AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



221 



LEM 



to keep them from shriveling. Propagated 

 by cuttings. Syn. Ravenia. 



Lemon Verbena. Aloysia citriodora. 



Lens esculenta. Syn. for Ervum lens (Lentil). 



Lentibularia'ceae. A natural order containing 

 four genera of principally aquatic or marsh 

 herbs, most abundant in the tropics. The 

 most familiar examples are the common Blad- 

 der-wort ( Utricularia) and Pinguicula. 



Lenticular. Shaped like a lens ; resembling a 

 double convex lens. 



Lentil. See Ervum Lens. 



Lent Lily. A common name for Narcissus 

 Pseudo- Narcissus. 



Lent Rose. A name given to Helleborus orien- 

 talis, H. Olympicus, and other species. 



Leono'tis. Lion's Ear. From leon, a lion, and 

 ous, an ear; some resemblance in the flower. 

 Nat. Ord. Labiatce. 



A small genus of annuals and green-house 

 evergreen shrubs. Of the latter L. leonurus, 

 the Lion's Tail, is a magnificent species from 

 the Cape of Good Hope, producing brilliant 

 scarlet flowers. It requires a rough, sandy 

 loam, with plenty of air, and during the sum- 

 mer a liberal supply of water, when it will 

 not fail to grow and flower finely. It is propa- 

 gated by cuttings. The other species are 

 scarcely worth growing. L. cardiaca is 

 known in domestic medicine as Motherwort. 



Leo'ntice. From leon, leontos, a lion ; alluding 

 to the fancied resemblance in the leaves to 

 the print of a lion's foot. Nat. Ord. Berberi- 

 dacece. 



A small genus of herbs with tuberous rhi- 

 zomes, natives of southern Europe and central 

 Asia. L. Altaica, the best-known species, is 

 a dwarf half-hardy plant, producing terminal 

 deflected racemes of yellow flowers early in 

 May. It may be increased by offsets or seeds. 



Leo'ntodon. Hawk-bit. From leon, a lion, and 

 odons, a tooth; referring to the tooth-like 

 margins of the leaves. Nat. Ord. Composite. 

 A genus comprising about forty species of 

 hardy herbaceous plants, very generally dis- 

 tributed in the old world, only one being 

 native of America. None of the species are 

 of any horticultural value. 



Leontopo'dium. Edelweiss. Lion's Foot. 

 From leon, a lion, and pous, a foot; resem- 

 blance of the flower-heads. Nat. Ord. Com- 

 positcB. 



L. alpinum, the only species under cultiva- 

 tion, was formerly included in the genus 

 Gnaphalium. This singular plant is a native 

 of the Swiss Alps, where it is known by the 

 popular title Edelweiss. The flower-heads are 

 flat, topped by a wide-spreading, woolly-leaved 

 foliaceous involucre. The appearance not 

 inaptly resembles the soft-cushioned foot of 

 the lion, hence the generic name. It suc- 

 ceeds best on rock- work, or in exposed spots in 

 moist, sandy soil, and is increased by seeds 

 or by careful division. Syns. Onaphalium 

 Leontopodium and L. Helveticum. 



Leopard's Bane. See Doronicum. 



Leopard Wood. See Brosimum. 



Leopoldi'nla. Named after the late Empress 

 of Brazil. Nat. Ord. Palmacem. 



A small genus of Brazilian Palms, compris- 

 ing three or four species, existing in consid- 



LEP 



erable numbers on the Amazon and Rio 

 Negro. The trees are of medium size, bear- 

 ing terminal, smooth, pinnate leaves, and 

 having the upper part of their stems covered 

 with a copious network of fibres. L. Piassaba 

 is one of the Palms which yield the Piassaba 

 or Piacaba fibre, now so extensively employed 

 by brush-makers as a substitute' for bristles, 

 and also for making the stout street brooms 

 used in all large cities. Two distinct varieties 

 of this fibre are recognized in commerce, one 

 being a coarse kind obtained from Attalea 

 funi/era and imported from Bahia; and the 

 other a finer kind brought from Para, the pro- 

 duce of the Leopoldinia, which is found grow- 

 ing in great abundance on the extensive 

 plains between the Rio Negro and Orinoco 

 rivers, forming entire forests. It attains a 

 height of from fifteen to forty feet, and the 

 fibre, or beard, as it is usually called, which 

 is the envelope of the young leaves, hangs 

 down all round, and completely covers the 

 trunk quite to the ground, except in very tall 

 trees, the lower part of whose trunk is gen- 

 erally bare. The brushes made from this 

 fibre are known in trade as Tampico, and for 

 many purposes are considered superior to 

 those made from bristles. 



Lepa'nthes. From lepos, bark, or lepis, scale, 

 and anthos, a flower ; the plants of this genus 

 have very small flowers, and grow upon the 

 bark of trees. Nat. Ord. Orchidacece. 



A genus of the dwarfest of Orchids, with 

 the habit of, and nearly related to. Pleurothal- 

 lus. They can only be grown under a bell- 

 glass, among damp moss, in a cool part of the 

 house. They are natives of Mexico and the 

 West Indies, and are propagated by division. 

 Introduced in 1834. 



Lepa'nthus. A synonym of Heteranthera. 



Lepi'dium. Cress or Peppergrass. From lepis, 

 a scale ; in allusion to the shape of the pods, 

 which appear like little scales. Nat. Ord. 

 Cruciferce. 



A very extensive genus of hardy annuals 

 and perennials, found distributed throughout 

 the temperate regions of the earth. The only 

 species of interest are L. sativum, the com- 

 mon garden Peppergrass, whose nativity is 

 attributed to Persia : and L. Piscidium, found 

 in the Society and Sandwich Islands. This 

 species, in common with many other plants, 

 possesses properties that intoxicate fish, and 

 the natives use it for that purpose. When 

 thrown into the water it is eagerly eaten by the 

 fish, which are, soon after eating it, rendered 

 insensible, and float helplessly upon the 

 water, and are easily taken. There are sev- 

 eral native and naturalized species common 

 in this country, all of them weeds. 



Lepta'ndra. Included under Veronica. 



Leptochlo'a. Slender Grass. From leptos, 

 slender, and chloa, grass ; in allusion to the 

 slender habit of the grass. Nat. Ord. Grami- 

 nacecB. 



A small genus of slender grasses inhabiting 

 North and South America. L. gracilis is a 

 graceful grass with long plume-like panicles. 

 None of the species are considered valuable 

 for agricultural purposes. 



Leptosi'phon. From leptos, and siphon, a 

 tube ; alluding to the tube of the flower. Nat. 

 Ord. PolemoniacecB. 



