F E R 



F E R 



others a9 ornamental trees in lawns, clumps, 

 borders, and other parts of pleasure-grounds, 

 where they have a fine effect. They succeed on 

 almost any soil, but the best on those of the 

 loamy kind. 



FAIR-MAIDS-OF-KENT. See Ranun- 

 culus. 



FAN PALM. See Cham_.-f.rops. 



FEATHER PRINCE'S. See Amaranth ds. 



FEATHERED COLUMBINE. Sec Tha- 



LTCTRUM. 



FENNEL. See Anethum. 



FENNEL FLOWER. See Nigella. 



FENNEL GIANT. See Ferula. 



FERRARIA, a genus containing a plant of 

 the herbaceous flowery green-house kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Gynandria 

 Titgij)iia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 SmatcB. 



The characters are : that the calyx has two 

 spathes, alternate, keeled, involute; each one- 

 flowered : the corolla has six petals, oblong, 

 acuminate, revolute, curled, and fringed; al- 

 ternately smaller: the stamina consist of three 

 filaments, sitting on the style : anthers round- 

 ish, twin, rough-hairy : the pistillum is an in- 

 ferior germ, roundish, three-cornered, obtuse: 

 style simple, erect: stigmas three, bifid, cowl- 

 ed, fringed and curled: the pericarpium is an 

 oblong capsule, three-cornered, thicker at top, 

 three-celled, three-valved : the seeds numerous 

 and roundish. 



The species cultivated is F. undulata, Cape 

 Ferraria 



It has a tuberose, roundish, compressed root, 

 in shape like that of the Indian corn-flag, but 

 larger; in the centre of the upper side it has a 

 hollow like a navel, whence comes out the 

 stalk ; the outer skin is of a light brown colour, 

 the inside white. It lies inactive every other 

 year, and sometimes will remain two years 

 without putting out either leaves or fibres. The 

 stem is a foot and half high, taper, and about 

 the thickness of a man's little finger. It has 

 lanceolate leaves the whole length, placed al- 

 ternately, and embracing: the lower leaves are 

 from four to five inches long, and an inch and 

 half broad towards their base, ending in obtuse 

 points ; a little keel-shaped, and of a light- 

 green colour. The flowers are axillary, solitary, 

 From the upper part of the stem, wrapped in a 

 double sheath, out of which the flower-bud 

 rises about an inch. The sheath is composed 

 of a double row of keel-shaped leaves ; the in- 

 ner row being shorter than the outer, and situ- 

 ated obliquely to it. It is a most singular and 

 beautiful vegetable production, flowering from 

 February to May, and a native of the Cape. 



Culture. — This plant is increased by planting 

 the offsets from the roots, in borders prepared r<:r 



the purpose, in the fronts of the green-house 

 or stove, and covered by frames and glasses in 

 the eaily spring months. When the plants 

 come up, they require a pretty free air during 

 mild weatherj but to be well protected from 

 frost. In very hot weather occasional slight 

 waterings are also necessary. 



It is an ornamental plant for green-house 

 collections. 



FERULA, a genus comprehending plants of 

 the herbaceous perennial flowery kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Pentandria 

 Digynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Umlellatce, 



The characters are : that the calyx is an uni- 

 versal umbel, manifold, globular; partial simi- 

 lar: involucre universal caducous; partial many- 

 leaved, linear, small : proper perianthium, scarcely 

 observable : the corolla universal, uniform: 

 floscules all fertile; proper consisting of five 

 oblong, straightish petals, nearly equal in size : 

 the stamina have five filaments, the length of 

 the corolla: anthers simple: the pistillum is a 

 turbinate, inferior germ : styles two, reflex : 

 stigmas obtuse : the pericarpium an oval fruit, 

 plane-compressed, submargined, marked on 

 both sides with three raised lines, and bipartite : 

 the seeds two, very large, elliptic, flat on both 

 sides, and marked with three distinct streaks. 



The species are : 1. F. communis, Common 

 Fennel-Giant; 2. F. glauca, Glaucous Fennel- 

 Giant ; 3. F. Tingitana, Tangier Fennel-Giant; 

 4. F Ferulago, Broad-leaved Fennel-Giant. 



Thefirst,in good soils, grows to a great height, 

 and divides into many branches. The lower 

 leaves spread more than two feet every way, and 

 branch out into many divisions, which are 

 again subdivided into many smaller; they are 

 of a lucid green, and spread near the ground. 

 From the centre of the plant comes out the 

 flower-stem, which, when the plants are strong, 

 is nearly as large as a common broom-stick, 

 and ten or twelve feet high, with many joints; 

 there issues from it, when cut, a foetid yellow- 

 ish liquor, which concretes on the surfa.ee of 

 the wound. It is terminated by large umbel? 

 of yellow flowers, which appear about the end 

 of June, or the beginning of the following 

 month, and the seeds ripen in September. The 

 roots continue several years, especially in a dry 

 soil, and annually produce flowers and seeds. 

 It is a native of Italy, &-c. 



In the second species the leaves art composed 

 of many narrow flat segments, of a gray co- 

 lour, and are divided into many parts. The 

 stem is from three to four feet high, terminated 

 3 15 s . ■ 



