-'114 



NARTHIX-UM 



NATIVE PLANTS 



The penus is close to Tofieldia in having a persistent 

 iH^riaiilli, simple raoemes, and firass-liko Ivs,; roseni- 

 oles Siini'this in the boanlecl tilaniciils ami simple 

 style. The iH'rianth is_ tinner tlian in iiiusi hliaicdiis 

 plants and sliows an approach to .luncaeea', with whiih 

 many botanists jissoeiate it. Some botanists call this 

 genus .\bama and assign it to the family Melanthaeea". 



calif 6micum, Baker. Lvs. iris-like; basal ones 

 ."•^'Bin. broad: eauline lvs. 2-3 in number, short: 

 raceme I?-;) in. long, loose: sts. lS-20 in. high: lis. 30-40, 

 yellowish green: ea])s. of pajier-like textiue, .slender at 

 top, 3-valved, when ripe a bright salmon-color; seeds, 

 including the points or tails, ' •>"''■ long. Swamps, Calif. 

 — Intro, by dealers in native plants in ISSS ur 1SS9. 



M. B. COUUSTON. 

 NASEBERRY: Saporf.Ua. ^^ ^' HoTTES.f 



NASTtJRTIUM (classical Latin name of some cress, 

 referring to its pungent smell: /io.s».s, nose, and torluts, 

 distortion). Cruciftra'. The name N;isturli\nn is used 

 for two very ditTerent groujis of plants. .\s a flower- 

 garden name, it is used for jilants of the TroiKcolacca' 

 (see Tropsoluiii). It has also been used for certain cru- 

 cifcrs, inclu<ling the water-cress an<l horse-radish; but 

 as a generic name it is now replaced, mostly by Radicula, 

 which see. 



NATAL PLUM, a handsome shrub (Carissa grandi- 

 flora, of (he family .l/wcy/KircT), originally from South 

 Africa, is cultivated in southern Florida and .southern 

 California for ornament and for its scarlet edible fruits 

 the size of a plum. Fig. 24.') 1. It is con.sidered one of 

 the best hedge plants in South Africa, and is some- 

 times used for this 

 purpose in the 

 United States. See 

 Carissa. 



The Natal pluTn 

 is a large shrub, 

 eventually attain- 

 ing to 1.') or 18 ft., 

 m u c h branched 

 and spreading, and 

 armed with stout 

 bifurcate spines: 

 foliage dense, 

 glossy green in 

 color; Ivs. oppo- 

 site, ovate-acute, 

 mucronatc, thick 

 and leathery, 1-2 

 in. long: lis. star- 

 shaped, fr.agrant, 

 about 2 in. across 

 and borne in sm.ill 

 terminal cymes; 

 calyx composed of 

 5 oblong-acute 

 lobes about J'gin. 



long; corolla sal- 

 verfonii, with a 

 slendcT tube about 

 ^in. l(mg and 5 

 oblong - o b o V a t e 

 lobes twice the 

 length of the tube 

 anri twisted to 

 the left in V)ud; 

 stamens .'J, in- 

 Bert<;d upon the tube; style elavate; ovary .superior, 

 2-celied, with several ovules in each cell. 



The plant blooms most abundantly in early .spring, 

 but prrxluces a few scattering flowers throughout the 

 year; their waxy texture anfl fragrance are suggestive 

 of the ja-smine. The fruits, most of which ripen in 



// 



Ji>^ 



K 



2451. Naul plum. — Carissa grandiflora. 



' y. 'A) 



sunnner, arc ovoid or elliptic in form, commonly 1 to 2 

 inches long, with a thin skin inclosing the firm granular 

 reddish pulp toward the center of \vl\ich arc several 

 thin jiapery almost circular seeds, — somctunes as many 

 as twenty or more. The friut is very attractive in 

 aiipearance, but is not generally relished when eaten 

 out of hand; its flavor suggests the raspberry or cran- 

 berry, and when stewed it yichls a sauce which greatly 

 resembles that made from the latter fruit. It is al.so 

 used for jelly and preserves. It is not of commercial 

 iniiiortance in the United States, but is fretiuently 

 ]ilaiil<'(l ill gardens lor ornament and fruit. It seems 

 well adapted to cultivation in both Morida and ("ali- 

 fornia, willistandiiig .several degrees of fro.st withovit 

 injury, and being somewhat drouglit-resi.stant. Among 

 seedlings, however, there is great variation in produc- 

 tiveness, so that vegetative means of ])ro))agalion must 

 be used to ])erpetuate good varieti(^s. Firniinger states 

 that grafting on Carissa Caramlas renders the species 

 more product ive. 



When used ;is a hedge-plant it w'ithstands shearing 

 admirably, liut yields little fruit imder these con- 

 ditions. Its growth is comiiact and low, and it hiis the 

 interesting habit of branching dichotomously. It suc- 

 ceeds on a variety of soils, from the lightest santi to 

 licavy clay or adobe, antl when left to itself will form a 

 shapely attractive bush. 



Seeds arc easily germinated by planting in pans of 

 light sandy loam. They should be .as fresh as possible 

 and barely covered with soil. Cuttings, when planted 

 directly after removal from the parent bush, do not root 

 very readily, but a method has been <liscovered by 

 Simmonds whereby nearly every one will grow: this 

 consists in notcliing young br.anchlets while still 

 attached to the plant, making a cut h.alf way through 

 the stem 3 or 4 inches from the tip; the branchlet is 

 then bent downward and allowed to hang limply 

 until the end of the secon<l month, when a callus will 

 have formed on the cut portion, and the cutting may be 

 removed and placed in sand under a lath shaile, requir- 

 ing another month to strike roots. The plant is also 

 Ciisily propagated by layering, and it is not tlifticult to 

 bud, using the common method of shield-budding, 

 es.sontially the same as practised with the avocado. 

 Late spring is the best time to do the work. 



Another species of Carissa in cultivation and which 

 is sometimes confused with C. grandiflora is C. bisj)iiiosa 

 (C. arduina). This can be distinguished from C. grandi- 

 flora by the nnich smaller size of the flowers, which are 

 only 3 2'nch broad, with the corolla-segments much 

 shorter than the tube, an<l by the oblong-obtuse fruit 

 which is only )2inch in length and contains one or two 

 instead of numy seeds lanceolate in outline. 



Carissa Carandas, a species common in India, where 

 it is known as karaimda, has also been introduced to 

 this country. It is distinguished from the above two 

 by the corolla-lobes being contorted to the right instead 

 of to the left (as stated on page (>04), by the oblong or 

 ellii)tic-oblong leaves with rounded or obtuse tijis, and 

 by the spines being simple in place of bifurcate. Its 

 fruits arc } i to 1 inch long, containing three or four 

 seeds, and are much used in India for pickles and jire- 

 serves. p. w. Popenoe. 



NATHUSIA (Oottlob Nathusius, 1760-1.838, Prus- 

 siim iilantsinan). Olciicesr. Four trees of India and 

 tropical .\frica sehlom (uilt., for which see Schrebera. 



NATIVE PLANTS. The desire for native and 

 natural jilants is one of the dominant notes of the 

 present time. It is not strange that wild plants are not 

 appreciated in a new country. The first necessity of 

 civilization is to fell the trees that ground may be 

 tilled and habitations be built. The necessities of life 

 arc iin[)orted; the literature is exotic; the i)lants .are 

 transported from other lands. In Kurope the condi- 



