514 



BLKCHXUM 



BLETIA 



2-3 ft. long. 1 ft. or nioro wide, with tlic piiinx .'^et at 

 !Ui acute iUiplo witli tin' rachis, the lower imicli shorter 

 ami inon> ili.-^tant. Hrjuil. S. 2:4. — Hather tender in 

 Cent. Kla. ami notnls pwteetion during winter. 



2. nittdum, I'resl. Habit of B. brasiliensc, but much 

 smaller: Ivs. pinnate; piiuue oblong-falcate, thickish, 

 2— J in. long, serrate. Brazil. ^Phuits 1-2 ft. high. 



3. corcovadense, Kaddi. Piniue not cut to therachis, 

 much crowde<l and shorter than the liust; longest pinna; 

 lt>ss tlian G in. long, attenuate at the tips; Ivs. crimson 

 when young, and gradually turning to a metallic hue 

 before becoming permanently green. By some con- 



sidereil a variety of B. brdsUiense. Brazil. 

 Var. crispum, llort., with wavy edges, may 

 be commoner in cult, than the type. 



BB. Piniue contracted at the base to the midrib, 

 forming a very nhort stalk. 

 4. occidentaie, Linn. Fig. .583. Lvs. from 



an erect rigid st.., which is covered with 

 brownish scales, 9-18 in. long, 

 4-6 in. wide, with the pinna; 

 trun('ate or even cordate at the 

 b:u>e and slightly falcate. Mex. 

 and W. Indies to Brazil. — A 

 beautiful .small fern. 



0. serrulatum, Rich. Grow- 

 ing from an ascending nearly 

 naked rootstock: lvs. 1-2 ft. 

 long, G-1.5 in. \vide, with numer- 

 ous narrow pinna;, which are 

 contracted at the base and of 

 nearly uniform width through- 

 out; margins finely serrulate; 

 texture coriaceous. Fla. to Brazil. 

 — Especially aflapted for the 

 edges of boggy ponds, river 

 banks and the like. Soon forms 

 ■ dense clumps 2-3 ft. high. 



AA. Fertile lvs. distinct from 

 sterile lvs., venj 7nuch nar- 

 rower. (Lomaria.) 

 B. Plant with an erect rigid st. 



c. Lvs. 6-12 in. long. 

 6. Mo6rei, C. Chr. (Lomaria 

 ciliatn, Moore). St. 6 in. high, 

 \]/2 in- thick: stipes blackish: 

 lvs. 8-12 in, long, the upper 

 pinna; with a rounded auricle at 

 the lower siile of the ba.sc; 

 fertile lvs. narrow-linear. New Caledonia. 



7. lanceolittim, Sturm. St. elongate, densely clothed 

 with dark brown scales: lvs. 6-12 in. long, 2-4 in. wide, 

 with clo.se, slightly falcate pinna;; texture leathery; 

 fertile piniue linear spreading. Austral, and Polynesia. 



cc. Lvs. l]/i-3 ft. long. 

 D. Lower pinns; connected at base. 



8. discolor, Keys. St. ascending: stipes black, 

 glos-sy, with den.se scales at base: lvs. 1)^-3 ft. long, 

 4-6 in. wide, with pinna; narrowed suddenly toward the 

 point; fertile pinna; narrower and shorter. Austral. 

 and New Zeal. 



9. gibbum, Mett. St. 2-3 ft. high: stipes short, with 

 black scalf^s: Ivs. 2-3 ft. long, 6 in. wide; fertile pinna; 

 narrower, 4-6 in. long. Var. platyptera is advertised. 

 L. inlermedin, Hort., may be derivc'd from this species. 

 New Caledonia. 



DD. Lfni:er pinnx narrowed at base and distinct. 



10. tabulJUe, Kuhn (Lomaria Boryana, Willd.). 

 8t. stout, erect, 1-2 ft. high, woody, densely scaly: lvs. 

 134^2 ft. long, 6-8 in. wide, narrowed and sometimes 

 auricled at base; fertile pinna; narrow-linear, close. W. 



583. Blechnum 

 occidentale. 



Indies to Patagonia, Mauritius and S. .\fr. — Probably 

 includes 2 or 3 species, among them L. zamvefolia, 

 Hort. 



nn. Plant with a stout, short, creeping rhizome. 



11. spicant, With. Sterile lvs. lanceolate, 6-9 in. long, 

 1-1 '2 in. wide, gradually narrowed below; fertile lvs. 

 1 ft. long, with longer stalks (6-9 in.) and narrowly lin- 

 ear pinna'. Eu., W. N. ,\mcr. — The large Californian 

 form with lvs. 2-3 ft. long is possibly a distinct species. 

 The European plant was early called Struthiopteris 

 spicant by Scopoli, by which name it is now cited as the 

 earliest generic name. Hardy; needs deepest shade. 

 Lomaria nippdnica, Kunze, Japan, usually larger than 

 preceding, is much like it in other respects and probably 

 is better to be considered as a form of B. spicant rather 

 than as a distinct species. 



B. orienidle. Linn., is a large E. Indian and Polynesian fern with 

 lvs. often 3 ft. long. — Well worthy of cult. 



L. M. Underwood. 

 BLEEDING HEART: DicerUra. R. C. BENEDICT.! 



BLEPHARIS (Greek, eyelash; referring to fringed 

 bracts). Acanthacese. A large (80 species) genus of 

 dwarf, often spiny shrubs and herbs, allied to Acanthus, 

 and of similar culture. V\s. in bracted spikes; calyx 

 cruciate, 4-parted nearly to the base, the 2 inner sepals 

 much shorter than the outer; corolla short-tubed, the 

 hmb blue or white; caps, ellipsoid, flattened and woody. 



carduifolia, T. Anders. [Acanthus carduifolius, Linn. 

 Acanthodium carduifolius, Nees). Plant villous: lvs. 

 lanceolate, sinuate-dentate, spiny: spike terminal, 

 cylindrical: bracts roundish, palmately 5-spined at 

 the apex. S. Afr. — Not commonly cult. 



N. TAYLOR.t 



BLEPHAROCALYX {eye-lash and calyx, probably 

 referring to a fringed condition). Myrtacese. Woody 

 plants, differing from Myrtus in having a thin crusta- 

 ceous testa of the seed instead of a thick and horny one, 

 and other minor characters, and by some authors 

 united with that genus. There are about 30 species in 

 S. Amer., but very little known in cult. B. spiraeoides, 

 Stapf (Eugenia myriophylla, Hort.), is a much-branched 

 shrub, 9 ft. high, free-flowering: lvs. lance-linear, %\n. 

 or less long: fls. small. Dale yellow, in terminal panicles; 

 petals 4. Brazil. B.M". 8123. 



BLETIA (named for Louis Blet, a Spanish botanist). 

 Orchidacese. Terrestrial orchids with globose or depressed 

 pseudobulbs, from the apex of which arises a leafy. 

 St.; mostly hothouse plants. 



Leaves plicate- veined: fls. borne on a lateral leafless 

 St.; sepals and petals spreading, similar, or the latter 

 broader; lip attached to the base of the column, 3-lobed, 

 the lateral lobes erect, the middle lobe spreading, the 

 disk with several entire or denticulate-crisped ridges; 

 poUinia 8. — A genus of about 20 species in Trop. Amer. 



A. Middle lobe of lip much crisped. 



B. Petals as wide as .sepals: fls. rose. 



verecunda, R. Br. Lvs. up to 3 ft. long, 2-4 in. wide: 



scape 2-4 ft. tall, the upper portion a raceme or panicle 



of numerous rose-colored fls. W. .Indies and Fla. 



G.C. II. 26, p. 141. B.M. 3217 (as B. acutipetala) . 



BU. Petals broader than sepals, undulate: fls. deep purple. 

 Shepherdii, Hook. Lvs. up to 2 ft. long, 3-4 in. 

 broad: scape, 2-3 ft. tall, the upper portion a raceme or 

 panicle of numerous deep purple fls.; sepals oblong, 

 acute, the petals broader, undulate; lip with the 

 lamella; white. Jamaica. B.M. 3319. P.M. 2:146. 



AA. Middle lobe of lip not crisped. 

 Sherrattiana, Batem. Lvs. up to 4 ft. long, 3-4 in. 

 broad: fls. bright rose, in a raceme of 10 or more; 

 sepals oblong-lanceolate, obtuse; petals much broader. 



