200 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



I. 



IBE 



Ibe'ris. Candytuft. From Iberia, the ancient 

 name of Spain, where the original species 

 abounds. Nat. Ord. Cruciferce. 



The genus consists of annuals, biennials 

 and perennials, all perfectly hardy and of the 

 easiest culture. The common name Candy- 

 tuft was given because they flower in tufts, 

 and the first introduced species, /. umbellata, 

 was brought from Candia. For the early flower- 

 ing of the annual varieties, the seed should 

 be sown in the fall, and slightly protected 

 from the sun, during winter, by leaves or any 

 convenient dry mulching; they will come 

 into flower in May. The plants of I. coronaria, 

 Rocket Candytuft, should be thinned out to 

 one or two feet apart each way ; then, if in 

 rich soil, they will completely cover the 

 ground. The sub-shrubby species, /. cor- 

 recefolia, I. Gibraltarica, I. sempervirena and 

 others, are most handsome, compact-growing 

 plants, admirably adapted for the front rows 

 of shrubbery or herbaceous borders. If 

 grown in cold frames, and kept a little close 

 towards spring, they will bloom at least three 

 weeks before those out-of-doors, and are val- 

 uable for early decorations, or for cut flowers. 



Iceland Moss. See Lichen. 



Ice Plant. See Mesembryanthemum. 



Ide'sia. Named after T. Ides, a Dutch traveler 

 in China. Nat. Ord. Flacourtiacece. 



I. polycarpa, the representative species of 

 this genus, is a beautiful tree, found in Japan, 

 and said to be perfectly hardy around New 

 York. The leaf stem is from six to twelve 

 inches long and bright red, with leaves nearly 

 round and from six to eight inches broad. 

 The flowers are yellowish-green, in long 

 drooping racemes, and very fragrant. The 

 fruit is about the size of a cherry, of an 

 orange color, and edible. Syn. Flacourtia. 



I'lex. The Holly. Name originally from the 

 Celtic, oc or ac, signifying a point ; on account 

 of the prickly leaves. Nat. Ord. AquifoliacecB. 

 An extensive genus of evergreen trees and 

 shrubs, remarkable for their glossy, prickly 

 foliage and scarlet fruit, that remains on the 

 shrub during the winter. They are well 

 adapted for the lawn or for hedges, and grow 

 best in a dry loam. J. aquifolium is the Holly 

 of the English gardens, and I. opaca is the 

 American Holly, which grows plentifully from 

 New York southward. It is to be regretted 

 that the English Holly, the most beautiful of all 

 evergreens, is unsuited to our climate, being in 

 the Northern States too tender to withstand 

 our winters, while the hot, dry summers of 

 the Southern States are equally injurious to 

 it. I. Paraguariensis, a native of Paraguay 

 and Brazil, furnishes the Paraguay tea, or 

 Yerba de Mate, which occupies the same im- 

 portant position in the domestic economy of 

 South America as the Chinese tea does in this 

 country, and it is calculated that it is con- 

 sumed in that country to the extent of about 

 8,000,000 pounds annually. It has been in use 

 for about a century and a half, the practice 

 having been adopted from the aboriginal peo- 



IMP 



pie. The leaves are prepared by drying and 

 roasting, when they are reduced to a powder, 

 which is prepared for drinking by putting a 

 small quantity into a gourd or cup, with a lit- 

 tle sugar. The drinking tube is then inserted 

 and boiling water poured on the Mate ; when 

 sufficiently cool the infusion is sucked up 

 through the tube. It has an agreeable, 

 slightly aromatic odor, is rather bitter to the 

 taste, and very refreshing and restorative to 

 the human frame after enduring great fatigue. 

 It contains the same active principles as tea 

 and coffee, called theine, but not their volatile 

 and empyreumatic oils. 



Illici'neae. A small natural order, generally 

 placed as a sub-order of AquifoliacecB. 



Illi'cium. Aniseed Tree. From illicio, to 

 allure; referring to the perfume. Nat. Ord. 

 Magnoliacece. 



A small genus of evergreen shrubs or low- 

 growing trees, with smooth entire leaves, 

 exhaling when bruised, a strong odor of Ani- 

 seed. They are natives of the extreme 

 Southern States, Japan, southern China, and 

 Asia. /. religioaum, a Japanese species, is a 

 small tree about the size of a cherry, and is 

 held sacred by the Japanese. The leaves of 

 this species, like those of /. floridanum, are 

 said to possess poisonous properties. In Ala- 

 bama the plant has acquired the name of 

 Poison-Bay. 



Ima'ntophy 'Hum. From imas, imantos, a leather 

 thong, and phyllon, a leaf; alluding to the 

 shape and substance of the foliage. Nat. Ord. 

 AmaryllidacecB. 



Those with authority to speak of plants 

 seem determined that the only species of this 

 genus shall have neither name nor home. 

 Some insist upon calling it Clivia nobilis; 

 others want to reverse it, and have C. nobilis 

 called J. Aitoni. Then, again, for variety's 

 sake, some prefer the orthography Imatophyl- 

 lum. Most writers call Imantophyllum and 

 Clivia synonymous. That they are closely 

 allied we do not doubt. Having flowered them 

 frequently, we find the flowers of I. mini- 

 atum (the only species) to be erect, and much 

 larger than Clivia nobilis, the flowers of which 

 are drooping and of a darker color. This spe- 

 cies, introduced from Natal in 1854, is propa- 

 gated by division, and requires the same 

 culture as the Clivia. Many beautiful hybrids, 

 having larger and more highly-colored flowers 

 than the type, have of late years been put in 

 commerce in Britain and on the Continent, and 

 are most attractive and valuable acquisitions 

 to this genus. 



Imbricated. When bodies overlap each other, 

 like the tiles or shingles on a roof. 



Immarginate. Having no rim or edge. 



Immersed. Growing entirely under water. 



Immortelle. The popular name for Helichry- 

 sum orientale, which see. 



Impa'tiens. Balsam, Silver Weed, Jewel Weed. 

 From impatiens, impatient; referring to the 



