HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



17 



AHA 



Perennial herbaceous plants, growing from 

 one to three feet high, of which several species 

 are very ornamental, especially A. vulgaris and 

 its varieties. A. Canadensis is the wild Colum- 

 bine of the United States. A. chrysantha, re- 

 cently discovered in the Rocky Mountains, has 

 canary-colored flowers, contrasting finely with 

 A. alpina. They grow in any dry soil. The 

 species are propagated by seeds, which will 

 keep a long time, or by division of the root. 



Arabia. Rock Cress. From Arabia: probably in 

 reference to the dry situations where many of 

 the species grow. Linn. Telradynamia-Siliquosa. 

 Nat. Ord. Crutiferce. 



Herbaceous plants, chiefly annuals and bien- 

 nials. Natives of many countries, some of which 

 are remarkable for their early flowering. A. al- 

 pina has white and yelk ./ flowers, which, in its 

 native country, appear in March ; and .-1. aJbida 

 flowers the greater part of the year, commencing 

 in mild winters in January, iind puducing its 

 large tufts of white blossoms till October. Some 

 of the species and varieties, such as A. verna, A. 

 alpina nana, and A. bellidifolia, do not grow above 

 three inches high, and are admirable plants for 

 rock-work, or gardens and pots. 



Arachis. Peanut. From a, privative, and rachis, a 

 branch; a branchless plant. Linn. Diacklphia- 

 Decandria. Nat. Ord. 1'abacece. 



A. hypogcea (underground), the only species, 

 is the Peanut of our shops. It is a native of the 

 West Indies and Western Africa, but has be- 

 come generally cultivated in all warm climates 

 as an article of food, to be eaten like other nuts, 

 or as food for swine. It is also largely cultivated 

 in the East Indies and Cochin China for the oil 

 obtained from the seeds, which is thin and of a 

 straw color, resembling the finer kinds of olive 

 oil. It is said to be of a superior quality, and 

 for table use preferable to the best olive oil. It 

 is free from stearine, and is used by watchmakers 

 and others for delicate machinery. The plant 

 is an annual, of a trailing habit, with yellow, 

 pea-shaped flowers, produced from the axils of 

 the leaves in bunches of five or seven, close to 

 or even tinder the ground. They should be 

 grown in a light, sandy soil, and the stems cov- 

 ered lightly with earth when in flower, as the 

 seeds are only ripened under ground. The pea- 

 nut is profitably grown in nearly all of the South- 

 ern States. 



Aralia. A name of unknown meaning. Linn. 

 1'mtandria-Pentagynia. Nat. Ord. Araleacce. 



This genus consists of trees, herbs, and shrubs, 

 mostly of an ornamental character, but of no 

 value as flowering plants. The roots of A. med- 

 icaulis, one of our native species, is largely sold 

 for sarsaparilla. A. racemos't is our beautiful 

 Spikenard, much esteemed for its medicinal 

 properties. A. papijrifera, which assumes a tree 

 form, grows in great quantities in the deep, 

 swampy forests of the island of Formosa. The 

 stems of this species are filled with pith of 

 very fine texture, from which is manufactured 

 the celebrated rice paper of the Chinese, which 

 is chiefly used in making artificial flowers. 



Araucaria. From araucanos, its name among the 

 people in whose country the Araucaria imbricata 

 grows in Chili. Linn. l)icecia-Polyandria. Nat. 

 Ord. Pinacece. 



This genus consists of lofty evergreen trees, 

 none oi* which will bear the open air of the cli- 

 mate of the Northern States. The most beauti- 

 ful of the species is A . e.rcelxa, from Norfolk Is- 

 land, where it is known as Norfolk Island Pine. 



ARE 



It grows to the height of 200 feet. Its symmetrical 

 g owth and deep green, finely- cut foliage give it 

 a fern-like appearance. All the species are fine 

 ornaments for the lawn during summer, but re- 

 quire the protection of the green-house during 

 winter. Propagation can be effected by cuttings, 

 though a slow and uncertain process. They 

 grow readily from seed. 



Arbor Vitse. See Thuja. 



Arctotis. Derived from arktos, a bear, and ous, 

 an ear ; shaggy fruit. Linn. Synyenesia-Polyga- 

 mia-Necessaria. Nat. Ord. Composiicc. 



This genus consists of annuals, biennials, and 

 green-house perennials. The annuals should 

 be started in the hot-bed early, as they require 

 a long season to develop their showy flowers, 

 which are sulphur and orange. They grow 

 freely in ordinary soil, and keep in bloom until 

 killed by frost. Introduced from the Cape of 

 Good Hope in 1774. 



Ardisia. From ardis, a spear-head; in reference 

 to the sharp-pointed divisions of the flower. 

 Linn. Pentandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. J/I//-N/- 

 nacece. 



Handsome green-house plants from the East 

 Indies, producing either red or white flowers, 

 and may be grown in sandy peat, with plenty 

 of water through the summer months. A. cre- 

 nulata is admired alike for its white flowers and 

 vermilion berries, being constantly covered 

 with either one qr the other. Propagated by 

 seeds in the green-house. Plants usually fruit 

 when one year old. There is also a pretty white- 

 fruited variety. 



Areca. Called areec in Malabar, when an old tree. 

 Linn. Moncecia- Monad 'elphia. Nat. Ord. Palmace-cv. 

 An extensive genus of lofty, magnificent 

 Palms-, natives of the East and West Indies and 

 South America. The most prominent of the 

 species is A. oleracea, the Cablbage Palm. This 

 is one of the most beautiful and stately of the 

 Palm tribe, and is called, in some of the trop- 

 ical islands, the Royal Palmetto. The stein of a 

 full-sized tree at the base is seven feet in cir- 

 cumference, and it rises to the enormous height 

 of one hundred and thirty feet. A noted trav- 

 eler, in his description of this tree, says: 

 " Near the base the trunk is of a brown color, 

 hard, woody, and jointed, with a pith inside 

 like the elder. The upper part of the trunk, 

 from whence the foliage springs, resembles a 

 well-turned, finely-polished baluster, of a lively 

 green color, gently swelling from its pedestal, 

 and diminishing gradually to the top, where it 

 expands into branches, waving like plumes of 

 ostrich feathers. These are decorated with nu- 

 merous leaflets, some of which are about three 

 feet long, and an inch and a half broad, taper- 

 ing into a sharp point. The leaflets gradually 

 decrease in size as they approach the extremi- 

 ties of the branches. This lofty, regular group 

 of foliage, impelled by the most gentle gale, and 

 constantly waving in feathery elegance, is an 

 object of beauty which cannot be imagined by 

 an inhabitant of temperate climes, unused to the 

 magnificent vegetation of a tropical sun. Within 

 the leaves, which constitute the summit of the 

 trunk, the portion called the cabbage lies con- 

 cealed. This substance is white, about two feet 

 long, of cylindrical form, and the thickness pi a 

 man's arm. It is composed of longitudinal 

 flakes like ribbons, and so compact as to form a 

 solid, crisp body. When eaten raw, it tastes 

 somewhat like the almond, but more tender and 

 delicious. When cut into slices and boiled, it 



