44 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



BAB 



the banks of the Zambesi River, in East 

 Africa. Without exception they are beautiful 

 objects when in flower. 



B. apeciosa, a native of the Moluccas, and 

 one of the handsomest of the genus, attains a 

 height of fifty feet, with a circumference of 

 from ten to fifteen feet ; it is generally found 

 near the sea. From its seeds a lamp-oil is 

 expressed ; mixed with bait they are used to 

 inebriate fish in order to facilitate their cap- 

 ture. The roots, bark, and seeds of the sev- 

 eral species are much used in medicine by the 

 native practitioners. Syn. Stravadium. 



Barringto'nia'ceee. A small order, now placed 

 as a tribe of Myrtacece. 



Barto'nia. Named after Dr. Barton, one of our 

 distinguished botanists. Nat. Ord. Loasacece. 

 B. aurea, a native of California, is a splendid 

 annual, with golden yellow flowers, which 

 have quite a metallic luster when the sun 

 shines upon them. The seed-pod is curiously 

 twisted. Like all the California annuals, it 

 is very apt to die off if the roots become at all 

 withered by drought, or if the collar of the 

 plant be exposed to the full heat of the sun ; 

 and thus it does best when grown in masses, 

 so that the ground may be quite covered 

 with its leaves. It succeeds best in a moist 

 situation. Introduced in 1834. 



Bar-wood. Baphia nitida. 



Basal. Situated at the base of anything, or at- 

 tached to the base of any organ or part. 



Base'lla. Malabar Nightshade. Its Malabar 

 name. Nat. Ord. Chenopodiacece. 



A genus of climbing plants, mostly biennial. 

 B alba and B. cordifolia are grown in the East 

 Indies as pot-herbs, and are used as a sub- 

 stitute for Spinach. Some of them are also 

 grown in France, to furnish the Paris market 

 with summer Spinach, and they are grown for 

 the same purpose in China. B. rubra, a va- 

 riety of B. cordifolia, yields a rich purple dye. 

 Some of the species have tuberous roots. 

 B. alba is suitable for a suspended pot or 

 basket, being quite pretty when in bloom. B. 

 lucida, when in fruit, is a very interesting 

 plant. Propagated by division and by seed. 



Basella'ceae. A series of usually herbaceous 

 climbers, and considered a tribe of Chenopo- 

 diacece. 



Basil, Sweet. Ocimum Basilicum. Which see. 



Basil, Wild. The genus Pycnanthemum. 



Basil Thyme. Common name for Calamintha 

 Acinos. 



Ba'ssia. Butter Tree. Named after M. Bassi, 

 Curator of the Botanic Garden at Boulogne. 

 Nat. Ord. Sapotacece. 



Tall trees, natives of the hottest parts of 

 the East Indies and Africa ; the leaves are al- 

 ternate, produced in terminal tufts. The 

 trees are of considerable importance in their 

 native countries. B. butryacea yields a thick, 

 oil-like butter from its fruit. It makes good 

 soap, and is adapted for burning. From the 

 juice of the flowers a kind of sugar is pre- 

 pared. The flowers of B. latifolia, the Mah- 

 wah Tree, are used as an article of food in 

 India, and when dried keep good a long time. 

 A good sized tree will continue to shed its 

 blossoms for fifteen days, at the rate of one 

 hundred pounds per day, which weight is 

 reduced one-half in the process of drying. 



BAU 



A maund (eighty pounds) of dried Mahwah 

 will furnish a fortnight's food to a family of 

 two parents and three children. It is gener- 

 ally eaten with the seeds of the Sal Tree 

 (Shorea robvgta) ; a small quantity of rice 

 being sometimes added. The fruit of the 

 Illupie Tree, B. longifolia, yields oil for lamps 

 and various other purposes ; it is also used 

 for food. B. Parkii is the Shea Tree, or But- 

 ter Tree, mentioned by Mungo Park in his 

 travels. Some of the species furnish a very 

 valuable timber for the mechanic arts. 



Bass-wood or Whitewood. Tilia Americana. 



Bast. A strong woody fibre, much used in 

 some places for making brooms, brushes, etc., 

 obtained from the leaf stalks of Attalea 

 funifera and of Leopoldinia Piassaba. Also 

 the inner bark of the Lime Tree, of which the 

 Russian mats used in gardens are made. 

 Cuba Bast is the fibrous inner bark of Paritium 

 elatum, much used for tying up cigars, and by 

 gardeners for tying up plants, etc., as is also 

 the bast of the Lime Tree. Raphia, however, 

 is now fast superseding these materials 

 among gardeners for tying purposes. See 

 Raphia. 



Bastard, or False Acacia. Robinia Pseudo- 

 acacia. 



Bastard Pennyroyal. See Trichostema dichoto- 

 mum. 



Bata'tas. Its Indian name. Nat. Ord. Convol- 



A somewhat extensive genus of tuberous- 

 rooted climbing plants, tender or half-hardy. 

 Some of the species are handsome green- 

 house climbers, with large, purple, showy 

 flowers. As the flowers fade quickly and 

 have no commercial value, the species are 

 rarely cultivated. The most interesting 

 species is B. edulis, the well-known Sweet 

 Potato, for description of which see Potato. 

 The several species are natives of Mexico, 

 South America and the East Indies. 



Batema'nnia. In compliment to James Bate- 

 man, a celebrated English collector and culti- 

 vator of Orchids, and author of the " Orchid- 

 acese of Mexico and Guatemala." Nat. Ord. 

 OrchidacecB. 



A small genus of epiphytal Orchids, most 

 of which have small, inconspicuous flowers. 

 Batemannia Burtii is a very rare and showy 

 plant, from Costa Rica, with flowers three 

 inches in diameter, of a reddish brown, with 

 yellow spots, lip white and dark purple. 

 They require to be grown in a house with 

 moderate heat, and to be watered with great 

 caution. Introduced in 1872. 



Baue'ra. Named after two brothers, German 

 botanical draughtsmen. Nat. Ord. Saxifra- 

 gacece. 



A genus of small green-house shrubs, 

 natives of New Zealand and Australia. 

 Their pale red or pink flowers are produced 

 in the axils of the leaves in great profusion. 

 They form very neat, pretty green-house ever- 

 green plants, flowering nearly the whole year 

 through. Easily increased by cuttings. 



Bauhi'nia. Named after the brothers John and 

 Casper Bauhin, botanists in the sixteenth cen- 

 tury. Nat. Ord. Leguminosce. 



The numerous species that compose this 

 genus are extensively diffused throughout the 



