ABIES 



ABRONIA 



175 



bracts much shorter than the scales. Sierra Nevada of 

 Cahf.; gregarious and forming great forests. S.S. 12: 

 618. Gn. 37, p. 591. — -Wood occiisionally manufactured 

 into lumber. Less hardy in the eastern states than 

 A. nobilis. 



Var. shastensis, Lemm., of S. Ore. and N. Calif., 

 cones somewhat smaller, with bracts as long as or 

 longer than the scales. S.S. 12:620. 



A. Albcrtiana, Murr.:=Tsuga heterophylla. — A. bahordnsis. Let. 

 Lv3. dark, silvery below, very numerous, J-^-1 in. long; cones 4 or 5 

 together, reaching 7 or 8 in. long. 1 in. diam. N. Afr. R.H. 1866, 



6106, deso. — .-1. bifida, Sieb. & Zucc.=A. firnia. — .-1. bracieata, 

 ook. & Arn.^A. vcnusta. — A. canadensis, Michx.^Tsuga cana- 

 densis. — A. Deldvayi, Franch. Tree, 20-50 ft.: Ivs. rolled back along 

 margin. W.China. G.C. III. 39:212.— .4. Farffssu, Franch. Tree, 

 to 200 ft,: Ivs. very white on under surface: cones deep purple. 

 Cent, and W. China. G.C. III. 39:213.— .4. firma, Sieb. & Zucc.= 

 A. Mome, Sieb. Lvs. thick and rigid, 1 in. long: cones cylindrical, 

 often 6 in. long, with keeled scales. — .4. homdlepis, Sieb. & Zucc. 

 Closely related to A. braohyphylla but less valuable as an ornamental 

 tree; rare in cult. (Arnold Arboretum.) G.C. II. 12:823. Japan. 

 Promising for the southern states. — .4. Hookeridiia, Murr.=Tsuga 

 Mertensiana. — .4. laswcdrpa, Nutt. Lvs. blue-green and glaucous: 

 cones 3 in. long, with very broad spineless scales. W. U. S. G.C. 

 11.13:9. G.F. 4:380. Gng. 4:373. S.S. 12:611.— Var. ari>(i«t"fa 

 is a form from the mts. of Ariz, with thicker, paler and more 

 corky bark, the result probably of climatic influence. — A. macro- 

 car pa. Vasey^Pseudotsuga macrocarpa. — .4. Mariesii, Mast. 

 Small tree with crowded branches and short, dark foliage which is 

 pale below: cones large, dark purple. N.Japan. G.C. II. 12:789. — 

 A. Mcntensiana, LmdI. = Tsuga heterophylla. — .4. numidica, 

 Carriere=A. baborensis. — A. Findrow, Spach. Him:ilayas. This 

 now being recognized as distinct from A. Webbiana. — 

 A. Reginx Amdlise=A. cephalonica var. Apollinis. — • 

 A. religidsa, Lindl. Long, slender, drooping branches: 

 lvs. silvery below: cones 5 in. long. Mex. B.M. 

 6753. — ,4. sachalinensis. Mast. Tall tree, with pale 

 bark, white buds, and long, slender, dark green lvs.; 

 cones 3 in. long. E. Asia. G.C. II. 12:589.— .4. 

 su6a/pinn, Engelm.^A. lasiocarpa. G.C. II. 15:230, 

 237. — .4. venusta, Koch. Lvs. acuminate, dark yel- 

 low, green above and silvery below: cones 4 in. long, 

 with long, slender bracts. Calif. S.S. 12:615, 616. 

 B.M. 4740.— yl. Webbiana, Lindl. Lvs. 1-2 H in. 

 long, flat, silvery below: cones cylindrical, 6 or 7 in. 

 long. Himalayas. See Picea for .4. ajanensis, alba, 

 Alcockiana, Engelmanni. excelsa, Gregoriaria, miniafa, 

 Morinda, nigra, obovata, orientalis, pendula, pulitii, 

 pungens, Schrenkiana, Smitkiana. See, also, Pseudo- 

 t<maa and Ts^a. (. g_ S^hqj-nt. 



ABOBRA (Brazilian name). Cucurbitacex. 

 A monotypic genus allied to Cucurbita. The 

 only species is a greenhouse climber, cult, 

 for its numerous small, showy frs. : grows 

 rapidly, and may be planted 

 out in summer. The tuber- 

 ous roots are stored like 

 dahlias. Prop, by seeds or 

 rarely by soft cuttings. 



Flowers dioecious green, 

 all axillary and solitary; 

 Btaminate fls. with a tubu- 

 lar, c'lp-shaped calyx and a 

 rotate .5-parted corolla, hav- 

 ing oblong-lanceolate segms. ; stamens 3, free, the an- 

 thers thick, and l-ce!led, or sometimes 2-celled; pistil- 

 late fls. with a .■5-4-celled ovary followed by an ovoid, 

 indehiscent, 6-seeded, showy fr. 



tenuifdlia, Xaudin {A. viridiflbra, Naudin). Height 

 10-15 ft.: lvs. much divided: fls. small, pale green, fra- 

 grant: fr. a scarlet gourd. Trop. Amer. R.H. 1862: 111. 



ABROMA (from a, not, and hroma, food). Slerculia- 

 cen. A genus of 2 or 3 species, closely related to the 

 cacao; grown as evergreen greenhouse trees, but 

 apparently not in cult, except in botanical collections. 

 Fls. dingy purple, the calyx .5-parted; corolla lobes .5, 

 clawed. Prop, by seeds or by cuttings in spring from 

 half-ripened wood under glass. Probably not in cult. 



.4. 'luousta, Linn. f. Lower Iva. corriate, 3-5-Iobed: upper Ivs. 

 ovate-lanceolate. Trop. A.sia. B.H. 518. — A. faatudsa, R. Hr. 

 Lower lvs. cordate, 5-lobed; upper Iv.s. ovat€; fls. dark purple. 

 Trop. .\9ia, Austral. ,-1. sinuhsa. Nichols. Lvs. ovate pedately 

 pinnatigd, on slender petioles. Madagascar. 



N. Taylor. t 



ABRONIA (from Greek abros, delicate, referring to 

 the involucre). Nyctaginacese. Sand Verbena. Trailing 

 and upright annuals or perennials, with fragrant ver- 

 bena-hke flowers, suitable for baskets, rockeries or the ■ 

 open border. 



Herbs, often viscid: lvs. opposite from swollen nodes, 

 unequal, petioled and entire: fls. 1 to many in a bracted 

 peduneled head, small, salver-form, red, yellow or 

 white, showy in mass, fragrant; stamens mostly 5, un- 

 equal, joined to the corolla-tube and included within 

 it; calyx tubular and corolla-like, 4-5-lobed, the base 

 persistent over the 1 -seeded ovary or fr. About 30 

 species in Amer. S. Watson, Pot. Calif. 2:3-5; P.C. 

 Standley, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb, 12:306. 



Abronias are garden annuals, or treated as annuals, of 

 secondary importance. They are low or trailing plants, 

 rising from 6 to 18 inches high and spreading widely. 

 They are best adapted to open sunny places and light 

 soil. A. iDnbcllata is the common garden species, the 

 trailing stems often reaching a length of 3 to 5 feet, and 

 the flowers appearing all summer and fall; in rflild 

 climates, the plant volunteers from self-sown seeds. It is 

 useful for borders and for baskets and porch-boxes, 

 when a change or variety is wanted from the use of 

 verbenas. Under glass, the plant is nearly perennial. 



Propagation is by seeds, sown in open ground after 

 frost, or sown in late summer or early fall in mild cli- 

 mates. For early and continuous 

 summer bloom, seeds may be sown 

 in pots of sandy earth the pre- 

 vious autumn and wintered in a 

 frame. Peel off the husk (calyx) 

 before sowing. 



A. Fls. yellow. 



latifolia, Esch. (A. arenaria, 

 Menzies). Fig. 62. Perennial: 

 whole plant viscid-pubescent^ pro- 

 strate: lvs. thick, ovate, orbicular 

 or reniform, obtuse, stalked: fls. 

 fragrant, J^-^in. long, lemon-yel- 



low. June, July. Seacoasts, Cent. Calif, and N. B.M. 

 6546. G.C. II. 16:365. 



AA. Fls. pink or rose. 



umbellata, Lam. (Tricratus admirdbilis, L'Her. 

 A. rb.-iea, Hartwcg.) Fig. 63. Perennial: similar in 

 habit and pubescence to the above, but lvs. stalked, 

 the blade ovate, acute at both ends: fls. pink, about 

 Hin. May, June. Calif, seacoasts to Columbia R. 

 F.S. 11:1095. P.M. 16:36. Var. grandifldra, Hort., has 

 larger fls. and lvs. 



vill6sa, Wats. Perennial: smaller and slenderer 

 than A. umbellata and covered with a glandular-villous 

 pubescences lvs. rarely 1 in. long: fls. 5-15 in a cluster, 

 rose. Calif., Utah. — Not common in cult., but well 

 suited to sandy and dry situations. Intro. 1891. 

 AAA. Fls. while. 



mellifera, Dougl. {A. Suksddrfii, Coult. & Fisch.). 

 Perennial: stouter than A. umbellata: st. finely hairy; 

 involucre larger, scarious: fls. 1 in. long, the tube 



