HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



AUB 



siderable commercial value as a material for 

 making brooms and -brushes. It is popularly 

 known as Piassaba Palm. The nuts of this spe- 

 cies are very hard, about four inches long, finely 

 mottled, dark and light brown, and are highly 

 esteemed for turning into knobs, umbrella han- 

 dles, and various other purposes. A. Cohune 

 furnishes Cohoun nuts, from which is extracted 

 Cohoun oil, used for burning, for which purpose 

 it is superior to cocoanut oil. The species are 

 too large for gieen-house cultivation. 



Aubrietia. Named after M. Aubriet, a French 

 botanical draughtsman. Linn. Tetradynamia- 

 NV/v.i/osa. Nat. Ord. Cruclfene. 



A genus of pretty little plants, generally with 

 purple flowers, about three inches high, which 

 flower in March, and are admirably adapted for 

 pots or miniature rock-work. They are readily 

 propagated by division. Natives of the South of 

 Europe. Introduced in 1710. 



Aucuba. The name of the shrub in Japan. Linn. 

 Monoecia-Tetrandria. Nat. Ord. Cbmaceo?. 



A genus of hardy evergreen shrubs from 

 Japan, useful, and highly prized for their vigor- 

 ous habit, rapid growth, and capability of endur- 

 ing, and even thriving in, the atmosphere of 

 cities. The conspicuously marked foliage of A. 

 Japonica variegata, which is green and yellow, ad- 

 mirably adapts it for the shrubbery border, or as 

 a single plant upon the lawn. This variety 

 is not usually hardy north of Washington. Prop- 

 agated by cuttings, which root freely in sand. 

 Introduced in 1783. 



Auricula. See Primula. 



Avena. Oat. A name of obscure origin. Linn. 

 Triandria-Digynia. Nat. Ord. OraminacecK. 



A genus of grasses, in point of beauty unin- 

 teresting. A. saliva, the common Oat, is the 

 best known, and invaluable in agricultural 

 economy. There are several species of Oats, and 

 a vast number of varieties. The nativity of the 

 Oat is accredited to Mesopotamia. It is, how- 

 ever, a matter of conjecture. The quality and 

 appearance of the Oat vary greatly when grown 

 on different soils and in different climates. 

 The justly celebrated Norway Oat loses its dis- 

 tinctive character when grown in the warm, dry 

 climate of the Middle or New England States, 

 and seed has consequently to be procured from 

 colder countries, in order to keep the cr6p up 

 to the high standard claimed for it. The Naked 

 or Hulless Oat is A. nuda, found growing wild 

 in many parts of Europe, and considered mere- 

 ly a degeneration of the common Oat. A very 

 fine variety of this species has been introduced 

 from China, but its merits as a farm crop have 

 not been fully tested. A. sttrilis, a native of the 



BAB 



South of Europe, is the Animated Oat of the 

 gardens. The "animation" is produced by 

 the contraction and expansion of the awns, 

 which cause the seed to crawl a short distance. 

 Moisture from dews is sufficient to produce this 

 slight motion. 



Avens. See Geum. 



Azalea. From azdeos, dry ; in reference to the 

 habitation of the plant. Linn. Penlandria-Mon- 

 ogynia. Nat. Ord. Ericaceae. 

 ' Beautiful flowering plants, natives of North 

 America, Turkey, and China. The American or 

 Hardy Azaleas, A. calendulacea, nudiflura, and i'is- 

 t-osa, with hosts of garden varieties bred from 

 them, are inhabitants of all our best shrubber- 

 ies, and have been so wonderfully improved by 

 seedling culture as to throw into the shade the 

 original species; there can now be selected 

 twenty or thirty varieties better than the very 

 best of the original species. Every year, too, 

 adds to the diversity of sorts and to the size of 

 the flowers, which is one of the characteristics of 

 the improved kinds. In many places they 

 thrive in the common soil of the garden, but, 

 in general, they require leaf mould to be dug in 

 with the natural soil ; and where there is to be 

 any quantity grown, or a nursery of them made, 

 beds of leaf mould, or compounds of the great- 

 est part of this, must be made up. They are 

 raised from seed sown in beds in the open air, 

 but, from its extreme diminutiveness, many 

 prefer sowing in pans and wide-mouthed pots. 

 When they are large enough, they should be 

 planted out in beds six inches apart. The sec- 

 ond year every alternate plant may be taken out 

 and planted elsewhere, to make room; and as 

 they increase in size they should have more 

 room. They are propagated chiefly by grafting 

 and layers, but cuttings of the last year's wood 

 will root readily in sand. A. Ponlica is a native 

 of Turkey. A. Indica (the Chinese Azalea) and 

 its varieties are those we meet with in the green- 

 house. The florists' catalogues abound with 

 rare sorts, the results of careful and skillful 

 cross-fertilization. We are largely indebted for 

 our finer sorts to the nurserymen at Ghent, 

 Belgium. They are increased easily in spring 

 by cuttings of the half-ripened young shoots. 



Azara. Named after J. N. Azam, a Spanish pro- 

 moter of botany. Linn. Potyandria-Monogynia. 

 Nat. Ord. Flacourliacece. 



A genus of evergreen shrubs, natives of Chili. 

 A. Gilliesii, is the mo>-it desirable species. Its 

 leaves are evergreen, somewhat resembling the 

 Holly; flowers yellow, produced in axillary clus- 

 ters. Propagated by cuttings. Introduced in. 



B. 



Babiana. From babianer, the Dutch for baboon ; 

 in reference to the bulbs being eaten by 

 baboons. Linn. Triandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. 

 IridacecK. 



A genus of Cape plants, with solid bulbs or 

 conns, which are eaten by the Hottentots, and 

 which, when roasted, are said to resemble 

 chestnuts. All the species have showy flowers, 

 of various colors, blue predominating. Some 

 of the varieties are finely variegated. They 

 succeed in very sandy loam, and may be grown 



either in pots for ornamenting the green-house, 

 or planted in a cold frame, where, if protected 

 from frost in winter, they may be allowed to re- 

 main altogether. They increase rapidly by off- 

 sets. Introduced from the Cape of Good Hope 

 in 1757. 



Babingtonia. Named in compliment to Charles 

 Babington, of Cambridge, Eng., a distinguished 

 botanist. Linn. Icosandria-Monogynia. Nat. 

 Ord. Myrlacece. 



B. camphorosma, the only species of import- 



