ASTROCARYUM 



dex : Ivs. terminal, pinnately parted ; segments ap- 

 proximate, equi-distant or fasciculate, lanceolate-acumi- 

 nate or attenuate to the obliquely truncate apex, plicate, 

 whitish beneath, the terminal ones free or confluent, the 

 spiny margins recurved at the base ; petiole very short; 

 sheath short, open : spadices short or long, the finely 

 divided branches pendulous, thickened at the base, 

 thence very slender, long, naked, the floriferous naked 

 basal portion, as it were, pedunculate ; spathcs 2, the 

 lower one membranous, deciduous, the upper fusiform, 

 coriaceous or woody, open on the ventral side, persist- 

 ent ; bracts of the female fls. broad, imbricated, like the 

 bractlets ; pistillate fls. with a stipitate male one on 

 either side : fr. rather large, ovoid or subglobosa, beaked, 

 smooth or spiny, red or orange. Species 30. Trop- 

 ical America. 



Astrocaryums are elegant palms of medium height, 

 very suitable for moderate sized conservatories. A. 

 Murumwnt, A. Mexican um and A.argenteuni are the 

 kinds most commonly met with in collections. The Ivs. 

 are pinnate, and in small plants, at least in some of the 

 species, the segments are narrow, four or five pairs of 

 these alternating with two very broad ones. A. argen- 

 teum has the under surfaces of the Ivs. of a much 

 lighter color than the others. In a young state, the 

 plants require the temperature of the stove, and after 

 attaining the height of a few feet they may be removed 

 to a house where the temperature frequently falls as 

 low as 45° F. Specimens 8-10 ft. high fruit freely. 

 Prop, by seeds, which are slow in germinating. The soil 

 in which they are sown should be changed occasionally, 

 to prevent it from becoming sour. Be careful not to 

 overpot, or the fleshy roots will decay. See Palms. 



A. I/vs. scurfy, at least beneatli or on the petioles. 



Murumuru, Mart. Lvs. 9-12 ft. long; segments lanceo- 

 late, somewhat falcate, rich green above, silvery beneath : 

 sts. 12-15 ft. high, densely covered with stout, black 

 spines 6 in. long. Brazil. l.H. 22: 213. 



arg^nteum, Hort. Petioles and under surface of the 

 lvs. covered with silvery white scurf ; lvs. arching, 

 wedge-shaped, 2-lobed, distinctly plicate, bright green 

 above ; petioles with numerous dark, spreading spines 

 1 in. long. Colombia. F.R. 3:569. 



!ilid.re, Hort. Small, slender : lvs. erect, narrowly cu- 

 neate, with 2 divergent lobes, inversely sagittate ; 

 petioles densely scurfy ; rachis scurfy on both sides ; 

 spines numerous on the petioles and rachis, and on the 

 principal nerves above ; brown. Colombia. 



AA. Zvs. not scurfy. 



Ayri, Mart. Trunks 18-30 ft. high, 8-12 in. in diam., 

 visually csespitose : lvs. 15 ft. long, equally pinnatisect 

 to the apex ; petiole piano-compressed, membranaceous 

 on the margins, densely scaly and with scattered spines; 

 lower segments over 3 ft. long. l?4-2 in. wide, 2 in. 

 apart, the upper ones 2-2>^ ft. long, 1 in. wide, 134 in. 

 apart, conduplicate at the base, linear, long attenuate, 

 pointed, minutely and remotely spiny along the margins, 

 white-tomentose below. Braz. 



Mexic&num, Liebm. St. 4-6 ft. high, cylindrical, 

 thickly covered with rings of black, straight, ancipital 

 spines : petiole 2 ft. long, 4-sided, the 2 upper sides 

 concave, clothed (as is the rachis) with straight black 

 spines ; blade 6 ft. ; segments 15-18 in. long, 1 in. wide, 

 alternate, broadly linear, acute, straight, white beneath, 

 with deciduous black spines along the margins. Mex. 



GranatSnse, Hort., is an unidentified trade name. 



Jaked G. Smith and 6. W. Oliver. 



ASTEOPff?TUM. See EcUnocactus. 



ASYSTASIA (obscure name). Including Henfreya 

 and Mackaya. Aeanthdcece. Twenty to 30 herbs or 

 shrubs of the Old World tropics. Corolla tube straight 

 or curved, the spreading limb 5-lobed and nearly or 

 quite regular : stamens 4, unequal : stigma blunt or 

 minutely 2-lobed : lvs. thin, entire : fls. white, blue or 

 purple, in axillary or terminal clusters, often very showy. 

 General treatment of Justicia, in intermediate or warm- 

 bouses. 



ATRIPLEX 



117 



b611a, Benth. & Hook. (Maek&ya Mlla, Harvey). 

 Glabrous, upright subshrub : lvs. ovate-oblong, acumi- 

 nate, spreading, short-stalked, sinuate-toothed : fls. li- 

 lac, 2 in. long, with a long tube below the flaring throat, 

 the spreading segments ovate-obtuse, disposed on one 

 side of a raceme 5-8 in. long. S. Afr. B.M. 5797. -A 

 beautiful plant, rarely seen, and thought to be difficult 

 to manage ; but it seems to flower readily in fall in our 

 climate, if rested during the previous winter and 

 brought on in the summer. Prop, by cuttings of firm 

 wood in spring or summer. Young plants in small pots 

 often bloom well. 



A. Coromandelidna, Nees (A. Comorensis, Bojer. Justicia 

 G-angetica, Linn.). Zigzag subshrub : lvs. ovate-cordate, wavy: 

 fls. pui-ple, nearly sessile, in 6-10-fld. raceme. Iiid. B.M. 4248. 

 P.M. 14: 125. F.S. 2: 179.-^. sc&ndens, Liudl. (Henfreya sean- 

 dens, Lindl.). Climbing: lvs. obovate to ovate, thick, entire : 

 fls. large, yellow, white and blush, in a thvTse. Afr. B.M. 4449. 

 B.E. 33:31. F.S. 3: 231. t tt t, 



h. H. D. 



ATAMASCO lily. See Zephyranthes. 



ATHANASIA. Consult Lonas. 



ATHtBIUM. See Asplenium. 



ATEAGENE. See Clematis. 



ATBAFHAXIS (ancient Greek name). Polygon&cece. 

 Low shrubs : lvs. alternate or fasciculate, deciduous : 

 fls. smalt, apetalous, in few-fld. axillary clusters, form- 

 ing terminal racemes ; sepals 4-5 ; stamens 6-8 : fr. a 

 small akene, enclosed by the enlarged inner sepals. 

 Summer. About 18 species in central and westernAsia, 

 Greece, and N. Afr. Low shrubs of spreading habit, 

 with usually small lvs., attractive with their numerous 

 racemes of white or rose-colored fls., which remain un- 

 changed for a long time, owing to the persistent calyi. 

 They grow best in well-drained soil and sunny situations, 

 but do not stand transplanting well when older. Prop, 

 by seeds sown in spring ; the seedlings are liable to rot 

 if kept too moist, or in damp air. Increased, also, by- 

 greenwood cuttings under glass in early summer, and by 

 layers. 



A. buxifdlia, Jaub. & Spach. (Polygonum crispulum, Sims). 

 Height 1-2 ft., spineless : lvs. obovate, crenate, dark green, 

 i4-l in. long ; racemes short. Transcaucasia, Turkestan. B.M. 

 1065.— A. frut^cens. Koch (A. lanceolata, Meissn.). Height 

 1-2 ft., spineless : lvs. ovate-lanceolate, glauceacent, 3^-1 in. 

 long: racemesloose. Caucasus, Turkest., Siberia. L.B.C. 5:489. 

 B.B. 3:254.— .4. latifblia, Koehne (A. Mnschketowi, Krassn.). 

 Erect, 2-3 ft., spineless : lvs. lanceolate, crenate, /4-2 in. long: 

 fls. white, incompact racemes. Turkest. B.M. 7435. Gt. 40:1344. 

 —A. spinhsa, limn. Height 1-2 ft., spiny : lvs. elliptic, entire, 

 glaucescent, ^-j^ in. long : racemes short. S. Russia, Orient, 

 Siberia. . t-> 



Alfred Rehdee. 



ATEIPLEX (derivation disputed). Chenopodi&eece. 

 A large genus containing many succulent weeds of des- 

 ert regions. A . hortensis is a garden vegetable used like 

 spinach ; for culture, see Orach, A, lepfocarpa and A', 

 semibaccata are two plants lately introduced as supple- 

 mentary forage plants for arid regions. See Circular 

 No. 3, Div. of Agrost., U. S. Dept. Agric. 



A. Garden ■vegetable {with ornamental-lvd. variety). 



hortensis, Linn. Orach. Sea Purslane. Annual : 

 stem herbaceous, erect : lvs. hastate, cordate, or trian- 

 gular-oblong, acute, 4-5 in. long, 2H-3 in. wide ; petioles 

 12-18 lines long : fruiting bracts 4-8 lines long, short- 

 pediceled. Var. ^tro-sangninea, Hort., is a crimson- 

 leaved ornamental about 4 ft. high, sometimes grown 

 with amarantus-like plants. 



AA. Ornamental shrubs. 



can^scens, James. A pale, densely scurfy shrub, 1-3 ft. 

 high : lvs. oblanceolate, entire : fruiting bractlets with 

 4 vertical, reticulated wings. July-Sept. N. Mex. to S. 

 Dak. and W. to Calif. 



H41imus, Linn. Low-spreading shrub with grey foli- 

 age, cult, in Calif, for hedges and for seaside planting: 

 lvs. 1-lK in. long ; petioles 3-4 lines long : fls. purplish : 

 fruiting bracts 15^ lines long, 2 lines wide, sessile, reni- 

 form, obtuse, entire : seed compressed, yellowish. 

 Mediterranean region and S. Afr. -yy^ jj_ 



