328 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



PIN 



size, attaining a height of 200 feet, and a cir- 

 cumference of about sixty feet. Its branches 

 are pendulous, and form an open, pyramidal 

 head ; the leaves are from four to five inches 

 long ; the cones pendulous from the extremi- 

 ties of the branches, and, when ripe, about 

 sixteen inches in length. The seeds are large, 

 sweet, and nutritious, and form an important 

 article of food to the Indians, who collect 

 them. The most valuable and useful of the 

 many species is P. Strobus, our common North 

 American White Pine. This is a handsome, 

 slender tree, growing from 100 to 200 feet 

 high, and with a circumference of from three 

 to twelve feet. This tree is diffused, though 

 not uniformly, over a vast extent of country, 

 from Maine westward to the Bocky Mountains. 

 For economical purposes, its value is greater 

 than all other timbers combined. There are 

 many species cultivated for their beauty as 

 ornamental trees for the lawn, and they are 

 entitled to more consideration than they have 

 thus far received. They thrive well in a sandy 

 or light loamy soil, and may be transplanted 

 from the nursery rows with perfect safety. 

 Numerous other species, grown mainly for 

 lawn decoration, are given in nurserymen's 

 catalogues. 



Pinxter Flower. A local name of Azalea nudi- 

 flora, common in the swamps of the Middle 

 and New England States. 



Fi'per. Pepper. From pepto, to digest ; refer- 

 ring to the stimulating power. Nat. Ord. 

 Piperacece. 



" P. nigrum yields the Pepper of commerce, 

 a condiment that has been held in high esteem 

 from the earliest times. It is frequently men- 

 tioned by Roman writers of the Augustin age, 

 and it is related that in the fifth century 

 Attila demanded, among other things, 3,000 

 pounds of Pepper in ransom for the City of 

 Home. Pepper is cultivated in the East and 

 West Indies, Sumatra, Java, etc., but that 

 which comes from Malabar is held in the 

 highest esteem. The Pepper- vine will, if left 

 to itself, attain a height of twenty or more 

 feet ; but in cultivation it is found more con- 

 venient not to allow it to exceed the height of 

 twelve feet. The plants are placed at the 

 base of trees that have rough or prickly barks, 

 in order that they may more readily attach 

 themselves to the trunk. In three years they 

 produce their spikes of fruit, and continue to 

 do so for some seven or eight years, after 

 which time they become less productive. The 

 fruit, when ripe, is of a red color. It is 

 gathered before it is fully ripe, and spread on 

 mats in the sun, when it loses its red color 

 and becomes black and shriveled, as when 

 offered in the market. This is Black Pepper. 

 White Pepper is the same fruit, freed from its 

 outer skin by maceration in water and subse- 

 quent rubbing. P. trioicum, a nearly allied 

 species to P. nigrum, yields also some little of 

 the Pepper of commerce. There are several 

 other species under cultivation, but all of the 

 same general character. 



"P. Betle furnishes the Betel-leaf of the 

 southern Asiatics, in which they enclose a few 

 slices of the Areca-nut and a little shell-lime ; 

 this they chew to sweeten the breath and to 

 keep off the pangs of hunger, and such is the 

 immense consumption of this luxury in the 

 East, that it nearly forms as extensive an 



PIS 



article of commerce as that of tobacco in the 

 West." Paxton's Bot. Diet. 



Fipera'ceae. A natural order of shrubs or herbs 

 with articulated stems, and alternate, some- 

 times whorled leaves. They are natives of 

 the hottest portions of the globe, and occur 

 commonly in South America and India. They 

 have pungent, acrid, and aromatic properties ; 

 some are narcotic and astringent. Among 

 the most important products of the order are 

 Pepper and Betel. There are about twenty 

 genera and upwards of 600 species, Artanthe, 

 Piper, and Peperomia, affording the best known 

 examples. 



Pipe-Tree. See Syringa vulgaris. 



Pipe Vine. Aristolochia sipho. 



Pipe-wort. Eriocaulon aeptangulare. 



Pipsissewa. See Chimaphila. 



Pipta'nthus. From pipto, to fall, and anthos, a 

 flower ; the teeth of the calyx, as well as the 

 petals and stamens, very soon fall off. Nat. 

 Ord. Leguminosce. 



P. Nepalensis, the only described species, a 

 native of the temperate Himalayas, forms a 

 very handsome, hardy, or nearly hardy ever- 

 green shrub, bearing its large yellow flowers 

 in terminal bracteate racemes. It was intro- 

 duced in 1821, and is propagated by cuttings 

 of the ripened wood, or by seeds. It is known 

 also as Baptisia Nepalensis. 



Piptathe'rum. From pipto, to fall, and ather, 

 an awn. Nat. Ord. Graminacece. 



P. multiftorum is a large perennial grass 

 worth growing for its elegant feathery pani- 

 cles, which are useful for arranging with cut 

 flowers. It grows vigorously in any soil, and 

 is perfectly hardy. 



Pique'ria. Named after A. Piqueria, a Spanish 

 botanist. Nat. Ord. Composites. 



A genus of hardy shrubs, and annual or 

 perennial herbs, mostly natives of Mexico and 

 western South America. P. latifolia, is an 

 annual, with purplish flower-heads, known in 

 cultivation as Ageratum latifolium. P. trinervia, 

 a hardy herbaceous species, has white flowers 

 disposed in loose, corymbose, many-flowered 

 panicles. It is increased by division. 



Pisci'dia. Jamaica Dogwood. From pisds, a 

 fish, and ccedo, to kill ; the leaves, twigs, and 

 bark are used to stupefy fish. Nat. Ord. 

 LeguminoscB. 



A small genus of evergreen, white-flowered 

 trees, from the West Indies. All that is of 

 interest in this genus is included in the deri- 

 vation of the name. 



Piso'nia. Named in honor of Nillem Piso, of 

 Amsterdam, an eminent physician and natur- 

 alist. Nat. Ord. Nyrtaginacece. 



A somewhat large genus of trees and shrubs, 

 mostly natives of tropical America; a few 

 being found in Asia, the Pacific and Mascarene 

 Islands. A few of the species are in cultiva- 

 tion, but are of little interest. 



Pistachio Nuts. See Pistacia. 



Pista'cia. Altered from Foustaq, its Arabic 

 name. Nat. Ord. Anacardiaceae. 



A genus of ornamental deciduous trees, 

 indigenous to Asia Minor, and which are 

 particularly abundant in Syria. P. Lentiscus 

 yields the Gum Mastic which is used by the 

 Turks for chewing to sweeten the breath and 

 strengthen the gums. In this country it is 



