AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



433 



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root room. They may either be planted in 

 the border of the house and trained over the 

 pillars and roof, or placed in a large pot hav- 

 ing a good-sized trellis attached to it. In 

 either position the effect produced by their 

 deep green and ample, fleshy leaves, enriched 

 by numerous clusters of pure white, waxy 

 flowers, is, perhaps, unsurpassed. The flow- 

 ers of S. floribunda have a strong, delicious 

 perfume, and are much valued by the bouquet- 

 makers. This species was introduced from 

 Madagascar in 1830, and is the only one gen- 

 erally cultivated. It is much subject to the 

 insect known as Mealy Bug, and to keep it in 

 health this insect must be sponged off the 

 stems and leaves as soon as it is seen. Prop- 

 agated by seeds or cuttings. 



Stephenso'nia. A garden name of Phcenicopho- 

 rium, more correctly Stevensonia. 



Stercu'lia. From Sterculius, a god, derived 

 from stercus, dung ; the flowers and leaves of 

 some of the species are foetid. Nat. Ord. Ster- 

 culiacece. 



A genus of considerable extent, widely dis- 

 persed through the tropics of both hemi- 

 spheres, occurring most abundantly, however, 

 in Asia and the Asiatic Islands, more sparing- 

 ly in America and Africa, and rarely in Aus- 

 tralia. Nearly all the species are trees, some- 

 times of considerable size. The seeds or nuts 

 of some of the species are edible. S. urens 

 yields a valuable gum, and bags used for the 

 conveyance of rice and other merchandise are 

 made from S. villosa by soaking logs of the 

 trunk or large branches for a few days, and 

 then stripping off the bark entire and sewing 

 up the bottoms. S. rupestris, the Bottle Tree 

 of Australia, introduced to cultivation in 1880 

 under the name of Delabechea rupeslris, forms 

 a pretty green-house shrub, the trunk often 

 swelling to a large size whence the common 

 name. Several other species are in culti- 

 vation and are propagated by cuttings. 



Sterculia'ceee. A natural order of soft-wooded 

 herbs, shrubs, or trees, mostly natives of the 

 warmer parts of the world. They contain an 

 abundant mucilage combined in the old bark 

 of the woody species, with a bitter astringent 

 matter, and are emetics and stimulants. From 

 the dried and split cotyledons of the seeds of 

 Theobroma cacao, Chocolate is manufactured. 

 To this order also belong the Baobab Tree, 

 Adansonia digitata ; the Silk-cotton Tree, Bom- 

 bax Ceiba ; and the Durion Tree, Durio Zebe- 

 thinus, the fruit of which is highly esteemed. 

 These may be named as examples of the 

 character of the order, which contains about 

 forty - six genera, and over five hundred 

 species. 



Sterile. Barren. A male or staminate flower 

 is commonly said to be sterile. 



Steripho'ma. From steriphoma, a foundation ; 

 in allusion to the large fruit stalk. Nat. Ord. 

 Capparidacece. 



A genus of shrubby plants, natives of Peru, 

 New Grenada, Venezuela, and the Trinity 

 Islands. The flowers are large and showy, 

 borne in terminal racemes with thick pedun- 

 cles. S. cleomoidfs (Cleome-like), the only 

 species yet in cultivation, Is well worth grow- 

 ing for the beauty of its yellow flowers. It 

 was introduced from Caraccas in 1823, and is 



STI 



propagated by cuttings of the young wood. 

 Syn. Stephania. 



Sternbe'rgia. Mount Etna Lily. Named in 

 honor of Count Caspar Sternberg, a celebrated 

 German botanist. Nat. Ord. Amaryllidacece. 



This genus is usually known as Amaryllis 

 lutea, and is sold as such by the seedsmen. 

 There are only a few species, and but little 

 difference between them ; none that an ama- 

 teur would be likely to notice. They are 

 perfectly hardy, and flower in the autumn 

 before the leaves start. The flowers are pure 

 golden yellow, much like a Crocus, but larger, 

 and the petals more fleshy. In the latitude 

 of New York the bulbs should have a generous 

 covering of salt hay or coarse litter before the 

 ground freezes hard in the early winter. They 

 are natives of the south of Europe and Africa. 

 Introduced in 1596. 



Steu'dnera. Named after Dr. Steudner, of Gor- 

 litz, a German botanist. Nat. Ord. Aroideai. 

 A small genus of stove-house perennials, 

 closely allied to Colocasia. S. colocasicefolva, 

 and its variety, S. c. discolor, are the only 

 members of this genus yet introduced. Like 

 many plants of the same family they require 

 a moist, warm atmosphere when growing, 

 and a season of rest, when water must be 

 almost entirely withheld. They were intro- 

 duced from Burmah in 1874, and may be in- 

 creased by suckers, or by division of the root- 

 stock. 



Stevenso'nia. Named for Governor Stevenson, 

 at one time governor of the Island of Mauri- 

 tius and its dependencies. Nat. Ord. Palma- 

 cece. 



S. grandifolia is a synonym of the Palm 

 described as Phanicophorium Schellarum. It 

 is also known as Areca Schellarum and 

 Astrocaryum Borsignyanum. (See Pti&nico- 

 phorium.) 



Ste'via. In honor of Peter James Esteve, M.D., 

 Professor of Botany at Valencia. Nat. Ord. 

 Composite. 



An extensive genus of green-house perennials, 

 nearly all natives of Mexico, and chiefly white- 

 flowered. S. compacta, early- flowering, and S. 

 serrata are grown in large quantities by the 

 florists of New York for cut flowers for early 

 winter use. Prof. Gray, in " Field and Garden 

 Botany," describes S. serrata under the name 

 of Piqueria trinervia, stating that it is largely 

 cultivated for winter blooming, etc. The 

 botanical descriptions of both seem to agree, 

 only that Piqueria, according to Gray, is an 

 annual, and according to Nicholson, in his 

 "Dictionary of Gardening," a perennial and 

 hardy. The plant we have so long known as 

 Stevia serrata is strictly perennial, and in this 

 climate quite tender. S. serrata variegata has 

 beautiful white and green foliage, the white 

 predominating, and it is now used very 

 largely as a white-leaved plant for massing. 

 By pinching or cutting back, it can be kept at 

 any height from one to three feet. Its flowers 

 are equally useful as the green-leaved variety. 

 The species are all of easy culture, and are 

 propagated by cuttings. 



Stichus. A term which, used in Greek com- 

 pounds, denotes a rank or row ; as Distichous, 

 two-ranked. 



Sti'fftia. Named after A. J. Stifft, an Austrian 

 physician. Nat. Ord. Composite. 



