430 



AUCURA 



AURICULA 



dontato, hristht srooif, dull. IJitToiviitly ('olon-d fn 



distinguish tlio foUowins forms; \';vr. luteocarpa, Kohc 



(A.luliD-cdrjM, Domliniiii) witli 



12. V:u-. leucocarpa, Malsiiiii. 



fr. — .1. critnifolia, ouoo olTortxi 



pivbably a form of .1. juiionica. 



certain form is a stiuninate or 



niiisculii or feniina (foemina) is often added to the 



Viiriotal name. 



yollowfr. F..M. 1S72: 

 it Nakai, with white 

 in .Viiicrican trade, is 

 To indii-atc whether a 

 a fruit-bearing plant, 



entire 



petiila 



ad stiff 



A. chinfnsis, Benth. Lv.s. lanceolate to nearly obovate, 

 or toward the apex sharply dentate, .sharply acuminate: 

 6nely and long-acuminate; panicle with scattered short and 

 hairs. China.— .-1. hirtuilaicn. Hook. f. & Thorns. (A. japonica var. 

 himalaica. Dipp. ). Lvs. usually lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 

 entire or dentate, sharply anil long-acuminate: panicles densely 

 hairj*: petals long and finely acuminate: fr. orange to scarlet. E. 

 Himalaya.s. F.S. 12:1271. I.n.ti:197. ALFRED ReHDER. 



AUDIBERTIA (.1/. Audibert, of Provence). Labiatx. 

 Including; Rumonn. Perennial herbs or sub-shrubs, 

 sometimes grown for bees and in ornamental plantings. 



Ten species all from \\'. U. S. mostly from Calif., 

 related to Salvia, but differing in the calyx being more 

 deeply cleft in front, and in laeing almost spathaceous: 

 lvs. opposite, usually rugose, sage-like: fls. axillary or 

 terminal, not imUke 

 those of Salvia offici- 

 nalis; corolla with 

 upper lip spreading, 

 2-lobed or eraargi- 

 nate. 



grandiflfira, Benth. 

 St. villous, glandular, 

 1-3 ft. high: lvs. woolly beneath; lower 

 lvs. hastate, obtuse, 3-8 in. long, 

 coarse; bracts crowded, conspicuous: 

 fls. 1-13^ in. long, red or crimson-pur- 

 ple, in dense, showy clusters. Cahf. — 

 Prized for bees. 



incana, Benth. St. woody, tomen- 

 t«se-canescent, leafy: lvs. spatulate or 

 obovate, obtuse or retuse, not rugose, 

 scarcely 1 in. long; bracts obovate, ciliate, purple- 

 tinged: corolla 3^in. long, rarely shghtly longer, pale 



blue. \Va.sh. to Ariz. B.R. 1469. 



N. Taylor. 



AURICULA (Primula Auricula, Linn.). Fig. 440. A 

 European perennial, sending up short scapes, bearing 

 flowers of many colors. It is one of the most famous of 

 florists' flowers, but it has never received the attention 

 in this country that it has in Europe. Our summers are 

 generally too hot for it. In this country generally 

 treated as a greenhou.se plant; but it is hardy, and in the 

 Old World is grown largely in frames. Sec Primula. 



Auriculas grow wild in the mountainous districts of 

 Switzerland, Austria, Syria, and the Caucasus; there- 

 fore they are generally regarded as alpine plants, but 

 like many other alpines, thty have proved to be excel- 

 lent subjects for cool greenhouse culture as well as for 

 rock- or alpine-garden culture. In their nalive habitats, 

 some plants are heavily powdered with a fine mealy 

 substance called "farina," while others are perfectly 

 destitute of it. Under cultivation, al.so, they show this 

 same chara<;teri.stic. This has cau.seil fanciers to divide 

 them into two sections; those covered with f:irina, 

 called show auriculas, and those destitute of it, termed 

 alpine auriculas. The show auriculas have received the 

 rnfj.st attention at the hands of fanciers. Their flowers 

 are large, and present more comhinatif)n8 in variety of 

 wjlor than the alpine section, and since rains mar their 

 beautiful farina-ct)vered leaves and flowers, they are 

 by far best a/iapted to greenhouse culture. Like all 

 primulas, the flowers arc tubular and borne in erect 

 tniaivji well above the foliage. Well-grown plants will 

 prrxluce strong trus,ses with often as many as twenty 

 "pips" or individual flowers. Such a number cannot 

 fiiUy develop, consequently they should be thinned out 



and only eight or nine flowers allowed to develop on 

 each truss. 'Plie lube of the flowers of show auriculas is 

 usually wliite, with a circle of maroon, violet, pkmi or 

 chocoliite-color above and a margin of green, gray, 

 white, or yellow. In what are c:dled "selfs," the circle 

 of chocolate-ni;iroon, or violet, extends to the edges of 

 the flowers. They arc usually very sweet-scented. Alpine 

 auriculas are best adapted for growing in the rock- or 

 alpine-garden since the leaves and flowers are destitute of 

 farina. This section does not exhibit as large a variety 

 of color in the flowers. The tube of the corolla is usually 

 yellow or cream-color with a margin of 

 maroon or piu'plc which shades off toward 

 the edges. The culture given below is the 

 same for both sections except that the 

 alpine .section should be planted on the 

 north side of the rock-garden in October, 

 where they will flower the following spring. 

 Auriculas may 

 be [iropagated by 

 seed for general 

 purposes and for 

 the production of 

 new varieties, but 

 to perpetuate very 

 choice varieties it 

 is necessary to 

 propagate either 

 by offsets or divi- 

 sion of the plants. 

 Seed should be 

 sown in shallow 

 pans or 4-inch pots 

 early in March, so 

 that the seedlings will be well 

 developed before very warm 

 weather sets in. The soil used 

 in the seed-pans should be very 

 light and sandy, the surface 

 should be made smooth, and 

 the seeds then pressed lightly 

 into the soil, after which a light covering of sand 

 should be given, and the pans placed in a temperature 

 of 60° until they have germinated, which usually takes 

 from three to four weeks; pans should then be removed 

 to a light position, shaded from direct sunlight, in a 

 rather lower temperature, to induce a stocky growth. 

 As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle con- 

 veniently, they should be pricked off into other pans or 

 shallow boxes containing a mixture of three parts leaf- 

 mold and one part sifted loam and clean silver-sand. 

 Watering should be carefully attended to, and every- 

 thing done to promote active growth, so that, if possible, 

 the plants may be large enough to require a second 

 shift into other boxes, similarly prepared, by the end of 

 June. Auricula seedlings go through the hottest months 

 much better in boxes than in pots, as they can be kept 

 more evenly moist. For their summer quarters, a 

 wooden frame placed on sifted coal-ashes on the north 

 side of a building or wall, or ahnost any position in 

 which they will l)c sheltered from the sun and still receive 

 plenty of light, should Ijc given them. The frame should 

 be provided with sash, which should be kept over the 

 plants most of the time, giving air in abundance in 

 favorable weather, and during the warmest weather the 

 whole frame should be raised by placing a brick under 

 each corner, so as to allow a good circulaton of air 

 among the plants. About the second week in Septem- 

 ber the young ])lants .should be potted, using a compost 

 of two parts good fibrous loam, one part leaf-mold, and 

 one part, well decayed cow- or sheep-manure, with a 

 little; sand added. The frame should be kept a little 

 close for a few days after potting, and from this time 

 care must be taken not to wet. the foliage in watering. 

 The plants may remain in the frame inttil danger of 

 freezing, when they should be transferred to a cool 



439. Aucuba japonica var. variegata. ( X H) 



