SISYKINCHIUM 



SKIR.RKT 



1671 



A. FIs. ijelUur. 



Califbrnicum. Drvaiui. ( .)fi/r)r,i <''<il/fnr)iir(i , Ker- 

 GawM. A lialMuirily i.rr(.-'imi;il : stmi 1 ^,. ft. hi.^li, '2 

 lilies tltruug'li, liroadly wiui^'ed: Ivs. iiiniiy, shorti.T than 

 thf stem, about ^.j in.' Itroad; spallie ."J-d-flU.: s('i,aiifnt^ 

 iaiUh Yrlh.w, linetl witli hn.wn. ^-^ in. loni^;: i.-a))suie 



olWuni; 



Calif, to (Jre. 11.31. !is;;. 



:,a'('lUUl 



BP.. .S'/r/^/ lr<i !-hr<i ri. uij . 



tenuifolium, Hnnih. \- Bon])!. A hall'-hardv prr<-niiial : 

 n>nr^ rlr^liy. ril.rous; stnn ' |-I fr. Iii-ii. ntti-n Lranrln^l 

 lu\v iluwn : Iv.s. siiliteri-le nr narmwh linrai' ; s]iatiit_-s 

 :;-4-tM.: s.--nicnts of vi'i'i^i'il li i^ale vrlli.w. ^■, in. Inn-'. 



.Alts, uf Mexieo. B.^Ai. -117, L':;i:;. 



Tlu: 



In 



■>]!;/ 



convolutum, Xocca. A ten<l<'i- pnt-iMinial : I'ont tibmns, 

 sleiKb.'!-: stem aliout 1 tt. bi-b. nsuailv tnrj^,-il: |\s. 

 linear: s|.atbes :_i-4-Hib : se^'nients nt pcriantli yellow, 

 veined wilb liniwn. b^ in. lon^'. Tropical Anieviea. 



AA. Fls. pnrph:, hhw or >rJntc. 

 B. S/.m h.rjr. 



grandiflorum, Doug'l. ( ,s'. I>nii>il(<sii , A. Dielr. ). A 

 hardy per-nmiat : ront tlliers s bonier. ](ui--: stem simple, 

 about 1 ft.: Ivs. short, sbeathiu.L;- the Inwer part of the 

 stem: lis. 2-3, ceruuoiis : periantii-se^'uients bri;;lit pnr- 

 ple, rarely white, ^^4 in. Ions?. r\[ai,", -Tune. Nurtlj westcru 

 U.S. B.M. 3509. B.R. Hi:b;(U."-Tliis is possibly the 

 handsomest species iu the tra<bv \-m\ album is also 

 offered and is equtdly liesirable. 



BB. Si'iu fhit. 

 C. Sp'ltJii.'.'i fq/lfll ui Jeiujtlt. 



graminoides, Bieknell (6'. 'iucej's, ^^AVats., not (?av.). 

 A hardy perennial: stem wiim'ed, about 1 ft. hii^'h, ustt- 

 ally terminating iu 2 unequal i.)ranches, subtendrd by a 

 leaf: Ivs. nearly equaling the stem, grass-like, 1-3 Hiihs 

 "wide: spathes about 1 in. long. 2-4-11(1.; pedicels lonu'er 

 than the spathes; fls. blue, b,-V, in. across. April- 

 June. Eastern U. 8. B.B. 1 :4.")3. 



«.'. Sjxithes rertj iiueqiail in Joigth. 



angustifolium, rtlill. [S. ojic'pv, Cav. S. Bcrmudi- 

 ("nnuH . Authors). A hardy perennial: root-tiber.s long: 

 stem about 1 ft. Iiigh, IS lines fhrouti-h, with 2-3 clus- 

 ters on long-winged peduncles : Ivs. linear, shorter than 

 the stem, 1-1.^ ■> lines wide: spathes 1-4-rid., about 1 in. 

 long: pedicels about 8 lines long. 31ay-Aug. IMe. to 

 Va., west to Colo. — Var. b611um {S. beUinv, Wats.). 

 Stems more narrowly winged, usually without any leaf 

 below the fork: spathes sliorter: pedicels longer. Calif, 

 and New Mexico. Var. mucronatum iS. >» iirronofiini, 

 Micbx.). Stems not branched, usually leadess, ending 

 in a sessile cluster orertopped by a linear bract. Rocky 

 Mts. and British North America. p_ ^y_ Barclay. 



SITOLOBIUM is referred to Diclsdnia clnuarlo. 

 Swz,, a handsome, stroiig-growinij: ti-ojiical American 

 fern with Ivs. 4-8 ft. long, bipinnatn, ]ia|)cr\-, light 

 green; petioles hairy; lower Ifts. l-l'- ft. x }n ft. 



SltJM [from Sioi,, old Creek name used by Dios- 

 corides). (JmheUiferm. Four widely scattered herlis 

 with pinnate foliage and small white fls. borne in com- 

 pound umbels. Glabrous plants : leaf -segments dental c : 

 petals inflexed at the tip. For S. Sisarum, see SJcirnf. 



S. latiJolium, Linn., the Water Parsnip, is a Brit- 

 ish species sometimes naturalized in English wild gar- 

 dens, especially in damp woods. Like Ferula and cer- 

 tain other umbrdliferous ]>lants. it is valued moi'e for its 

 stately habit ami handscune foliage than for its flowers. 



AV. M. 



SKtMMIA (Japanese Skunmi, meaning a hurtful 

 fruit). Ji'ifJacece. Ornamental evergreen shrubs with 

 alternate entire leaves, small white flowers in terminal 

 panicles and showy brii^ht red berry-like fruit. They 

 are tender, not being reliably Imrdv as far north as 

 Washington, D. C. Handsome shrubs for borders of 



evergreen shrubberies and i-speciully valuable for |dant- 

 inu^ in cities, as they bdomi to the liest siimke-.-n(hiriiig 

 evergreen shrubs; they art; pai-ticularly lieautiful when 

 c<ivtn-ed with their In-i-iit vvd fruits, which are retained 

 tbi'nngh the whole winter if not eaten by l)irds. In the 

 i^reeniionse two crops of lierries on a plaid mav be seen 

 oecasionally. Tlie Skimmias are of rather slow growth 

 and thrive best in a sandy loamy soil, btit also grow 

 well in stroni;' <day: tln-y prefer a partly shaded sittta- 

 tii'U. On account of iheif liandsome fruits they are 

 sometimes cult, in [lots in a satidy <-ompost of peal and 

 biani. As the Ski)i]inias are polygamous and innstly 

 unisexual, if will be necessary lo jdant staminate ]ilant"s 

 among Ihe pisiilbite ones to secure welbfi-uiled speci- 

 mens. l*ro]>. by seeds sown in fall or sli-afilied and by 

 cuttings under -lass wilh ::ejdle iMiHoni h<-at. "\Villj;ini 

 Scott writes: "Seeds sown iu iln- I'all arid i^rown along 

 in a eoolhouse dniini:- wilder (mh lie planted out in a 

 ,i;-ood loam the follo\\ in-- sjudn-, when the\- will make a 

 vigorous urowtb. and can he liiled Dm- fojlowinii' Octo- 

 ber. Their v>i\ bei-rii-s njake them very desirable as a 

 Christmas lierry plant." 



Three specji s from the Himalavas to China and Ja- 

 pan. OhLbi-ous shruhs : Ivs. d(d-l.;il with transhicid 

 glands: ds. pidy^anious or <li<jMdous, the staminate fra- 

 grani and in large i)anicles; sepals and petals i~7>: sta- 

 mens 4-3 ; style \\ il h 2-o-lolM>d si i;;-nui : ovary 2-3 loculed : 

 fr. a drupe witli 2-4 one-sec'ded stones. 



Japbnica, Tiiuid>. (;S'. ob/aia, Moore. 6'. frdf/rans, 

 (.'arr. ,S'. fni.jni nl Issi ii>a , Hort.). Shrub, 5 ft.'hitih: 

 Ivs. crowded at the ends of the branchlets, short-in-ti- 

 oled, elliptic-obloTig to oblong-obovate, narrowed at both 

 ends, olitusely pointed, firight or yellowish green above, 

 yellowish green beneath, 3K-5 in. long: panicles 2-3,'-o 

 in. long: fls. polyganmn?, usually 4-merous, yellowish 

 white : fr. coral-red or bright scarlet, subglobose and 

 somewhat angular, ^4 in. across. Spring. Japan. S.Z. 

 1 :b8. (-I.e. 11. 23. p. 244; III. 5, p. 52i;524. Cn. 7, p. 

 183; 33, p. 4S0: 42, p. 133. J.H. IIL 30, p. 525. R.H. 

 lyr.li. p. 239; bssn. p. oG. F. 1SG5, p. 1GL-.S'. fragnins 

 and /'nii/rif)'fissuiiu are names of the staminate plant; 

 ^'. ohhihi of the pistillate. A^ar. ov^ta, Carr., has larger 

 and broader Ivs. R.H. LS80, p. 58. Var. Veitchi, Carr., 

 has obovate Ivs. and perfect fls. R.H. 1880, p. 58. 



Fortunei, Mast. {S.J('ip6uica,'L\Ti^\.). Similar to the 

 preceding but of dwarfer habit: Ivs. lanceolate or ob- 

 long - lanceolate, acuminate, dark green above, light 

 green beneath, 3?^-10 in. long: fls. white, in obhmg- 

 ovate panicles, usually perfect: fr. obovate, dull crim- 

 son-red. Spring. China. G.C. H. 25, p. 245 (as *^'. oh- 

 litlii); in. 5, p. 525. The following as S. Japoiu'ca : 

 B.M. 4719; F.S. 7, p. 39; Gn. 7, p. 183 and 8, p. 519; 

 R.H. 1809, p. 259, and 1880, p. 50. This species fruits 

 more freely than the preceding. Var. rubella, Rehd. 

 Peduncles, pedicels and buds reddish; staminate form. 

 R.H. 1874:311; 1883, p. 189. Var. argentea, Nichols., 

 has the Ivs. bordered with white. A hybrid between 

 this and the preceding species is probably .S'. intermedia, 

 Carr., with narrow oblong-elliptic Ivs. dark green above. 

 To tliis hybrid belong also S. Porenia iii, Hort., with lan- 

 ce<date or ol.)lauceolate yellowish green Ivs. and sul)glo- 

 bose and obovate fr. on the same panicle (CC. HI. 

 5:553) and S. Iinf/ersl. Hort., with similar but deep 

 green \vs. and globose s(p.t;)rish fruit. 



S. LaTiri'ola , Sieb. ik^ Zncc. Shrub, 5 ft, hit,'h, of a strong aro- 

 inatir odor when bmised: Ivs. narrow-oblonji; to oliovate, aeute 

 or iicuniiaale, briglit green: tls. 5-nn"Tons. Himalayas. 



Alfred Rkhber. 



SKIRRET {Siiihi. Si.^<inn)>, Linn.) is a vegetable of 

 minor im]>ortance the roots ()f which are use<l like salsify 

 or oyster plant. It is a hardy, perennial, nmb(dliferou3 

 herb, native to eastern Asia. It grows 3-4 ft. high, has 

 ]iitimite foliage and siitidl white fls. in compound timbels. 

 The roots grow in hir--e clusters, something like those 

 of a sweet polati.i or dahlia, but they are much longer, 

 more cylindrical and somewhat jidnted. TIjo roots have 

 a sweet and slightly flotiry taste an<l if well grown are 

 tender. The chief objection to this vegetable is the 

 woody core, which must ha removed Ijefore cooking, as 

 it is not easily separated from the fleshy part at the 

 talde and detracts from its quality. The thickness of 

 the core varies greatly, no matter whether the plants 

 are proi)agated by seed, offsets or division of roots. 



