1922 



VERONICA 



25. Austriaca, Linn. Strong, upright perennial 18-24 

 in high, with woolly stems: Ivs. mostly deeply pinnati- 

 fid, rarely entire or dentate, 2-3 in. long, linear to ovate, 

 the lobes linear or suboblong, narrow at the base: ra- 

 cemes elongated, loosely many-fld., spreading: fls. large, 

 blue- capsule longer than broad, slightly acutely 

 notched, exceeded by the calyx. S. E. Eu. and Asia 

 Minor. A border plant. 



The following trade names cannot be accounted for by the 

 writer- V inarmorata. V. rupestris of the American trade is 

 apparently not V. rupestris of the botanists. This name was first 

 used by Salisbury in 1796 and is a synonym of V. fruticulosa, 

 a plant with terminal racemes. V. rupestris of the trade has 

 axillary, many-fld. racemes. It is a low plant with woody hori- 

 zontal stem and erect flowering branches 4 or 5 in. high with 

 strict racemes of purplish fls. borne in June and a 4-parted ca- 

 lyx. The capsule is obcordate. This plant has been offered by 

 Rochester nurserymen ever since 1894 and was cult, at Harvard 

 Botanic Garden as far back as 1883. Lvs. narrowly oblong, en- 

 tire or serrate, %-l in. long: calyx segments strongly unequal: 

 pedicels longer than calyx: stem pubescent: Ivs. sparsely cili- 

 ate, short-petioled. V. scahriiiscula, John Saul. V. steviat- 

 fdlia, John Saul. V. verbenncea, a name .unknown to Kew 

 authorities in 1901, has been offered by Rochester nurserymen 

 since 1894. Lvs. short-stalked, narrowly elliptic, serrate in 

 upper half: racemes lateral. A. PHELPS WYMAN. 



VERSCHAFFfcLTIA (Ambroise Verschaffelt, 1825- 

 1886, distinguished Belgian horticulturist ; founded 

 L'lllustration Horticole at Ghent in 1854 and intro- 

 duced many choice plants, particularly palms and other 

 foliage plants). PalmacecK. A genus of only 1 species, 

 from the Seychelles, allied to Dypsis but the former is 

 armed and the latter not. The two genera are alike in 

 having 6 stamens and a ruminate albumen, but in Ver- 

 schaffeltia the ovary is 1-loculed, while in Dypsis it is 

 3-Ioculed. 



Verschaffeltia is a tall palm, spinose throughout or at 

 length spineless, the slender ringed trunks arising 

 from epigeous roots: Ivs. terminal, recurved; blade ob- 

 long or cuneate-obovate, bifid, plicate -nerved, usually 

 laciniate nearly to the rachis; segments incised; mid- 

 rib and nerves strong, scaly; petiole half -cylindrical; 

 sheath long, scaly, deeply split: spadix 3-6 feet long, 

 paniculately branched, long-peduncled, recurved, scaly, 

 its rachis long, and branches and branchlets spreading, 

 slender: spathes 2 or 3, long, sheathing, the lower per- 

 sistent, the upper deciduous: fls. very small: fr. glo- 

 bose, smooth, 1 in. long. 



sp!6ndida, H. Wendl. Caudex 80 ft. high, 6-12 in. in 

 diarn., very spiny when young, with many aerial roots: 

 Ivs. 5-8 ft. long ; petiole 6-12 in. long, pale green; 

 sheath 2%-3% ft. long, white-granular; blade cuneate 

 obovate, bright green, 4-7 ft. long, 3-5 ft. wide, bifid, 

 deeply incised on the edges. I.H. 12:430; 43:31. F.R. 

 2:483. R.H. 1869, p. 14.8, 



V. melanochcetes, H. Wendl. See Roscheria. 



W. M. 



VERVAIN. Verbena. 



VESICARIA (Latin, bladder ; referring to the shape 

 of the pods). Cruciferce. About 20 species of widely 

 scattered herbs with racemes of large, rarely small, yel- 

 low or purple flowers of various forms. Sepals equal 

 at the base or laterally subsaccate: silique globose or 

 inflated, many-seeded, and with a slender style: Ivs. 

 entire, wavy or pinnately cut. The genus has small 

 horticultural standing, but some of the hardy peren- 

 nials are said to be well adapted for rockwork and of 

 easy culture. Some are like wall flowers; others re- 

 semble alyssum. Both seeds and plants of V. sinuata 

 are offered by American dealers, but the plant is imper- 

 fectly known. DeCandolle says it is an annual or bien- 

 nial, while Koch says it is perennial or subshrubby. 

 In the American trade it is considered an early-flower- 

 ing yellow annual, about 1 ft. high, blooming in May 

 and June. 



sinuata, Poir. Lvs. softly tomentose, oblong-lanceo- 

 late, narrowed toward the base, sinuate-dentate or sub- 

 entire. Spain. -According to DeCandolle the petals 

 nnally become whitish. w M 



VETCH. See Vicia. 



VIBURNUM 



VETCH, CEOWN. Coronilla. Vetch, Milk. Astrag- 

 alus, 



VETRIS. See Salix. 



VIBtJKNUM (the ancient Latin name). Caprifolia- 

 cece. Ornamental, deciduous or evergreen shrubs, 

 rarely small trees with opposite, petioled and entire, 

 dentate or lobed Ivs. and with white fls. in showy 

 cymes, followed by decorative red or blackish berry-like 

 fruits. The Viburnums rank among our most valuable 

 ornamental shrubs. Besides showy flowers and decora- 

 tive fruits they possess handsome foliage which mostly 

 assumes a bright fall coloring. The plants are of good 

 compact habit. Most of the deciduous species are hardy 

 north, but V. macrocephalum, var. sterile and V. obova- 

 tum are tender; also V. tomentosum, Wrightii, plilebo- 

 trichum, cotinifolium, nudum and dilatatum . are not 

 quite hardy farther north than New England. Of the 

 evergreen species V. Japonicum is the hardiest and 

 stands some degrees of frost. The Viburnums are well 

 suited for borders of shrubberies or planting along 

 roads, and the more showy ones are handsome as single 

 specimens on the lawn. They are mostly medium-sized 

 shrubs, 5-10 ft. hign, but Viburnum Lentago, pruni fo- 

 lium and rufidulum sometimes grow into small trees, 

 30 ft. high, while V. acerifolium hardly reaches 5 ft. 

 The most decorative in fruit are V. Opulus, dilatatum 

 and Wrightii, with scarlet or red berries which remain 

 a long time on the branches. Besides the Snowball 

 forms, V. dilatatum, tomentosum, Sieboldi,prunifolium, 

 rufidulum, molle and dentatum are very handsome in 

 bloom. Varieties with all the flowers of the cymes ster- 

 ile and enlarged are known in the case of Opulus, to- 

 mentosum and macrocephalum, the Common, the Japa- 

 nese and the Chinese Snowballs. The foliage of most 

 species turns purple or red in fall, that of V. Opulus 

 and acerifolium being especially brilliant. V. dilata- 

 tum and phlebotrichum assume a dull yellow color. V . 

 macrocephalum and Sieboldi keep the bright green of 

 their foliage until late in autumn. The Viburnums are 

 not very particular as to soil and position, but most of 

 them prefer a rather moist and sunny situation. Some, 

 as T'. acerifolium, Lantana, dilatatum, Tinus. pubes- 

 cens and pruni folium., grow well in drier places, while 

 V. alnifolium and pauciflorum require shade and a po- 

 rous soil of constant moisture. V. acerifolium does well 

 under the shade of trees in rocky and rather dry soil. 



V. Tinus is often grown in pots and thrives in any 

 good loamy and sandy soil. With a little heat it may be 

 forced into bloom at any time in the winter; if not in- 

 tended for forcing, it requires during the winter a tem- 

 perature only a little above the freezing point and even 

 an occasional slight frost will not hurt it. The Common 

 and the Japanese Snowball are also sometimes forced 

 and require the same treatment in forcing as other 

 hardy shrubs. 



Prop, by seeds sown in fall or stratified; also by 

 greenwood cuttings under glass, especially V. tomento- 

 sum, macrocephalum, molle, cassinoides and the ever- 

 green species; V. dentatum and Opulus grow readily 

 from hardwood cuttings and all species can be increased 



2650. A layer of Viburnum Opulus, the Common 

 Snowball. 



by layers (Pig. 2660); grafting is also sometimes prac- 

 ticed and \'. Opulus, dentatum and Lantana are used 

 as stock, r' 



About 100 species in N. and C. America and in the 

 Old World from Europe and N. Africa to E. Asia, dis- 

 tributed as far south as Java. Shrubs or sometimes 

 small trees, with opposite stipulate or exstipulate Ivs.; 

 fls. small in terminal paniculate or mostly umbel-like 



