SPIGBLIA 



STBYCHNINJE OBDEE 



BUDDLBIA 649 



The ' Nux Vomica ' or ' Strychnine ' of commerce and other deadly poisons 

 are obtained from plants belonging to this family. 



GELSEMIUM.— A small genus of 

 smooth climbing shrubs with opposite 

 membranous leaves, and flowers in 

 terminal or axillary, 1-3-flowered tricho- 

 tomous cymes. Calyx 5-parted. Corolla 

 fmmel-shaped, widened at the throat, 

 with ovate or oblong lobes. Stamens 5, 

 attached to the corolla tube. Ovary 

 oblong, 2-oeUed. Capsule ovoid or oblong, 

 many-seeded. 



G. sempervirens ((?. nitidum). — A 

 more or less climbing shrub native of the 

 S. United States, with slender stems, 

 downy when young, rough when old, and 

 evergreen broadly oblanoeolate pointed 

 leaves 4-6 in. long, thin in texture and 

 tapering towards the base. Flowers in 

 March and April, deep yellow, with 

 twisted lobes and a cylindrical tube over 

 an inch long, and covered with short 

 downy hairs. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 plant flourishes in ordinary good garden 

 soil, but is too tender for northern parts of 

 the country. It grows well in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Torquay, but is a plant still 

 very little known, although introduced 

 50 years ago. It may be increased by 

 cuttings of the young or half-ripened 

 shoots inserted in sandy soil under hand- 

 lights during summer, and kept shaded 

 and fairly moist until rooted. 



SPIGELIA. — A genus containing 

 about 30 species of annual or perennial 

 herbs, rarely under-shrubs, with opposite, 

 often membranous penniveined or rarely 

 3-5-nerved leaves. Flowers usually in 

 one-sided spikes. Calyx 5-parted, often 

 with 6 or more glands at the base. 

 CoroUa tubular or salver-shaped, 5-lobed. 

 Stamens 5. Ovary 2-celled. Style 

 thread-like, jointed near the middle. 

 Fruit consisting of 2 few-seeded carpels. 



The species described below is the only 

 one suitable for outdoor cultivation in the 

 British Islands. 



S. marilandica {Inddam, Pimk ; Mary- 

 lamd PimkBoot ; Worm Grass). — Aglow- 

 ing N. American herbaceous perennial 6- 

 18 in. high, with dense erect tufts of simple 

 4-angledstems bearing ovate-lance-shaped 

 acute leaves without stalks. Flowers in 

 summer, deep red outside and yellow 

 within, 11 in. long, with lance-shaped 



lobes, and borne in short simple or forked 

 sprites. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 pretty plant is worthy of a place in the 

 flower garden and may be grown in peaty 

 borders with plants of the Heath order 

 in partially shaded spots ; or in moist 

 similar spots in the rockery, or near water 

 in boggy soil. Drought is injurious to it. 

 It may be increased by dividing the roots 

 in early autumn or spring, the latter 

 season being probably the best. 



BUDDLEIA (Oeangb Ball Thee). 

 This genus contains about 70 species of 

 trees or shrubs, rarely herbs, mostly 

 native of the tropical and sub-tropioal 

 regions of America, Africa, and Asia. 

 Leaves opposite, entire, crenulate, or 

 rarely largely toothed. Flowers small, 

 often in dense rounded or corymb-like 

 axillary cymes, or in terminal corymbose 

 clusters or panicles. Calyx bell-shaped, 

 4- toothed or cleft. Corolla sometimes 

 with a short bell-shaped rotate tube, 

 sometimes with an elongated cylindrical 

 salver-shaped tube ; lobes 4, ovate, imbri- 

 cate. Stamens 4, attached to the throat 

 of the corolla or lower down. Ovary 

 2-celled. Style often curved with a club- 

 shaped or capitate apex. 



B. Colvillei.— A beautiful shrub 6-8 ft. 

 high, native of the Sikkim Himalayas, 

 where it grows wild at an elevation of 

 9000-12,000 ft. The rather narrow lance- 

 shaped acute and more or less serrate 

 leaves are 4-6 in. long, and covered with 

 a rusty down when young. The beautiftil 

 deep rose bell-shaped flowers about an 

 inch across, with 4 recurved or wavy 

 corolla lobes, appear in June and July, 

 and are produced in loose opposite clusters 

 in the upper portion and at the end of the 

 shoots. 



Culture &a. as for B. globosa. This 

 species is hardy in the mildest pai-ts of 

 the south and west, and it is believed 

 flowered for the first time in cultivation 

 out of doors in Mr. Gumbleton's garden 

 at Queenstown, Cork, in 1892. 



B. crispa, a native of the Western 

 Himalayas, having lUac flowers with a 

 white eye ; and B. Lindleyana, a Chinese 

 species with hairy purple-red flowers, are 

 more tender plants, which stand the 

 winter only when very mild in the most 



