SPINACH 



1699 



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_ jj_ j3_ 



SPINACH ORACH, or SEA PURSLANE (Atriplex 

 hortensis) is also sometimes called Mountain Spinach. 



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

 Chenopodi&cefe. SPINACH. SPINAGE. According to 

 Volkens (in Engler & Prantl's Pflanzenfamilieni, 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 

 probably 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. spinosa, 

 Mdhich, 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, Linnaeus' ft. 

 vieracea, which is the oldest name, is held to include all. 

 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 dioecious, 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 enclosing 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 radical leaves, 

 which are used for greens, often showing little of the 

 halberd or sagittate shape. L. H. B. 



SPINDLE TREE. Euonymus. 

 SPIRAEA of florists. See Astilbe. 



SPIR2EA (ancient Greek name of a plant used for 

 garlands, derived from speira, band, wreath; probably 

 first used for the present genus by Clusius). Kosdcea?. 

 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; some of the best 

 of them are Spira>a arynta, Tlntnbergii, Van Houltei, 

 pubescens, trilobata, bracteafa, media, ulmi folia, alba, 

 Douglasi, Menziesi, tomentosa. Spircea blanda, Ja- 

 ponica and albiflora require a sheltered position or 

 protection during the winter, though S. Japonica and 

 its allies, even if killed almost to the ground, will pro- 

 duce flowers on shoots of the same season. Spircea 

 Cantoniensis, JBlumei, Chinensis canescens and bella 

 are more tender and not to be recommended for the 

 North, but are hardy or nearly hardy in the Middle 

 States. S. prunifolia is hardy north of Boston. 



In regard to the flowering season, the Spireas can be 

 divided into two groups. The first one contains the 

 species of the section Chamaedryon, with white flowers 

 in umbels and blooming in spring, from April to June. 

 The second group is composed of the sections 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 

 flowering time, are the following: Eaily-flowering Spi- 



reas S. Thunberni, arguta, hypericlfolia, prunifolia, 

 media, 1'ikowiensis, pubescens, chamwdry folia, trilo- 

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

 ering Spireas . bella, corymbosa, densiflora, ca- 

 nescens, Japonica, albiflora, salicifolia, alba, Menziesi, 

 Douglasi, tomentosa. The species of the second group 

 do not produce their flowers all at once like those of 

 the first 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 

 stiffer and less handsome and produce suckers. Spircea 

 canescens has also the graceful habit of the first group. 

 Spircea Japonica and its numerous hybrids form mostly 

 low, round bushes and are pretty as single specimens or 

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

 mentosa should be planted in shrubberies only and es- 

 pecially in situations where their spreading by suckers 

 does no harm; they are sometimes used for low 

 ornamental hedges. For rockeries Spircea decumbens, 

 corymbosa, densiflora, bullata, and some dwarf hybrids 

 of S. Japonica are to be recommended. 



The species of the section Chamaedryon, and also 

 S. canescens and bella, should be pruned as little as 

 possible, only thinned out and the weak wood removed, 

 while those of the sections Spiraria and Calospira can 

 be pruned more severely if necessary, since they pro- 

 duce their flowers at the ends of the young shoots. 

 Some of the early-flowering Spireas, especially S. ar- 

 guta, prunifolia, 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 Chamaedryon 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 campanulate, 5-lobed ; petals 5, rounded ; 

 stamens 15-60, inserted between calyx and disk; pistils 

 usually 5, distinct, developing into follicles dehiscent 

 along the inner suture, with several or rarely two mi- 

 nute, oblong seeds. Many species formerly included 

 under Spiraea are now referred to other genera ; see 

 Physocarpus, Schizonotus and Sorbaria for shrubby 

 species and Aruncus, Ulmaria and also Astilbe for the 

 herbaceous ones. There is a monograph of Spiraea and 

 the allied genera by Maximowicz in Acta Horti Petro- 

 politani, vol. 6, p. 105-261 (1879) and a monograph of 

 the cultivated species, with their numerous hybrids 

 fully described by H. Zabel, Die strauchigen Spiraen 

 der deutschen Garten (1893). There is much horticul- 

 tural literature on Spireas, for the plants are popular 

 and the species are many. ALFRED REHDKR. 



The name Spircea is often spelled Spirea. Whenever 

 the generic and specific name are both used the di- 

 graph should be employed, thus: Spircea 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. 



