HENDEKSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



211 



SIS 



another coat, when the process is repeated, un- 

 til the mass is of a convenient size to handle for 

 shipment. There are several other species of 

 this genus that yield large quantities of rubber, 

 common from Central America to Brazil. The 

 first discovery of this valuable tree and its uses 

 was made by M. de la Condamine in 1736, but 

 it is only within the last fifty years that it has 

 become an important article of commerce. Ficus 

 elastica also produces the India Rubber of com- 

 merce, and is the best known of the rubber- 

 producing trees, ; n consequence of being largely 

 grown under glass for ornamental purposes. 



Sisyrinchium. Blue-eyed Grass. From sys, a 

 pig, and rygchos, a snout ; so called on account 

 of the fondness that swine have for the roots. 

 Linn. Triandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Iridacece. 

 A. genus of very pretty hardy herbaceous 

 plants, common throughout the United States. 

 When out of flower the plant resembles a tuft of 

 low-growing, coarse grass. The flowers are 

 small, of a delicate blue, changing to purplish, 

 and occasionally pure white. This genus makes 

 a beautiful clump in the garden. It is in its 

 greatest perfection of flower in June, but will 

 flower sparingly during the whole summer. 



Skimmia. From Skimmia, a Japanese word, sig- 

 nifying a hurtful fruit. Linn. Tetrandria-Mono- 

 gynia. Nat. Ord. Aurantiacea>. 



A genus of half-hardy evergreen shrubs, na- 

 tives of Japan and Northern India. S. Japonica 

 is a pretty dwarf-growing, holly-like shrub, with 

 dark, shining, evergreen, entire flat leaves, and 

 clusters of bright red berries, which give the 

 plant a very handsome appearance. It would 

 not stand our winters north from Washington. 

 It is increased from seeds. Introduced in 1845. 



Skullcap. See Scutellaria. 



Skunk Cabbage. See Symplocarpus fostidus. 



Sleep- at-noon. See Tragopogon pratensis. 



Slipperwort. See Calceolaria. 



Smart Weed. See Polygonum. 



Smeathmannia. In honor of Smeathman, a natur- 

 alist, who traveled in Africa, and collected many 

 botanical specimens. Linn. Polyandria-Polygy- 

 nia. Nat. Ord. Passifloraceee. 



A small genus of white-flowered green-house 

 evergreen shrubs from Sierra Leone. Like all 

 this natural order, the flowers are quite as re- 

 markable for singularity of form as for beauty. 

 This genus, unlike any others of the order, are 

 upright shrubs instead of twining plants. They 

 require a warm house, and to be well cut back 

 to force into flower. Propagated by cuttings. 

 Introduced in 1823. 



Smilacina. False Solomon's Seal. From smite, 

 a scraper; alluding to the roughness of the 

 stems. Linn. Hexandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. 

 Liliacece. 



A small genus of hardy herbaceous plants, 

 with terminal racemes of small white flowers. 

 They are common in moist woods in the North- 

 ern and Western States. S. bifolia is a beautiful 

 little plant, about six inches high, and is popu- 

 larly known in the New England States as Wild 

 Lily of the Valley. All the species are worthy 

 a place in the garden for their long bunches of 

 beautiful light-red, purple-speckled berries. 

 which remain until late in autumn. Propagated 

 from seed or root division. 



Smilax. See Myrsiphyllum asparagoides. 



Smilax. Green Brier, Cat Brier. From smilf, 

 a scraper ; the stems are rough from prickles. 

 Linn. DifKCM-Hexandria. Nat. Ord. isruUucew. 

 The many species of this genus are coarse- 



SOB 



growing, troublesome, hardy climbers, justly 

 regarded as pests by farmers and gardeners. 

 The common Cat Brier of our hedgerows and 

 woods, a prominent member of this family, has 

 its reputation too well established to need fur- 

 ther description. The gjenus includes some spe- 

 cies celebrated for their medicinal properties. 

 S. officinalis, a native of Columbia, Guatemala, 

 and Lima, furnishes the drug known as Sarsa- 

 parilla ; besides this, there are several other 

 species, the roots of which are sold as Sarsapa- 

 rilla. 8. medico, is the Mexican Sarsaparilla, and 

 8. papyracea is the Brazilian Sarsaparilla. 8. 

 China has esculent roots, which are eaten by the 

 Chinese, and also used in the manufacture of 

 domestic beer. The roots of several species of 

 the Aralia are used in the adulteration of Sarsa- 

 parilla. " Smilax," popularly known as such, is 

 the plant so extensively grown for festooning, 

 and is described under its proper name, Myr- 

 sip! t yllum, which see. 



Smoke Tree. See Khus cotinus. 



Snail Flower. See Phaseolus Caracatta. 

 '- Snail Plant. Medicago scutettata and M. helix, the 

 pods of which are called Snails from their re- 

 semblance to those mollusks. 



Snake Gourd. See Trichosanthes. 



Snake Root, Virginian. See Aristdochia serpen- 

 taria. 



Snake Boot, White. See Eupatoriumageratoides. 



Snake's Head. See Fritillaria meleagris. A. local 

 name applied also to Chelone, which see. 



Snake-wood. See Brosima. 



Snapdragon. See Antirrhinum. 



Sneezeweed. See Polygonum bistorta. 



Sneezewort. See AcltVlea Ptarmica. 



Snowball Tree. See Viburnum opulus. 



Snowberry. See Symphoricarpus. 



Snowdrop. See Galanthus nivalis. 



Snowdrop Tree. See Halesia. 



Snowflake, Spring. See Leucojum. 



Snowflake Flower. See Styrax Japonica. 



Snowflower. See Chionanthus Virginica. 



Soapwort. See Saponaria. 



Sobralia. Named after Don F. M. Sobral, a Span- 

 ish botanist. Linn. Gynandria-Monandria. Nat. 

 Ord. Orchidacece. 



The flowers of the principal species (S. ma- 

 crantha) are gorgeously colored of a rich rosy pur- 

 ple and the most intense crimson, and they are 

 at the same time of immense size. All the spe- 

 cies belong to the class of terrestrial Orchids, 

 being found on the margins of streams, growing, 

 like our reeds, in the alluvial deposit common 

 to such places. This habit requires to be im- 

 itated in cultivation, and it is therefore best to 

 pot them in very sandy loam, and either to place 

 the pot for a few inches- of its depth in a saucer 

 of water, or to supply the roots by other means 

 abundantly with water while they are in an ac- 

 tive state. The flowers are produced near the 

 apex of the long, reed-like stems, and in the spe- 

 cies mentioned are produced in daily succession, 

 each one lasting a day, when it has been ob- 

 served necessary to remove the decaying flower 

 as soon as its beauty is past, or it rots, and con- 

 sequently spoils the next in succession. Being 

 natives of, the milder parts of Guatemala, they 

 do not require a very high temperature at any 

 time, the ordinary one oC a green-house being 

 sufficient in summer, and from 45 to 50 in 

 winter, when the plants should be kept nearly 

 dry. There are three other species known, >'. 

 decora, >'. l'>H<tstr>nii, and >'. \cx.s-;/;.v, all of them 

 beautiful, but far surpassed by the first men- 



