PHYTEUMA. 



213 



PIPINGS. 



Phylica Rhamnacece. — Pretty 



little heath-like plants, natives of the 

 Cape of Good Hope, with narrow 

 leaves, and little terminal heads of 

 fragrant white flowers, which begin 

 to appear in autumn and continue 

 during winter and early spring. They 

 are generally grown in a greenhouse, 

 and require the same treatment as the 

 Cape heaths. 



Physa^lis. — Solanacece. — The 

 Winter Cherry. Dwarf shrubby and 

 herbaceous plants, with showy flowers. 

 The fruit is a bright red berry in a 

 bladdery calyx; and when the calyx 

 has been macerated by soaking it in 

 water, it has a very pretty effect. 

 Some of the species are shrubby, but 

 the greater part are herbaceous plants ; 

 they are generally only half-hardy, 

 and they succeed best when grown in 

 sandy loam. 



Physianthus AsclepiadecB. — A 



climbing plant from Mexico, which 

 has proved hardy in the London Hor- 

 ticultural Society's gardens. It has 

 small whitish flowers, and very large 

 and handsome fleshy seed-vessels, 

 which look like oval gourds, and 

 which, when opened, are found to 

 contain the seeds enveloped in a 

 quantity of fine silky substance, which 

 looks like the cocoons of silk-worms, 

 after the fine silk has been spun 

 off. The Physianthus will grow 

 in any common soil 5 but it should 

 always be trained against a wall, as 

 otherwise the large fruit will be too 

 heavy for the slender branches. 



Physoste v gia. — Labiates. — P. im- 

 bricdta is a beautiful plant, with 

 pale purple flowers, nearly allied to 

 Dracocephalum , which only requires 

 the usual treatment of hardy peren- 

 nials. P. truncata is an annual 

 species with pale pink flowers. Both 

 are natives of Mexico, and will grow 

 in the open ground, in any common 

 garden soil. 



Phyteuma Campanulacece. — 



Herbaceous plants, generally with 

 dark blue flowers, which will grow in 

 any ordinary soil, and which are in- 

 creased by dividing the roots. 



Phytola'cca. — Chenopodiaeece, or 

 Phytolace<s P. decdndra, the Vir- 

 ginian Poke, is a fine vigorous-grow- 

 ing plant, which is ornamental from 

 the abundance of its black berries, 

 but which, from its large leaves and 

 spreading habit of growth, requires a 

 great deal of room. It should be 

 grown in very rich soil, and it is in- 

 creased by seeds or cuttings. There 

 are several species, all of which have 

 black berries, containing a deep red 

 juice, which is said to be used in Por- 

 tugal to colour Port wine. 



Picottee. — A kind of carna- 

 tion with a narrow dark -coloured 

 margin to the petals, or with the 

 petals covered with small brown or 

 dark purple dots. For the culture, 

 see Dianthus. 



Pilewort. See FrcAiiiA. 



Pimele v a. — Thymelacecs. — Aus- 

 tralian shrubs which require a richer 

 soil than most other plants from that 

 country. They should be grown in 

 a greenhouse in England ; in a soil 

 composed of sandy peat and loam, 

 mixed with vegetable mould, or part 

 of an old hot-bed. They should have 

 plenty of light, and they should be 

 kept regularly watered. They are 

 propagated by cuttings. 



Pimpernel. See Anagallis. 



Pink. See Dianthus. 



Pipings. — Cuttings of Pinks and 

 Carnations are called pipings ; because 

 these plants have tubular stems ; and 

 when separated at a joint, the parts 

 are pulled asunder, instead of being 

 cut. This is done in autumn, by 

 taking a shoot that has nearly done 

 growing, in one hand, and pulling the 

 upper part of it off just above a pair 

 of leaves, so as to separate it at the 

 socket formed by the axils of the 

 leaves, leaving the part pulled off 



