744 



HIBISCUS 



involucre deciduous (with the calyx), 8-10-toothed: fls. 

 4 in. long, opening primrose color in the morning, then 

 changing, as the day advances, to orange and deep red. 

 This species, the next, and probably others, yield the 

 uba bast, used for tying cigars and for other purposes. 

 Lvs. and shoots medicinal: wood durable. 



16. tiliaceus, Linn. (Paritium tilidceum, Juss.). 

 Round-headed tree 20-30 ft. high: Ivs. round-cordate 

 and short-acuminate, entire or obscurely crenate: in- 

 volucre persistent (with the calyx), 10-toothed : fls. 

 .2-3 in. long, yellow. Old World tropics, but naturalized 

 in the W. Indies and at Key West. -Offered recently by 

 Reasoner. Evergreen. Sprouts from the base if frozen. 



BB. Lvs. usually green both sides. 

 17 heterophyllus, Vent. Tall shrub of Australia, int. 

 in S. Calif. , where it is a free and showy bloomer : nearly 

 glabrous: Ivs. varying from linear to lanceolate and 

 elliptic-oblong and from entire to 3-lobed, 5-6 in. long, 

 usually serrulate and sometimes white beneath: fls. 

 large (3-4 in. long), white, with a deep crimson eye, the 

 calyx tomentose: capsule hairy. 



18. calycinus, Willd. (H. chrysdnthus, Hort.). Small 

 shrub from S. Africa, and sparingly known in this 

 country: pubescent: Ivs. long-stalked, round-cordate, 

 somewhat 3-5-angled and 5-7-nerved, crenate, hairy or 

 velvety: fls. on axillary peduncles which are shorter 

 than the petioles, large, yellow, with a dark center: in- 

 volucre bracts 5, bristle-pointed: capsule tomentose. 

 To be grown indoors, but may be planted out in the 

 summer with good results. Probably valuable for per- 

 manent planting in the extreme S. 



19. cispl&tinus, St. Hil. Bushy, 3-5 ft.: stems gla- 

 brous but prickly: Ivs. deltoid-lanceolate or deltoid- 

 ovate, 3-lobed, coarsely toothed, sparsely hairy on the 

 veins : fls. solitary, 4-5 in. across, light pink, with darker 

 color in the eye and sometimes darker on the margins. 

 Brazil (this side the Platte river, whence the specific, 

 name). R.H. 1898:480. Gng. 7:50. Little known in this 

 country. It is a late fall bloomer, and may be planted 

 out in summer. It seeds freely, and these, sown as soon 

 as ripe, will give blooming plants for the following fall. 

 Handsome. 



20. D6nisoni, Burb. Small glasshouse shrub, flower- 

 ing when very small, glabrous: Ivs. thick and rather 

 stiff, slender-stalked, elliptic-ovate, entire or obscurely 

 crenulate, acuminate, dull green: fls. terminal, large, 

 white, 4-5 in. across. Nativity unknown, but int. from 

 Austral. F.M. 1876:232. -A good greenhouse plant, re- 

 quiring warm temperature. 



1058. Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis (X 1-5). 



21. Kdsa-Sinensis, Linn. (H. Sintnsis, Hort.). CHI- 

 NESE HIBISCUS. SHOEBLACK PLANT. Fig. 1058. In glass- 

 houses a shrub 3-8 ft. high, but reaching 20 ft. in sub- 

 tropical regions, glabrous: Ivs. rather large, thin and 

 shining green, broad-ovate to lance-ovate, somewhat 

 tapering to the base, acuminate, coarsely and unequally 

 toothed: involucre bracts linear, free, as long as ;he 

 <;alyx tube : fls. solitary in the upper axils of the new 



HICKORY -NUT 



growth, on peduncles which exceed the petioles, brighr 

 rose-red, 4-5 in. across, with a projecting red column oJ 

 stamens and pistil. Asia, probably China: now dis- 

 tributed in warm countries, and one of the best known 

 old-fashioned conservatory pot-plants. B.M. 158. 1 H 

 29:441. G.C. ILL 2:529. Gn. 53, p. 127. -It is now im- 

 mensely variable. Forms are double-fid., and others are 

 orange, yellow, bright red, magenta, and parti-colored. 

 Var. Cooperi, Hort. (H. Cooperi, Hort.), has narrow 

 white-marked Ivs. and distorted scarlet fls. Trade names 

 belonging to this species are H. brilliantissimus, H. 

 carmindtus, H. chrysdnthus, H. fulgidus, H. fulgens, 

 H. kermeslnus, H. luteus, H. miniatus, H. sub-viold- 

 ceus, H. zebrlnus. Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis is a sum- 

 mer-flowering shrub which always attracts attention. 

 It is often plunged in the open with other subtropical 

 stuff. It is easy to grow in ordinary potting soil. In 

 winter keep it slow by witholding water and keeping in 

 a temperature not above 50. In spring head the plants 

 in and start them up to get the new wood on which the 

 flowers are borne. Give plenty of water when growing, 

 and syringe frequently. Prop, readily by softwood cut- 

 tings in spring, or by hard cuttings in fall. 



H. Archeri, Hort., is a hybrid of H. Rosa-Sinensis and H. 

 schizopetalus, raised by A. S. Archer, Antigua, West Indies 

 Much like H. Rosa-Sinensis. Fls. red. Gn. 55:1221. H. Cam- 

 eroni, Knowles & Weste. Tall shrub, with heart-shaped 3-lobed 

 Ivs. and large, solitary, cream-colored, red-veined fls. Madag. 

 B.M. 3936. The plant figured under this name in Gn. 53:1164 is 

 probably a form of H. Rosa-Sinensis. If. mutdbilis, Linn. 

 Tree-like or tall shrub: Ivs. cordate, 5-angled, toothed, downy: 

 fls. axillary, opening white or pink but changing to deep red by 

 night: involucre bracts shorter than calyx. China. Cult, in 

 tropical and subtropical regions. Recently introd. in S. Fla. 

 under the name of Cotton Rose and Confederate Rose. H. 

 schizopetalus, Hook. f. Allied to H. Rosa-Sinensis: fls. pendu- 

 lous, the recurving petals beautifully cut, the involucre none, 

 the fruit long and bearing glabrous seeds. E. tropical Afr. B. 

 M. 6524. F.S. 23:2397-8. One of the handsomest of the genus. 

 H. splendens, Fras. Shrub, 12-20 ft., soft-tomentose, prickly: 

 Ivs. cordate-ovate, palmately 3-5-7-lobed: fls. very large, rose- 

 red. Austral. B.M. 3025. B.R. 19:1629. Handsome. H. Surat- 

 tensis, Linn. Trailing, with palmately 3-5-parted Ivs.: fls. yel- 

 low: involucre bracts with odd nail-like spines. India, but 

 widely distributed. G.C. III. 9:529. H. venustus, Blume. 

 Very like H. mutabilis. but involucre bracts broad. Java. B. 

 M. 7183. .ST. villosus, undetermined trade name. L H B 



HICKORY-NUT. Notwithstanding the high esteem 

 in which the nuts of several species of Hickory have 

 been held since the settlement of America by the white 

 men, but little progress has been made in tbeir domes- 

 tication and improvement. Out of the .9 or 10 species 

 recognized by botanists, not more than 3 or 4 have been 

 found sufficiently promising from an economic stand- 

 point to justify conspicuous effort at amelioration. Of 

 these the Pecan (H. Pecan] stands easily first, followed 

 in order of apparent value by the Shagbark (Little 

 Shellbark), H. ovata ; the Shellbark (Big Shellbark), 

 H. laciniosa, and the Pignut, H. glabra. The Pecan 

 differs in its requirements of soil and climate from the 

 other species, and is described separately under Pecan. 

 For the botany of the Hickories, see fficoria. 



In flavor and quality of kernel the Shagbark is 

 esteemed by most Americans as the choicest of native 

 nuts, though in these respects the Shellbark is but lit- 

 tle inferior to it. The thinner shell and larger propor- 

 tion of kernel have given the former precedence over 

 the latter in most cultural efforts; though the thrifty 

 growth, symmetrical form and luxuriant foliage of the 

 latter render it one of the most handsome and useful of 

 native trees for roadside or lawn planting. The Shag- 

 bark has the broader area of natural distribution, beint? 

 found in localities throughout most of the United States 

 to the eastward of the Great Plains, except on the low- 

 lands of the South Atlantic coast and Gulf states. The 

 Shellbark is mainly confined to the vailey of the Mis- 

 sissippi and its larger tributaries, extending eastward, 

 however, into eastern Pennsylvania and western New 

 York. 



The Pignut, which is similar to the Shagbark in area 

 of distribution, is much inferior to the others in quality, 

 but shows wider variation than either in this respect, 

 and has disclosed at least one variety of distinct cul- 

 tural merit. 



As the Hickories, other than the Pecan, are slow- 



