AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



275 



NER 



attractive and conspicuous when covered with 

 its bright orange-red or crimson berries about 

 the size of small peas, and which are produced 

 in the greatest profusion. It may be increased 

 from seeds, but is generally propagated by 

 division of the root, any small piece of which 

 will root freely. It is also well adapted 

 for growing in pots or shallow pans. Intro- 

 duced from the Antarctic Mountains in 1868. 



Nerves. The strong veins upon the leaves or 

 flowers. 



Nervose. Nervous ; full of nerves. 



Nesee'a. A genus of Lythrocece, comprising 

 about a dozen species of erect, leafy, perennial 

 herbs, or sub- shrubs, natives of America and 

 Africa, with yellow, purple, or blue flowers. 

 N. verticillata, our native species, is a most 

 showy plant, with four to six-sided stems, two 

 to six feet long, bearing axillary, rose-colored 

 flowers on shoi-t pedicels. Found in swampy 

 ground, common in the Eastern States. 



Netted-veined. Furnished with branching 



veins forming net-work. 

 Nettle. See Urtica. 

 Nettle Tree. See CeUis. 

 Neuma'nnia. A genus, now included under 



Pitcairnia. 

 Neurolo'ma arabidifolia. A synonym for Arabia 



ulbida. 



Ne'viusia. Named in honor of the Rev. R. D. 

 Neviua, of Alabama, the discoverer. Nat. Ord. 

 Rosacece. 



N. Alabamensis, the only species, is a hand- 

 some shrub, with slender branches and numer- 

 ous large, white, solitary or clustered flowers 

 on terminary peduncles. It differs from its 

 allies, Kerria, Rhodotypus, etc., in having no 

 petals, the absence of which is compensated 

 by the large spreading persistent calyx-lobes. 

 It was discovered in Alabama in 1882, and may 

 be propagated by cuttings. 



New Jersey Tea. See Ceanothus. 



New Zealand Flax. See Phormium. 



New Zealand Spinach. Tetragonia expansa. 

 This is grown as a substitute for summer 

 Spinach, being of a delicate flavor, and con- 

 tinuing available the whole summer. This 

 species is found in Tasmania, Australia, Nor- 

 folk Island, and both sides of South America, 

 as well as in New Zealand and Japan. It is a 

 half-hardy annual under cultivation, and was 

 introduced into England from New Zealand in 

 1772 by Sir Joseph Banks, on his return from 

 accompanying Captain Cook on his first voy- 

 age around the world, and disseminated by 

 the English seedsmen. 



New Zealand Tea. Leptospermum scoparium. 



Nica'ndra. Named after Nicander, who wrote 

 on medicine and botany about 150 A.D. 



A genus of Solanacece, comprising only one 

 species, N. Physaloides (Winter-cherry-like), 

 so called from the resemblance of its fruit to 

 that of Physalis, is a stout annual plant, 

 about two feet in height, with smooth, deeply 

 sinuated leaves. Introduced from Peru in 

 1759. 



Nico'tiana. Tobacco. Named in honor of John 

 Nicot, of Nismes, ambassador from the King 

 of France to Portugal, who procured the first 

 seeds from a Dutchman, who had them from 

 Florida. Nat. Ord. Solanacece. 



NIE 



Of this extensive genus of annuals and per- 

 ennials, the best known and most generally 

 cultivated is N. tabacum, and its varieties. 

 There are, however, several other species 

 largely cultivated, particularly in Mexico, 

 Central America, and the West Indies. The 

 specific name, tabacum, according to Hum- 

 boldt, is derived from the Haytian word for 

 the pipe in which the herb is smoked, and 

 which has been transferred from the instru- 

 ment to the plant. N. repanda is largely 

 grown in the West Indies, and furnishes the 

 material for the celebrated Havana cigars. 

 " Smoking is a custom of very great antiquity 

 in both hemispheres, although, previous to 

 the discovery of America, it was not common 

 among the inhabitants of the Old World, and 

 the substances smoked were either Hemp or 

 such herbs as Coltsfoot. But when Columbus 

 and his followers lauded in Cuba in 1492, 

 they discovered the far-famed Tobacco in 

 common use among the natives ; and subse- 

 quent explorers found it was spread over the 

 whole continent of America, where it had been 

 cultivated from time immemorial. The pleas- 

 antly soothing effects of this new herb were so 

 enticing that it soon found patrons among the 

 adventurers, and in an almost incredibly short 

 time after their return to Spain, tobacco- 

 smoking began to be practiced in Europe ; but 

 it did not gain much ground among the nations 

 of the North until the famous Sir Walter Ra- 

 leigh and his companions introduced the 

 custom into England in 1586. At first it 

 met with the most violent opposition ; kings 

 prohibited it ; popes fulminated bulls against 

 it ; and sultans sentenced smokers to the 

 most cruel kinds of death. Persecution, how- 

 ever, only helped to spread it. In spite of all 

 penalties, the custom rapidly progressed, un- 

 til, at the present day, it may be said to be 

 almost universally practiced by both civilized 

 and uncivilized man." N. affinis is a good 

 border plant, having long tubed white flowers, 

 which open about 6 P. M., and emit a power- 

 ful and pleasant odor during the evening and 

 night. N. Wigandioides, a shrubby species 

 from Columbia, has large ovate-acuminate 

 leaves, and is well adapted for sub-tropical 

 gardening. 



Nierembe'rgia. In honor of John Eusebius Nie- 

 remberg, a Spanish Jesuit, author of a History 

 of Nature, Antwerp, 1635. Nat. Ord. Sola- 

 nacecB. 



A very interesting genus of annuals and 

 green-house herbaceous perennials, natives of 

 Central and South America. These interest- 

 ing little plants well deserve attention. N. 

 filicaulis and N. gracilis are among the most 

 beautiful of the class of plants adapted for 

 embellishing the flower garden in summer, or 

 " turning out," as it is termed. A few speci- 

 mens of either, in a tolerablv good situation, 

 will keep up a display from June till cut off by 

 the autumnal frosts ; nor are the other species, 

 N. aristata and N. calycina, deficient in beauty, 

 though not so well adapted for this purpose, 

 because of their more extended habit. N. 

 rivularis, introduced from La Plata in 1866, is 

 a very handsome hardy perennial, bearing 

 white flowers with a pale-yellow centre. It is 

 a low-growing plant, and is in flower from 

 June till fall in the open border. This species 

 is much used in cemetery decoration. Cut- 



