372 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



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of fruit-culture. At what date any of our 

 choice varieties were produced we are unable 

 to state ; but little improvement was made, 

 however, previous to the nineteenth century, 

 though the Dutch cultivated a white Currant 

 in 1729. The Black Currant, R. nigrum, is a 

 native of most parts of Europe, and abounds 

 in the woods of Russia and Siberia. Cultiva- 

 tion has added but little to its quality; its 

 taste is peculiar, and to most persons disa- 

 greeable. It is used chiefly for jellies. 

 R. aureum, the Buffalo or Missouri Currant, 

 is an ornamental shrub, remarkable for 

 the spicy fragrance of its yellow blossoms 

 in early spring. 'It is widely cultivated, and 

 would be one of the most desirable shrubs 

 were it not for its tendency to sucker and 

 spread itself beyond bounds. R. sanguineum, is 

 another ornamental variety, with rich crim- 

 son flowers, the plant growing to a height of 

 eight or ten feet. The Gooseberry, R.Grossu- 

 laria, is a native of the United States, from 

 Virginia northward, and west to Wisconsin, 

 and also of northern Europe. From this spe- 

 cies most of our garden varieties have origi- 

 nated. The natural fruit is small, and has 

 less flavor than the cultivated sorts. The 

 English have made great improvements in the 

 Gooseberry. Their favorite sorts are not 

 adapted to this climate, however, owing to 

 their tendency to mildew. An exception to 

 this, however, is found in Paterson, N. J., 

 where some English mechanics grow them in 

 great perfection. P. hirtellum is a smooth- 

 fruited species, common in moist grounds 

 from New England to Illinois. Under culti- 

 vation this species has been greatly im- 

 proved, and its varieties are now generally 

 grown in our gardens. There are several spe- 

 cies with rough or prickly fruit, common 

 throughout the Northern States; they are, 

 however, of little value for their fruit. 



Rib Grass. The common name of Plantago 

 lanceolata. 



Rice. The common name of Oryza saliva. 



Rice. Canada or Indian. Zizania aquatica. 



Rice Flower. The genus Pimelia. 



Rice-paper Plant. Chinese, Aralia or Fatsia 

 papyrifera. 



Rice-paper Plant. Malay. See Sccevola. 



Rice. Water or Wild. Zizania aquatica. 



Richa'rdia. Calla, Egyptian Lily, Lily of the 

 Nile. Named after L. C. Richard, an eminent 

 French botanist. Nat. Ord. Aroidece. 



Calla, the popular name of this genus, was 

 given to it by Pliny. There are but five 

 species, all natives of Africa. The Calla, or 

 Richardia Africana, or ^Ethiopica is a native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, and was introduced 

 into England in 1731. It is a well-known 

 plant of easy culture; the only particular 

 attention it requires is constant watering, 

 and as warm a room as can conveniently be 

 given it. The Calla is largely grown for win- 

 ter flowers, and is of the easiest culture. 

 Although it will grow and flower during the 

 entire season without resting, if sufficiently 

 fed, by being re-potted, yet it is more profita- 

 ble to dry it partially off, say from June 1st to 

 October 1st. This is best done by placing the 

 pots on their sides, so as to prevent the rains 

 from wetting the soil, and covering them 

 slightly with hay or moss, so as to kep the 



RIG 



sun from drying the roots too much ; or, if a 

 position of partial shade can be had, there will 

 be no need of covering the pots. The roots 

 thus rested will flower more abundantly and 

 produce fewer leaves, and thus twice the 

 number of flowers may be obtained from the 

 same space. It is not well to give the Calla 

 too much pot room, else too much foliage is 

 produced. We have found the best method 

 to be not to use too large pots, and to use 

 liquid manure freely. When an excess of 

 leaves occurs, cut them off freely, withholding 

 water somewhat for a week or so after cutting 

 the leaves off. By this method the plants can 

 be grown closely together, and a larger crop 

 of flowers obtained from the same space. The 

 Calla is one of the best of winter-flowering 

 plants for room culture, needing little care 

 beyond abundant water and an occasional 

 syringing or washing of the leaves to keep 

 them free from dust. The summer treatment 

 and re- potting will be the same as recom- 

 mended above. It is also a good plant for a 

 large aquarium. R. hastata, the Yellow Calla, 

 introduced in 1859, is very similar to the 

 above both in leaves and growth, but the 

 flowers are of a greenish-yellow color. R. 

 albo-maculata, a species with beautifully varie- 

 gated or spotted foliage, makes a showy 

 plant. The flowers are smaller than the 

 Calla, and white, with purple throat. It 

 comes into flower in June, making it valuable 

 for a succession. It is also desirable in a 

 collection of plants with variegated foliage. 

 The so-called Crimson and Black Callas are 

 species of Arum (which see). The species 

 are all propagated by offsets, which should 

 be taken off when the plant is at rest, and 

 grown on in small pots for one season. 



Richardso'nia. Named in honor of R. Richard- 

 son, an English botanist, who published a 

 work on horticulture in 1699. Nat. Ord. 

 Rubiacece. 



R. Scabra, the Mexican Coca-plant, has 

 been employed in medicine under the name 

 of White Ipecacuanha. The genus contains 

 five or six species, probably none of which 

 are in cultivation. 



Rici'nus. Castor Oil Plant. From ricinus, a 

 tick ; resemblance in the seeds. Nat Ord. 

 Euphorbiacece. 



A monotypic genus of tall-growing, half- 

 hardy annuals, natives of Africa and the East 

 Indies. R. communis, the seeds of which 

 yield Castor Oil, is a native of India, but is 

 now extensively cultivated in the warmer 

 regions of the globe. It is largely gixnvn in 

 southern Illinois and Missouri much in the 

 same manner as Indian Corn. The produce 

 of seed per acre is about twenty bushels. It 

 is estimated that those States alone produce 

 annually half a million gallons of oil. The 

 pomace is used as a manure. There are a 

 number of varieties grown in the garden, dif- 

 fering but little in general appearance, but 

 varying in color and size. Some of them, as 

 Cambogiensis, Gibsoni, Sanguineus, etc., 

 have bronzy-purplish leaves, and are exceed- 

 ingly showy as a centre plant in a sub-tropical 

 bed, the outer circles to be of Cannas in vari- 

 ety, or Caladium esculentum. The plants are 

 easily grown from seeds, which should be 

 started in small pots in the green-house about 

 the first of March, and turned out as soon as 



