D I S 



D O D 



Tt belongs to the class and order Octandria 

 Momgynia, and ranks in the natural order 

 of VepreatLe. 



The characters are : that there is no calyx : the 

 corolla one-petalled, club-shaped; tube bellying 

 above: border obscure, with unequal margin: 

 the stamina consist of eight capillary filaments, 

 inserted into the middle of the tube, longer than 

 the corolla: anthers roundish, upright: the pis- 

 tillum is an ovate germ, with oblique tip : style 

 filiform, longer than the stamens, crooked at the 

 tip: stigma simple : the pericarpium is a one- 

 celled berry: the seed single. 



The species is D. palustris, Marsh Leather- 

 wood. 



It rises to the height of five or six feet in its 

 native situation, but in Europe rarely more than 

 half so high : it sends out many jointed branches 

 near the root : the leaves are oval, pale yellowish, 

 and smooth : the flowers come out from the side 

 of the branches, two or three upon each peduncle ; 

 are of a greenish white colour, and appear early 

 in the spring, when the leaves begin to shoot. 

 It is a native of North America ; flowering in 

 March and the following month. 



Culture. — This sort of plants is raised with 

 difficulty in this climate, as they do not produce 

 seeds, and can only be well effected by layers or 

 cuttings of the young branches. 



When the seeds can be procured from their 

 native situation, they should be sown in the 

 spring in a rather moist boggy situation, where 

 the shrubs are to remain, as the plants never 

 succeed where the soil is dry. 



The layers or cuttings of the young shoots 

 should be laid down or planted out in similar 

 circumstances, during the spring and su mm er 

 months ,• and when they have taken full root, 

 be separated or removed, and planted in moist 

 situations where they are to remain. 



These plants can seldom be preserved, except 

 in moist boggy places, in which they are rarely 

 injured by cold. 



DISANDRIA, a genus containing a plant of 

 the trailing ornamental perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Heptandria 

 Monogynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Pediculnres. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a one-leaf- 

 ed perianthium, from five to eight-parted : divi- 

 sions straightish ; permanent : the corolla one- 

 petalled, wheel-shaped: tube very short : border 

 five-parted : divisions ovate : the stamina con- 

 sist of from five to eight filaments, bristle-form, 

 from erect becoming patulous, shorter than the 

 corolla: anthers sagittate: the pistillum is an 

 ovategerm : style filiform, length of thestamens: 

 stigma simple : the pericarpium an ovate capsule, 



length of the calyx, two-celled : seeds several, 

 and ovate. 



The species cultivated is D. prostrata. Trail- 

 ing Disandra. 



1 1 has stems from a foot to two feet in height, 

 prostrate, round, pubescent: the leaves are 

 alternate, petioled, with about thirty notches, 

 and pubescent : the peduncles axillary, usually 

 two together, but sometimes one or three, erect, 

 filiform, one-flowered, higher than the petioles: 

 the flowers of a yellow colour. Martvn observes, 

 " that the foliage greatly resembles that of 

 Ground-ivy, and the branches trail on the ground 

 somewhat in the same manner to the length of 

 several feet." It is a native of Madeira; flowering 

 most part of the summer. 



Culture. — These plants maybe easily increased 

 by planting cuttings of the young shoots in pots 

 filled with rich earth, which after they have taken 

 root must be removed into separate pots, and be 

 kept well watered during the hot season. They re- 

 quire the protection of the green-house duriner 

 the winter, but in the summer they will bear the 

 open air. 



They produce an excellent effect when placed 

 on high shelves, so that their branches may 

 hang down over the sides of the pots in a loose 

 manner. 



DITTANY. See Dicta mn vs. 



DODARTIA, a genus comprising a plant of 

 the hardy perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Didynamia 

 Angiospermia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Pcrsonatce. 



The characters are : thatt he calyx is a one-leaf- 

 ed perianthium, bell-form, five-toothed, with ten 

 corners, tubular, nearly equal, flat, permanent i> 

 the corolla one-petalled, ringent : tube cylindric, 

 bent downwards, much longer than the calyx : 

 upper lip small, emarginate, ascending : lower 

 lip spreading, wider, three-cleft, twice longer, 

 obtuse ; middle division narrower : the stamina 

 consist of four filaments, ascending towards the 

 upper lip, and shorter than it: anthers small, 

 roundish, twin : the pistillum is a roundish germ : 

 style subulate, length of the corolla : stigma com - 

 pressed, oblong, obtuse, two-cleft, the Amelias 

 converging: the pericarpium a globose two- 

 celled capsule: the seeds numerous, very small : 

 receptacle convex, growing to the dissepiment. 



The species cultivated is D. onentalls, Ori- 

 ental Dodartia. 



Tt has a perennial root, which creeps far under 

 the surface, and send^ out new stalks at a great 

 distance from the parent plant; these are firm, 

 a little compressed, and grow a foot and half 

 high, putting out several side branches: the 

 leaves -are long, narrow, fleshv, opposite, of a 



