38 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



ATA 



The scape is about as long as the leaves, erect, 

 stout, angled, dark purple, terminated by a 

 large four-leaved involucre, of which the two 

 outer leaflets are dark purple, and the two 

 inner much larger, placed side by side, green 

 with a deep purple base and stalk. The 

 species are remarkable for their curious struc- 

 ture, but are of no value as flowering plants, 

 or for economic purposes. 



Atama'sco Lily. See Zephyranthes. 



Athana'sia. Ornamental green-house ever- 

 green shrubs, belonging to the Nat. Ord. 

 Compositm. They have yellow flowers, lasting 

 a long time in perfection. Natives of the 

 Cape of Good Hope. 



Atberospe'rma. Plume Nutmeg. From ather, 

 an awn, and sperma, a seed ; the seed awned. 

 Nat. Ord. Monimiacem. 



A beautiful green-house evergreen tree, 

 with the aspect of a stately conifer. Flowers 

 white, in panicles, the leaves being strongly 

 musk-scented. A native of New Holland, 

 readily pronagated by cuttings. Introduced 

 in 1824. 



Athy'rium. A small genus of ferns, until re- 

 cently included in Asphnium. A. Ooringicmimi 

 picbimt is a beautiful half-hardy deciduous va^ 

 riety from Japan. 



Atlee Gall. A gall nut produced abundantly 

 by Tamarix orientalis, which is called Atle by 

 the Egyptians. It is filled with a deep scarlet 

 liquid. 



Atra'gene. A genus of ornamental, hardy, 

 climbing, deciduous shrubs, closely allied to 

 Clematis, and belonging to Nat. Ord. Bamwnr- 

 culaceoB. 



They occur in the temperate regions of the 

 Old and New Continent. A. Americama (Syn. 

 Cle,matis vertioilla/ris) is found in Western New 

 England, Virginia and Wisconsin. A. aVpiina, 

 blue, and Its white variety, are not uncommon 

 in cultivation. 



Atrapha'xis. A genus of Polygonacece. Natives 

 of Asia and the Cape of Good Hope, consist- 

 ing of low shrubs with rigid, much branched, 

 often spiny stems. A few species are culti- 

 vated as green-house plants, but the most in- 

 teresting, A. Spinosa, is perfectly hardy and 

 forms a dense shrub, which when covered 

 with flowers is very showy. It is an excellent 

 plant for the rock-garden, growing well in any 

 situation. Syn. Tragopyron. 



A'triplex. Orache, Mountain Spinach. From 

 ater, blafik, and pleayus, woven together ; on 

 account of the dark color and habit of some 

 of the species. Nat. Ord. Chenopodicuxce. 



A. hortensia, the only species of interest, is 

 a tall-growing, hardy plant, annual, known in 

 our gardens as Orache. It is but little grown 

 in this country, but very popular in France. 

 It Is a native of Tartary, introduced into 

 France in 1548. It grows freely with ordinary 

 garden culture . Seeds are sown in both spring 

 and fall to secure a succession. 



A'tropa. Deadly Nightshade. Named after 

 Atropos, one of the Three Fates. Nat. Ord. 

 SolcmacecB. 



A small genus of hardy herbaceous perennials 

 and evergreen shrubs, remarkable fortheirpoi- 

 sonous properties. A. Belladonna, one of the 

 best known species, is a hardy herbaceous 

 plant, indigenous to shady grounds and waste 



AUG 



places in.Southern Europe and Western Asia, 

 also in Great Britain. The root is thick, 

 whitish and perennial, sending forth annually 

 a strong, branched, purple-colored stem, from 

 three to five feet high. The leaves are of un- 

 equal size, and are entire, oval-pointed, stand- 

 ing in pairs on very short footstalks. The 

 flowers are large, bell-shaped, pendant, and 

 of a brown purple hue ; appearing in June or 

 July, and are succeeded by round, purple ber- 

 ries, which ripen in September. All parts of 

 the plant are poisonous. It is supposed to 

 have been the plant which produced such re- 

 markable and fatal effects on the Romans dur- 

 ing their retreat from the Parthians, under 

 Mark Antony, as recorded in Plutarch's 

 Life of Antony. Buchanan relates the de- 

 struction of the army of Sweno the Dane, 

 when it invaded Scotland, by the berries of 

 this plant. They were mixed with the drink 

 which the Scots, according to the terms of 

 the truce, were to supply to the Danes, 

 which so intoxicated them that the Scots 

 killed a greater part of Sweno's army while 

 asleep. The extract of Belladonna is exten- 

 sively used in the Homoeopathic practice of 

 medicine, in cases of fever, and also as a diur- 

 etic. Dr. Milno remarks, that nature has 

 been more parsimonious in her warnings in 

 respect to this plant, than to others of the 

 same natural family. Neither the smell nor 

 the taste is offensive, and if the color of the 

 flowers proves in some degree a repellant, 

 that of the fruit, on the other hand, is in an 

 equal degree, at least, attractive and inviting. 

 Attale'a. From attalus, magniflcent ; in reference 

 to the beauty of these Palms. Nat. Ord. Pal- 

 macecB. 



A genus of very beautiful Palms allied to 

 Cocos. With one or two exceptions, they are 

 natives of Brazil. A. funifera yields a black 

 fiber resembling whalebone, an article of con- 

 siderable commercial value as a material for 

 making brooms and brushes. It is popularly 

 known as Piassaba Palm. The nuts of this 

 species are very hard, about four inches long, 

 finely mottled, dark and light brown, and are 

 highly esteemed for turning into knobs, um- 

 brella handles, and various other purposes. 

 A. Cohune furnishes Cohoun nuts, from which 

 is extracted Cohoun oil, used for burning, for 

 which purpose it is superior to cocoanut oil. 

 The species are too large for green-house 

 cultivation. 



Attenuated. Tapering gradually to a point. 



Aubergine, Egg Plant. Solanum melongena 

 var. ovigerum. 



Aubrie'tia. Named after M. Aubriet, a French 

 botanical draughtsman. Nat. Ord. CrucifercB. 

 A genus of pretty little plants, generalfy 

 about three inches high, admirably adapted 

 for pots or miniature rock-work ; the fiowers 

 are purple, and appear in March. They are 

 readily propagated -by division. Natives of 

 the South of Europe, introduced in 1710. 



Au'cuba. The name of the shrub in Japan. 

 Nat. Ord. Cornacece. 



A genus of hardy evergreen shrubs from 

 Japan, useful, and highly prized for their 

 vigorous habit, rapid growth, and capability 

 of enduring, and even thriving in, the atmos- 

 phere of cities. The flowers are inconspicu- 

 ous, but since the introduction of the male 



