AND GENEBAL HORTIOULTUKE. 



409 



SEM 



conspicuous shape of one of the stamens. 

 Nat. Ord. Onogracem. 



A small genus of slender, pubescent, green- 

 house shrubs, inhabiting the mountains of 

 Mexico. One of the species, S. grandiflora, 

 has been introduced, and forms a handsome 

 plant, requiring culture similar to the Fuch- 

 sia. It has large, handsome, showy, scarlet 

 flowers, in axillary peduncles ; the leaves are 

 ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, tapering below, 

 and acuminate at the apex. It was intro- 

 duced from Mexico in 1853 and is increased 

 readily by cuttings. 



Se'mele. The name of the mother of Bacchus, 

 after whom the genus was named. Nac. Ord. 

 lAliacecB. 



8. androgyna, the only described species, 

 is a climbing shrub with scale like leaves, 

 with cladodia (branches taking the form of 

 leaves), from the side of which the flowers are 

 produced. It thrives in any rich soil and is 

 increased by division of the roots. It was in- 

 troduced from the Canary Islands in 1713. 

 Syn. Ruscus and/rogynus. 



Semi. This term, used in Latin compounds, 

 signifies half ; as semi-amplexicaul, half -stem- 

 clasping; semi-hastate, hastate on one side 

 only, etc. 



Sempervirens. Evergreen. 



Sempervi'vum. Houseleek. From semper 

 vivo, to live forever ; referring to the tenacity 

 of life of these plants. Nat. Ord. CraaaulaceoB. 

 A genus of shrubby, herbaceous, succulent 

 plants, inhabiting the mountains of central 

 and southern Europe, Madeira, Asia Minor, 

 Abyssinia and the western Himalayas, but 

 the most beautiful of which are natives of the 

 Canary Islands. The tender kinds are inter- 

 esting plants, and deserve a place in the 

 green-house. Many of the hardy kinds are 

 exceedingly pretty when in flower, and some 

 become beautifully tinted in winter when 

 fully exposed to the weather, as they always 

 should be, for they are impatient of covering 

 of any kind. They require very little water, 

 except when about to flower ; and they are 

 propagated by cuttings, which must be laid 

 to dry for some days before they are planted. 

 They are very suitable for rock-work, and are 

 occasionally used for "carpet bedding."* 

 Young plants are also frequently produced by 

 suckers from the old ones. 



Seneca Snake root. See Polygala. 



Seneci'llis. A genus of CompoaUcB, now in- 

 cluded under Senecio. The plant usually cul- 

 tivated as 8. glauca, is lAgularia macrophylla, 

 which greatly resembles the former but has 

 a different pappus. 



Sene'cio. Groundsel. Ragweed. Fromsenea;, 

 an old man ; the receptacle is naked and re- 

 sembles a bald head. Nat. Ord. Compositce. 



This is a large genus, some of which are of 

 an ornamental character, comprising, accord- 

 ing to Bentham and Hooker, nearly nine hun- 

 dred species of annuals, perennials or shrubs, 

 dispersed over the whole globe, but most 

 numerous in temperate regions. 8. elegcma, 

 a native of the Cape of Good Hope, was in- 

 troduced about 1700, and has long been a 

 favorite in gardens under the name of 

 JacohcBa. It is properly an annual, though 

 easily kept as a perennial, and made to assume 

 almost a shrubby appearance. There are sev- 



SEQ 



eral varieties of the species, as the double 

 white, double purple, or double red, all of 

 which are pretty, and useful for their long- 

 continued flowering. S. pulcher, introduced 

 from Uruguay in 1872, is a pretty, cobwebby, 

 tomentose, perennial plant, having large, 

 showy, purple flower-heads with a yellow 

 disc. It is increased readily by root cuttings. 

 8. vulgaris, the Groundsel of British gardens, 

 is there, one of the most troublesome weeds. 

 It has been introduced here by seeds in the 

 soil of imported plants, but, fortunately, does 

 not increase freely with us. There are sev- 

 eral species indigenous to this country, all 

 mere weeds. 



Senna. The leaves of Cassia acutifolia, O. an- 

 guatifolia and other allied species. 



Senna. Bladder. ■ The genus CohUea. 



Senna. Scorpion. Coronilla Emerus.' 



Sensitive Briar. See Schrankia undnata. 



Sensitive Fern. See Onoclea sensibilia. 



Sensitive Plant. 

 Sensitive Plant. 



See Mimosa pudica. 

 Wi4d. Cassia nictUans. 



Sepal. One of the parts or divisions of the 

 Calyx or outermost whorl of a flower. 



Septa. The partitions which divide the interior 

 parts of a fruit. 



Se'ptas. From sepiem, seven ; the number 

 seven prevailing in the fructification. Nat. 

 Ord. Crassulaceai. 



A ftenus often united with Crassula, and 

 containing two species from the Gape of Good 

 Hope, having the habit of some species of 

 Saxifraga. They are herbaceous, and have 

 tuberous roots, simple stems, opposite or 

 verticillate leaves, and white, almost umbel- 

 late, flowers. They are readily increased by 

 division of the tubers and should be kept 

 rather dry while dormant. 



Septum. A partition. 



Sequoi'a. The generic name is a supposed 

 modification of See-qim-yah, the name of a 

 celebrated Cherokee chief. Nat. Ord. Oomi- 

 fercB. 



The two species that at present constitute 

 this genus are gigantic evergreen trees, na^ 

 tives of California. £1. gigantea is the far- 

 famed Mammoth Tree, which was discovered- 

 by an American hunting party in the Sierra 

 Nevada, Upper California, in 1850. The so- 

 called Mammoth Grove is in Calaveras. This 

 was the first discovery ; and, though found in 

 various parts, none have attained the height 

 of those the astonished hunters first beheld. 

 " The tallest tree of the Mammoth Grove, 

 stripped of its bark for the purpose of exhi- 

 bition, was 337 feet high, and at the base was 

 90 feet in circumference. The greatest di- 

 mensions seem to have been attained by a 

 tree which was found broken at a height of 

 300 feet, and which measured at that place 

 eighteen feet in diameter. Considering it was 

 one hundred and twelve feet in circumference 

 at the base, and tapered regularly to the point 

 where broken, it is calculated to have been, 

 when in the fullness of its growth, four hun- 

 dred and fifty feet high. By actual counting 

 of the concentric rings, this tree was found to 

 have been 1,100 years old." 8. sempervirena 

 is the Redwood of the timber trade, and ex- 

 tends from Upper California to Nutka Sound. 

 Itattains gigantic dimensions, being frequently 



