SCIADOPITYS 



like; the upper ones, crowded at the apex of the shoot, 

 bear in their axils needle-lilie Ivs. of another kind, 

 which, however, are considered by some botanists to 

 be leaf-like shoots, or cladophylla, but linear and con- 

 nate in 2's, while others believe them to consist of 

 two connate Ivs. corresponding with the If. -clusters in 

 Pinus. Their morphological structure points towards 

 the first explanation, while thiv ;ivi- lv^. in regard to 

 their physiological function. FN. uioncfcious ; the 

 staminate oval, consisting ot ^|iii:illy ili-pdsfd 2-celled 

 anthers and appearing in dense ,-lii~i. r- nt tlie ends of 

 the shoots; the pistillate are solit:ii\- :i' il;i « nl- . t the 

 shoots and consist of numerous spiral: -i ii .. i alis 

 subtended by a small bract and be:ui 11^ ' . .,ne 



oblong-ovate,woody, the bracts counat. .v, n n i!m l.r.iaaiy 

 orbicular, thick scales, spreading at the mar^'in ; seeds 

 oval, compressed, with narrow wing, emarginate at the 

 apex. The wood is nesirly white.very strong and straight- 

 grained. 



verticillita, Sieb. &Zucc. UMiiRELi.A Tine. Fig. 2271, 

 2272. Tree, attaining 100 ft., wiili a~r,iHlinir branches 

 forming a narrow pyramidal. ri,iii|.art li. a.l. in old age 

 loose and with pendulous bran'ln-^: M-aN-like Ivs. dark 

 brown, % in. long: needles lj-;;.j in each whorl, linear, 

 stiff, obtuse, deeply furrowed on both sides, dark green 

 and glossy above with a white line beneath, 3-6 in. long: 



SCILLA 



1629 



,i*i?ilii'i 



M72. Umbrella Pine-Sciadopitys verticillata (trimmed). 



cone 3-5 in. long, ovate-oblong; seed K in. long; cotyle- 

 dons 2. Japan. S.Z. 2:101, 102. F.S. 14:1485. 1486. Gt. 

 32, p. 149; 37, p. 437. Mn. 4, p. 154. Gng. 1:25. Gn. 

 28, p. 204, 205; 38, p. 499. H.H. 1884, p. 16, 17.-There 

 is a dwarf var. and a var. with variegated foliage, both 

 introduced from Japan. Alfred Rehder. 



SClLLA (the old Greek name used by Hippocrates ; 

 / injure, according to Miller, alluding to the poisonous 

 bulbs). Liliace(e. Squill. Wild Hyacinth. Blue- 

 bell. About 80 species of perennial bulbous plants, 

 widely distributed in Europe, Asia and Africa in tem- 

 perate districts. They are remarkable for easy culture, 

 quick growth and beautiful blue, rose or white flowers, 

 blooming early in the spring (some in autumn), and 

 therefore, desirable plants for the wild garden, rock 

 sanl'ii, "1- )i..r.lir. Some are stove plants. Some of the 

 Sm-uIi .\tii':iii I'r inns have handsome spotted foliage. 



!■• in 1 1, ally, ilie Squills are distinguished as follows: 

 Bulli timirati .1. largeor small: Ivs. radical, 1-several in 

 number, linear, loriform, lanceolate, oblong or nearly 

 ovate, in Scilla antiimnalis appearing after the flow- 

 ers; scape 1-severaI, simple, leafless: fls. in racemes, 



which are several 

 cate; bracts small, 

 short or lon^-. -<>!„ 



anth blue, piir. ■ 

 rotate, cylincUn:,! 

 segments persi^Ui 

 at base or below t 



many-fld., open, compact or spi- 



etinies minute, hvuline: pedicels 



. - I ;i-nn: i!-. -'nMll -r iiiiddle- 

 ■ : - . .; ~- ,in-t. peri- 



■ I ••-' .•..:.•!. .1 ..i ■■. : ,: i-li. open 



|.:.!iiiiah , -1- (.|i.-n ^.-uii | lanulate, 



.1 >..iM lu.ic; stamens. 0, affixed 

 liddle of the segments; anthers 



ovate or oblong, dehiscing longitudinally, introrse; 

 ovary sessile, stigma small capitate; ovules 2 in each 

 locule, rarely 8-10, ascending: capsule globose; seeds 

 1-2 in each cell, rarely more; testa black, appressed; 

 embryo small in albumen. The genus is distinguished 

 from OmithogaUim chiefly by the color of the flowers 

 and deciduous perianth, from Hyacyntlnis by the seg- 

 ments distinct from the base or very nearly so. Great 

 Britain possesses three species of Scilla, S. verria, S. 

 auUimnalis and S. nutans, while Germany has, in ad- 

 dition to 6'. aututnnalis, three others, viz., .S. umwna, 

 S. bifolia and S. Italica. 



Among the early flowers there are none more valuable 

 than the Scillas. They vary considerably in form of 

 flower and foliage, and although typically they have 

 blue or blue-purple flowers, most, if not all of the spe- 

 cies in cultivation have white and red-purple forms. 

 Scilla Sibirica and S. bifolia are the earliest to 

 flower, and of these forms the Asia Minor or Taurian 

 forms are in advance. The form of S. Sibirica known 

 as multi flora is nearly over before the usual type be- 

 gins to expand. There is also sometimes cultivated in 

 the garden a pleasing white Scilla, with hyacinth-like 

 flowers, known to the trade as S. amcena. But these 

 white forms are mostly n<M i-! -« : rh r r ffeef ive ones are the 

 blue-flowering kinds. * ' ,. , .i i drills between Scil- 

 las and Chionodoxas ai i 'i --.• p. 300). Chi- 

 ouoscilla Alleni is t\u . ■ :■ f..r a natural hy- 

 brid between ChioiiotJ imI Scilla bifolia, 

 first obtained by Mr. Al - n. Mallet, in 1891. 



None of the hardy Si I ;. . i' ■ I'^'-ial culture, and 



if planted where tlii\ mlisturbed for a 



occasionally enriched by t<>|i lii^ _ .| ii.:iiiure, etc. 



The bulbs should be planted a- > i i II.- in au- 



tumn. The varieties may be 11) : < i < taken 



after the foliage has matured. I r ... ji..iihouse 



or conservatory, many of the Sciilas aic nleal subjects. 

 For this culture. 5 or G bulbs may be put in a 5-in. pot 

 and the vessel afterwards transferred to a coldframe 



and covered unti 

 very little w.atei 

 cluster appears 

 the pots transi. 1 

 position near tli.' 



rowth < 

 ill 





Up to this period 

 .ut as the flower- 

 be increased and 

 se. giving them a 

 latured, the bulbs 

 ..red. 



L'rgineii Scilla. formerly called Scilla maritima, 

 needs to be mentioned in this connection on account of 

 its yielding a medicine for many centuries held in 

 esteem. Almost every one is familiar with syrup of 

 Squills, ami has obtained relief from its use in severe 

 colds. T!ie scal.s ..f the bulb contain mucilage, sinis- 

 trin, sii^jar an. I .rystals of calcium oxalate (stated by 

 botanists til war.l ..ff snails): the active principles are 

 scillipicrin, s.jiUit.jxin and scillin (the latter producing 

 numbness, vomiting, etc.). Scilla bulbs or roots should 

 never be used unless under proper direction, as, in their 

 fresh state they are extremely acrid, and might prove 

 dangerous. 



The trade names are ...ii-i.l, i.M nfused. Many of 



the so-called horticuln. i ■ . . .n.! races may be 

 united as mere varieti. : lii.t have been de- 



fined botanically. Til. 1 ,1 ,11,:.' 1. ill. .s are believed to 

 include all those in the Anieruan trade, but other spe- 

 cies are known to fanciers. 



auttminalis. 6. 

 bifolia, 9. 

 campanulata, 3. 

 cemtia, 1. 

 Chinensis, 5. 



Clum. 7. ' 

 festalis. 1. 

 Hispanica, 3. 



hyacinthoides, 11, 3. 

 Italica, 14. 

 Japonica, 15. 

 monophylla, 8. 

 monophyUos, 8. 

 Natalensis, 10. 

 nonscripta, 1. 

 Numidiea, 4. 



parvifiora, ■ 

 patv.la, 3. 

 Peruviana, 



puschkiuioi 



