1090 



NIDULARIUM 



NIGELLA 



CC. flowers blue or violet. 



Scheremettewii, Regel (Karatas Scheremetiewii, 

 Ant.)- Lvs. 10-15, in a short rosette, lanceolate, 10-18 

 in. long, with many small but conspicuous spiny teeth, 

 rather firm, bright green above and pale green beneath, 

 the bract-lvs. bright red and showy, the points recurving: 

 fls. blue, in a small head. 



fulgens, Lem. (If. pictum, Hort.). Lvs. 15-20, in a 

 dense rosette, strap-shaped, with large, strong teeth, 

 mottled with green of different shades, paler and scurfy 

 beneath, the bract-lvs. oval and scarlet: fls. blue. 



BB. Petals separate. 



Lindeni, Regel (^chmea eburnea, Baker. Gtizmdnia 

 frdgrans, Hort. Canistrum Lindeni, Mez). Lvs. about 

 20, in a dense rosette, tomentose, green-spotted, the 

 bract-lvs. cream-white : fls. white or greenish. 



Amaz6nicum, Lind. & Andre" (Karatas Amazdnica, 

 Baker. Canistrum Amazonicum, Mez. ^Echmea Ama- 

 zdnica, Hort.). Lvs. 15-20, 10-20 in. long, and rather 

 wide at the middle, greenish brown above and light 

 brown beneath, not spotted or scurfy, the bract-lvs. 

 greenish brown: fls.white,with a green tube, in a dense 

 head. 



N. Chantrieri, Andre, is a hybrid of N. Inno^entn and N. ful- 

 gens, with very brilliant red bract-leaves, obtained by Chan- 

 trier Freres, France. R.H. 1895:452. L. H. B. 



NIEBEMBlSBGIA. (for John E. Nieremberg [1590- 

 1563], a Spanish Jesuit and first professor of natural 

 history at Madrid). Solanacece. CUP-FLOWER. About 

 24 species of hardy perennial herbs from tropical and 

 subtropical America, allied to Petunia and characterized 

 by the long and very slender tube of the corolla. The 

 species in cultivation are valued chiefly for the open 

 border or for pot-plants, and are mostly of prostrate 

 habit, with showy fls. borne freely through the summer 

 and autumn. Stem decumbent or creeping, rarely sub- 

 erect, diffusely branched, the branches usually slender 

 and nearly glabrous : Ivs. alternate, scattered, entire : 

 fls. borne singly on the tips of young shoots, mostly 

 white with a purple center ; calyx 5-parted, tubular or 

 bell-shaped ; sepals spreading ; tube of corolla long, 

 slender, attenuated below, abruptly expanded above into 

 a broad bell -shaped, saucer-shaped or funnel-shaped 

 limb, which has 5 broad, obtuse lobes. 



Several species of Nierembergia have distinct value 

 for certain purposes. N. gracilis makes an excellent 

 pot or basket plant, and. is also popular for the border. 

 IV. frutescens does finely in the open, but is more desir- 

 able as a pot-plant. N. rivularis is perhaps the most 

 desirable species of the group, and is adapted to a wide 

 range of conditions. It thrives best in a moist soil with 

 a half-shaded exposure, but often makes fine patches on 

 a dry bank, or even in the rockery. Both a. gracilis 

 and N. frutescens love a loose, rather moist soil, but are 

 not impatient of dryness. These three species endure 

 winters without protection in the latitude of N. Y. 



Nierembergias are propagated chiefly by cuttings taken 

 in the fall, or by seeds. IV. rivularis is most readily 

 increased by dividing the creeping stem where it has 

 rooted at the nodes. 



A. Stem prostrate or creeping : branches ascending. 



B. Fls. creamy white, sometimes slightly tinted with 



rose or blue. 



rivularis, Miers. WHITE-CUP. Whole plant glabrous : 

 stem slender, creeping, rooting freely at the nodes, form- 

 ing a dense mat, the branches seldom rising over 6 in. 

 high: Ivs. oblong to oblong-spatulate, obtuse membra- 

 naceous, variable in size, with a long, slender petiole: 

 fls. sessile or short-peduncled ; calyx cylindrical, the 

 lobes oblong-lanceolate, slightly spreading: corolla-limb 

 broadly bell-shaped, 1-2 in. broad; throat golden yellow. 

 La Platte river, S. A. B.M. 5608. J.H. III. 31:311. Gn. 

 23, p. 188; 25, p. 145. A very adaptable and desirable 

 species for a stream bank, dry border or alpine garden. 

 The fls. are large and beautiful. It is difficult to eradi- 

 cate after once established, as small pieces of the stem 

 will take root and grow. 



BB. Fls. wJtite, ivith purple center. 



gracilis, Hook. Fig. 1490. Branches very slender, 

 ascending 6-8 in., slightly downy: Ivs. scarcely % in. 

 long, linear or slightly spatulate, those on the younger 

 branches somewhat hairy: limb of corolla spreading, 

 convex, white tinged and veined with purple towards 

 the center, throat yellow. Argentine Republic, S. A. 

 B.M. 3108. A charming little plant for the hanging 

 basket. A garden var., Crozyana, has fls. tinted with 

 lilac and appears to be more floriferous than the type. 

 F.S. 14:1410. 



BBB. Fls. pale lilac. 



Veitchii, Berkeley. Stem 8-12 in. long, with slender, 

 glabrous or slightly pubescent branches: Ivs. %-l in. 

 long, short-petioled or sessile, the upper linear, the 

 lower broadly spatulate: calyx-lobes linear-oblong, re- 

 curved: corolla-tube %-% in. long, white, the limb 

 broadly bell-shaped. Trop. America. B.M. 5599. F. 

 1872, p. 141. 



AA. Stem nearly erect. 



frutescens, Dur. TALL CUP-FLOWER. Stem 1-3 ft. 

 high, much branched, shrubby: Ivs. scattered, linear: 

 fls. about 1 in. broad, the limb saucer-shaped, white 

 tinted with lilac or blue; throat yellow; handsome. 

 Chile. The fls. resemble IV. gracilis in color, but are 

 much larger. Valuable in the greenhouse or for the 

 border. As a pot-plant it makes a fine bush and bears 

 fls. almost continuously. It can be used as a bedding 



1490. Nierembergia gracilis (X 



plant with excellent results if started under glass and 

 transplanted. A garden form, var. grandiflora (IV. 

 grandifldra, Hort.), has somewhat larger fls. than the 

 i S. W. FLETCHER. 



NIGELLA (diminutive of niger, black ; referring to 

 the color of the seeds). Hanunculacece. LOVE-IN-A- 

 MIST. DEVIL-IN-A-BUSH. FENNEL FLOWER. Hardy 

 annuals with'' erect stems and finely divided alternate 

 Ivs.: fls. showy, white, blue or yellow; sepals 5, regu- 

 lar, petal-'like, deciduous; petals 5, with hollow claws, 

 notched or 2-lobed ; carpels 3-10, fusing at the base 

 into one cavity, cells opening at the top when mature: 

 seeds many, black and hard. There are about 12 spe- 

 cies, including Garidella ; mostly natives of the Medi- 



