CASTOR-OIL PLANT 487 



BOUSSINGAULTIAS 



Natural Order Chenopodiace^. Genus Boussingaultia 



BoussiNGAULTiA (named in honour of M. Boussingault, a French chemist). 

 A small genus of half-hardy tuberous-rooted plants, of which one species 

 is grown for hanging baskets in the greenhouse or for climbing over a 

 trellis in a warm situation. This is the Boussingaultia haselloides 

 (Basella-like), with a twining or trailing red-tinted stem, 20 to 25 feet 

 long, alternate, shining, fleshy, heart-shaped leaves, and fragrant, small 

 white flowers (afterwards turning black), produced in clusters at the end 

 of autumn. This is a very desirable plant on account of its rapidity of 

 growth, which enables it to cover considerable space in little time. If it 

 IS grown outside, the tubers must be taken up in October and stored in 

 a dry place like those of Dahlias, starting them again in spring, but not 

 planting out of doors until the end of May. A number of small tubercles 

 are produced on the stem, and if these are carefully separated (they are 

 very brittle) they may be used for propagating. It requires a rich 

 sandy soil containing a considerable proportion of leaf -mould, and should 

 be given a sunny position. It is a native of South America. Introduced 

 1835. 



B. Lachaumei (Lachaume's) is a stove species, from Cuba (1872), 

 which produces its rosy flowers at all seasons, and pretty constantly. 



CASTOE-OIL PLANT 



Natural Order Euphoebiace^. Genus Ricinus 



RiCiNUS (Latin, a tick ; the peculiarly mottled seed being thought to 

 resemble a tick). A genus consisting of one or two species of small trees, 

 though in this country climatic considerations necessitate their growth 

 as annual herbs. They have succulent, jointed stems, and large, palmately- 

 divided, alternate leaves, the divisions being lance-shaped. At the 

 junction of these divisions with the leaf-stalk there is a saucer-shaped 

 gland. The flowers are disposed in a terminal spike, and are of two 

 kinds ; the upper female, the lower male. Each has a green perianth ; 

 that of the males consists of five segments enclosing a large number of 

 anthei-s, their filaments united in several bundles ; the perianth of the 

 female flowers is three-parted, the ovary is three-celled, spiny, ending in 



