VASES. 



297 



VERBENA. 



the seed-vessel under the water, that 

 it may ripen at the hottom and burst 

 •when just in the proper place to depo- 

 sit its seeds. Nothing can be more 

 beautiful than the whole arrange- 

 ment ; and nothing can show more 

 strikingly the admirable manner in 

 which the economy of nature is car- 

 ried on. 



Valonia OkK.—Quercus JEgilops. 

 — The acorns are enveloped in a cu- 

 rious leafy cup ; and the tree, which 

 is generally of small size, is very 

 handsome. — See Quercus. 



Va'nda. — Orchidacece. — A beau- 

 tiful epiphyte, which is made the 

 type of a section from the great num- 

 ber that are nearly allied to it. It 

 should be grown on the branch of a 

 tree. — See Orchideous Epiphytes. 



Vanilla. — Orchidacece. — A 

 creeping parasite, common in tropi- 

 cal climates, which throws out roots 

 at every joint that penetrate into the 

 bark of the trees on which the plant 

 grows. When grown in an orchi- 

 deous house, these plants are fre- 

 quently fixed in a crevice in the 

 damp wall, whence they spread out in 

 different directions, catching hold of 

 every object within their reach. 

 When thus treated and kept in a 

 strong moist heat, the plants will 

 flower; but unless objects are near 

 for their roots to attach themselves to, 

 the plants will never be strong and 

 healthy. The native Vanilla is used 

 for putting into chocolate. 



Vasculare* are plants, the leaves 

 and stems of which contain spiral 

 vessels ; in opposition to Cellulares or 

 plants which are composed only of 

 cellular tissue. All the flowering 

 plants belong to the Vasculares ; but 

 the mosses, fungi, and lichens, are 

 Cellulares. 



Vases in pleasure-grounds have 

 often a very good effect, particularly 

 on the terrace of an Italian villa. 

 Wherever they are introduced, how- 



ever, they should always stand on a 

 plinth, broader than the circular base; 

 as nothing can have a more unartisti- 

 cal effect than to see a vase resting on 

 the bare ground. 



Vf/lla. — Cruciferce. — The 

 shrubby Cressrocket. V. pseudo- 

 cytisus is one of the few Cruciferous 

 shrubs. It is evergreen, and only 

 grows two feet or three feet high, 

 With glaucous leaves and bright yel- 

 low flowers, which appear in April 

 and May. It is a native of Spain, 

 and it was formerly considered a 

 greenhouse plant in England, but it 

 is now found to be hardy. It grows 

 best in calcareous loam, but it will 

 thrive in any garden soil ; and it is 

 very suitable for rockwork. It is 

 propagated by cuttings of the young 

 wood planted in sand under a glass. 



Velonia. — See Velonia. 



Venus's Comb. — Scdndix pecten. 

 — A British weed. 



Venus's Fly-trap. — See Dion;e v a, 



Venus's Looking-glass. — See Cam- 

 panula. 



Verba'scum. — Solanacece. — The 

 Mullein or Flannel plant. Showy 

 herbaceous plants, generally with yel- 

 low flowers, and most of which are 

 natives of Britain. The greater num- 

 ber of the species are biennials, and 

 require the usual treatment of such 

 plants (see Biennials) ; but V.phoe- 

 niceum, one of the handsomest spe- 

 cies, is a perennial. They will all 

 grow in any common garden soil, 

 though they prefer one which is some- 

 what loamy ; and they are increased 

 by seeds or by dividing the root. 



Verbe x na. — Verbenacece. — Only 

 a few years ago the Verbenas were 

 scarcely known in flower-gardens, ex- 

 cept by V. Aubletia, with pinkish 

 flowers, and V. Lamberti,vnth. pur- 

 ple ones, neither of which possessed 

 much beauty. In 1827, the beauti- 

 ful Verbena Melindres, or as it is 

 sometimes called, V. chamcedrifolia, 



