HERACLEUM 



HERBARIUM 



'31 



AA. Plant biennial. 



Sibiricuin, Linn. Lvs. scabrous to hirsute, 



,nnate or deeply pinnatifid; segments lobed or 



Ornately parted, serrate : petals about equal: 



If. subrotund-oval, deeply notched at the apex. 



Bj., N. Asia. Keller says this bears yellowish 



: /een fls. in July and Aug. \v\ M. 



HERB\ IMPIA of the old herbalists is Filacjo 

 trntanica. 



HEEBALS. Books on plants, published from 



ij..e fourteenth to the middle of the eighteenth 



,'ntury, were largely written from the medicinal 



'|j>int of view, and were often called Herbals. 



fbe scientific point of view of plant-knowledge 



ij conveniently dated from 1753, when Linnaeus 



fc.'iblished his "Species Plantarum." Of the her- 



|!ilists, John Gerarde is probably read most at 



lie present time. His style is chatty, quaint 



lid personal. One of the notions accepted by 



tie early herbalists was that of the vegetable 



: onb, which is pictured in this work under 



mibotium (Pig. 470). Another idea that fasci- 



i.ited these worthy plant-lovers was that of the 



irnacle goose tree. Fig. 1040 is reproduced from 



it: book by Duret, 1605, and shows how the fruits 



jiat fall upon dry land become "flying birds," 



'. hile those that fall into the water become 



swimming fishes." Other conceptions of this 



Dose tree are reproduced in the Gardeners' 



iagazine 35:749(1892). Almost every large li- 



rary possesses a few Herbals, as Matthiolus, 



auhin, L'Obel and Fuchsius. The largest collec- 



on of Herbals in America is the one given by 



16 late E. Lewis Sturtevant to the Missouri 



otanical Garden at St. Louis. 



HERBARIUM. A collection of dried plants 

 Vstematically named and arranged. Every hor- 

 'culturist who takes delight in his profession 

 hould have an Herbarium, as it increases im- 

 mensely the value and pleasure of his work. 

 'Ivery amateur, nurseryman and florist is hereby 

 trongly urged to make a collection of dried specimens 

 f the plants in which he is particularly interested. It 

 eed not be expensive nor consume much time, and the 

 rocess of drying a plant is simple ami easy. An Her- 

 arium is like a reference library, and is equally inval- 

 able. 



Unfortunately, lovers of cultivated plants rarely care 

 or pressed specimens because they are so lifeless and 

 olorless. Yet there is no surer way for a nurseryman 

 3 keep his stock true to name than by making an Her- 

 arium. There are many universities and colleges in 

 imerica where botanists are glad to verify the names 

 f plants for the sake of the duplicate specimens. This 

 5 one of the most practical and useful ways in which 

 otanists and horticulturists can cooperate. The un- 

 ecessary waste in time and money caused by confused 

 nomenclature and confused labels is one of the difficul- 

 ies of a large collection of growing plants. 



Even in the largest nursery of hardy plants specimens 

 an be taken by one man in two days in late spring, of 

 verything that is in characteristic condition at that 

 ime. Three hundred specimens can be secured in two 

 lays in our best nurseries. Even after the spring rush 

 s over there is time to get most of the important spring- 

 lowering plants in flower or fruit, and from that time 

 wo or three hours a week is enough to keep up with 

 he procession of flowers. Sometimes interest can be 

 iroused in a young student, who will be glad to do all 

 :he work for the sake of duplicates. 



Use merchandise tags or acheap substitute in the form 

 )f pieces of paper about 7 in. long, 1 in. wide, with a 

 ongitudinal slit a little more than 1 in. long near one 

 iind. Puss one end of this piece of paper through the 

 ,slit, and draw it close about the stem of the plant, leav- 

 iing plenty of room for the trade name of the plant, the 

 date, and the color of the flowers. It is very useful 

 also to add the height of the plant, and anything else 

 that is not likely to show in a dried specimen. When a 

 basketful is gathered, place each specimen between a 



1041. A common method of mounting Herbarium specimens. 



folded newspaper page. Each newspaper page, with its 

 inclosed specimen, is then placed between "driers." 

 These are large pieces of felt paper, a kind which is 

 even more absorbent than blotting paper. A hundred 

 driers cost a dollar. Put a board on top of each pile and 

 weight it with stones. Shift the driers daily for a 

 week or so, and then at longer intervals, until the speci- 

 mens are wholly dry. A better way of drying plants, 

 particularly in a small way, is to use a frame press 

 (to be purchased of dealers in botanists' supplies), pro- 

 vided with cords and straps for tightening the bundle 

 and giving the requisite pressure. Specimens are dis- 

 couraging looking objects while in press, but when they 

 are carefully prepared and properly mounted on stan- 

 dard size paper (113^x16^ in. ), with neat labels giving 

 the name, locality, habitat, date and collector, they not 

 only become attractive but are of great scientific value. 

 The finer and more artistic quality in Herbarium 

 work differs only in the degree of care bestowed at 

 every stage of the process. Some of our elementary, 

 botanies give full instructions for making an Herba- 

 rium. See, also, the "Horticulturist's Rule Book." Her- 

 baria are notably poor in cultivated plants. For the 

 critical study of garden plants, an Herbarium is a ne- 

 cessity. The sheets are kept in heavy manila paper 

 folders or covers, each genus by itself. The regulation 

 size for this genus cover when folded is Il%xl6% in. 

 Lay the sheets flat (Fig. 1041). Take pains to select 

 specimens which show flowers, leaves and fruits; and 

 herbs should show the roots. WALTER DEANE. 



HERBEETIA ( Wm. Herbert, 1778-1847, Dean of Man- 

 chester, distinguished botanist, author of "Amaryllida- 

 ceaV' and ardent lover of bulbs). Iridacece. Seven 

 species of American bulbous plants, with fugitive blue 

 or lilac fls. borne in summer. One species is procur- 

 able through Dutch growers. It grows less than a foot 

 high. The bulbs may be started in coldframes. The 

 genus is distinguished by the complete absence of a 



