HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



BEL 



be, which is owing, no doubt, to their being very 

 impatient of our hot summers. They should 

 therefore be grown in a shady and rather cool 

 border. 



Bellwort. See Uvularia. 



Bent Grass. See Agroslis. 



Benjamin Bush. A popular name of Lindera 

 Bemoin, which is also called Spice Bush. 



Benthamia. Named after Mr. Bentham, a distin- 

 guished English botanist. Linn. Tetrandria-Mo- 

 nogynia. Nat. Ord. Cornacea;. 



A small genus of half-hardy evergreen shrubs, 

 natives of Northern India. The fruit makes it 

 a conspicuous plant for the lawn. It is of a yel- 

 lowish white color, about the size of a Raspber- 

 ry, but not edible. Propagated from seed or by 

 cuttings. 



Berberidopsis. From Berberis, and ops'ts, like; 

 resembling the Barberry. Linn. Enneandria-Mo 

 nogynia. Nat; Ord. Berberidacece. 



A small genus of half-hardy evergreen shrubs, 

 natives of Chili. B. corallina is a handsome 

 shrub of sub-scandent habit, thick, leathery 

 leaves, and drooping, many-flowered racemes of 

 long-stalked, crimson-scarlet flowers. This spe- 

 cies would be perfectly hardy south of Washing- 

 shrub of remarkable beauty. Pro- 



Pro- 

 Introduced 



ton, and is a si 



pagated by cuttings or from seed. 



in 1862. 



Berberis. The Barberry. From berberys, its Ara- 

 bian name. Linn. Hexandria-Monogynia. Nat. 

 Ord. Berberidacece. 



There are several varieties of the common Bar- 

 berry, all of which are ornamental shrubs, easi- 

 ly propagated by cuttings or layers, and well 

 adapted for a large lawn, especially the purple- 

 leaved variety. They thrive best in rather a 

 light, sandy soil. The fruit is acid and highly 

 esteemed for preserving, and for this purpose 

 the seedless variety, B. vulgaris asperina, is most- 

 ly preferred. This variety is a native of Eu- 

 rope. 



Bertholletia. Brazil Nut. Named after L. C. 

 BerthoUet, a distinguished chemist. Linn. Pdy- 

 andria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Lecythidacece. 



The tree that bears the Brazil Nuts of com- 

 merce. B. excelsa, the only species of this ge- 

 nus, is one of the most majestic trees in the Bra- 

 zilian forests. It often attains a height of one 

 hundred and fifty feet, and has a diameter of 

 from three to four feet at the base. It is found 

 in the greatest abundance in the forests on the 

 banks of the Amazon. It is also common in Cen- 

 tral America, and in several of the States of 

 South America. The nuts are incased in a shell 

 from four to six inches in diameter, which is ex- 

 tremely hard. Each shell contains about twen- 

 ty nuts. So enormous is the weight of this fruit, 

 that at the period when it falls the -natives dare 

 not enter the forests without covering their heads 

 and shoulders with a strong buckler of wood. 

 The time for collecting these nuts is in winter, 

 when the Indians, in great numbers, ascend the 

 rivers to obtain their harvest of nuts, upon 

 which they depend for the year's subsistence. 

 When the nuts are spread on the ground all the 

 animals of the forest surround them and dispute 

 their possession. The Indians say it is the 

 feast of the animals as well as themselves, but 

 they are angry with their rivalry. The gather- 

 ing of the nuts is celebrated with rejoicings, 

 like the "Harvest Home" of Old England. 

 About once in five years another species or va- 

 riety is seen in small quantities in a few of the 

 fruit stores of New York. It is of a lighter col- 



BET 



or, much less angular, less oily, and very much 

 finer in quality than the common Brazil Nut. 

 It is called the Paradise Nut, and is quite dis- 

 tinct. It is said to grow in the interior of the 

 country, and is gathered by the Indians, and 

 brought to the coast, which they visit at long in- 

 tervals for the purpose of trade. 



Bertolonia. In honor of A. Bertoloni, an Italian 

 botanist. Linn. Decandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. 

 Melastomacea;. 



. A genus of very pretty trailing or creeping 

 plants, natives of the dense forests of Brazil. 

 B. maculata, typical of the genus, is an exceed- 

 ingly beautiful hot-house creeper. The leaves 

 are spotted on the surface, and purple under- 

 neath. It requires a warm, moist atmosphere, 

 and is readilv increased by cuttings. Intro- 

 duced in 1848. 



Bessera. Named after Dr. Besser, professor of 

 botany at Brody. Linn. Hexandria-MowjUHin. 

 Nat. Ord. LUiacece. 



A small genus of very beautiful Mexican bulbs, 

 allied to the Squills. The flowers are scarlet, 

 purple, or white, produced on slender scapes 

 about a foot high. They may be grown in a 

 frame, like half-hardy bulbs, but it is less trou- 

 ble to treat them the same as the Tigridia. The 

 bulbs must be kept warm and dry during the 

 winter, if taken up. Propagated by offsets. In- 

 troduced in 1846. 



Beta. Beet. From bett, the Celtic word for red; in 

 reference to the red color of the Beet. Linn. 

 Penlandria-Digynia. Nat. Ord. Chenopodiacece. 



The several species included in this genus are 

 natives of Europe, Northern Africa, and Western 

 Asia. Four of the species are cultivated as escu- 

 lents; the others are of no particular interest. 

 B. vulgaris, the parent of our garden varieties, 

 is a native of Egypt and along the whole sea- 

 coast of the Mediterranean, and is now found 

 growing wild in those localities. The Beet has 

 been highly esteemed as a garden vegetable for 

 more than 2000 years, and is specially noticed 

 by all the early writers on plants. The roots of 

 the Beet have been much improved by cultiva- 

 tion, both as regards size and quality, and long 

 ago they arrived at that state of perfection, be- 

 yond which, progress in the line of improve- 

 ment must of necessity be slow. The several 

 varieties of Mangel-wurzel and Sugar Beet, now 

 grown so extensively in Europe, belong to the 

 species B. altissima, the native country of which 

 is unknown. The Chard Beet, or Swiss Chard, 

 is B. cycla, a native of Portugal, first introduced 

 into English gardens in 1670. It is extensively 

 cultivated in the gardens of Europe, and forms 

 one of the principal vegetables of the laboring 

 class, the leaves only being used. They are 

 stripped off and boiled as a substitute for spin- 

 ach. The rib of the leaf, which is strong and 

 fleshy, is sometimes dressed as Asparagus. Sea 

 Beet is B. maritima, a species of easy culture, 

 used for greens only, and one of the best plants 

 under cultivation for that use. It is a native of 

 the British coasts. The Chilian Beet, B. Chilien- 

 sis, a species of recent introduction, native of 

 Chili, as its name implies, is becoming popular 

 for ornamental gardening, particularly for large 

 ribbon borders, the two varieties, one with 

 bright yellow, the other with crimson foliage, 

 contrasting finely with other plants. 



Betula. Birch. From its Celtic name, betu. Linn. 

 Monoecia-Tetrandria. Nat. Ord. Bdulacea;. 



An extensive genus of deciduous trees, com- 

 mon in all the cold and inhospitable climates. 



