3218 



SPRAGUEA 



STACHYS 



stipules small and scarious: fls. ephemeral, in dense, 

 scorpioid spikes, umbellately clustered on scape-like 

 peduncles; sepals 2, orbiculate-cordate, membranaceous- 

 hyaline, persistent; petals 4; stamens 3; ovary free: 

 caps, membranaceous, rounded-compressed, 2-valved; 

 seeds 8-10, black and shiny. One, possibly 2 species, 

 W. N. Amer. 



umbellata, Torr. Sts. several, simple, erect, 2-12 in. 

 high: radical Ivs. spatulate or oblanceolate; the cauline 

 similar but smaller: fls. white, tinged rose, in a dense 

 capitate umbel of nearly sessile spikes; sepals con- 

 spicuous; petals oblong-ovate. Late summer. Sierra 

 Nevada, at 3,000-10,000 ft. altitude, from the Yosem- 

 ite valley to the British boundary, usually in sandy 

 dry soils. B.M. 5143. May be treated as an annual. 

 Var. caudicif era, Gray, is a subalpine form in which the 

 caudex-like branches extend for a year or more (the 

 Ivs. below dying away) and are at length terminated by 

 scapes an inch or so in length. Desirable for rockwork 

 and edgings. F. TRACY HUBBARD.! 



SPRAYING: Diseases and Insects, page 1057, Vol. II. 



SPREKELIA (J. H. von Sprekelsen, of Hamburg, 

 who sent the plants to Linnaeus). Amarylliddcex. 

 JACOBEAN LILY. Half-hardy bulbous plants, generally 

 grown in the greenhouse, often known as amaryllis : Ivs. 

 appearing late, strap-shaped-linear: scape hollow, 

 cylindrical, 1-fld.: fl. large, showy; perianth gaping, tube 

 none, upper segm. broadest, 2 lateral lanceolate, 3 

 lowest deflexed, rolled together inclosing the stamens 

 and style; ovary turbinate, 6-angled, 3-celled: caps, 

 globose-trigonous, 3-valved. One species, Mex. For 

 cult., see Amaryllis; also consult Hippeastrum, with 

 which these plants are sometimes confused. 



formosissima, Herb. (Amaryllis formosissima, Linn.). 

 Bulb globose, 2 in. diam.; tunics brown: Ivs. 3-6, con- 

 temporary with the fls., linear, green, finally 1-1 % ft. 

 long: peduncle reddish, 6-12 in. long; spathe red-brown, 

 2 in. long, bifid at the tip; pedicel erect: perianth bright 

 crimson, 3^-4 in. long. April. B.M. 47. G.L. 27:140. 

 G.W. 15, p. 358. Var. glaftca, Baker (S. glauca, Lindl.), 

 has glaucous Ivs.: fls. smaller and paler than the type. 

 B.R. 27:16. F. TRACY HUBBARD.! 



SPRING BEAUTY: Claytonia. 



SPRING-GARDENING. The gardening instinct is 

 at its height in spring. The turn of the season invites it, 

 and the wealth of quick-growing plant-material is great. 

 On the plant-growing side, nothing need be said here 

 that is not already written in other articles in this work, 

 but names of a few plants for spring effects may be 

 suggested. 



The spring-gardener will think first of bulbs cro- 

 cuses, hyacinths, tulips, squills, snowdrops, fritillies, 

 and others. These are described under their regular 

 alphabetic generic entries, and also under the article 

 Bulbs in Vol. I. 



If one does not have a greenhouse, many of the 

 annual flowers may be used for early spring bloom if 

 the seeds are started in the window, or, as with pansies, 

 if plants are established in autumn and carried over 

 winter under a protection of leaves or other mulch. 

 Some of the early-blooming hardy annuals are alys- 

 sum, candytuft, collinsia, daisy (Bellis perennis, peren- 

 nial but may be treated as an annual after the manner of 

 pansies), pansy, schizopetalon, stocks, violet, Virginian 

 stock, wallflower (annual), pinks as annuals. 



The spring-garden will derive its chief satisfaction, 

 however, from the early-blooming perennial herbs, of 

 which there are great numbers of attractive species. A 

 few of the best kinds are here named: Adonis vemalis, 

 anemonis, arabis, aubrietia, auricula, clintonia, cowslip 

 (Primula), dicentra, forget-me-not, helleborous or Christ- 

 mas rose (earliest, except perhaps some of the bulbs-), 



iris, oxalis, Papaver nudicaule, pinks, polyanthus and 

 other kinds of primula, pyrethrum, wallflower (per- 

 ennial), and very many native perennials as epigsea, 

 trillium, erythronium, hepatica, isopyrum, anemone, 

 claytonia, phlox, sanguinaria, caltha. 



The wealth of early-blooming trees and shrubs must 

 not be overlooked, nor the beauty of sturdy herba- 

 ceous growths pushing from the ground. 



A good part of one's success in spring-gardening 

 results from careful preparation the previous autumn, 

 particularly in providing good winter protection for 

 young or partially tender plants that are to be carried 

 over. All should be made ready before winter closes in, 

 so that the first advantage may be taken of the open- 

 ing of spring. L H B 



SPRUCE: Picea. Douglas S.: Pseudotsuga taxi folia. Norway S: 

 P. excelsa. Sitka S.: P. sitchensis. Tideland S.: P. sitchensis. 



SPURGE: Euphorbia. S., Mountain: Pachysandra procumbens. 

 S. Nettle : Jatropha. 



SPURRY (Spergula saliva, which see) has long 

 been grown in Germany, France, Holland, and Bel- 

 gium, where its value as a soil-renovator and as a forage 

 crop was early recognized. It is an annual, and when 

 sown in the spring matures seed in ten to twelve weeks 

 from time of sowing. This plant possesses special value 

 as a renovator for sandy soils. It has long been used by 

 the farmers of Holland to hold in place the shifting 

 sands along the seashore. So well adapted is it to sand 

 that it has been termed "the clover of sandy lands." It 

 is not recommended for the American farmer except 

 where the soil is so poor that other plants fail. In such 

 circumstances it may be used as a cover-crop to plow 

 under. The seed may be sown any time from April to 

 August, but in orchards it would better be sown in July. 

 Sow at the rate of six quarts to the acre. The seed being 

 small, it should be lightly harrowed in upon a well- 

 fitted soil. It is very persistent in the production of 

 seed, and upon fertile soils it will maintain itself for 

 several years unless thorough cultivation is given. 

 Where soils are in fair condition and other crops will 

 grow, it is doubtful whether spurry has any place. 

 Sometimes written spurrey. L ^ CLIXTON 



S QUASH : See the article Pumpkin and Squash , page 2859, Vol. V. 

 SQUAW-BERRY: Mitchella repens. 



SQUILL: For the garden squill, see Scilla; for the medicinal 

 squill, see Urginea. 



SQUIRREL-CORN: Dicentra canadensis. 



STACHYS (from an old Greek name applied by Dios- 

 corides to another group of plants, coming from the 

 word for spike). Labiatse. WOUND WORT. Tall peren- 

 nial herbs or diffuse annuals, rarely subshrubs or small 

 shrubs, both greenhouse and hardy plants, little known 

 to gardeners. 



Leaves very entire or dentate, the floral Ivs. similar 

 or reduced to bracts: floral whorls 2- to many-fld., axil- 

 lary or arranged in terminal spikes: fls. sessile or very 

 short-pedicelled, purplish, scarlet, pale yellow, or white, 

 small or sometimes showy; calyx tubular-campanu- 

 late, 5-10-nerved, 5-toothed; corolla-tube cylindrical, 

 included or exserted, limb 2-lipped, the posterior often 

 villous outside; stamens 4: nutlets ovoid or oblong. 

 About 270 species, mainly in the temperate regions but 

 a few in the tropical and colder regions, scattered all 

 over the world. The arrangement followed in the sec- 

 tions and sequence of species is that of Briquet in 

 Engler & Prantl, Pflanzenfamilien, IV. 3o:260. Very 

 few of the species are cult., although there are several 

 with showy spikes. They are usually found in moist 

 or even wet places when growing wild. A tuber-bear- 

 ing species (S. Sieboldii) has come into notice as a 

 kitchen-garden plant. 



