3518 



WISTERIA 



WITLOOF 



sinensis, Makino). CHINESE WISTERIA. Fig. 4005. Lvs. 

 smooth or nearly so at maturity, the petiole swollen at 

 base; Ifts. about 5 pairs, ovate-acuminate or ovate-lan- 

 ceolate, short-stalked, 2-3 in. long, the margins cilia te 

 but entire: racemes pendulous, 6-12 in. long, terminating 



the branches; 

 calyx v i 1 1 o u s ; 

 corolla large, 

 blue-violet, not 

 fragrant, showy. 

 Low altitudes 

 in China, and 

 much cult.there ; 

 apparently little 

 grown in this 

 country and not 

 so hardy as W. 

 floribundq. B . 

 M. 2083 (from 

 which Fig. 4005 

 is adapted). B. 

 R. 650. L.B.C. 

 8 : 773. P. M. 

 7:127. Var. alba 

 (forma dlba, 

 Lindl. Var.albi- 

 flora, Lena.) has 

 white fls. I.H. 

 5:166. 



3. macr6sta- 

 chys, Nutt. 

 (K r ail n h i a 

 macrdstachys, 

 Small). Slender 

 vine 20-25 ft. 

 high or long : 

 Ifts. usually 

 about 9, ovate 

 to elliptic -lan- 

 ceolate, about 2 

 in. long, acumi- 

 nate or acute, cordate or rounded at base: racemes 6- 

 10 in. long, drooping, loosely fld., the pedicels and 

 calyx glandular-hairy; fls. light blue or purplish, the 

 standard about Hin. across and not prominently auri- 

 cled; calyx -teeth half or more the length of the 

 tube. Swamps, 111., southward. Probably rarely if at 

 all cult. 



4. frutescens, Poir. (Glydne frutescens, Linn. Kraun- 

 hia frutescens, Greene. Bradleia frutescens, Brit. W. 

 speciosa, Nutt.). Tall stout climber, the trunk attain- 

 ing several inches in diam.: not glandular, smooth- 

 ish or somewhat downy at maturity: Ifts. 4-6-7 

 pairs, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate but ob- 

 tuse, glabrous above: racemes 4-6 in. long, densely 

 fld.; fls. lilac-purple; auricles of the standard rather 

 prominent; calyx-teeth very short. Low grounds, Va. 

 to Fla. and Texas. Sometimes planted. Var. dlba, 

 Hort., with white fls., has been listed. Var. magnifica, 

 Herincq (W. magnifica, Hort.), supposed to belong 

 here, has racemes 50-60-fld. and 6-8 in. long: fls. 1 

 in. across, lilac with a yellow spot, earlier than in the 

 type. F.S. 11:1151. 



5. vemlsta, Rehd. & Wils. (W. brachybotrys var. dlba, 

 Mill.). SILKY WISTERIA. Tall, reaching 30 ft. or more, 

 the young growth pubescent: Ifts. usually 5 pairs 

 (from 4-^6 pairs), velvety both sides, oblong-lanceolate 

 or elliptic- to ovate-oblong, short-acuminate, at the 

 base subcordate or rounded or truncate, entire: raceme 

 pendulous, 6 in. or less long including the short pedun- 

 cle, broad, the rachis densely appressed-vulous; fls. 

 very large, white, on nearly horizontal spreading pedi- 

 cels; standard suborbicular, truncate at apex and auri- 

 cled at base, clawed; upper calyx-teeth subulate: pod 

 compressed, densely velvetv China, province Chi-li. 



4005. Wisteria sinensis. ( X about 



More or less planted in Eu. and U. S., but only recently 

 distinguished. Var. plena (forma plena), Rehd. & Wil- 

 son. With double white fls., occasionally offered by 

 Japanese dealers; the only double-fld. white wisteria 

 known. 



6. japonica, Sieb. & Zucc. (Millettia japdnica, Gray. 

 Phaseolodes japonicum, Kuntze. Kraunhia japonica, 

 Taub.). Glabrous throughout: Ifts. 4-6 pairs, petiolu- 

 late, narrow-<>vate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate but 

 obtuse at point, entire, light green : fls. small, white, in 

 long drooping simple racemes to 8 in. long; calyx 

 cylindrical urn-shaped or cup-shaped, pubescent; 

 standard obovate, lacking the callosities at base; ovary 

 and style glabrous: pod linear-oblong, mucronate at 

 apex, woody, not large. Japan, Korea. Little known 

 in this country, and not hardy in the northern parts. 

 By some authors this species is kept in the genus 

 Millettia, where it was placed by Asa Gray; and under 

 that name it is described in Vol. IV, page 2051. 



L. H. B.f 



WITCH-HAZEL: Hamamelis. 

 WITHANIA. See note under Salpichroa. 



WITLOOF (Dutch, "white-leaf") is a salad vegetable 

 comprised of the compact blanched leaf-head pro- 

 duced by certain forms of chicory. The large thick 

 roots of chicory produce leaves when forced in absence 

 of light, and these leaves may be further blanched by 

 forcing them through sand or other covering. See 

 Chicory. 



The vegetable known as barbe-de-capucin, often 

 shortened to barbe, is very similar to 

 witloof, being produced by forcing 

 either wild or improved roots of 

 chicory and having a looser more 

 leafy head. Witloof is usually forced 

 from a special variety, grown for this 

 purpose. As seen in the market in 

 its best form, it is a firm oblong- 

 pointed head about 6 inches long of 

 white crisp undeveloped leaves. (Fig. 

 4006.) This vegetable is imported 

 into this country in large quantities, 

 being much prized as a delicate salad 

 with a slightly bitter and character- 

 istic flavor. It is frequently known 

 as French endive. 



There seems to be no reason why 

 witloof can not be produced in this 

 country. The New York Agricultural 

 Experiment Station (Geneva) has 

 recently published the results of tests 

 (J. W. Wellington, Bulletin No. 418), 

 from which the following directions 

 are adapted: The seed (sold by many 

 American seedsmen) from which to 

 grow the forcing roots may be sown 

 any time in May in open ground, in 

 rows 18 inches apart and the plants 

 later thinned to 6 inches apart in the 

 row. Ordinary garden culture only is 

 needed, but the plants should make 

 a steady luxuriant growth, resembling 

 large smooth-leaved dandelions. The 

 roots should be lifted just before the 

 ground is liable to freeze, the leaves 

 trimmed to within 2 inches of the crown, and the roots 

 stored. When needed for forcing in winter, the roots 

 should be placed in beds or boxes where moderate heat 

 can be applied, first cutting them off at the bottom to a 

 uniform length of 8 or 9 inches. For holding the roots 

 any soil or sand will do, since the growth of the heads 

 is from the food stored in the roots and does not depend 

 at all on the soil fertility. The roots may be set quite 

 close together, but not touching, upright in the soil, and 





r 



4006. Witloof. 

 (Xjfl 



