124 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



DES 



properly inserted. A glance at the design, 

 ■when planting, will at onoe indicate the posi- 

 tions assigned to all the plants, and also pre- 

 vent much confusion and annoyance. Intri- 

 cate carpet-bedding designs are often worked 

 out by marking the lines with white sand; 

 others may be drawn out carefully on the sur- 

 face and planted at once. Designs for glass 

 structures vary according to their position or 

 to the requirements of the plants for which 

 they are intended, but each should show in 

 the same proportion all the details necessary 

 for a good working plan. 



Desma'nthus. From rfesme, a bundle, and an- 

 thoa, a flower. The flowers are collected into 

 bundles or spikes. Nat. Ord. Legwminosm. 



A geiius of tropical and sub-tropical Indian 

 and American herbs, of which there are about 

 eight species, some of which have been suc- 

 cessfully cultivated. The little brown pol- 

 ished seeds of D. Virgatvs are in Jamaica 

 strung like beads, and used for making brace- 

 lets, etc. 



'Desmo'ditun. Moving Plant, Tick-Trefoil. 

 From deamos, a band ; alluding to the stamens 

 being joined. Nat. Ord. Leguminosce. 



An extensive genus of hardy herbaceous 

 perennials and green-house evergreen shrubs. 

 Most of the species are uninteresting plants, 

 but a few are very beautilul and remarkably 

 interesting. There are numerous species 

 throughout the United States, with purple 

 flowers produced in slender racemes. Some 

 are herbs, others shrubs, but none of the 

 native species are worthy of cultivation. The 

 most interesting of the species, if not the 

 most beautiful, isD. gyram, the Moving Plant, 

 a native of India, but rarely seen under culti- 

 vation. The singular, spontaneous rotary 

 motion of the leaflets of this plant renders it 

 an object of great interest. The leaves are 

 composed of three leaflets, the terminal one 

 being very large, and the laterals very small, 

 but these are almost constantly in motion. 

 They execute little jerks somewhat analogous 

 to the movements of the seconds of a watch. 

 One of the leaflets arises and the other de- 

 scends at the same time, and with a corres- 

 ponding force. When the first begins to de- 

 scend the other begins to rise. The large 

 leaflet moves also, inclining itself first to the 

 right, then to the left, but by a continuous 

 and very slow movement when compared to 

 that of the lateral leaflets. This singular 

 mechanism endures throughout the life of 

 the plant. It exercises itself day and night, 

 through drought and humidity. The warmer 

 and more humid the day, the more lively are 

 its movements. It is not unusual for the 

 leaflet to make sixty jerks in the minute ; they 

 will not do this, however, under artificial cul- 

 tivation, except when the plant is subjected 

 to great heat. These movements occur spon- 

 taneously and without any apparent cause. 

 The same external cause that has such a won- 

 derful effect on the Catch-fly and the Sensitive 

 Plant, does not affect this in the least. None 

 of our native species has this strong peculi- 

 arity. The plant introduced to the United 

 States from Japan as Desmodivmpenduliflorum, 

 is now placed under the allied genus Lespe- 

 deza, as L. bicolor, which see. 

 Deu'tzia. Named after J. Deutz, a sheriff of 

 Amsterdam. Nat. Ord. Saxifragacem. 



DIA 



A genus of slender branched, graceful 

 shrubs, producing compound panicles of beau- 

 tiful white flowers. D. crenata, Syn. D. 

 Scabra, one of the more common species, 

 takes its speciflo name from the roughness of 

 its leaves, which in its native country, Japan, 

 are used by the cabinet makers in polishing 

 the flner kinds of wood. This with its double 

 variety, are exceedingly showy when in blos- 

 . som, and are two of the most desirable 

 shrubs in cultivation. Z>. gracilis in addition 

 to its beauty and usefulness as a hardy shrub, 

 is one of the most valuable plants for forcing 

 in winter and spring, and is very largely used 

 for that purpose for the cut flower trade. AH 

 the species are perfectly hardy, and are read- 

 ily propagated by cuttings, divisions, or 

 layers. 



Development. That gradual extension of parts 

 by which any organ or plant proceeds from its 

 nascent state to maturity. 



Devil in a Bush. See Nigella. 



Devil's Apples. Mandragora officinalis. 



Devil's Bit. A common name for ChamtBlirivm 



luteiim, also for Scabioaa succisa. 

 Devil's Fig. Argemone Mexicana. 

 Devil's Leaf. Urtica urentissima. 



Devil's Milk. Euphorbia Helioscopia, and 



other species. 

 Dew-berry. See Rubua. 



Deyeu'xia. Named in honor of Nicholas Dey- 

 eux, a French chemist. Nat. Ord. Gramin- 

 acecB. 



A large genus of grasses widely dispersed 

 over the temperate and mountainous regions 

 of the globe. D. elegana variegata introduced 

 from New South Wales in 18a4, is a very ele- 

 gant green-house plant, with a thick root- 

 stock from which spring numerous leaves, 

 about a quarter of an inch in breadth and a 

 foot or more long, of a deep bright green 

 color, broadly edged with creamy-yellow, 

 Syn. Lachnagrostia. 



Dhoura, Doura, or Durra. Guinea Corn. See 

 Sorghu/m. 



Diane'lla. A diminutive of Diana, the sylvan 

 goddess; the first discovered species being 

 found in a grove. Nat. Ord. Liliacem. 



Lovely tuberous-rooted plants, chiefly from 

 New Holland. They should be grown in pots 

 of loam and peat, and if allowed a good situa- 

 tion in the green-house, will produce their 

 showy blue fiowers in abundance. Propagated 

 by division or from seed. 



Dianthe'ra. From dis, two, and anthera, an- 

 ther ; in reference to the cells being more or 

 less separated from one another. Nat. Ord. 

 AcanthaceoB. 



A genus of green-house or hardy, erect, or 

 dwarf herbs, with long solitary or fascicled 

 bracteate flowers and entire leaves. D. Amer- 

 icana, the Water-willow of the United States, 

 is a perennial herb growing in the bays and 

 slow-flowing waters of the great rivers, as 

 well as in streams and ponds. It has long 

 narrow leaves and dense spikes of pale purple 

 flowers upon long peduncles. D. ciliata is 

 a pretty violet-colored, warm green-house 

 shrub from Venezuela. The genus is closely 

 allied to Juatieia. 



