AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



393 



SAM 



New York southward. It is very abundant 

 and beautiful on the slopes of the Alleghany 

 Mountains. The Golden Elder, S. nigra aurea, 

 is an excellent ornamental plant for shrub- 

 beries or lawns, its bright golden foliage ren- 

 dering it very picturesque and effective. If 

 the young shoots are regularly pinched back, 

 the plants may be kept dwarf and of a tine 

 golden color all summer. 



Sambul Plant. A common name for Ferula 

 Sambul. 



Sa'molus. A genus of PrimulacecB, consisting 

 of small marsh plants with white flowers. S. 

 Valerandi, the Brook-weed, or Water Pimper- 

 nel, is remarkable only for its wide geo- 

 graphical range, there being scarcely any 

 country in which it does not abound where 

 the soil is wet and gravelly. S. littoralis, a 

 native of New Zealand, is a pretty trailing 

 plant, with long, slender stems, furnished 

 with small evergreen foliage, and in summer 

 with numerous pink blossoms. It is a most 

 desirable hardy plant for a moist spot in the 

 rock-garden, as it delights in plenty of mois- 

 ture at the roots ; it is still rare in cultivation. 



Samphire. Crithmum maritimum, the aromatic, 

 saline, fleshy leaves of which are used in 

 pickles. See also Salicornia. 



Sa'myda. The Greek name of the Birch ; ap- 

 plied to this genus because of its resemblance. 

 Nat. Ord. Samydacece. 



A small genus of stove-house, evergreen 

 shrubs, natives of the West Indies, and typi- 

 cal of the Nat. Ord. Samydacece, which con- 

 tains some seventeen genera, few of which 

 are in cultivation. S. ylabrata and S. serru- 

 lata, with campanulate, white flowers, are 

 ornamental plants, succeeding best in a com- 

 post of loam and peat, and are readily in- 

 creased by cuttings. 



Sanche'sia. Named in honor of Josef Sanchez, 

 Professor of Botany at Cadiz. Nat. Ord. Acan- 

 thacece. 



A small genus of evergreen, green-house 

 shrubs, from Bolivia. There are eight de- 

 scribed species, natives of Peru, Colombia 

 and Brazil. S. nobilis variegata, the only one 

 introduced to .any extent into our green- 

 houses, is a very beautiful, free-growing plant. 

 The leaves are large, oblong, deep green and 

 boldly striped with rich golden yellow. The 

 flowers are clear yellow, issuing from crimson 

 bracts. It requires to be grown in a warm, 

 moist house, in light, rich soil, and is readily 

 increased from cuttings. Syn. Ancylogyne. 



Sandal-wood. See Santalum. 



Sandarach Gum-tree. A common name for 



Callitris quadrivalvis. 

 Sandbox-tree. See Hura. 



Sanderso'nia. Named after John Sanderson, 

 Honorary Secretary of the Horticultural So- 

 ciety of Natal. Nat. Ord. Liliacece. 



A pretty monotypic genus found in Natal, 

 consisting of an erect-growing, tuberous-root- 

 ed herb, with simple leafy stems and nodding 

 orange-colored flowers, on solitary slender 

 pedicles. Propagation is effected by seeds or 

 offsets. Introduced in 1852. 



Sand Myrtle. Leiophyllum buxifolium. 

 Sand Verbena. Abronia umbellata. 

 Sand-wort. See Arenaria. 



SAN 



Sangaina'ria. Blood-root. From sanguis, blood ; 

 all the parts of the plant yield a red juice when 

 cut or broken. Nat. Ord. Papaveracece. 



The only described species of this genus is 

 S. Canadensis, popularly known as Blood-root. 

 It is a beautiful, hardy, herbaceous plant, found 

 in the woods throughout the United States. 

 Its flowers are pure white, borne singly on a 

 slender stem about six inches high. It is one 

 of the earliest and most attractive of our na- 

 tive Wild Flowers, and can be easily trans- 

 ferred to the flower-garden. As the petals are 

 greatly increased in size and number by good 

 cultivation, it should be planted in rich soil 

 and partial shade. 



Sanguine, Sanguineus. Dull red passing into 

 brownish-black. 



Sanguiso'rba. A genus of herbaceous plants of 

 the Nat. Ord. Rosacece, of which several spe- 

 cies are in cultivation. S. officinalis, or Bur- 

 net, received its name from its supposed vul- 

 nerary qualities. S. Canadensis resembles the 

 above but bears its flowers, rendered con- 

 spicuous by their white anthers in long cylin- 

 drical spikes. 



Sani'cula. Sanicle, Black Snake-root. From 

 sano, to heal ; supposed healing effects of 

 Sanicula Europea. Nat. Ord. Umbelliferce. 



A genus of weeds of no special interest be- 

 yond their supposed medicinal qualities. 



Sansevie'ra. Bow-string Hemp. In honor of 

 M. Sansevier, a Swedish botanist. Nat. Ord. 

 Liliacece. 



A very singular genus of plants, found 

 chiefly in Africa and the East Indies. They 

 are stemless perennial plants, throwing out 

 runners, and having only root-leaves, which 

 are thick, fibrous and fleshy, and usually 

 sword or lance-shaped, from two to three feet 

 long, and from two to four inches wide. When 

 young they are marked with pale-colored 

 cross-bands, but ultimately a uniform shining 

 green. S. Zeylanica is the species most grown 

 in the green-house, the markings being more 

 distinct and positive. The natives call the 

 plant Bow-string Hemp, because of the strong 

 and fine quality of the fibre it yields, and 

 which is used in the manufacture of cordage 

 and fine string. They are propagated by di- 

 vision, and should be grown in strong heat, 

 with plenty of moisture. Introduced in 1731. 



Sautala'ceae. A natural order of trees, or more 

 frequently shrubs or herbs, often parasitical 

 on roots, with alternate, rarely opposite, en- 

 tire leaves, and small green flowers in termi- 

 nal or lateral cymes or spikes. The species 

 are dispersed over tropical and temperate re- 

 gions, but are most abundant in the Old 

 World ; they are distributed into about twen- 

 ty genera and nearly two hundred species. 



San'talum. Sandal-wood. From its Persian 

 name, sandul, signifying useful. Nat. Ord. 

 Santalacece. 



The species of this genus are trees or 

 shrubs, natives of Asia, Australia and the 

 Pacific Islands. The flowers of S. album, the 

 true Sandal-wood, are small, and are produced 

 in spikes or racemes ; but the chief value of 

 the plant consists in the fragrance of the 

 wood, which is so great that the wood is 

 burned for incense, and is said to be destruc- 

 tive to all noxious insects. The same species 



