AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



171 



GOM 



months. The flowers are large, pea-shaped, 

 yellow and crimson, and rose-purple. G. 

 polymorphum splendens is a profuse bloomer, 

 opening in succession its intense crimson and 

 yellow flowers in May. The largest flowered 

 species is G. barbigerum, so named because of 

 the keel petal being fringed, its pale yellow 

 flowers are axillary, and are produced singly. 



Gomphre'na. Globe Amaranth. From gom- 

 phos, a club ; alluding to the shape of the 

 flowers. Nat. Ord. Amaranthacece. 



This is supposed to be the Amaranth of the 

 poets, which, from the durability of its flow- 

 ers, was considered to be the emblem of im- 

 mortality. It seems to have been used at 

 funerals in the time of Homer, as he describes 

 it as worn by the Thessalians at the funeral 

 of Achilles. The Gomphrenas are tender an- 

 nuals. The seeds are slow to germinate, and 

 should be sown in March in a hot-bed or in 

 seed pans in the green- house. The plants 

 will be greatly benefitted by pricking out, or 

 re-potting before planting in the open border. 

 With this treatment single plants can be 

 made to produce several hundred flowers. 

 The flowers of the garden varieties are white, 

 purple, and striped. If cut before fully ripe 

 and tied in bunches, and allowed to dry in a 

 rather dark and aiiy room, they will retain 

 their colors the whole season, making them 

 desirable for bouquets of dried flowers. G. 

 globosa, the best known species, is a native of 

 India; introduced in 1714. 



Gomuti or Gomuto. See Saguerus. 



Gongo'ra. Named after a Spanish viceroy of 

 New Grenada. Nat. Ord. Orchidacece, 



A singular genus of Orchids from tropical 

 America. They are compact growing and 

 evergreen, producing long pendulous racemes 

 of flowers rich in color and often grotesque in 

 appearance. They can be successfully grown 

 in what is termed a " cool Orchid house," or 

 a green-house. 



Goniophle'bium. From gonia, an angle, and 

 phlebia, a vein ; alluding to the veins of the 

 fronds. Nat. Ord. Polypodiacece. 



Hot-house Ferns, found in nearly all tropi- 

 cal countries. A few are simple-fronded spec- 

 ies, with a creeping, ivy-like habit, and con- 

 tracted fertile fronds ; but they have mostly 

 stoutish, slow-creeping rhizomes, and large 

 fronds, often of a pendulous habit, and some- 

 times several feet in length. Some of the 

 species are exceedingly handsome, and valued 

 in collections, G. subauriculatum with long 

 drooping pinnate fronds often four feet in 

 length, being one of the most beautiful ferns 

 for large hanging baskets in the warm green- 

 house or plant stove. They are all propa- 

 gated by spores or by division in spring. 

 This genus is now placed by some botanists 

 under Polypodium. 



Gonio'pteris. From gonia, an angle, and pteris, 

 a fern; referring to the leaves. Nat. Ord. 

 Polypodiacece. 



A genus of tropical ferns abounding in the 

 West Indies, South America, tropical Africa 

 and Madagascar, in India, the Pacific islands, 

 Australia and New Zealand. In most respects 

 this genus is similar to Polypodium, and is 

 now placed under that genus by many botan- 

 ists. 



GOR 



Gono'calyx. A very beautiful plant of the 

 Nat. Ord. Ericaeece, discovered by Schlim in 

 New Grenada, at an elevation of 7,000 feet. 

 It forms a shrub of an erect, bushy habit, 

 thickly clothed with small, nearly orbicular 

 leaves, and bearing fine bright red tubular 

 flowers. The young leaves and shoots arc of 

 a purplish-rose color. G. pulcher, the only 

 species, is easily increased by cuttings. 



Gono'lobus. A large genus of Asclcpiadacece, 

 natives of tropical and North America, con- 

 sisting of twining, herbaceous or shrubby 

 plants, with greenish or dingy purple flowers, 

 borne in racemes or corymbs. Upwards of 

 sixty species have been described. 



Goode'nia. Named in honor of Dr. Samuel 

 Goodenough, author of a monograph of the 

 genus Carex. Nat. Ord. Goodenoviece. 



A genus of herbaceous plants and a few 

 shrubs, with usually yellow, rarely blue, flow- 

 ers. They are natives of Australia, Tasmania 

 and New Zealand. Propagated by cuttings in 

 spring. 



Goodeiio'vieee. A natural order of herbs, or 

 sub-shrubs; the juice not milky, with scat- 

 tered exstipulate leaves and distinct flowers. 

 Natives chiefly of Australia and the islands of 

 the Southern Ocean. There are about twelve 

 genera and nearly two hundred species. 

 Dampiera, Goodenia and Leschenaultia are 

 good examples. 



Go'odia. Named after P. Good, a collector of 

 plants in Australia for the Kew Gardens. 

 Nat. Ord. Leguminosce. 



Handsome evergreen shrubs from New Hol- 

 land. They are all erect, symmetrical plants, 

 with beautiful foliage. The flowers are pure 

 yellow, produced in racemes like those of the 

 Laburnum, but smaller. They require green- 

 house treatment, and are propagated by seeds 

 or cuttings. 



Good King Henry. Common name for Cheno- 

 podium Bonus Henricus. 



Goo'dyera. Named after J. Goodyer, an early 

 British botanist. Nat. Ord. Orchidacece. 



A genus of terrestrial Orchids, with small 

 white flowers like those of Spiranthes, but the 

 spike is not spiral. It consists of very few 

 species, all from the northern hemisphere, 

 and mostly from high latitudes or mountain 

 ranges. G. discolor has dark green velvety 

 leaves with a silver stripe down the middle, 

 and is a very handsome plant ; it requires a 

 warm green-house. G. pubescens and G. repens, 

 with green leaves, beautifully veined with sil- 

 ver, and pure white and greenish-white flow- 

 ers, are common to our woods from New 

 York to Wisconsin, and are choice and beau- 

 tiful plants for the rock-work or rock-garden. 



Gooseberry. See Ribes. 

 Cape. Physalis Peruviana and P. pubescens. 



Gooseberry Shrub. See Pereskia. 



Goose-foot. See Chfnopodium. 



Goose-grass. See Galium. 



Gordo'nia. Named by Dr. Garden in honor of 

 his old master, Dr. James Gordon, of Aber- 

 deen. Nat. Ord. Ternstromiacece. 



A genus of half-hardy deciduous shrubs or 

 low trees, common in the Southern States. 

 G. lasianthus, popularly known as Loblolly 

 Bay, has large white, showy flowers, and is 

 common in swamps near the coast from Vir- 

 ginia southward. 



