SPINACH 



succession or companion crop, as it occupies the land 

 for a small part of the year. There are very few in- 

 sects and diseases that are generally troublesome. 



Spinach is usually transported to market in barrels, 

 or crates. Plants are usually cut so that an inch or so 

 of the root is left with them. All dirt is removed, as 

 also all broken and dead leaves. The plants are packed 

 tight. It is essential that the plants be dry before they 

 are .shipped. 



There are several important varieties of Spinach. 

 The large, broad-leaved varieties are most popular in 

 the markets, such as the Viroflay and the Round-leaved. 

 The prickly Spinach is considered to be the most hardy 

 and is chiefly recommended for fall sowing, l, g_ ij_ 



SFINACIA (from spina; alluding to the spiny fruit). 

 Chenopodicicen. Spinach. Spinage. According to 

 Volkeus (in Engler & Prantl's Pflanzenfamilien), there 

 are only two species of Spinacia, S. oleracea, Linn., 

 the common Spinach, and S. tetrandra, Stev. The lat- 

 ter is an annual herb of the Asia Minor-Persian region, 

 and is not in cultivation. S. oleracea, the Spinach, is 

 prob.ably native to southwestern Asia, but it is now 

 widely cultivated. It is an annual herb, developing 

 rather large, arrow-shaped root-leaves, and these leaves 

 are eaten for "greens." Later in the season it sends up 

 a branching flower-stem 2-3 ft. high, bearing axillary 

 clusters of seed-like fruits. In one type these fruits are 

 spiny: this is the form once described as .S. sphwsa, 

 Moench, but which is not now considered to be specifi- 

 cally distinct. Whether the round-seeded or the prickly- 

 seeded type is the original form of the Spinach is not 

 known, but as a matter of nomenclature, Linnjeus' S. 

 oleracea, vihich is the oldest name, is held to include all 

 forms. 



Spinacia belongs to the atriplex tribe. The genus is 

 distinguished from Atriplex in the fact that the pistil- 

 late flowers are bractless, whereas those of Atriplex 

 are inclosed in a pair of enlarging calyx-like bracts. 

 Spinacia is dicecious, bearing the flowers in small axil- 

 lary clusters: stamens 4 or 5, in a 4-5-lobed calyx: 

 ovary 1, with 4-5 styles or stigmas, in a 2-4-toothed 

 calyx, this calyx hardening and inclosing the akene and 

 often becoming horned on the sides and giving rise to 

 "prickly-seeded" Spinach. The cultivated forms have 

 developed much thicker and broader radicil leaves, 

 which are used for greens, often showing little of the 

 halberd or sagittate shape. L, jj_ b_ 



SPINDLE TEEE. Euonymus. 



SPIRffiA (ancient Greek name of a plant used for 

 garlands, derived from speira, band, wreath; probably 

 first used for the present genus by Clusius). Roshcece. 

 Ornamental deciduous shrubs, with alternate, estipu- 

 late, simple and rather small Ivs., and small white, 

 pink or almost crimson fls. in showy umbels, corymbs 

 or panicles. Many are hardy north; sume ci' Ihc best 

 of them are Spiraa arynta', ThunJimii. \',t u lln,ilh-i, 

 pubeacens, irilobata, bracteaia, medi'i. h Ihnfnhn . D/hx , 

 Doufflasi, Memiesi, tnmr-ntnxn. Spir^i.t l,l,n,,l,i. ,1a- 



POH 



ilbi 



The second giouij is .■,.ii,|.....,t-.l i.L ilic ....cli..ns Calospira 

 and Spiraria, with white or pink flowers in corymbs or 

 panicles appearing from June to fall. Some of the most 

 important species, arranged according to their relative 

 floweriDg time, are the following: Early-flowering Spl- 



spiR.EA itjyy 



reas — 5. Thunbergi, urguta, hypericifoUa. pritnifoHa, 

 media, Pikowiensis, pubescevs, chamisd'iy folia, irilo- 

 bata. Van Houttei, Cantonensis, bracteata. Late-flow- 

 ering Spireas — S. bella, corymbosa, densiflora, ca- 

 nescens, Japonica, albiflora, salicifoUa, alba, Menziesi, 

 Voitglasi, tomentosa. The species of the second group 

 do not produce their flowers all at once like those of 

 the flrst group, but continue blooming for a longer 

 time. 



The Spireas are all medium-sized or low shrubs and 

 well adapted for borders of shrubberies, as single speci- 

 mens on the lawn or for rockeries. Especially the spe- 

 cies of the early-flowering group possess a graceful 

 habit and make effective single specimens, except per- 

 haps S. chamcedryfolia and media, which are somewhat 

 stififer and less handsome and produce suckers. Spirata 

 canescens has also the graceful habit of the first group. 

 Spirrea Japonica and its numerous hybrids form mostly 

 low, round bushes and are pretty as single specimens or 

 in the border. Spircpa alba, Douglasi, Memiesi and to- 

 mentosa should be planted in shrubberies only and es- 

 pecially in situations where their sjireading by suckers 

 does no harm; they are simif'tinics used for low 

 ornamental hedges. For rc-liirns S/^inra decumbens, 

 corymbosa, densiflora , hiilhiln. ami s,, me dwarf hybrids 

 of 5. Japonica are to bi- r..c..iiiiiii.it.iii!. 



The species of thi- s....ii..ii ('li;uii;eilrvon, and also 

 S. canescens and h.lhi. sl,,.nl.l be pruned as little as 

 possible, — only tliinn. (i ..ut ami the weak wood removed, 

 — while those of tbi- x...ti..ii^ Spiraria and Calospira can 

 be pruned more se\'er*-iy if iircessary, since they pro- 

 duce their flowers at the ends of the young shoots. 

 Some of the early-flowering Spireas, especially jS. or- 

 gutn, pninifolia. Van Houttei and S. Bumalda, are 

 sometimes forced. 



The Spireas grow in almost any moderately moist 

 soil, the Spiraria species being generally more moisture- 

 loving; and S. tomentosa thrives well only in a peaty 

 or sandy soil, while those recommended above for rock- 

 eries require a well -drained soil and sunny situation. 

 Prop, by seeds sown in spring and covered only slightly 

 with soil, or by hardwood or greenwood cuttings. The 

 species of Cham^dryon grow very well from greenwood 

 cuttings under glass, while the Spirarias are usually 

 raised from hardwood cuttings. The Calospiras seem 

 to grow equally well in both ways. The Spirarias are 

 also often prop, by division and by suckers. 



About 50 species in the temperate regions of the 

 northern hemisphere, in America south to Mexico. Lvs. 

 simple, short -petioled, entire or serrate, sometimes 

 lobed, without stipules: fls. in umbel-like racemes, co- 

 rymbs or panicles, perfect, rarely polygamous; calyx 

 cup-shaped or faniiiannlat-, -.-1..1....1 : |...fals 5, rounded; 



stamens 15-r.n. ii,-.ii. .1 i., n. .,K> and disk; pistils 



usually 5, distill ■'■ n i.ili.'les dehiscent 

 along the inni r I i rarely two mi- 



nute, oblong S...U. Mil... .[...I.- |..iiiierly included 

 under Spirjea are now rt-ti-rii il lo other genera; see 

 Physocarpus, Sehizonotus and Sorbaria for shrubby 

 species and Aruncus, Ulmaria and also Astilbe for the 

 herbaceous ones. There is a monograph of Spirfea and 

 the allied genera by Maximowicz in Acta Iloili I'ltr.i- 

 politani, vol. fi, p. 105-261 (1879) and a iii..ii..in a].li ..f 

 the cultivated species, with their nnmiroiis iixl.ii.ls 

 fully described by H. Zabel, Die .strauclii-. ii Spiiii.-n 

 d(.r'dents,-h..n Giirten (189.1). There is niucli lioiticul- 

 tiiral iitti'atiire On Spireas, for the plants are popular 

 ami til.- .-].. Mil s are many. Alfred Rehdeb. 



'rill- iianic Spirwn is often spelled Spirea. Whenever 

 the generic and specific name are both used the di- 

 graph should be employed, thus: Spiraea Japonica. 

 Whenever one speaks of "Spireas" in an untechnical 

 way, we spell the name without the digraph, in har- 

 mony with the Editor's writings. The name Spirea 

 should be considered as an English word in common 

 speech just as geranium and chrysanthemum are. In 

 fact, many people speak of plants as " Spireas " which do 

 not belong to the genus. For example, a delightful 

 white-flowered bushy herb which is grown indoors in 

 great quantities, especially at Easter, is properly an 

 Astilbe. Comparable instances are peony, bougainvillea, 



etc. 



W. M. 



