780 & : 



LASTHEXIA 



LASTHfiNIA (name of a woman who was a pupil 

 of Plato). Compdsitce. Low, slender annuals with nu- 

 merous inch-wide yellow flowers in early summer. 



glabr&ta, Lindl. (i. CalifSrnica, Lindl. BomoUgyne 

 glabrilla, Bartl.). The plant cult, under this name is 

 likely to he Baeria gracilis, ■whieh see. Height 1 ft.: 

 Ivs. much longer than in B. gracilis, strongly keeled, 

 not hairy, or rarely pubescent: involucre enlarged be- 

 low the flower. Calif. B.M. 3730. B.R. 21: " '""" 



LASTB£A (C. J. L. Delastre, Austrian botanist). A 

 name commonly used in England for species of Dry- 

 opteris. Also spelled ias?)-opo. On the basis of priority 

 it has no claim to recognition, as it was established by 

 Bory, in 1824, while we have Nephrodium, 1803; Aspid- 

 ium, 1801; Tectaria, 1800; Poly stichuni , 1799, and Dry- 

 opteris, 1763. 



The following additional species of Dryopteris (Vol. 

 1, p. 508) are in the American trade under the name Las- 

 trea (the combinations are for Dryopteris, notLastrea) : 



A. Lowest pinnce reduced to auricles: texture thin. 



sdncta, Kuntze. Lvs. 6-9 in. long, 1-2 in. wide on 

 short slender stems; lower pinua> very much reduced; 

 under surface glandular. West Indies. 



palustris. Kuntze. Lvs. 2-3 ft. long, 8-12 in. wide, 

 on long straw-oiplored stems ; lower pinnffi reduced, the 

 upper ^4 iu. wide, out down to the rachis into linear-ob- 

 long lobes. Brazil. 



mont4na, Kuntze. Lvs. l}4-2 ft. long, 6-8 in. wide; 

 lower pinnae greatly reduced to mere auricles; upper 

 pinnae 1 in. wide, cut into close blunt lobes. En., west- 

 ern N. America. A variety cristcLto-grdcile is also cult. 



LATHYRUS 



887 



AA. i.)»'. 



rigida, K 



scarcely reduced: texture firm. 

 ■Stipes stout, densely scaly : lvs. 

 wide, oblong-lanceolate, the lower 

 pinniB not rfdm/eil; segments with mucronate teeth. 

 Eu. Var. arguta in Calif. 



l^pida, Moore. Lvs. IM ft. long, 6-7 in. wide, ovate, 

 bipinnatifid or bipinnate, the lower 4 or 5 pairs slightly 

 smaller: indusia hairy. Of greenhouse origin, native 

 country unknown. 



Other species cultivated under the name Lastrea, as L. aris- 

 tata and L. Hichardsi, belong to the genus Polystichum, which 

 see. L. M. UNDERWOOD. 



LATANIA (East Indian name). Palmdceo'. Three 

 species of fan palms from the Mascarene Islands. Jj. 

 Borbonica is one of the dozen commonest trade names 

 among palms, but the seeds offered under this name are 

 said to be almost invariably those of Livistomi Chiiien- 

 sis. Latania Borbonica of the botanists is properly 

 Lntnnia Commersonii, which has 3-sec?-di-d fruits, while 



tliu-f of Licistona Chinensis are 1 LI. I.Mtmiias 



.Ti-.' t.'ill. ^Iiiiicli-ss palms, with soliiii'- '■'■ milar 



tnnik^ : Ivv. ample, terminal, loni; i ■ i i.im- 



hir. |.:iliiuiirlv Habelliform, plicately n ■ ■ ■ liMlltS 



suicK.th or spiny on the margins: i:i i : iicle 



3-sided, concave above; ligule concli'i lh.it; 



spadices many feet long, compres-< ■ and 



branches, sheathed with incompletf -I ■ : mate- 



fld. branches cylindrical, digitately an an _. 1 1 ai iln .nds 

 of the branches, very densely clotlied witli inil.ricated 

 bracts : pistillate portion somewhat twisted, few-fld., 

 sheathed with very broad dentate bracts : staminate fls. 

 half-exserted beyond the bracts, the perianth smooth 

 and shining: pistillate fls. larger: drupe globose, obo- 

 void or pear-shaped, yellow. Allied genera are discrimi- 

 nated under Hyplirene. 



A. Lvs. glaucous. 

 L6ddigesii, Mart. {L. (,lauc,>,.l,,;n„. Tlort. 1. Lvs. 3-5 

 ft. long, very glaucous, primary v. iiis sli^-htly tomentose 

 beneath, tinged with red, e^i'e<-ially in young plants: 

 segments? ft. long. less than :; in. wide, unequally acumi- 

 nate, tlie e.l^-es spiny in yonn- plants; petioles 3-4H ft. 



tin' v.iiinu' plant: lirup.' jiear-sliaped, 3-angled, 2}^ in. 

 long, 1'4 in. tliieli. Mauritius. 



ts fan-1 



i-li whil 



and rather 



AA. Lvs. not glniieous. 

 B. Petiole densely tomeutose, ivith an orange margin. 

 VerschaiiSltii, Lemaire (L. aurea, Duncan). Lvs. pale 

 green, 4J^-5 ft. long, the segments 2H ft. long, above 

 2 In. wide, acuminate, the entire margins and veins 

 slightly tomentose beneath ; petioles 5-8 ft., densely 

 tomentose, with entire orange margins, spiny in young 

 plants: drupe slightly 3-angled, 2 in. long, VA in. wide. 

 IsL Rodriguez. I.H. 0:229. 



BB. Petiole red, slightly tomentose. 

 C6mmersonii, Gmel. (L. riibra, Jacq. L. Bdrbonica, 

 Lam., not Hort. ) . Lvs. b-byi ft. long, dark green above, 

 paler beneath ; segments lanceolate, acuminate, 2 ft. 

 long, 3ii-3% in. wide, their margins entire, spiny in 

 young plants, veins and margins tinged with red; peti- 

 ole 4-6 ft., slightly tomentose, the margins smooth, 

 spiny in young plants : drupe globose, lK-154 in. in 

 diam. Mauritius. Not A. P. 4:567 and 7:127; A.G. 13:141; 

 15:389 and 19:557; V. 9:199, all of which are Livistona 

 Chinensis. Jared G. Smith. 



Latanias are essentially warmhouse palms and require 

 moderate shading through the greater portion of the 

 year, and also an abundance of water. A well-drained 

 and rather light compost is most suitable for them, and 

 if the soil at the time of repotting is of the same tem- 

 perature as the house in which the plants are grown, 

 there will be less risk of a check to the delicate root- 

 lets. L. Commersonii is a particularly striking palm, 

 the leaf-stems being quite long, smooth, and colored 

 bright crimson, as are also tl 

 leaves, this coloring 1" hm- ■- 

 young foliage. L. Lit.hh.j, .■<>, i 

 of the genus, the leafstalks r, a 

 8 ft., usually chocolate-coh.n-e.l 

 leaves thick and leathery and t 

 young, though never develop ii 

 those of the preceding species, 

 very attractive, though possibl 

 than the other two, its leafstalk 

 slender, and orange-yellow in color, the ribs of the leaf- 

 lets also yellow and the leaves themselves of a light 

 shade of green. 



L. erecta and L. variegata are trade names, the former 

 being advertised by Saiil, 1893; the latter by Pitcher & 

 Manda, 1895. Any specimens in cult, will probably be 

 found to be varieties of some of the above. 



W. H. Taplin. 



LATHYETIS (name used by Theophrastus for some 

 leguminous plant). Legumindsa. A genus of about 100 

 species, occurring in the northern hemisphere and in 

 South America, consisting of annual and perennial, 

 climbing and upright herbs with pinnate lvs., half -sag- 

 ittate stipules and showy, papilionaceous flowers. 



The genus is best known by the Sweet Pea. Most 

 other forms are perennial, although some of these 

 are cultivated as annuals. All are free-growing plants, 

 so independent in their ways that they require a place 

 to grow by themselves, apart from other plants of like 

 habit or size. Hence they are to be grown alone, on trel- 

 lises or against walls, or allowed to form a wild tangle 

 among strong shrubs. The chief value of the annuals 

 is for cut-flowers, though their part in the garden is not 

 to be ignored. As a temporary screen in summer for 

 shutting out unsightly objects, they are valuable, or for 

 quickly covering trellises or rough places otherwise 

 unsightly. 



The perennials are of comparatively easy cultivation, 

 succeeding in any garden soil. The annuals are more 

 exaetini^ in theii- laapiirrnn-nts. ilenninding a moderately 



for tloir I. Hit^. aii.l ..]i.-n -unliLjlii . All tire grown from 

 seed, -own very early in the ..pen t.. secure the required 

 coolness for the roots. The pierennials are propagated, 

 in addition, by division, special varieties being in- 

 creased by cuttings in the fall, after the flowering sea- 

 son, or in spring, from old plants stored in the green- 

 house. The roots of perennials are long and fleshy, and, 

 when once established, continue for years without atten- 

 tion. 



Ornbiix H, •</(■,■ nn.l vet 



