KEEL. 



159 



KNAUTIA. 



K. 



Kalmia. — Ericacece. — The Calico 

 Laurel. Low shrubs, with beautiful 

 flowers ; natives of North America. 

 They may be grown with perfect 

 safety in the open air, or they may be 

 kept in a greenhouse and forced, so 

 as to flower in February. They are 

 generally grown in peat earth, on ac- 

 count of their numerous, hair-like, 

 fibrous roots ; and they may be re- 

 moved even when in flower, without 

 injury, if sufficient care be taken. 

 They are propagated by layers, or by 

 seeds, which are received every year 

 in large quantities from America. The 

 seeds should be sown in pots, in sandy 

 peat, or heath mould, as it is called ; 

 and they should be very thinly cover- 

 ed. When the plants come up, they 

 should be transplanted into other pots, 

 putting three in each, and they should 

 not be removed to the open ground 

 till they are five or six inches high. 

 They should be planted out in spring. 



Kalosa'nthes. — Crassulacece. — 

 Mr. Haworth's name for Crdssula 

 coccinea, and some of the allied spe- 

 cies. See Crassula. 



Kaulfussia. — Composites. — A 

 beautiful little annual, resembling an 

 aster ; the ray florets of which curl 

 curiously back after it has been ex- 

 panded a short time. This plant was 

 formerly considered half-hardy ; but 

 it is found only to require sowing in 

 the open border in April, to flower in 

 May or early in June. Its beauty is, 

 however, very short-lived ; as its 

 flowers have generally all faded, and 

 its seeds ripened before the end of 

 July. It has been named Charieis 

 by Professor De Candolle, but the 

 name has not been generally adopted. 



Keel. — The lower part of the 

 flower of a pea-flowered plant, con- 

 sisting of two petals, so closed together 

 as to resemble a little boat. 



Kennedia. — LeguminoscB. 

 genus of well-known plants, 



— A 



with 



showy flowers, which has been lately 

 divided by Mr. Bentham into four 

 new genera, viz. : — Hardenbergia, 

 comprising the species with small 

 bluish or lilac flowers on slender 

 branches, the type of which is K. 

 mortophylla ; the Zichyas, having 

 bunches of broad reddish flowers, with 

 very short keels, as for example, K. 

 coccinecs ; the Kennedias, with large 

 scarlet or crimson flowers, having long 

 keels ; and the Physalobiums, having 

 flowers a good deal like those of the 

 Zichyas, but with bladdery capsules. 

 All the Kennedias are Australian 

 climbing or trailing shrubs, which re- 

 quire a greenhouse in England, and 

 should be grown in heath mould, or 

 very sandy loam, mixed with peat. 

 They are propagated by cuttings, which 

 strike readily in sand, under a bell- 

 glass. 



Kerria. — Rosacea. — By some 

 mistake, Kerria Japonica was at first 

 supposed to belong to Corchorus, a 

 genus of Tiliacese, and of course nearly 

 allied to the Lime-tree ; to which it 

 bears no resemblance, though it is still 

 called Corchorus Japonica in the nur- 

 series. It is also singular, that though 

 the double -flowered variety was intro- 

 duced into England in 1700, the species 

 was not introduced till 1835. It is 

 a delicate little shrub, too slender to 

 support itself in the open air ; but 

 when trained against a wall, flowering 

 in great profusion. It should be 

 grown in a light rich soil, and it is 

 propagated by cuttings. 



Kidney Vetch. — See Anthyllis. 



Knapweed — Centaurea scabibsa. 



Knautia. — Dipsacece. — A very 

 pretty little flower, requiring only 

 the usual treatment of hardy an- 

 nuals. 



