SEAFORTUIA 



SEAFOBTHIA (Fvaiu'is Lord S.afovth ) . r,ih,u)c„r 

 Semortliia ,7, ./mis is a uame faimluir tu rvi-i'\ -^-anlcncr 

 who has room in bis conservaii.rv fur tall ' s|H-einu-ii 

 palms. Twfiity years a^o tliis pa'hu wtis i;vu\vu to a 

 greater extent in smaller sizes and for a ^i-rarer vaiieiv 

 of purposes, liut it lias l.ecai suiuT^rded f..r siirli uses l.y 

 thelveutias ( /I'tii', -i Brhim,; ,i,/.( anil F,>rxl, i-i,i mi I. .s', ,i - 

 forthiii il,.j<ii,s is often ealled the Australian Feather 



Faint. Whidher mor.' 

 than one Ihioi;' is eul- 

 tivated under this 

 name is ch.nlitfid. 



Aei-ordini;- to Flora 

 Australiensis 7:111 

 (1S7S) the pro].,.r 

 name of s, <ifnii/i ;,, 

 • Inniiis. K. Br., i. 

 ^ '/ Ptychosperma ele- 



g-ans, Hlume. It is 

 variously descrihed 

 as a ]ii«- ,,!■ very lall 

 Iialiii : Iv^. attaiiiiim- 

 s e Ve r a I feet; seg- 

 ments immerims, more or 

 less toothed or irregularly 

 jagged at the end. " Proh- 

 ably the plants eult. as 

 *'. i'h,iai:x are Airhnii/r- 

 phiTiii.r Ciiiiniiiiiliiiiuii . 



For iS'. robust::, see ii7;e- 

 puloxli/lis. ^Y. JI. 



SEA GKAPE, Coecoloba 



SEA HOLLY, Ermujium. 



SECIUUJI 



10^5 



SEA-KALE [Cramhe mari- 

 iiiia, Linn,) is a hirge-leaved, 

 strong, erueiferous perennial, 

 the young shoots of which are 

 eaten in the spring, usually 

 after having been blanched'. 

 The plant is little known in 

 North America, but it is worthy 

 of general ctiltivation in the home gar- 

 den, for it supplies an esetllent of good 

 equality at a season when vegetables 

 are scarce. Sea-kale demands a deep, 

 rich and rather moist soil, in order to 

 give the best results and to maintain 

 its vigor for a series of years. The 

 plants require aliout as much room as 

 rhubarb; that is, they shotild stand 

 from 3 to 4 feet apart each way. The 

 ctilture and general requirements are 

 much the same as for rhubarb. The 

 young shoots are blanched as they 

 grow, in early spring. The blanching 

 is accomplished by heaping fine, loose 

 earth over the crown of the plant, 

 into which the shoots grow, or by cov- 

 ering the plant with an inverted box or 

 flower pot so that the light is excludrd 

 from the growing sljoots. These shoots 

 are eaten before the leaves have begun 

 22^0. to expand to any extent, and whilst 



Head of Rye. they are crisp and tender. The vege- 

 Xatnral size. table is prepared in the same manner 



as aspiaragiis. 

 Sea-kale is propagated by root cuttings, and also by 

 seeds. Quicker results are secured from cuttings. If 

 strong cuttings, 4 or 5 inches long, are taken in early 

 spring and grown in stri'iig and i-atber moist soil, the 

 plants may be strroi:;^ fuoim'h f^r cutting the fidhoving 

 spring; but it is u.^ually better mit to cut them uiiiil 

 two years from starting. The cuttings may be plarid 

 where the plants are to stand permanently, or they ma\- 

 be grown in drills in a seed-bed. The latterplan is tisii- 

 ally to be preferred, since it allow^s the plauts toreceixa. 

 better care. Seeds give pdants that are strong enonuli 

 for cutting about the third y.>ar. The seeds arc 

 really fruits or pods, and each fruit may produce 



two or thre,- plants. Fsuallv the fruits are s,,wn 

 wuh.iul shrllmg. The se.dliijg's .arr raised in ihn secd- 

 l"-d .aii.l trans|,|aiited when nne var (dd u. iieniiaiieiit 

 qnartrrs, (In good soil, plants of Sea-kale slioii 1,1 main- 

 tain their vigor (or tiv -ight vears alter llievliav 



come to rulling age. As soon as Ihov bei;in Pi' sliow 

 sl-iis ot dorlin,., new plalils sh.iuhl' bo pi,.p:i^nlid 

 Allhongli the plant is liaivU' in the norlliorn slalom it is 

 always brueliled I ,y a liberal dressing of liller or nia- 

 >""■'■ 10 the fall, I'lalil- m.avbe forced in lio|l„.,ls or 

 uiidor the -roonhouse bonrhes, as rocoimnondrd for 

 rlinbiirb. Soa-kale ha, hiree, glancous, ml. bane-like 

 leaves which make ir a strikili- phint f.ir ornament 

 early iii the season. It. als.i Hiro>,vs ii]i a strong idiistrr 

 bearin- mali\- ralher sliowv wliile Ihovers. However, 

 the lilant i.s randy pro'pau.'ilod foi- ils , irnainriil ,■, 1 valins 

 Soa-kale groxvs wild on ihr ^.eacoasts of soul 1, west. -rn 

 FjUro[ie. 



L. H. B. 



SEA LAVENDER. Slulir,.. 



SEA ONION. /■;■,,,■„,„ i,i,,n'th„,i: also applied to 



(_'/■..//;,..,./„/„,„ ril„.J„t,ni,. 

 SEA PINK. Aiiiuri.,. 

 SEASIDE GEAPE. c\.,-r..h_,bf, . 



SEASON VINE, Ci. 



SEA-UEOHIN CACTUS. i.V7,; 



lOp: 



SECALE (the ancient Latin name, said to be derived 

 from .s'Ci'O, to cut; according to some, applied to spelt). 

 (JiKiiiiiuue. Species 2, ,S'. fruijih-, an annual of southern 

 Russia, and i.'. cereals, the cultivated Rye, which, ac- 

 cor.liiig to Hackel, is derived from the perennial, ,s'. 

 inoiilaiiinii, native in the mountains of southern Europe 

 and central Asia. Spikelets with 2 perfect Hs. sessile 

 on opposite sides of a zigzag rachis, forming a terminal 

 spike, empty glumes subulate and 1-nerved, bv whi.'h 

 characters the genus differs from Triticuiip iii whi.di 

 the empty glumes are ovate and 3-nerved. 



cereale, Linn. Rte. Fig. 2280. A tall annual coni- 

 m.uily cultivated in Europe, less so in this country, as a 

 cereal. Also cultivated here for annual pasture! FL- 

 glume long-awned. Much more commonly grown in New 

 York and New England tlian westward. 



A. S. HiT.:'HOOCK. 

 SfiCHITTM (by some said to be derived from Sicyox, 

 with which the genus was once united, by others to have 

 come from the t-freek .^ekos, a "fold," because swine are 

 fed on it). Cucurbitdcea-. One very odd tendril-climb- 

 ing vine, probably native to the West Indies and adja- 

 cent South America. This species, S. 6dule, Swartz, 

 Fig, 22SL is known under a variety of names, asChocho, 

 Chuchu, Chow-Chow, C'hayotte, Cahiota, Pepinella. The 

 vine itself, with herbaceous annual stems, is useful for 

 covering arbors in warm countries. The root ):iecomes 

 a large corky ttitier, sometimes weighing 20 lbs., and is 

 eilibli-. Thefiaiit is irregularly ribbed, 3-6 in. long (Fig. 

 22.S1, from nature), and edible. Sechiulu belongs to that 

 grou[i of the ( 'ucurbita.-. ;e whi.di comprises 1-see.led 

 frttits. The single flat se.al is 1-2 in. long (showit in 

 tipper si">ecinieu in Fig. 22.sn. and attached at tin- 

 upj.er eiiil of the cavity. It is not removed from the 

 fruit, but the entire fruit is planted. Because seeds 

 are not to be had separate, the notion has arisen that 

 th.^ fruit is srsslless. Sometimes giuauination begins 

 b.'f.ua- the fruit drops from the vine. The fruit is 

 variously ribboil and I.tbe.l, varying from ]"iale green to 

 or. ■ani-i'..|.".r.'d an. I wViit.', a.-.a.r.ling t.. variety, the sur- 

 fa.-.. sliinin:^- anil s.:imewhat s]iiiiy. In tr.ipical cottn- 

 tri.-s the fruit is c<.ioke.l f.ir eating, much as si.|uasli 

 is sin-\a..l with us, iSoui.' p.Ts.ins pr.'fer thi- ro.its t.i 

 >"alns, Sirlihnii liltih is a .■oinna.n .-. .uini.i.lity in tlie 

 West Indies, an. I the fruits are u.it ran- in ii..riliern 

 markets. It is also grown to som.' extint in Fl.iri.la and 

 southern California. In northiu'u .-ountries, tin.' ]:)lant 

 makes a strong- ^-ine in one s.-ason but d.>es not bear. 

 The I'datit ha^ little ornainental \-alu.'. 



In ,S. ■'■Ilium th.^ Hs, are luon.eci.ius. The staminate 

 are in sh.:irt, long-stalked axillary cluster^; the pistil- 



