PUSCHKINIA 



PUSCHKlNIA (Count M. Puscliki.i. Russian poet). 

 CiliAceie. A genus of 2 species of lt:ni|> sj.riii:; bloom- 

 ing bulbs from S. Asia, witli clu^t'■l - "I -mall (1-lobed 

 white Us., each narrow lobe beiiit; pn iiily liutil with 

 blue. A good specimen may have :i-. many as 10 Us., 

 each Vi in. across. The peculiar feature of the genus 

 is the crown on which the stamens are borne. This is 

 a white body of petal-like texture, having ti lobes, each 

 of which is variously toothed. The genus is allied to 

 Scilla and Chionodoxa. Lvs. 2-3. linear, surrounding 

 the lower part of the scape. Excellent early plants. 



BciUoldes, Adams (Adamsia sciUoldes, Willd.). 

 Height 4-12 in.: bulb glolnilar, about U in. thick: lvs. 

 as long as scape, %-l in. «)■!. : i.m . m. l-in-tld.; pedi- 

 cels slender, erect: perhu i iii-h wliiti-; di- 

 visions elliptic-oblong, tliii - 1- tin tube; 

 crown one-third as loni: a- ^ll^l i-'ii-. riiii lo niiddle 

 into truncate or retuse teetli. \"ar. Libanotica, Boiss. 

 (P. Libandtica, Zucc), difl'ers from the type in having 

 <livisions of perianth K in. long and the teeth of the 

 crown more acute and bifid. Gn. 32, p. 5; 54, p. 219. 

 B.M.2244. F.S. 21:2220 (as P.sicula). 



F. W. Barclay and W. M. 



PUTRANJtVA (meaning obscure). EupliorbiAcecw. 

 A genus of 2 species of tender evergreen trees native 

 of India. Lvs. alternate, undivided, entire or serrulate: 

 fls. axillary, small, yellow or white, monoecious or 

 dioecious, the female subsolitary, the male clustered ; 

 stamens 1-3 : ovary 2-3-celled : drupe 1 -celled. Flora 

 of British India, 5:336. 



Bozbiirghii, Wall. Isdian A^a•LET Plant. A mod- 

 erate-sized tree, nearly glabrous: lvs. 2-3 in. long, 

 obliquely ovate to ovate-lanceolate, serrulate: fls. small, 

 yellow; sepals of male fl. 3-5, of female 5-6: fr. globose 

 to ovoid, size of a cherry or smaller, white tomentose. 

 Cult, in S. Fla. p. w. Barclay. 



PUTTY-EOOT. CoraUorhha. 



PtTA (Chilean name). BrometiAeetr. Forty-four 

 species, according to Mez (DC. Monogr. Phaner. 9) of 

 large terrestrial xerophytic South American brome- 

 liads, allied to Pitcairnia (differing in having a fully 

 superior rather than partially superior ovary). For 

 culture, see also Billbergia. Puya cctridea, P. Wliylei 

 and P. heterophijUa are here referred to Pitcairnia. 

 Puya also includes the plants known in trade as 

 Pourretia. 



A. Fls. yellow. 



ChiUnsis, Molina (PiVcalmio coarctAta, Pers.. and P. 

 ChiUnsis, Lodd.). Becoming 4-5 ft. or more high, 

 sometimes branching: lvs. in tufts, 2-A ft. long, very 

 narrow, often recurved, the margins armed with strong 

 recurved spines or thorns, glaucous: blossoms in a 

 branching, hoary, bractcil iiillMns.-iiMi- rising 3-5 ft. 

 from the top of the caudrx, tlir IK. lar-i' (2 in. across), 



seSsile or nearly so, tin- :: lai lai.' sriials greenish 



and he obovate-oblong iiuirh , x-i ji.-,! petals yellower 

 greenish yellow, the 6 ert-et staHR-iis shorter than the 

 Detals. the stigma 3-branched. Chile. B.M. 4715. F.S. 

 9:869-70. G.C. III. 7:685. -A striking and mammoth 

 bromeliad. making a yucca-like mass of foliage and 

 projecting above it a very showy inflorescence. 



AA. Fls. white or rose-color. 



gigas, Andr^. Still larger than the latter, sending its 

 titanic spikes 20 to 30 ft. into the air, from a rosette of 

 hard and thick spiny-toothed agave-like lvs.: inflores- 

 cence siinplr, il.-iis,'. club-shaped, terminating the tall, 

 erect, luait.a ^rapi-: lvs. green above and white -be- 

 neath, the spines t>la('k and hooked: fls. white, passing 

 into rose. Colombia. 10.000 ft. R.H. 1881. p. 315. and 

 Gn. 21, p. 309. — Can probably be handled like agaves. 

 L. H. B. 



Puyas and Pitcaimias are mostly warmhouse plants, 

 requiring the general treatment given Musas. Dieffen- 

 bachias and Marantas. They prefer a fairly heavy 

 loam, and, except when in bloom, a constant supply of 

 moisture. When in bloom, the plant should be elevated 

 on a pedestal or inverted pots in order to protect it 



PYBACANTHA 



1467 



from excessive moisture and to allow the scape full 

 opportunity to expand. Propagated by division. 



H. A. SlEBRECHT. 



Puyas and Pitcaimias are generally found in collec- 

 tions" ,,f l.ronieliaiis and are usually grown in moist 

 tropii-a! 'm'M^'v. 'Che native home of the Puyas is on 

 tlie -!• . p. -tMiiy ^lupes of the Cordilleras at high alti- 

 tuili- \Mili Imi' ether vegetation for company except 

 soiii'' -pi ii,-s ut' CiTeus. This would indicate that drier 

 and cooler conditions, or such as we Ltive ( 'acti and suc- 

 culents, would suit till ni Ih -1, Net llie\ ihrive . (|ually 



well in the tropical Icn-e. Imlee,!. tie- writer has 

 found most of the family I'ronii-liacea' very accom- 

 modating not only to temperature and moisture condi- 

 tions, but to soils and methods of growing them; for 

 instance, many of the Tillandsias may be grown on 

 blocks of wood as epiphytes, yet they do equally well 

 grown in pots. But what perhaps is more remarkable 

 is the fact that several of the stronger-growing Brome- 

 liads appear to grow equally well either in a strong 

 loamy mixture, or a mixture of chopped fern root and 

 charcoal. The writer has pineapples growing in both 

 mixtures with equal success. But the most ration.il 

 treatment is to give all the Bromeliads conditions and 

 soil similar to the environment in which they are found 

 in their native habitat, yet according to the experience 

 of the writer few plants possess such remarkable adap- 

 tability to changed conditions as do these plants. 



E. J. Canning. 



PYCNANTHEMtJM (Greek, dense and blossom: re- 

 ferring to compact flower-heads). LahiAtte. Mountain 

 Fruit. Hardy aromatic perennial herbs with branching 

 stems and white or purplish fls. in terminal or sometimes 

 also axillary clusters, borne in late summer. Calyx 2- 

 lipped or 5-toothed, naked in the throat ; corolla 2-lipped ; 

 stamens 4, straight and spreading, or connivent under 

 the upper lip; the upper pair shorter or .abortive: an- 

 thers 2-celled. The genus differs from Monarda in hav- 

 ing smaller and canescent fl. heads. Pycnanthemums 

 are mint-like plants of easy culture in any good soil. 

 The following grow 1-3 ft. high, and bear fl.-heads ^ in. 

 across or less from July to September. Lvs. entire, gla- 

 brous or pubescent, nearly sessile. 



A. Lvs. lanceolate or linear-lanceolate: calyx-teeth 



lanceolitnm, Pursh. Stem rather stotit : lvs. fragrant, 

 firm, acuminate at apex, rounded or narrowed at base, 

 1-2 in. long, 2-5 lines wide. Dry fields, Canada to Ga., 

 west to Minn. B.B. 3:112. 

 AA. Ia!s. linear: calyx-teeth subulate, bristle-tipped. 



linifdlinm, Pursh. Stem slender: lvs. 1-2 in. long, 

 %-!% lines wide. In fields, Mass. to Fla., Out., Minn, 

 and Texas. B.B. 3:111. 



P. Monardella, Michx., is properly Monarda Clinopodia. 

 Linn. A perennial herb with a slender, usually simple stem 

 1-3 ft. high. Lvs. lanceolate to ovate, membranaceous, bright 

 green.sleuder-petioled. 2-+in. long; fl.-heads solitary, terminal: 

 corolla yellowish, 1 in. long or less. June-Aug. Fields, Ont. to 

 Ga. B.B. 3:102.— P. milgare. offered Vjy Jacob W. Manning in 

 1892. was raised from seed received from Wm. Thompson, of 

 Ipswich, Eng. J. Woodward Manning writes that this plant 

 is properly Origanum vidgare, which see. 



F. W. Barclay. 



PYEACANTHA (Greek ;)i/r, fire, and akanthos, thorn; 

 alluding to the bright red fruits). BosAceir. Ornamen- 

 tal evergreen thorny shrubs, with alternate rather 

 small and narrow crenulate lvs., white fls. in corymbs, 

 and bright red fruits. P. cnccinea is hardy as far north as 

 Mass. in sheltered positions. It is a handsome low ever- 

 green shrub, especially when loaded with its bright red 

 fruits, these remaining on the branches all winter if not 

 eaten by birds, which are fond of them; it is also pretty 

 in spring with its numerous corymbs of white fls. It is 

 well adapted for planting on rocky slopes or sunny 

 rockeries or for borders of shrubberies ; it may also be 

 used for low ornamental hedges or for covering walls, 

 as It stands pruning well and is easily trained into any 

 desired shape. It thrives in almost any kind of well- 

 drained soil, including limestone, and prefers sunny po- 

 sitions. Prop, by seeds or by cuttings of ripened wood 

 in fall under glass, kept during the winter in a temper- 



