

 B.M. 2811. Included in S. sinuata by many authorities. S. stra- 

 minea, Hook. (S. picta, Sweet. S. straminea var. picta, Hook.). 

 Included in S. sinuata by many authorities from which it differs in 

 the color of the corolla, which is whitish tinted yellow at the throat 

 and often purple-veined. The top of the style of S. straminea is 

 toothless while that of S. sinuata is toothed. Chile. B.M. 3365. 

 Probably not in the trade. R TRACY HTJBBARD f 



3532. Salsify or vegetable 

 oyster. (X 1 A) 



SALPINGA (Greek, trumpet, referring to the shape 

 of the calyx). Melastomacese. Erect glabrous branch- 

 ing herbs, including the warmhouse foliage plant known 

 to the trade as Bertolonia margaritacea. 



Leaves often unequal, oblong or lanceolate, long- 

 petioled, under surface plum-colored: fls. spicate, on 

 terminal, simple or dichptomously branched peduncles, 

 secund, sessile or pedicellate; calyx glabrous, tube 

 tubular or campanulate, 10-ribbed, the lobes short, 

 tuberculate outside; petals 5, oblong or obovate; 

 stamens 10; ovary free, oblong, 3-celled: caps. 3-edged, 

 included in the terete, thickened, ribbed calyx. Four 

 species, Guiana, Brazil, and Peru. 



margaritacea, Triana (Bertolonia margaritacea, 

 Hort. Bull. Gravesia guttdta var. margaritacea, Nichols.). 

 Tender perennial herb: st. 1^-4 in. high, erect, 

 obtusely 4-angled, simple: Ivs. long-petiolate, thin- 

 membranaceous, ovate, base rounded or frequently 

 distinctly emarginate-cordate, upper surface dark dull 

 green, white-spotted between the veins, lower surface 

 pale green, reddish or bright rose: cymes terminal, 

 slender-branched, the branches red, rather long; fls. 

 white or sometimes whitish rose; calyx-tube purplish, 

 10-ribbed, the ribs red; segms. green with pink tips; 

 petals erect or erect-spreading, acute or rather obtuse: 

 caps, pale, obscurely 3-sided. Brazil. F.S. 16:1697. 



S. longifdlia, Triana (Bertolonia longifolia, Cham.). St. short, 

 herbaceous: Ivs. oblong, rarely ovate-oblong, base rounded or 

 slightly cordate, upper surface bright green, glabrous, lower surface 

 paler, scurfy-pubescent: cymes terminal; fls. white: caps, pale, 

 3-sided. Brazil. S. secunda, Schrank & Mart. St. subshrubby, 

 erect: Ivs. narrow-ovate or ovate-oblong, base rather obtuse or 

 short-alternate, upper surface light green, lower surface paler: 

 cymes terminal and axillary; fls. unknown: caps, pale red-brown, 

 narrowly oblong, subcylindrical. Brazil. 



F. TRACY HUBBARD. 



SALSIFY (formerly sometimes spelled salsafy) is 

 Tragopogon porrifolius, one of the Compositae. Fig. 

 3532. A garden esculent, grown for the fleshy root. 

 This root has the flavor of oysters, hence the plant is 

 sometimes called vegetable oyster and oyster plant. 



Salsify is perfectly hardy. The seeds (which are 

 really fruits) are sown in early spring, about as soon as 

 the soil can be prepared, in drills where the plants are to 

 stand. The drills may be 2 to 3 feet apart, if tilled by 

 light horse-tools, or half that distance if tilled only by 

 hand. In the rows, the plants are thinned to stand 

 3 to 6 inches apart. The plant requires the entire sea- 

 son, in the North, in which to grow. The roots may be 

 allowed to remain in the ground until spring, for freezing 

 does not harm them. In fact, they are usually better 

 for being left in the ground, because they do not shrivel 

 and become tough as they often do in storage. If they 

 are kept cool and moist in storage, however, the quality 

 is as good as when the roots remain in the ground. At 

 least a part of the crop should be stored, for the table 

 or the market during winter and early spring. 



The plant is biennial. The second spring, a strong 

 stalk 2 to 3 feet tall is sent up from the crown of the 

 root, and in spring or early summer an abundance of 

 light purple flower-heads are produced. The flowers, or 

 heads, close about noon. The leaves are long, linear, 

 and grass-like.. The roots are small, well-grown speci- 

 mens being about 1 foot long and unbranched, and 

 about 2 inches in diameter at the top. The skin is 

 grayish white. Salsify is easy to grow, and it has no 

 serious pests. It is a vegetable of secondary importance 

 commercially, although it should be in every home- 

 garden, particularly in the North, where it thrives best. 

 Eight to ten pounds of seed is sown to the acre. There 

 are few varieties, and these have no marked charac- 

 teristics except in size. The Mammoth Sandwich 

 Island and Improved French are probably the best 

 varieties. Salsify is native to southern Europe. In 

 some places it has escaped as a weed. See Tragopogon. 



Black salsify is Scorzonera; Spanish salsify is 

 Scolymus. L. H. B. 



