3204 



SPERGULA 



SPHAGNUM 



arvensis, Linn. Annual, 6-18 in. high, branched at or 

 near the base, bright green, little if at all viscid: Ivs. 

 linear, clustered at the nodes in 2 opposite sets of 6-8 

 together, appearing as if verticillate : fls. numerous, 

 small, white, about ]^in. across and borne in terminal 

 panicles: seeds papillate. Eu. S. sativa, Boern., the 

 cult. SPURRY is a dull green viscid plant, with margined 

 not papillate seeds. Eu. p\ TRACY HUBBARD.! 



SPHACELE (old Greek name). LoMatse. A score 

 or more of shrubs or subshrubs, in Calif., Hawaii, and 

 S. Amer., one or more of which has been listed for 

 ornament, but apparently little known in cult. Fls. 

 whitish to red or blue, in the axils of small bracts and 

 forming verticillate racemes or spikes which may be 

 simple or branched; calyx campanulate, about 10- 

 neryed, enlarging in fr. ; corolla-limb 4-parted, scarcely 

 labiate; stamens 4, didynamous or nearly equal; style 

 2-lpbed: nutlets ovoid, smooth. <S. chamsedryoldes, 

 Briquet (S. campanulata, Benth.), from Chile, is 

 mentioned abroad: 2-3 ft., shrubby: Ivs. oblong-lan- 

 ceolate, short-stalked, wrinkled: fls. pale blue, l Ar%\n. 

 long about 2 in a whorl. B.R. 1382. Coolhouse 

 plant. 



SPHJJRALCEA (Greek for globe, and Alcea, the 

 generic name of the marsh mallow). Malvaceae. GLOBE 

 MALLOW. Shrubs, subshrubs, or herbs, adapted to the 

 warmhouse or outdoors in the far South. 



Leaves frequently angled or lobed: fls. short-pedi- 

 celled, solitary, or arranged in axillary fascicles or in 

 terminal racemes or spikes, violet or flesh-colored, 

 rarely long-peduncled or red; bracteoles 3, free or 

 united at base; calyx 5-cleft; staminal column divided at 

 the top into many filaments; ovary many-celled: fr. sub- 

 globose, of many compressed, 2-valved, dehiscing, 2-3- 

 seeded carpels, united in a ring around a central torus, 

 from which they slowly separate. About 65 species, 4 

 or 5 of which are S. African, the remainder from the 



warmer regions of N. 

 and S. Amer. Several 

 species have been 

 mentioned in horticul- 

 tural literature and 

 occur occasionally in 

 cult. One species has 

 been intro. into Calif. 

 Closely allied to Abuti- 

 lon but with 3 bractlets 

 instead of none. 



A. Lvs. 6-7-lobed. 



B. Fls. in spikes. 



acerifolia, Torr. & 

 Gray. Fig. 3658. Per- 

 ennial herb, 2-6 ft. 

 high: Ivs. 3-4 in. long, 

 cordate, palmately 5- 

 lobed (sometimes with 

 2 or more basal lobes), 

 coarsely serrate: fls. 

 rose-color, varying to 

 white, 2 in. across, 15 

 or more in spicate clus- 

 ters terminating the 

 branches. Rocky Mts. 

 B.M. 5404. 



BB. Fls. in umbels. 



umbellata, Don (S. 

 vitifolia, Benth. & 

 Hook. Malva umbellata, 

 Cav.). Erect branched 

 shrub, 3 ft. or more 

 high, flocculose-tomen- 

 tose : Ivs. long-petiolate, 



3658. Sphaeralcea acerifolia. ( X Vf>) 



cordate, somewhat 7-lobed, peltate, nerved, flat, glabrate 

 and green above, hoary and ribbed beneath; the lobes 

 short, acute, margin crenate : peduncles axillary, usually 

 3-fld., rarely 2- or 5-fld.: calyx broad-campanulate, 

 leathery, 5-lobed, the lobes semi-ovate; petals scarlet, 

 white at base, obcordate; filaments forming a white 

 column. Mex. B.R. 1608. L.B.C. 3:222. Var. tricolor, 

 Hort., is said to have reddish purple fls. striped with 

 white and rose. 



AA. Lvs. 3-lobed. 

 B. Fls. scarlet or rose. 



Munroana, Spach. Perennial herb, 1-2 ft. high: Ivs. 

 broad at base, obscurely 3-lobed, crenate, sometimes 

 incised: fls. scarlet or rose, 1 in. across: panicles axillary 

 and terminal, numerous. Dry plains, Brit. Col. to 

 Idaho and south. B.M. 3537 and B.R. 1306 (both as 

 Malva Munroana). A.G. 11:539. G. 35:451. Adver- 

 tised in 1890 as the "sunset plant." The same plant is 

 said to be offered in some catalogues as Malva miniata. 



BB. Fls. bridwvd. 



cisplatina, St. Hil. (S. miniata, Spach. Mdlva 

 miniata, Cav. M. miniata, Jacq.?). Tender branching 

 subshrub, 2-4 ft. high, formerly considered desirable 

 for conservatory decoration in Oct. and Nov., when it 

 produces its brick-red fls.: Ivs. 1-2 in. long, 3-lobed, 

 coarsely and unequally crenate, midlobe longest: fls. 

 1-1 % in. across, in axillary, few-fld. cymose racemes. 

 La Plata. The above description is from B.M. 5938. 

 Miniata means cinnabar-red, the color of red lead. 

 There seems to be no reason why S. cisplatina and S. 

 Munroana should be confused. The Ivs. of S. Munroana 

 are obscurely 3-lobed, the lobes broad, blunt and short; 

 the Ivs. of S. cisplatina are deeply and sharply cut, acu- 

 minate and narrowed toward the base, the lobes nar- 

 row and acute, the midlobe over twice as long as the 

 side lobes. The color of the fls. is very distinct and 

 the clusters are branched in S. Munroana but not in 

 S. cisplatina. p. TRACY HuBBARD.f 



SPILEROCODON (Greek, globe and bell, probably 

 referring to the shape of the corolla). Asclepiadacese. 

 Perennial herbs with a woody or tuberous rootstock, 

 suitable only for the warmhouse: sts. erect, not twining: 

 Ivs. opposite, short-petioled, elliptic or oblong: fls. 

 moderate-sized, in pedunculate sublateral umbel-like 

 cymes; calyx 5-parted; corolla campanulate or some- 

 what so, 5-lobed, the lobes overlapping and slightly 

 twisted to the left in bud; crown of 5 small fleshy com- 

 pressed tubercles or teeth; column arising from the 

 base of the corolla; anthers without appendages: fr. 

 unknown. Five species from Trop. and S. Afr. S. 

 obtusifolium, Benth. Rootstock woody: sts. several to a 

 root, erect, 1-3 ft. high, branching only at the base: Ivs. 

 elliptic, usually very obtuse and apiculate, sometimes 

 subacute: fls. in sublateral, 6-13-fld. umbel-like cymes, 

 dark purple; sepals linear-lanceolate, acute; corolla 

 broadly campanulate, 5-lobed to one-third of the way 

 down or more. Trop. and S. Afr. B.M. 7925. 



SPH^ROGYNE: Tococa. 

 SPHJEROSTEMA: Schizandra. 



SPHAGNUM. Sphagnum moss, bog-moss, or peat- 

 moss is found in swamps or bogs and is one of the 

 plants from which peat is formed; it is much used by 

 gardeners. Its geographical distribution extends to 

 all countries in the North Temperate zone. According 

 to Warnstorf, 1911 (Engler's "Das Pflanzenreich"), 

 there are 342 recognized species of Sphagnum, of 

 which many occur in North America. Sphagnum 

 mosses differ from the true mosses so much that 

 they are usually classified in a distinct family, 

 Sphagnaceae. Besides differences in structure of the 

 reproductive organs, the marked differences lie in the 



