AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



225 



LIC 



grows so luxuriantly in Lapland, as to be 

 found sometimes a foot in height. 



Rocella tinctoria, from which Litmus is 

 obtained, furnishes an excellent dye. Lec- 

 anora esculenta is frequently met with in im- 

 mense quantities in the most arid, desert 

 regions of Asia and north Africa. It occurs 

 in rounded masses about the size of a filbert, 

 and is largely used as food. It possesses too, 

 a peculiar interest, on account of its being 

 supposed, by some commentators, to be the 

 "manna" which fed the children of Israel 

 during their wanderings in the wilderness. 

 Licua'la. The name of the species in the 

 Macassar language. Nat. Ord. Palmacece. 



A small genus of very elegant palms, allied 

 to Corypha, natives of the East Indies, New 

 Guinea, and northern Australia. L. grandis 

 (Syn. Pritchardia grandis) has fan-shaped, 

 deep, bright green leaves, three feet in diam- 

 eter, borne on long slender petioles twq to 

 three feet long. It was discovered in one of 

 the South Sea Islands and takes rank among 

 the most distinct and attractive Palms ever 

 introduced. L. acutifida, has a slender stem, 

 bearing a small head of beautiful, much- 

 parted, fan-like leaves, of an intense green. 

 As an exhibition plant or ornament for the 

 green-house or conservatory, it is highly to 

 be recommended, either when young or in a 

 more mature state. The stems of this plant 

 grow from five to eight feet high, and form 

 the handsome walking canes imported into 

 England under the name of Penang Lawyers. 

 Liebi'gia. Named after Liebig, a celebrated 

 German chemist. Nat. Ord. Gesneracece. 



A genus of hot-house evergreen plants, 

 allied to Chirita, and requiring the same 

 treatment. They are natives of the East 

 Indies. 



Lie'tzia. Named after A. Lietze, a nurseryman 

 at Rio Janeiro. Nat. Ord. Gesneracece. 



L. Brazilensis, the only described species, 

 is a stove-house perennial with a tuberous 

 rhizome. The flowers are green, spotted with 

 brown, and are remarkable for their curious 

 form as well as color. It was introduced from 

 Brazil in 1880, and is propagated by seeds, 

 tubers, or cuttings. 

 Ligneous. Having the texture of wood ; of or 



belonging to wood. 



Lignum. The wood; that central part of a 

 stem which lies beneath the bark, or its 

 equivalent, the cortical integument. 

 Lignum Vitae. See Guaiacum. 



Ligula'ria. From ligula, a strap ; referring to 

 the florets. Nat. Ord. Composites. 



A small genus of hardy and half-hardy her- 

 baceous perennials, some of which are of an 

 ornamental character, and are favorite garden 

 plants. They abound in the mountainous 

 regions of Asia, and have been more generally 

 known as species of Cineraria and Senecio. L. 

 Kmmpferi aureo-maculata, a native of China, 

 and popularly known as Farfugium grande, is 

 a low-growing-broad-leaved plant, remarkable 

 for its shiny, dark-green foliage, which is 

 irregularly blotched with bright yellow, or 

 sometimes with white and rose. It is easily 

 grown, and is a very decorative plant for the 

 border. It requires the protection of the 

 house during winter, and is propagated by 

 division in spring or autumn. 



LIL 



Ligulate. Strap-shaped ; narrow, moderately 



long, with the two margins parallel. 

 Ligu'sticum. Named for the country Liguria, 



where the officinal Lovage, L. Levisticum, 



abounds. Nat. Ord. Umbelliferce, 



A genus of about twenty species of glabrous 



perennial herbs, dispersed over the northern 



hemisphere. None of the species is worth 



cultivating. 

 Ligustri'na Amurensis. A synonym of Syringa 



Amurensis. 



Iiigu'strum. Privet. From ligare, to tie ; refer- 

 ring to the use made of the flexible shoots. 

 Nat. Ord. Oleacece. 



A genus of hardy, ornamental shrubs, or 

 small trees, natives of tropical Asia, Japan, 

 and Northern Africa. The species are of easy 

 culture in almost any soil or situation, and 

 are especially valuable in the neighborhood of 

 large towns, where a smoky atmosphere pre- 

 vails; in the shade, or under the drip of trees. 

 L. vulgare, the common Privet, is extensively 

 used for hedges in ornamental gardens, owing 

 to its bearing clipping without injury. L. 

 ovalifolium, a native of Japan, commonly 

 known as the California Privet, is one of the 

 hardiest and most floriferous of the genus, 

 and is remarkable for the beauty and persist- 

 ence of its foliage, which is of a dark waxy- 

 green color, and considerably larger than the 

 common Privet. As a single specimen on a 

 lawn, or for grouping in shrubberies, it is of 

 rapid growth and great beauty, while its 

 adaptation as a hedge plant is unsurpassed. 

 L. ovalifolium variegatum is a vigorous, com- 

 pact grower, the young leaves'of which have 

 a beautiful yellow tint, passing into white as 

 the leaves get older. All the species are 

 readily increased by cuttings. 



Lilac. See Syringa vulgaris. 



Lilia'ceae. Including Hemerocallidea, Tulip- 

 acece, Coronarice, Asphodelece, Asparaginece. 

 and Convallariacece. A natural order of herbs, 

 shrubs, or trees, with bulbs, corms, rhizomes, 

 or fibrous roots, simple, sheathing, or clasping 

 leaves, and regular flowers. They are natives of 

 both temperate and tropical regions.and pos- 

 sess medicinal qualities. Onions, Leeks, Garlic, 

 Chives, Shallot, Rocambole, Tulips, Hyacinths, 

 Lilies, etc., are all furnished by plants belong- 

 ing to this extensive order. There are up- 

 ward of 150 genera and 1,200 species. LUium, 

 Tulipa, Hyacinthus, Yucca, Agapanthus, Aspho- 

 delus, and Draccena, are examples of the order. 



Lilium. The Lily. From the Celtic word li, 

 signifying whiteness; the lily having long 

 been considered an emblem of whiteness and 

 purity. Nat. Ord. Liliacece. 



This genus, the type of an extensive order, 

 numbers upward of sixty species, and is emi- 

 nently distinguished for its surpassing loveli- 

 ness, its rare combination of grandeur and 

 chaste beauty. A remarkable feature in this 

 family of plants is, that it has no poor rela- 

 tions. In a general collection of the species, 

 all that can be imagined desirable and perfect 

 in floral forms will be realized. A great 

 inducement to the cultivation of this genus is 

 their ease of culture, and their almost perfect 

 hardiness, thriving with all the vigor of indig- 

 enous forms when planted in the flower bor- 

 der. All of them delight in light rich soil, 

 such as is afforded by a mixture of loam and 



