234 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



LOX 



L. rupicola, the only species, is an elegant 

 stove-house Palm, introduced from Ceylon in 

 1878. It has spreading pinnate leaves, five to 

 six feet long and three to four feet wide, bear- 

 ing twelve to twenty pairs of spreading, some- 

 what recurved pinnules. It is still rare, and 

 flowered for the first time in England, at Kew, 

 in the spring of 1878. 



Loxso'ma. From loxos, oblique, and soma, a 

 body; the sporangia are girt by an incomplete 

 ring. Nat. Ord. Polypodiacece. 



L. Cunninghami, the only species, is a rare 

 and beautiful Fern with decompound, coriace- 

 ous, long-stalked fronds, glaucous beneath ; 

 the sori are marginal, and have a short, broad, 

 incomplete oblique ring, opening vertically. It 

 is a native of New Zealand, and is of easy cul- 

 ture in a cool green-house. 



Lucerne. See Medicago. 



Lucid, Lucidus. Bright, shining. 



Lucu'lia. iMculi Swa is the name given to the 

 tree by the Nepalese. Nat. Ord. Rubiacece. 



The two species forming the genus are 

 among the finest winter-flowering plants we 

 possess, as, when well grown, they become 

 covered with large heads of lovely pink 

 flowers. The plants should be placed when 

 young in large pots, well drained, and filled 

 with fibrous loam. The encouragement of a 

 slight bottom heat and a rather elevated 

 humid atmosphere will induce them to grow 

 with vigor. It is best, in this early stage of 

 their development, to stop the shoots once or 

 twice, so as to form handsome specimens, 

 and when the growth is nearly complete, 

 they should be removed to the green-house 

 to mature it and form their flowers, which 

 are usually unfolded about the end of autumn, 

 and with a little care may be preserved for a 

 long period. L. gratissima is the best known 

 species, and should find a place in every col- 

 lection. It bears numerous cymes of reddish- 

 pink flowers, which are very fragrant. There 

 are few more beautiful plants than this when 

 in bloom, and it should be more generally 

 grown. It does well in a loamy soil, to which 

 leaf mould and sand have been added. The 

 species are natives of Nepal, and were intro- 

 duced in 1823. Although it is possible to prop- 

 agate Luculias from cuttings, it is by no 

 means a successful method, unless the con- 

 ditions under which the cuttings are placed 

 regarding shade and temperature are just 

 suitable to their requirements. Seedling 

 plants grow fast, if properly attended to, but 

 seldom bear flowers before the second or 

 third year. 



Lucu'ma. The Peruvian name of one the 

 species. Nat. Ord. Sapotacea. 



A large genus of lactescent trees and 

 shrubs, natives of South America and the 

 West Indies, a few being found in Australia 

 and New Caledonia. L. Mammosa, the Mar- 

 malade Plum bears a very luscious, large 

 oval or top-shaped fruit of a russet color. 

 It was introduced in 1739, and is perhaps the 

 only species in cultivation. 



Luddema'nnia. Complimentary to M. Ludde- 

 mann. Nat. Ord. Orchidaceoz. 



L. Pescatorei, the only species, was formerly 

 called Cycnoches Pescatorei. It is a native of 

 South America. The flower spike is pendu- 

 lous, very long, producing thirty to forty buff- 



LUP 



yellow flowers, brown inside, with the sepals 

 and lip bright yellow. This species is in- 

 creased by division, and should be grown in 

 a basket in moss. 



Lu'ffa. From louff, the Arabic name. Nat. 

 Ord. Cucurbitacece. 



A curious genus of ornamental gourds, na- 

 tives of the warm regions of the globe, one 

 being indigenous to America. The long^ 

 green fruits when ripe, form inside a tough 

 fibrous mass which, when the seeds and shell 

 are removed, is used for bathing purposes, 

 and for scouring cooking utensils. Hence, 

 some of the species are called Sponge Gourds, 

 and Dish-rag Plants. 



Lu'hea. Named after C. Vander Luke, a Ger- 

 man botanist, who wrote on the plants of the 

 Cape of Good Hope. Nat. Ord. TiliacecB. 



A small genus of handsome stove-house 

 trees, allied to Sparmannia. L. paniculata, 

 probably the only species yet introduced, has 

 broad-ovate blunt leaves, unequally serrate 

 and cordate at the base, and rosy-white flow- 

 ers borne in leafy cymes at the tips of the 

 branches. It is a very pretty plant, thriving 

 well in a mixture of peat and loam, and is 

 increased by cuttings of the nearly ripened 

 wood, in sand. In Brazil the bark of this- 

 species is used in tanning leather. 



Luna'ria. Moonwort, Honesty. From luna, the 

 moon; referring to the shape of the seed- 

 vessels. Nat. Ord. Cruciferce. 



Of this old garden plant there are but two 

 species. One a hardy biennial. L. biennis, 

 with blue and white, and white flowers, is- 

 interesting for its large oval, silvery seed 

 pouches, whii:h are quite ornamental, and are 

 much used in bouquets of dried Ferns and 

 Grasses, as they last a long time if kept dry. 

 The seeds of this species should be sown in 

 early summer for flowering the next year. It 

 is a native of Germany, and is mentioned by 

 the earliest botanical writers. The other 

 species is a hardy herbaceous perennial of 

 but little merit. 



Lunate, Lunulate. Shaped like a half-moon; 

 crescent-shaped. 



Lungwort. See Pulmonaria. 

 Lupine. See Lupinus. 



Lupi'nus. Lupine. From lupus, a wolf; de- 

 vastates land as a wolf does the fold ; liter- 

 ally, destroyer. Nat. Ord. Leguminosce. 



A genus of herbaceous annuals and peren- 

 nials, which contains some of our most beauti- 

 ful border flowers ; yellow, blue, white and 

 and pink Lupines are among the oldest of our 

 cultivated border annuals. L. nanus is a 

 beautiful little annual, with dark blue flowers, 

 a native of California, and requires the usual 

 treatment of Californian annuals. L. muta- 

 bilis and L. Cruikshankii are splendid plants, 

 growing to the height of four or five feet, and 

 branching like miniature trees. L. polyphyllus 

 and its varieties are perennials, and they are 

 splendid, vigorous-growing plants, with 

 spikes of flowers from one foot to eighteen 

 inches in length; L. Nootkatensis is a hand- 

 some dwarf perennial, and L. arboreus, when 

 trained against a wall, will attain six feet in 

 height, and in sheltered situations it will 

 grow with equal vigor when trained as a 

 bush t ied to a stake ; L. latifolius is a peren- 



