Brassia 



( 137 ) 



Bredia 



popular with cultivators. The several species come i 

 Iron) tropical America, and have slightly thickened 

 stems, each bearing one or two still, tliick leaves. 

 The (lowers are terminal, of moderate size, and 

 mostly of a green or whitish colour. 



Culture. Given a stove temperature, plenty of 

 water during the season of active growth, and only 

 a very occasional watering when at rest, the 

 Brassavolas are not particular whether grown in 

 puts in baskets, or on rafts. If the former are 

 used ample drainage must be afforded ; use peat 

 witli a little sphagnum moss for compost. 



Principal Species : 

 cucullutu, (>", Je., jiur., lineata, 1', Feb. to Ap., 



wh. crim., wh. 



gram liflora, 1J', Mch., tuberculata, 9", Jy., wh. 



wli. (.'/ gibbsiaua). 



Other Species : 

 i-onlata, 1', My., wh., elegans (uow Tetramicra 



grn. ngida). 



ciisiiiilata, <i", Mch., wh. martiaua, 1', Mch., wh. 

 Perrinii, 1', Sep., gru. 



BRASSIA. 



Description. These Orchids (ord. OrchidaceEe) 

 form a genus of some twenty species, natives of 

 tropical America. Some species have bright-hoed 

 flowers, but others are sombre coloured ; all have 

 blooms with long, narrow segments, and conse- 

 quently a somewhat spidery appearance. When 

 well grown, the long, arching spikes, with their two 

 rows of flowers, are strikingly graceful, and admir- 

 able for association with other flowers or plants. 

 Verrucosa is very free flowering. 



Culture. Brassias are readily managed if grown 

 as, anil with, many of the Oucidiums, giving them 

 a light position at the warmer end of the inter- 

 mediate house. Deep pans suit the various species, 

 provided the drainage is ample ; fibrous peat and 

 sphagnum moss suffice for compost, but a few 

 small crocks should be added as potting proceeds. 

 When at rest, Brassias resent overwatering, but 

 when in full growth, or flowering, a fairly large 

 water supply is necessary. 



Principal Species : 

 uutherotes, IV, My., Je., lawrenceana, 1', Ap., Je., 



yi !., pur., br. yel. br. 



camlata, 1', Feb., My., verrucosa, 1' Mch., My., 



yel. br. grn., yel., br. 



keiliaiia, 1', Je., Sep., 



gnu, br., yel. 



Other Species : 



biilens, 1', My., br. yel. lanceana, 1', Jan., Sep., 

 brachiata, 1', Jy., Sep., yel. br. 



yel., gru., br. maculata, 2', My., Je. , 



gireouduina, I',', Je., yel., red., br. (./" 



Aug., yel., red. Wrayae). 



BRASSICA. 



This genus comprises the several green vegetables 

 that arc grown in gardens for use throughout the 

 greater part of the year. They are mostly hardy 

 plants raised from seeds and grown in good soil in 

 the open ground. Particulars of cultivation will be 

 found under Borecole, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, 

 Cabbage, Cauliflower, Savoy, Turnip, etc. It is 

 interesting to notice here that by many generations 

 of cultivation and selection the wild Brassica 

 oleracea of the sea shores has given us the white 

 and red Cabbages. Savoys, Coleworts, Borecole, 

 Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, and Jersey 

 Cabbage not a bad record for one humble species, 

 and a tine instance of what may be accomplished 

 in plant improvement. 



BRASSO-CATT-L^LIA. 



By compounding three generic titles, the Orchid- 

 ologists have arrived at the above inelegant name 

 for conveying to the uninitiated that the Orchid 

 referred to (ord. Orchidaceie) is a compound hybrid, 

 or, to coin a phrase, a trigener (trigeneric hybrid). 

 Brasso-Cattleya lindleyana crossed with Lselio- 

 Cattleya elegans gave the following hybrid : 



lindleyano-elegans, 1', Dec., blush wh., pur. 



BRASSO-CATTLEYA. 



This title has been given to an Orchid (ord. 

 Orchidacese) introduced as Lselia lindleyana, a 

 natural hybrid between Brassavola tuberculata and 

 Cattleya intermedia. It is, of course, a purely 

 artificial genus, and its only member is a bigener 

 (bigenericj hybrid). 



lindleyana, 1', Oct., Jan., wh., ro. 



BRA VGA. 



Pretty bulbous plants (ord. Amaryllidesc), which 

 are hardy only in warm districts in sheltered 

 situations, but are very suitable for cultivating in 

 a cold frame or cool greenhouse. They should 

 have a rich, light soil containing some leaf soil and 

 sand. They are propagated by seeds sown when 

 ripe, or by offsets. The best is geminiflora, which 

 has spikes of orange red flowers in July, and is 

 about 2' in height. The other species are bulliana, 

 2i', July, white (now Prochnyanthes bulliana) ; 

 sessiliflora, 2', June, white ; and singuliflora, '&', 

 Jtdy, greenish white. 



BRAY A. 



A small group of Alpine Crucifers (ord. C'ruci- 

 feree). Hardy rock plants. 



Principal Species : 



alpina, 8", Ap., Je.,pur., glabella (see alpina). 

 wh. (nyin. purpurascens purpurascens (see alpiua). 

 and piatypetala). 



BREAK. 



When a plant is cut back, side shoots are thrown 

 out from the lower buds, which action is called 

 breaking, the resulting shoots being breaks. A 

 straight-growing stem, e.g. of a Chrysanthemum, 

 naturally breaks into three or more shoots near its 

 apex, which is technically called its first break ; 

 these branches again sub-divide and form the 

 second break, and so on. A florist's Tulip is 

 spoken of as "broken" (rectified) when it quits the 

 "Breeder" stage and assumes its final colours. 



BREASTWOOD. 



Twiggy shoots of young growth, which spring 

 at right angles from the front of the main branches 

 on fruit trees trained as espaliers in the open, or 

 grown against walls as cordons or trained speci- 

 mens, are often spoken of as breastwood, though 

 "foreright shoots" is the correct phrase. The 

 term is also applied, and more correctly, to the 

 thin side shoots formed on the main branches of 

 pyramid and bush trees. 



BREDIA. 



This shrub (ord. Melastomacese) thrives best in a 

 compost of loam and peat, with coarse sand, in an 

 intermediate temperature, and may be propagated 

 by cuttings in very sandy soil under a bell-glass in 

 a warm ease. 



Only Species : 



hirsuta, 3', Sep., rosy red. 



Brazil Nut (fee Jlert/uilletia). 

 Bread-fruit (see Artocarpus). 



