BES 



[128] 



BET 



B. cocci' nea (scarlet - berried}. 3. Yellow. 

 Guiana. 1819. 



crista'ta (crested). 3. Yellow. June. 



West Indies. 1739. Stove evergreen 

 climber. 



grandifo'lia (large-leaved). 3. YeUow. 



August. Brazil. 1823. 



incarna'ta (flesh-coloured-ftmned) . 3. Yel- 



low. Guiana. 1820. Stove herbaceous 

 perennial. 



lu'tea (yellow -flowered). 3. Yellow. July. 



Guiana. 1739. 



mo' His (soft). 3. Yellow. South America. 



1823. 



pulcherlla (neat). 3. Yellow. August. 



Trinidad. 1806. Stove evergreen 

 climber. 



viola' cea (purple - berried}. 6. Yellow. 



Guiana. 1824. Stove evergreen 

 climber. 



BESOM, or Broom, received its second 

 name from being often made of the broom 

 plant ; but the best, both for flexibility 

 and durability, are made of the ling or 

 heath. Birch brooms are the most com- 

 mon, and are those to which the name 

 besom applies; beso, in the Armorican 

 language, being the birch. But what- 

 ever the material, they will endure much 

 longer if soaked in water for some time 

 before using. If kept constantly in wa- 

 ter they would be still less brittle. 

 Where walks are liable to become mossy, 

 a broom made of wire is frequently em- 

 ployed for sweeping them. If the wire 

 be iron, it ought to be well dried and 

 dipped in oil before and after being used, 

 or it is soon destroyed by the rust. 



BE'SSERA. (Named after Dr. Besser, 

 Professor of Botany at Brody. Nat. 

 ord., Lilyworts [Liliaceae]. Linn., 6- 

 Hexandria, \-monogynia. Elegant little 

 Mexican bulbs, allied to the SQUILLS). 

 Offsets ; sandy peat ; kept dry and cool, 

 Taut secure from frost when not growing ; 

 kept moist when growing and flowering. 

 They require a cold pit or greenhouse. 

 B. e'legans (elegant). 2. Scarlet. September. 



Mexico. 



fistulo'sa (hollow-stalked). 1. Purple. Sep- 

 tember. Mexico. 1831. 



Herbe'rti (Dr. Herbert's). Purple and white. 



September. Mexico. 1846. 

 BETA. Beet Root. (From bett, the 

 Celtic word for red ; in reference to the 

 red colour of the beet. Nat. ord., Che- 

 nopods [Chenopodiacesel Linn., 5-Pen- 

 tandria, 1-Digynia). Hardy biennials, 

 except where otherwise described. Seeds 

 in March or April ; deep soil. See 

 BEET. 



B. ci'cla (Sicilian white beet}. 6. Green. 



August. Portugal. 1670. 

 cri'spa (curled). 6. Green. August. South 



of Europe. 1800. 



macrorhi'za (long-rooted). 6. Green. Au- 



gust. Caucasus. 1820. 



mari'tima (sea). 1. Green. August. Bri- 



tain. 



tri'gyna (three-styled). 3. White. July. 



Hungary. 1796. Hardy herbaceous 

 perennial. 



vulga'ris (common red beet). 4. Green. 



August. Europe. 1548. 



lu'tea (yellow-roofed). 4. Green. 



August. South of Europe. 



rtfbra (red-rooted). 4. Green. August. 



South of Europe. 



vi'ridis (green). 4. Green. August. South 



of Europe. 



BE'TCKEA. (Named after M. Betcke, 

 a botanist. Nat. ord., Valerian worts 

 [Valerianacese]. Linn., 3- Triandria, 1- 

 monogynia). For all practical purposes, 

 they may be taken as a common Valerian. 

 Hardy annuals. Seeds in warm situa- 

 tions, in middle of May ; or, better, in a 

 slight hotbed in the middle of March, 

 and transplanted into common garden 

 beds. 



B. ma'jor (larger). 1. Rose. August. Cali- 

 fornia. 1836. 



samolifo'lia (samolus - leaved) . 1. Rose. 



July. Chili. 1835. 



BETLE NUT. Pi' per Be tie. 



BETO'NICA. Betony. This genus, 

 named after the Celtic title Bentonic, is 

 now united to Stachys. 



BE' TONY. Sta'chys and Teu'crium be- 

 to'nicum. 



BE' TULA. Birch. (From its Celtic 

 name betu. Nat. ord., Birchworts [Be- 

 tulaceae]. Linn., 1\-Moncecia, 4-Tetran- 

 dria). Hardy deciduous trees and shrubs, 

 except where otherwise specified. Seeds 

 sown as soon as ripe, or kept dry and 

 sown in the April following, in fine soil, 

 and scarcely more than covered ; deep 

 dry soil suits them best. Shrubs, and 

 particular species by suckers and graft- 

 ing. The flowers of all are inconspicu- 

 ous, having no petals. 

 B. a'lba (common white). 40. April. Britain. 



daleca'rlica (Dalecarlian). 40. May. 



Europe. 



fo'liis varicga'tis (variegated-leaved). 



May. 



macroca'rpa (large - fruited). 40. 



June. Europe. 



pe'ndula (pendulous). April. Bri- 

 tain. 



po'ntica (Pontic). 70. May. Turkey. 



urticifo'lia (nettle-leaved). 40. May. 



verruca' sa (warty). 40. April. Britain. 



