DIPLADENIA 



DIPSACUS 



491 



tt t-n -.1 nil W M 



DIPLAKKHfiNA(Otreek iuoanihtu the third being 

 imperfect) Iiidicew Only 2 species of tender plants 

 trora Australia and Tasmania They belong to the same 

 subtribe with our native Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium. 

 Rhizomes short: stems terminal, erect, simple or some- 

 what branched: Its. in a tuft, narrow, rigid, acuminate, 

 equitant: spatheterminal, rigid, acuminate: fls. whitish; 

 perianth without any tube over the ovary; segments un- 

 equal, inner ones shorter, coiiniveut: upper stamen im- 

 perfect. This plant is advertised in the American edi- 

 tion of a Dutch bulb dealer's catalogue. 



MoTsa, Labill. Stems VA-2 ft. long, with a single 

 terminal cluster, and several sheathing bracts : Ivs. 6-8 

 in a tuft, 1-1 V^ ft. long, H-K in. wide: spathes cylindri- 

 cal, 2-3 fld., 2 in. long. 



DIPLAZIUM (Greek, doubled). PohjpodiHeea-. A 

 genus of rather large, coarse ferns allied to Asplenium, 

 but with the indusia often double, extending to both 

 sides of some of the veins, which are unconnected. 

 Eighty or more species are found, mostly in the warmer 

 portions of the world. For culture, see Ferns. 

 A. Lis. simple: low plants. 



Unceum, Thunb. Lvs. 6-9 in. long, H-1 in. wide, 

 narrowed upward and downward, the margin mostly en- 

 tire: sori reaching nearer to the edge than the midrib. 

 India, China, Japan. 



AA. Jjvs. pinnate, witji. the pinnm deeply lobed: rootstock 

 not rising to form a trunk. 



arbdreum, Willd. Lvs. 12-18 in. long, 6-8 in. wide, 

 with a distinct auricle or lobe at the base. The habit is 

 not arboreous, as originally supposed, and as thi 

 would indicate; quite near the next, but less deeply cut. 

 West Indies and Venezuela. 



ShSpherdi, Spreng. {Aspli him,, Sl,,',ij,,i-di, Spreng.). 

 Lvs. 12-18 in. long, 6-9 in. >t',:„\. ,1, ,.|,|y lohed, the lobes 

 at the base sometimes rL-ai-lmii; .lown to ilii- racliis, some- 

 what toothed and often S in. Inoail ; sori 



long-linear. Cuba and Mexico to Brazil. 

 AAA. ics. bipinnate: trunk somewhat 



mum which IS found along the coast of Brazil, is but 10 

 feet m height when f ullj de\ eloped. This genus is with- 

 out spines the lei\eb being pinnate, very dark green on 

 the upper side ind usualh co\ered with white tomentum 

 on the under side the pinna being clustered along the 

 midrib in lujst instances In i very young plant of this 

 genus the ultim ite cbaiiLtei is not at all apparent from 

 the f ict that the seedling plants h ive undivided or simple 

 leaves this ch-ii icteustic fiequently obtaining in the 

 use ot /' I ( ( s (Hi until the plant is strong enough 

 t5 produie lea^es 4 or 5 feet long A warm greenhouse, 

 ri b s il md a plentiful supplj of water are among the 

 hief requisites for the successful culture of Diplothe- 

 miums D ( tudi n is the 1 est known of the genus, 

 and wheie space 11 \ I I it i iis free development it 

 IS one of the hand I .■iiltivation. 



oaudfiscens, Jlait n-r„m, Hort.). Wax 



Palm btem 12 _( 1 I i I lii in. thick, remotely 

 ringed often swollen it the lui I lie: lvs. 9-12 ft., short 

 petioled, segments 7U-9U on each side, ensiform, densely 

 waxy white below, the middle ones 2-4-28 in. long, 15^ 

 in. wide, the upper and lower ones shorter and narrower, 

 all obtuse at the apex. Brazil. R.H. 1876, p. 23.5. 



Jared G. Smith and W. H. Taplin. 



DlFSACUS (to thirst, from the Greek: the bases of 

 the connate lvs. in some species hold water). Dipsdeeff. 

 Teasel. Perhaps 15 species of tall, stout biennial or 



latifdlium, Moore {Asplenium latifolium, 

 Don). Caudex erect, somewhat arborescent: 

 lvs. .3-4 ft. long, 12-18 in. wide, with about 

 12 pinna} on either side. India, China and the Phil 

 P'°^*- L. M. Underwood. 



DIPLOTHfiMIUM (Greek, double sheathed). Pal- 

 m&ceie, tribe Cocoinew. Spineless palms, low or stem- 

 les.s, or often with ringed, stout, solitary or fa.scicled 

 trunks. Lvs. terminal, pinnatisect; segments crowded, 

 lanceolate or ensiform, acuminate, glaucous or silvery 

 beneath, margins recurved at the base, midnerve promi- 

 nent : rachis 2-faced, strongly laterally compressed ; 

 petiole concave above: sheath fibrous, open: spadices 

 erect, long or short-peduncled, strict, thickish: spathes 

 2, the lower coriaceous, the upper cymbiform, beaked, 

 ventr.ally dehiscent: bracts short, coriaceous: fls. rather 

 large, cream colored or vellow: fr. ovoid or oboroid, 

 small. Species 5. Brazil. 



Diplothemium is a small genus of very handsome 

 palms. In size the members of this genus seem to vary 

 as much as those included in the Cocos group. D. maritl- 



719. Fuller's Teasel— Dipsacus 



perennial herbs of the Old World. The fls. are small 

 and in dense heads, like those of compositous plants, 

 but the anthers are njt Qnited (or syngenesious) as they 

 are in the Compositfp. One species, D. syli-e'stris. 

 Mill., is an introduced weed along roadsides in the 

 northeastern states and Ohio valley. It is biennial, 

 the stem arising the second year and reaching a height 

 of 5 or 6 ft. It is said to be a good bee plant. The Fuller's 

 Teasel, i). Fullonum. Linn. (Fig. 719), is probably de- 

 rived from the former, and differs from it chiefly in the 

 very strong and hooked floral .scales. These scales give 

 the head its value for the teasing or raising the nap on 

 woolen cloth, for which no machinery is so elBcient. This 

 plant is grown commercially in a limited area in central 

 New York. l. h. B. 



