N E R 



N I C 



sort, and smell like these of hawthorn : the 

 plain flowers are of a soft red or peach colour; 

 but in most they arc beautifully variegated with 

 a deeper red, and make a tine appearance: the 

 usual time of flowering is in July and August, 

 but in a warm stove it will continue in flower till 

 Michaelmas : from the flowers being double, 

 Xhe\ are not succeeded by seeds. They are all sup- 

 posed to have a poisonous quality. 



The thu'd is a middle sized tree, with bra- 

 chiale branches : the leaves opposite, flat, quite 

 entire, smooth : the flowers herbaceous or green- 

 ish white, in short subtcrniinating racemes : the 

 segments of the crown oblong, alternately trlfid 

 and linear. It is a native of the East Indies. 



The fourth species is an elegant branched 

 shrub, four feet high, ntilky, wilh an ash- 

 coloured bark : the younser branches are shin- 

 ing, green, compressed a little, opposite at the 

 end : the leaves long, lanceolate, acute, quite 

 entire, shining, on short petioles, opposite : the 

 peduncles one-flowered, thickish, in pairs from 

 the divisions of the branchlets and decussating 

 with them : the flowers handsome, but without 

 scent: the perianthium green : tube of the corolla 

 greenisli yellow : the border snow-white. It is a 

 native of the East Indies, flowering most part 

 of the summer. 



Culture. — These plants may be increased by 

 layers, cuttings, and suckers from the roots. 



The layers should be made in the early spring 

 months, as from March till Mav, but the earlier 

 the better; the youngest lower branches being 

 chosen for tlie purpose, which should beslit-Iay- 

 ed, givina plenty of water during the summer, and 

 they will be mostly rooted by the autumn follow- 

 ing; but by plunging the pots in which they are 

 layed in a bark hot-bed their rooting may be 

 greatly forwarded : when they are properly root- 

 ed, thcv may be taken off and removed into se- 

 parate pots. 



The cuttings should be planted in the spring 

 or the early part of summer, taking off the young 

 shoots, five or six inches long, and planting 

 them in large pots of rich mould, placing them 

 under glasses, and giving water and shade 

 occasionally : but if plunged in a bark-bed it 

 will greatly promote and forward their rooting. 



The suckers arising fiom the bottom are 

 sometimes furnished with roots, but when this 

 is not the case a small slit should be given at 

 the lowest part ; afterwards applying fresh mould 

 around it, when fibres will be emitted by the 

 end of summer; they may then be taken off and 

 potted separately. 



The til St sort and varieties is rather hardv, but 

 should be kept constantly in pots or tubs, to be 

 protected through severe winters. 



The other S(jrts are often placed in the hot- 

 house durmg winter, but when less tendcrlv 

 treated and supplied more freely with air in mild 

 weather, they are said by some to succeed bet- 

 ter, provided they be carefully screened froin 

 every efiect of frost or severe cold. 



They are very ornamental among other potted 

 planis of the less tender kinds. 



KE'ITLE-TKEE. See Ckltts. 



NEW JERSEY TEA. See Chanothus. 



NICKER TREE. See Guilandina. 



NICOriANA, a genus containing ])lants of 

 the herbaceous annual kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Penlandr'ia 

 ]Monngyi)ia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Luridce. 



The characters are: that the calvx is a one- 

 Icaftd perianthium, ovate, half-five-cleft, per- 

 manent : thecorolla is one-petalled, tunnel-form : 

 tube longer than the calyx : border somewhat 

 spreading, half-tive-cleit, in five folds : the sta- 

 mina have five awl-shaped filaments, almost the 

 length of thecorolla, ascending : anthers oblong: 

 the pistillum is an ovate aerni : style liliform, the 

 length of the corolla : stigma capitate, emarginatc : 

 the })ericarpium is asubovatecapsuie,maiked w ith 

 a line on each side, two-celled, two-valved, open- 

 ingat top : receptacles half-ovate, doited, fastened 

 to the partition : the seeds numerouSj kidney- 

 form, wrinkled. 



The species cultivated are : 1 . iVi, fntlicosa. 

 Shrubby Tobacco ; 2. N. Tahacum, Virginian 

 Tobacco ; 3. N. ruslica, Common or English 

 Tobacco. 



The first rises with very branching stalks 

 about five feet high : the lower leaves a foot 

 and half long, broad at the base where they 

 half embrace the stalks, and about three inches 

 broad in the middle, terminating in long acute 

 points : the stalks divide into n)any smaller 

 branches, terminated by loose bunches of flowers 

 of a bright purple colour, succeeded by acuie- 

 pointed seed-vessels. It was foiind at the Cape. 



There is a variety which rises about five teet 

 high : the stalk does not branch so much as that 

 of the former : the leaves are large and oval, about 

 fifteen inches long and two broad in the middle, 

 but diminish gradually in size to the top of the 

 stalk, and with their base half embrace it: the 

 flowers grow in cLser bunches than those of the 

 former, and are v^hiie: they are succeeded by 

 short, oval, obtuse seed-vessels. It (lowers about 

 the same time with the former, and grows natu«- 

 rally in the woods of the island ol Tobago. 



The second species has a large, l^iug, annual 

 root; an upright, stiong, round, hairy stalk, 

 branching tow arils the top; haves numerous, 

 large, pointed, entire, veiued, viscid, pale green ; 



