SOLLYA. 



275 



SOPHO^RA. 



able portion of sand or peat are called 

 light; and all soils containing clay- 

 are called loamy. What is called a 

 light rich soil, is generally composed 

 of very sandy loam, mixed with vege- 

 table mould, or the sifted remains of 

 an old hotbed. 



Solanum. — Solanacece. — The 

 Nightshade. The flowers of the 

 plants belonging to this extensive 

 genus all more or less resemble those 

 of the common climbing Nightshade, 

 or Bitter-sweet of the hedges, — and 

 indeed those of the^otatoe, which 

 belongs to this genus. They are all 

 rather pretty, but their foliage is too 

 coarse to be ornamental. S. cam- 

 panulatum is perhaps the hand- 

 somest species. Some of the species 

 require a stove, others a greenhouse, 

 and others the open air ; but they all 

 agree in liking a rich light soil, and 

 they all grow well in a mixture of 

 loam and peat., enriched with vege- 

 table mould. 



Soldanella. — Priinulacecs. — 

 Beautiful little alpine plants, very 

 suitable for rock work, some with 

 purple, and some with blue flowers. 

 They should be grown in heath- 

 mould ; or in peat, mixed with very 

 sandy loam ; and they are increased 

 by seeds., or by dividing the root. 

 They are generally grown in small 

 pots, and they should neither have 

 too much nor too little water. 



Solid ago. — Composites. — Golden 

 Rod. Perennial plants, quite hardy 

 in British gardens, where they flower 

 in autumn. They are too tall for 

 any small garden, and they are only 

 suitable for the back row of a flower- 

 border. They will grow in any com- 

 mon garden soil, and they are in- 

 creased by dividing the root. 



Sollya. — Pittisporacece. — This 

 beautiful little shrub, though only 

 introduced in 1830, is already as 

 common as the Fuchsia, and it is 

 a favourite everywhere. The leaves 



are evergreen, and the bright blue 

 bell-shaped flowers, which are pro- 

 duced in tufts near the ends of the 

 branches, are so elegant that no one 

 can see them without admiring them. 

 The plant is a native of New Hol- 

 land, and it is nearly hardy, as it 

 will stand in the open air if trained 

 against a wall and slightly protected 

 during winter. It is, however, gene- 

 rally grown in pots, in which the only 

 objection to its culture is the cir- 

 cumstance of its having the tips of 

 its shoots frequently covered with 

 aphides, the only cure for which is 

 constant syringing. In the open air 

 it is liable to the attacks of a black 

 insect, similar in its nature to the 

 aphis, but still more disagreeable. It 

 should be grown in peat and loam, or 

 in heath -mould, and it is propagated 

 by seeds or cuttings. The fruit, which 

 is a berry full of seeds, ripens freely ; 

 but the cuttings are very difficult to 

 strike, and indeed will rarely succeed 

 without bottom-heat. Besides Sollya 

 keterophylla, which is the common 

 kind, two or three other kinds have 

 been introduced by Captain Mangles 

 from the Swan River. 



Solomon's Seal. — See Polygonum. 



Sonchus. — Compositce. — The 

 Sow Thistle. The common herba- 

 ceous species is a British weed ; but 

 there are two or three shrubby kinds 

 from the Madeira and Canary Isles, 

 with yellow flowers, which are very 

 ornamental. They should be kept 

 in a greenhouse, and grown in light 

 rich soil. 



SophoW. — LeguminoscB. — The 

 common Sophora japonica is a large 

 tree which grows freely in the neigh- 

 bourhood of London, and produces its 

 large bunches of cream-coloured flow- 

 ers in August and September. The 

 drooping Sophora, however, though 

 only considered a variety of the tree, 

 is very distinct. It is a trailing shrub, 

 j sending out shoots six feet or eight 

 T 2 



