SPHAGNUM 



SPILANTHES 



3205 



larger growth of sphagnum (which is often a foot or 

 more in height), its soft appearance, pale green color, 

 and the absence of root-hairs. The stems and leaves are 

 inclosed or encircled by one, two, and often four strata 

 of transparent cells connected with each other by small 

 holes, which have the capacity of sucking up and retain- 

 ing a large amount of water. These cells therefore per- 

 form the function of root-hairs, and it is this abundant 

 water-storage tissue that makes sphagnum moss of so 

 much use to gardeners in the cultivation of orchids, 

 anthuriums, and the like, and in fact most plants of an 

 epiphytal or swamp-loving character, such as sarra- 

 cenia and darlingtonia. Sphagnum often forms at least 

 one-third of the compost in which pitcher-plants and 

 epiphytes are grown. The fresh green tips of sphagnum 

 are also most useful for surfacing pots of orchids and 

 other plants. Besides giving them a better appearance, 

 the moss acts as an index to the moisture condition 01 

 the plant. Sphagnum is also useful in the propagation 

 of many stove plants, such as cordyline, nepenthes, and 

 the like; for starting tropical tuberous-rooted plants, 

 such as fancy caladiums; for sowing seeds of orchids, 

 anthuriums, nepenthes, and sarracenias when fresh and 

 chopped fine; as a mulch; as a non-conducting material 

 for plants in pots in exposed positions in summer; and 

 in packing plants for transportation, for which pur- 

 pose it is an ideal material. Owing to its sponge-like 

 character it may be used wet or dry, according to the 

 character of the plants intended for packing. 



Unless one has an ideal position in which to keep 

 sphagnum moss after gathering it from its native place, 

 or unless one has conditions very similar to its native 

 habitat, it is difficult to keep it living for any length of 

 time. This does not greatly matter, except that sphag- 

 num used for surfacing pots should always be living 

 for the sake of appearance. That which is used in pot- 

 ting and propagating need not necessarily be living as 

 long as it is fresh and not decayed, while partially 

 decayed moss may be used for mulching and packing. 



EDWARD J. CANNING. 



SPHEDAMNOCARPUS (derivation unknown). 

 Malpighiaceae. Scandent or erect shrubs or subshrubs: 

 Ivs. opposite, entire, petiolate, without stipules, the 

 petiole glandular: fls. rather large, in 3-4-fld. umbels, 

 collected in terminal panicles; calyx 5-parted, not 

 glandular; petals unequal, short-clawed, the lobes 

 dentate or nearly entire; stamens 10; ovary 3-celled: 

 samaras 3, with a vertical dorsal wing. About 5 

 species, Trop. and S. Afr. S. pruriens, Szyszylowicz 

 (Acridocdrpus pruriens, Juss.). A tall climbing shrub, 

 silky-tomentose on most of its parts: Ivs. opposite, 

 ovate-oblong, 1-4 in. long: fls. subcorymbosely clus- 

 tered at the ends of the branches, 1-1 Yi in. diam., golden 

 yellow; petals short-clawed, orbicular, margins crisped: 

 samaras silky-pubescent. S. Afr. B.M. 7894. 



SPHENOPHOLIS (Greek, sphen, a wedge, and 

 pholis, a scale, referring to the broadly obovate second 



lume). Syn., Eatonia, End!., not Raf. Graminese. 

 lender perennials with rather delicate panicles: 

 spikelets 2-3-fld., articulated below the glumes; glumes 

 dissimilar in shape, the first narrow, the second obovate. 

 Species about 5, X. Amer. Three kinds have been 

 catalogued among native plants offered for sale. 



A. Panide dense, spike-like, strict. 

 obtusata, Scribn. Spikelets crowded on the short, 

 erect panicle-branches; upper glume rounded-obovate, 

 very obtuse. Dry soil throughout U. S. Dept. Agric., 

 Div. Agrost. 7:258. 



AA. Panicle more loose and slender. 

 pall ens, Scribn. (Eatonia pennsylvdnica, Gray). Lvs. 

 3-6 in. long: panicle-branches lax, nodding, glumes 

 unequal, the first shorter. Moist woods and meadows. 

 Maine to Texas. Ibid. 257. 



nitida, Scribn. (Eatonia Dtidleyi, Vasey). Lvs. 1-2 

 in. long: panicle-branches spreading in flowering, after- 

 ward erect; glumes equal in length. E. U. S. Ibid. 259. 



A. S. HITCHCOCK. 



SPICE BUSH: Benzoin. 



SPIDER FLOWER: CUome. S. Lilies: HymenocaUis and Pan- 

 cratium. S. Plant: Cleome. Spiderwort: Tradesoantia. 



SPIGELIA (named for Adrian von der Spigel, phy- 

 sician, 1558-1625). Loganiacese. Annual or perennial 

 herbs, some hardy, the others either warmhouse or 

 greenhouse plants, rarely somewhat woody, with 

 opposite membranous feather-veined rarely 3-^5- 

 nerved Ivs., and long or small, red, yellow, or purplish 

 fls. usually borne in terminal one-sided somewhat 

 curved spikes: calyx 5-lobed; segms. narrow; corolla 

 tubular; lobes 5, valvate; stamens 5, attached to the 

 corolla-tube; ovary 2-loculed; style articulated, simple, 

 obtuse or somewhat capitate and stigmatose at the 

 summit: caps, flattened, circumscissile above the per- 

 sistent base. About 50 species, Amer. 



marilandica, Linn. PiNK-Roor. A handsome hardy 

 perennial herb, with slender, tufted sts. 1-2 ft. high, 

 opposite, ovate, sessile, thin Ivs. 24 in. long, and red, 

 tubular fls. with yellow throats in terminal, 1-sided 

 spikes. June, July. Woods, N. J. to Wis. and south. 

 B.B. 2:605. B.M. 80. An elegant plant for the hardy 

 border. Shade is not necessary for its welfare if planted 

 in good loose deep loam. 



S. spKndens, Hort., grows 1H ft. high: Ivs. 45 in. long, con- 

 tracted to a short petiole, oboyate-oblong: fls. bright scarlet, 1 in. 

 or more long, in recurved spikes. July. Mex. and Guatemala. 

 B.M. 5268. G.W. 2, p. 417; 7, p. 362. ' R w BARCLAY 



SPILANTHES (Greek, meaning spot-flower, in 

 reference to the markings on the disk in some of the 

 species). Compdsitse. Herbs, mainly weeds, some of 

 them desirable for outdoor planting, with opposite 

 Ivs.: rays yellow or whitish, or none: achenes nearly 

 always flattened, biaristate or without bristles, gla- 

 brous or strongly ciliate, in the latter case quite dis- 

 tinct in appearance. There are about 40 species of 

 Spilanthes, widely distributed in both hemispheres, 

 mostly confined to warmer countries, or, in the New 

 World, also occurring in the South Temperate zone; 

 one variety native to Amer. Good technical characters 

 for distinguishing the different forms are found in but 

 few cases. The latest monograph is in the Proceedings 

 of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, vol. 

 42, pp. 521-69. S. oleracea, Linn. (Tropics), is cult, 

 for the pungent flavor of its Ivs., used in salads; 

 also, to a slight extent, as an ornamental, on account of 

 its odd cylinder-like heads, in which the ratio of length 

 to breadth is the greatest in the genus. Two types of it 

 are named in the trade, Para cress and Brazil cress, the 

 latter said more commonly to have a brownish cast to 

 sts. and Ivs. Gn. 22, p. 295. Gt. 2, p. 36. While most of 

 the species are of inferior appearance, several are dis- 

 tinctly worth cultivating or possibly hybridizing for 

 ornament. The principal ones are enumerated below; 

 all but S. callimorpha belonging in the radiate section, 

 Acmella, DC. 



S. amtricana, Hieron., var. repens, A. H. Moore. One of the best 

 of the showy members of the genus. Erect or weak, ascending, 

 decumbent, or rarely prostrate: Ivs. large for the genus: rays bright 

 yellow. By selection the erect type could probably be made to pre- 

 dominate. A hybrid combining with this the handsome Ivs. and red 

 st. of S. phaneractis would be most pleasing, were it produceable. 

 Sept. Mo., Ark., La. to Fla. and Texas. S. callimorpha, A. H. 

 Moore. Decumbent or prostrate: Ivs. long-acuminate; internodes 

 long: rayless species, but of pleasing appearance. Yunnan Prov- 

 ince, China. S. charitdpsis, A. H. Moore. One of the dainty 

 species; a fair companion-piece to S. iodiseaea, but with pale disks. 

 Brazil. S. fttipes, Greenm. Erect plant with long internodes: 

 small attractive heads. Yucatan, Mex. S. grisea, A. H. Moore. 

 Lvs. densely hispidulous: rays large, very bright j'ellow. Para- 

 guay. S. iodisc&a, A. H. Moore. A dainty little plant, with deli- 

 cate green foliage: disk violet, the tiny rays creamy. Porto Rico. 

 Though not quite so charming, S. charitopsis would be a pretty 

 good companion. S. phanerdctis, A. H. Moore. Decumbent or 



