HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



163 



PEL 



cies noted are natives of the Cape of Good Hope 

 unless otherwise mentioned. The Fancy or 

 Show Pelargoniums, that are strictly green- 

 house varietie^s, and unsuitable for the border 

 are descendants of P. yran/liflorum, introduced 

 in 1794. One of the hybrids was called "Lady 

 Washington, 1 ' which gave the whole class the 

 popular name, "Lady Washington Geraniums." 

 Some divisions of this class also have the dis- 

 tinctive appellation of French Pelargoniums 

 probably because they had their origin with th(' 

 French hybridists. As specimen plants, for green 

 house or conservatory decoration, these have de- 

 ci<4ed merit. There are few cultivated plants 

 that make a more beautiful display, when they 

 receive the care and attention they need. With 

 this adaptation their usefulness ends. P. inqui- 

 nans, Scarlet Pelargonium, is one of the parents 

 of that large and important class now known as 

 Bedding, Scarlet, or Zonal Geraniums, and for- 

 merly very generally called Fish and Horseshoe 

 Geraniums, and of which we now have an im- 

 mense variety of double and single, embracing 

 every shade of scarlet, crimson, rose, carmine, 

 violet, white, etc. This species has a splendid 

 habit, being dwarf and compact; the flowers are 

 intense scarlet, of good form and substance; it 

 has large reniform, indistinctly zoned leaves, 

 soft to the touch, and exhaling, when rubbed^ 

 an aromatic odor, which is unpleasant to most 

 persons. P. zonale, Zonal Geranium, or Horse- 

 shoe Geranium, so-called from a dark, discolored 

 zone on the surface of the leaf, is a smaller spe- 

 cies than the preceding, and has the leaves more 

 strongly marked. The petals of the flower are 

 narrower, and of a deep carmine color. A variety 

 of this, P. marginalum, is the well-known Silver- 

 leaved Geranium. All the " Tricolors," such as 

 Mrs. PoUock, Sunset, Golden Tricolor, etc., have 

 originated from the above few species. It must 

 not be supposed that all these beautiful colors, 

 both in foliage and flower, have been produced 

 hastily, or that they are in the true sense hy- 

 brids. Persistent cross fertilization of the many 

 varieties, that has been carried on for the last 

 thirty years, has given us the rare sorts enu- 

 merated in florists' catalogues. We think it 

 is not to be doubted, however, that some of the 

 "Tricolors" are simply "Sports." P. peltatwn 

 is the Ivy-leaved Geranium. Of this species 

 there are two varieties that were introduced in 

 1701, and from these have sprung several beau- 

 tiful sorts, which grow rapidly and flower free- 

 ly. From their graceful, trailing habit, they are 

 useful for window gardening and rustic work. 

 Many of the Ivy-leaved have handsome double 

 flowers. Of the species, besides those noted 

 above, we will briefly mention P. echinalum, in- 

 troduced into England in 1797, but mostly lost 

 sight of until recently, except in collections of 

 old plants. It is, indeed, an entirely distinct 

 species, and one of the best for general cultiva- 

 tion for cut flowers. The foliage is covered with 

 a white, silvery down ; the lower petals of the 

 flowers are pure white, and the upper ones 

 marked or blotched with dark purple or ma- 

 roon. In their habitat, several variations in 

 color appear, but are all of the same general 

 character. P. capitatum is the popular Rose 

 Geranium, which was introduced in 1690. P. 

 quercifolium is the larger Oak-leaved Geranium, 

 introduced in 1774. P. graueolens is the Lemon- 

 scented Geranium; P.'vitifolium is the Balm- 

 scented Geranium, receiving its specific name 

 from the resemblance of its leaves to those of 



PEN 



the Vine; P. fragrant is the Nutmeg-scented 

 Geranium, introduced in 1731; P. tomentosum is 

 the Pennyroyal Geranium; P. uniium is the 

 Citron-scented Geranium; P. odorata is the Ap- 

 ple-scented Geranium. Between some of the 

 above species hybrids have been produced, but 

 we cannot trace them with any degree of confi- 

 dence, and therefore make no mention of them 

 Pellitory of Spain. See Anlhemis. 

 Peltandra, From pelte, a buckler, and aner. a 

 man. Linn. Moncecia-Polyandriu. Nat. Ord. 

 AracecK. 



P. Virginica, formerly called Arum Virginicum, 

 is a common aquatic plant, in shallow waters' 

 from New York southward. 



Penicillaria. From penicillus, a pencil; in allu- 

 sion to the spikes. Linn. Triandria-Digynia. 

 Nat. Ord. GraminacecK. 



A small genus of grasses, of which P. spicata 

 is the well-known Penrl Millet, which see. 

 Pennyroyal. See Mentha Putegium. 

 Pennyroyal Geranium. See Pelargonium. 

 Pentas. From pente, five; referring to the num- 

 ber of petals and stamens. Linn. Pentandria- 

 Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Cinchonacete. 



The only species known, P. carnea, is a very 

 handsome hot-house plant, with delicate flesh- 

 colored flowers, copiously produced in dense 

 corymbs or cymes. It is valuable not only for 

 the richness of its flowers, but also for the 

 lengthened period and ease with which they are 

 produced; and although it requires a hot-honse 

 to flower freely in winter, yet it may be kept in 

 a green-house, and will then bloom from April 

 till the following October. propagated by cut- 

 tings of young shoots in sandy soil in the hot- 

 bed or green-house in spring; the young plants 

 will bloom freely during the summer. Intro- 

 duced from South Africa in 1842. 

 Pentlandia. Named after J. B. Pentland, an 

 English consul-general in Peru. Linn. Hex/an- 

 dria- Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Amaryllidacece. 



A small genus of very showy green-house bulb- 

 ous plants from Peru. P. miniata, the most 

 beautiful of the species, bears a solitary lancio- 

 lateleaf, appearing before the flowers, which are 

 borne on a solid scape supporting an umbel of 

 about half a dozen drooping vermilion-colored 

 flowers. They flower in early autumn, and 

 should rest during winter. They may be kept 

 in the same manner as the Amaryllis. Propa- 

 gated by offsets. Introduced in 1836. 

 Pentstemon. From j-ntr, five, and xtemon, a sta- 

 men ; there are four perfect stamens and one im- 

 perfect. .Linn. Diilynamia-Angiospermia. Nat. 

 Ord. Scrophulariacta*. 



An extensive genus of hardy and half-hardy 

 herbaceous plants. Several of the species are 

 common from North Carolina to Florida. The 

 more showy species, those usually cultivated, 

 are natives of Texas, Oregon, Colorado, Rocky 

 Mountains, etc., and Mexico. Those introduced 

 into the garden are beautiful plants, growing 

 from one to three feet high, with white, pink, scar- 

 let, blue, or purple flowers, produced freely from 

 April until October. Most of them grow well in 

 a light loam. They should have as dry a situa- 

 tion as the garden affords, as they suffer more 

 from wet than cold during winter. Several of 

 the California species, of late introduction, are 

 very difficult to winter over in the border; being 

 found in a coarse, sandy soil, and their period 

 of rest being the dry season, they seem little in- 

 clined to adapt themselves to our climate. The 

 beauty and profusion of the flowers will, how- 



