SISYKINCHIUM 



SKIRRET 



1671 



Fh. 



llou 



B. Stem leafless. 



Califbmicum, Dryaiul. {Mar}c<i Califdrnica, Ker- 



Gawl). A half-hardy perennial: stem 1% ft. high, 2 



lines through, broadly winged : Ivs. many, shorter than 



the stem, about H in. broad: spathe 3-6-fld.: segments 



of perianth yellow, lined with brown, K in. long: capsule 



oblong. Calif, to Ore. B.M. 983. — Swampy grounds. 



BB. Stem leaf-bearing. 



c. The stem slightly S-edged. 



tenuifdlium, Humb. & Bonpl. A half-hardy perennial: 



roots fleshy, fibrous : stem H-1 ft. high, often branched 



low down: Ivs. subterete or narrowly linear: spathes 



.■i-4-fld. ; segments of perianth pale yellow, % in. long. 



Mts. of Mexico. B.M. 2117, 2313. 



cc. The stem broadh) winged. 

 convoldtum, Nocca. A tender perennial : root fibrous, 

 slender: stem about 1 ft. high, usually forked: Ivs. 

 linear: spathes 3-4-fld. : segments of perianth yellow, 

 veined with brown, % in. long. Tropical Ame-iea. 

 AA. Fls. purple, blue or white. 

 B. Stem terete. 

 grandiildrum, Dougl. {S. Doiiglasii, A. Dietr. ). A 

 hardy perennial: root fibers slender, long; stem simple, 

 about 1 ft.: Ivs. short, sheathing the lower j.art of the 

 stem: fls. 2-3, cernuous; perianth-segments bright pur- 

 ple, rarely white, U in. long. Mav, .Tune. Xortlnvestern 

 U.S. B.M. 3509. B.R. 1«:13B4.-This is possibly the 

 handsomest species in the trade. Var. Album is also 

 offered and is equally desirable. 



BB. Stem flat. 

 c. Spathes equal in length. 

 graminoldes, Bicknell {S. dnceps, S.Wats., not Cav.). 

 A hardy perennial: stem winged, about 1 ft. high, usu- 

 ally terminating in 2 unequal branches, subtended by a 

 leaf: Ivs. nearly equaling the stem, grass-like, 1-3 lines 

 wide: spathes about 1 in. long, 2^-fld.; pedicels longer 

 than the spathes: fls. blue, K-/4 in. across. April- 



Eastern U. S. 



1:453. 



c. Spathes very unequal in length. 

 angustifdlium. Mill. (S. dnceps, Cav. S. Bermudi- 

 (biHrn, Authors). A hardy perennial: root-fibers long: 

 stem about 1 ft. high, IJ^ lines through, with 2-3 clus- 

 ters on long-winged peduncles: Ivs. linear, shorter than 

 the stem, \-VA lines wide: spathes 1-4-fld., about 1 in. 

 long: pedicels about 8 lines long. May-Aug. Me. to 

 Va., west to Colo.-Var. l)6Uum (S.biUum, Wats.). 

 Stems more narrowly winged, usually without any leaf 

 below the fork : spathes shorter: pedicels longer. Calif, 

 and New Mexico. Var. mucron^tum {S. mueroncltum, 

 Michx.). Stems not branched, usually leafless, ending 

 in a sessile cluster overtopped by a linear bract. Rocky 

 Jits, and British North America. p_ -^^ Barclay. 



SIT0L6BIUM is referred to Dicksdnia cicutdria, 

 Swz., a handsome, strong-growing tropical American 

 fern with Ivs. 4-8 ft. long, bipinnate, papery, light 

 green; petioles hairy; lower Ifts. 1-lK ft. x K ft. 



slum (from Sion, old Greek name used by Dios- 

 corides). OmbelUferce. Four widely scattered herbs 

 with pinnate foliage and small white fls. borne in com- 

 pound umbels. Glabrous plants : leaf-segments dentate : 

 petals inflexed at the tip. For S. Sisarum, see Skirret. 



S. latiidlium, Linn., the Water Parsnip, is a Brit- 

 ish species sometimes naturalized in English wild gar- 

 dens, especially in damp woods. Like Ferula and cer- 

 tain other umbelliferous plants, it is valued more for its 

 stately habit and handsome foliage than for its flowers. 

 W. M. 



SKiMMIA (Japanese Skimmi, meaning a hurtful 

 fruit). Butdcece. Ornamental evergreen shrubs with 

 alternate entire leaves, small white flowers in terminal 

 panicles and showy bright red berry-like fi-uit. They 

 are tender, not being reliably hardy as far north as 

 Washington, D. C. Handsome 4hnibs for borders of 



evergreen shrubberies and especially valuable for plant- 

 ing in cities, as they belong to the best smoke-enduring 

 evergreen shrubs; they are particularly beautiful when 

 covered with their bright red fruits, which are retained 

 through the whole winter if not eaten by birds. In the 

 greenhouse two crops of berries on a plant may be seen 

 occasionally. The Skiramias are of rather slow growth 

 and thrive best in a sandy loamy soil, but also grow 

 well in strong clay; they prefer a partly shaded situa- 

 tion. On account of their handsome fruits they are 

 sometimes cult, in pots in a sandy compost of peat and 

 loam. As the Skimmias are polygamous and mostly 

 unisexual, it will be necessary to plant staminate plants 

 among the pistillate ones to secure well-fruited speci- 

 mens. I'mp. by sc, ,1s sown in fall or stratified and by 

 cuttinu'^ niMlrr -ln^^ with gentle bottom heat. William 

 Scott wriii'^: "Sii-ls sown in the fall and grown along 

 in a ciinlli.iii^,- .hiniii; winter can be planted out in a 

 good loam the lolluw lug spring, when they will make a 

 vigorous growth, and can be lifted the following Octo- 

 ber. Their red berries make them very desirable as a 

 Christmas berry plant." 



Three species from the Himalayas to China and Ja- 

 pan. Glabrous shrubs : Ivs. dotted with translucid 

 glands: fls. polygamous or dioecious, the staminate fra- 

 grant and in large panicles; sepals and petals 4-5; sta- 

 mens 4-5; style with 2-5-lobed stigma: ovary 2-5 loculed : 

 f r. a drupe with 2-4 one-seeded stones. 



Jap6nica, Thunb. (5. obldta, Moore. S. frdgrans, 

 ran: .S. fragrantissima, Hort.). Shrub, 5 ft. high: 

 Ivs. crowded at the ends of the branchlets, short-peti- 

 oled, elliptic-oblong to oblong-obovate, narrowed at both 

 ends, obtusely pointed, bright or yellowish green above, 

 yellowish green beneath, 3K-5 in. long: panicles 2-3J^ 

 in. long: fls. polygamous, usually 4-merous, yellowish 

 white : fr. coral-red or bright scarlet, subglobose and 

 somewhat angular, M in. across. Spring. Japan. S.Z. 

 1:68. G.C. II. 25, p. 244; III. 5, p. 521, 524. Gn. 7, p. 

 183; 35, p. 480; 42, p. 133. J. H. III. 30, p. 525. R.H. 

 1869, p. 259; 1880, p. 56. F. 1805, p. 161. -S. fragrans 

 and fragrantissima are names of the staminate plant; 

 S. oblata of the pistillate. Var. ov4ta, Carr., has larger 

 and broader Ivs. R.H. 1880, p. 58. Var. V^itchi, Carr., 

 has obovate Ivs. and perfect fls. R.H. 1880, p. 58. 



F6rtimei, Mast. (S.Japdnica, Lindl.). Similar to the 

 preceding but of dwarfer habit : Ivs. lanceolate or ob- 

 long - lanceolate, acuminate, dark green above, light 

 green beneath, 3K-10 in. long: fls. white, in oblong- 

 ovate panicles, usually perfect: fr. obovate, dull crim- 

 son-red. Spring. China. G.C. II. 25, p. 245 (as *\ o6- 

 lata); III. 5, p. 525. The following as S. Ja}>onica : 

 B.M. 4719; F.S. 7, p. 39; Gn. 7, p. 183 and 8, p. 519; 

 R.H. 1869, p. 259, and 1880, p. 5G. This species fruits 

 more freely than the preceding. Var. rubella, Rehd. 

 Peduncles, pedicels and buds reddish; staminate form. 

 R.H. 1874:311; 1885, p. 189. Var. arg^ntea, Nichols., 

 has the Ivs. bordered with white. A hybrid between 

 this and the preceding sii..i, i, |,i ,1, :,l,ly .S'. intermedia, 

 Carr., with narrow obldi I L -Ink green above. 



To this hybrid belong ;il " ^ , ilort., with lan- 



ceolate or oblanceolate \ in., ,, i -h ^,,rii Ivs. and subglo- 

 bose and obovate fr. on ihc r-uim; panicle (G.C. III. 

 5:553) and S. B/igersi, Hort., with similar but deep 

 green Ivs. and globose squarish fruit. 



S. Lauriola. Sieb. & Zuoc. Shrub. 5 ft. high, of a strong aro- 

 matic odor when bruised: Ivs. narrow-oblong to obovate, acute 



Alfred Rehder. 

 SKIEEET (Siinii Sis,n;u„. Linn.) is a vegetable of 

 minor importance tbi- ru'.ts ..f which are used like salsify 

 or oyster plant. It is a hardy, ]KT<'iiTii;il. uniln-Iliferous 

 herb, native to eastern Asia. It t'lvw v :;-i it. Iii;;h. has 

 pinnate foliage and small white lis. in cihiiiimuikI umbels. 

 The roots grow in large clusters, scni.thiiiL: like those 

 of a sweet potato or dahlia, but they are umch longer, 

 more cylindrical and somewhat jointed. The roots have 

 a sweet and slightly floury taste and if well grown are 

 tender. The chief objection to this vegetable is the 

 woody core, which must be removed before cooking, as 

 it is not easily separated from the fleshy part at the 

 table and detracts from its quality. The thickness of 

 the 'core varies greatly, no matter whether the plants 

 are propagated by seed, offsets or division of roots. 



