AMASONIA 



AMASOiriA (after Thomas Amason, early American 

 traveler), ^'erbendcea. Greenhouse shrub from Trini- 

 dad, with long, tubular, hairy yellow fls. and bright red 

 bracts, which remain attractive two or three months at 

 a time. 



calyoina, Hook. f. {A.punicea,'Rort. notVahl.). Lvs. 

 6-12 in. long, elliptic, acuminate, coarsely irregularly 

 toothed or sinuate, glabrous, except the floral ones : fls. 

 lK-2 in. long, drooping; calyx nearly 1 in. long, red. 

 B.M. 6915. Gn.27:479. R.B. 20:13. 



AfitBSOSlNIA (Giacinti Ambrosini, an Italian). 

 Aroldea. A dwarf, perennial, tuberous herb of Italy and 

 Algeria. Half-hardy; planted in the open or in pots, 

 and blooms in the fall. A single species. 



AMES 



57 



78. Amelanchier 



alnifolia (X 3^) 



Bissii, Linn. Three or 4 inches : lvs. 2 or 3, over- 

 topping the spathe, the leaf-blade ovate or ovate-ellip- 

 tic, obtuse, often retuse: spathe Jiin. long, tipped with 

 a brown tail, divided lengthwise, the anthers being in 

 one compartment (which has a hole to admit insects), 

 and the solitary ovary in the other, thus preventing au- 

 tomatic close pollination. B.M. 6360.— Prop, by seeds 

 started inside or in frames, or by division in spring. 

 There is a narrow-leaved form (var. angusti folia, Guss.), 

 a spotted-leaved form (var. maeulAta, Engler), and a 

 form with pale green reticulations (var. retlcnidta, 

 Engler). L. H. B. 



AMELANCHIER (Savoy name). Sosdeew. Shrubs 

 or small trees of Eu., Asia and Amer. : lvs. alternate, 

 simple, usually serrate : fls. white, in racemes, rarely 

 solitary; calyx tube campanulate, 5-lobed, lobes narrow, 

 reflexed, persistent ; petals 5 ; ovary 2-5-celled, each 

 subdivided and containing 2 ovules : berry round or ob- 

 long, with prominent cavity, red or dark purple, sweet, 

 juicy. Temperate regions around the globe. Species 

 few and closely related. Desirable for ornament, the 

 dwarf varieties also valuable as fruit-bearing plants. 



Bloom very early in spring, often before lvs. appear. 

 They thrive upon a variety of soils and over a wide range, 

 succeeding well in dry climates. Prop, by seeds or 

 suckers. A. ovdJis and A. alphia of horticulturists, 

 sometimes purporting to come from Eu., are our native 

 Pyrus nigra, which see. See Jtineberry. 



A. Lvs. acute or acuminate, finely serrate. 

 B. Petals narrow, lanceolate, ohlanceolate or spatulate. 



Canadensis, Jledic. CosniON Shad-bush. Tree, 25-40 

 ft., upright, narrow, oblong, round-topped : ti-unk tall, 

 straight: branches small, spreading: lvs. oval or ovate, 

 acute or acuminate, rounded or cordate at base, sharply 

 and finely serrate, soon becoming glabrous : fruit glo- 

 bose. Early summer. Newfoundland to Pla., west to 

 Ark. and Minn. S.S. 4:194. 



Botry^pium, DC. (.1. Canadensis, var. oblongifdlia, 

 Torr. & Gray). Cojimon Dwarf Junbberey. Bush or 

 small tree : lvs. and flower-stalks whitish woolly when 

 young, often nearly or quite glabrous when old; lvs. ob- 

 long, broadly elliptical, seldom cordate, often pointed at 

 base : racemes dense, shorter than in A. Canadensis; 

 fls. smaller: fr. juicy, of good flavor. New Brunswick 

 to Fla., west to Mo. and Minn. B.M. 7G19. 6.C. III. 

 21: 333. S.S. 4:195, as A. Canadensis var. obovdUs, Sarg. 



Asi&tica, Endl. (A. Canadensis, var. J'ap6nica,'Miq. 

 A . Japdnica, Hort. ) . Small tree with slender branches : 

 lvs. ovate-elliptical, acute, densely woolly when young: 

 racemes dense, compovmd. China and Jap. 



BB. Petals broad, obovaie. 

 oligoc&rpa, Roem. Low shrub 2-9 ft., nearly glabrous 

 throughout: lvs. thin, narrowly ovate or oblong, pointed 

 at each end, finely and sharply serrate : racemes few- 

 flowered ; petals broad, obovate : fr. dark blue-purple, 

 pear-shaped, with heavy bloom, sweet, of pronounced 

 flavor. Swamps, Lab. to N. Y. G.F. 1:247. 



AA. IfVS. broader, obtuse or rounded at apex, coarsely 

 serrate or dentate. 

 alniJdlia, Nutt. Fig. 78. Shrub : lvs. thick, broad, 

 oval or nearly circular, coarsely toothed toward the 

 apex : petals narrowly obovate or ohlanceolate, cuneate : 

 fr. dark purple or blue, with bloom, large, sweet, juicy. 

 W Ont. to Mich., New Mex. and westward. G.F. 1:185; 

 5:415. S.S. 4: 196.— A valuable species for fruit or or- 

 nament. Aronia alnifolia of some lists. 



rotundiSdlia, Koem. (A. Canadensis, var. rotundifblia, 

 Torr. & Gray). Low, stragglish bush: lvs. rounded, 

 coarsely serrate : fr. ripening after A . 

 Cunadenbis. N. Brunswick to Minn. 



spicita, Dee. Small bush 1-3 ft. : lvs. 

 elliptic or oval, rounded at both ends or 

 somewhat cordate at base : fls in numer- 

 ous 4-10-fld. racemes : plant woolly on 

 young growths, but becoming glabrous. 

 Dry, rocky places. Pa. and N. J. 



vulgaris, Miinch. Seevice-beeey. Dwarf 

 shrub : lvs. roundish, coarsely serrate, 

 woolly beneath when young : racemes short; petals long- 

 narrowly ohlanceolate : fr. blue-black. Cent. En.- Cult, 

 for ornament ; also for fr. under the name of European 

 Juneberry. pjjgj, ^ g^j^j,^ 



AMES, FKEDEEICK LOTHKOP (June 8, 1835-Sept. 

 13, 1893j, of the fourth generation of a family distin- 

 guished in the history of Massachusettts enterprise, was 

 bom in North Easton, in that state. He was graduated 

 from Harvard College in the class of 1854, and devoted 

 his life to the management of great commercial and in- 

 dustrial interests. Business did not occupy all his atten- 

 tion; he was a Fellow of Harvard College, a trustee of 

 the ^lassachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, 

 and of the Museimi of Fine Arts; and an active and 

 faithful director of charitable and benevolent institu- 

 tions. A munificent patron of arts and sciences, he was 

 successful in stimulating the increase of knowledge in 

 many fields of human research. Devoted through his 

 whole life to horticulture, he gained distinction for his 

 wide and accurate knowledge of tropical orchids and 

 their cultivation, and his collection of these plants at his 

 country place in his native town was the most complete 



