WOOD LOUSE. 



31 



2 



WORM GRASS. 



garis. — A cruciferous plant, with 

 handsome yellow flowers. A double- 

 flowered variety of the common win- 

 ter cress is called the yellow rocket. 



Winter Green — See Pyrola. 



Winter Sweet — A kind of mar- 

 joram. — See Origanum. 



Wise Man's Banana — Musa sa- 

 pientum. 



Wisteria — Leguminosce — Climb- 

 ing shrubs, with drooping racemes of 

 beautiful purple or lilac fragrant 

 flowers, which in shape greatly re- 

 semble those of the laburnum. The 

 commonest kinds are W. Sinensis 

 and W. frutescens, but some other 

 species have been lately introduced by 

 Dr. Sieboldt from Japan. For some 

 particulars respecting W. Sinensis, 

 see Glycine ; and to this may be 

 added that, in the summer of 1840, 

 the plant in the London Horticultu- 

 ral Society's garden, had more than 

 nine thousand racemes, containing in 

 all about 675,000 separate flowers. 

 W. frutescens is a much smaller 

 plant, with closer racemes of flowers, 

 which are small and of a dark purple. 

 It is a native of North America. Both 

 plants require a rich soil, and to be 

 frequently watered in dry weather. 



Witch Hazel. — See Hamamelis. 



Withy. — Those kinds of shrubby 

 willow which have long flexible shoots. 



Wood. — See Isatis. 



Wolf's Bane. — See Aconitum. 



Woodbine. — See Caprifolium. 



Woodroof. — See Asperula. 



Wood Louse — Oniscus asellus. — 

 These creatures are exceedingly de- 

 structive, particularly to succulent 

 plants and dahlias. They belong to the 

 Crustacea, and possess the power, when 

 alarmed, of curling themselves up like 

 a hedgehog, so as to resemble a little 

 ball-like shell. They are fond of 

 creeping into any dark places, and are 

 frequently caught by laying some 

 flower-pots sideways with hay in them, 

 near the plants which have been at- 



tacked. They will also creep into 

 reeds, or the hollow stalks of rhu- 

 barb, and all these traps are used to 

 prevent their ravages on dahlias. Very 

 frequently small flower-pots may be 

 seen inverted on the stakes which 

 support dahlias, solely to serve as a 

 trap for these creatures. Woodlice 

 were formerly supposed to be useful 

 in medicine, but like many remedies 

 that were formerly popular, they are 

 now no longer esteemed. When 

 young they are white, and in this 

 state they are frequently found in 

 great numbers in the ant-hills, living 

 with the ants in perfect harmony ; 

 they are then very small, and if exa- 

 mined closely, they will be found to 

 have one segment of the body and one 

 pair of legs less, than when full grown. 

 This circumstance, combined with the 

 difference of colour, has led many 

 persons to fancy the creatures found 

 in the ant-hills to he different from 

 common woodlice, though, in fact, 

 they are exactly the same. 



Wood Sage — Teucrium Scoro- 

 donia — One of the British kinds of 

 Germander. 



Woodsia — Filices — A very beau- 

 tiful kind of British fern, with very 

 delicate leaves. One species is a na- 

 tive of Brazil. 



Wood Sorrel. — See Oxalis. 



Woodwardia — Filices — Exotic 

 ferns, natives of North America, and 

 Madeira. 



Worm Grass — Spigelia Marildn- 

 dica — A hardy perennial, with dark 

 scarlet erect flowers, something like 

 those of the trumpet honeysuckle. 

 This plant, though a native of North 

 America, does not ripen its seeds in 

 England, and as it does not throw up 

 many offsets, it is very difficult to 

 propagate in this country. It is also 

 very liable to be killed by trans- 

 planting ; and thus, though well worth 

 growing as a border flower, it is very 

 seldom seen in British gardens. It 



