ZEA. 



315 zephyra'nthes. 



bell-shaped, and generally white. The 

 commonest kinds in British gardens 

 are Y. gloribsa, Y. Dracbnis, and 

 Y. filamentbsa. All these are na- 

 tives of North America, and are quite 

 hardy in Britain ; they have all white 

 flowers, and they are all Aloe-like 

 shrubs, presenting the general appear- 

 ance shown in Fig. 39, which was 

 taken from a plant of Y. Dracbnis. 

 Y. aloifolia, on the contrary, always 

 forms a palm-like tree, from twelve to 

 twenty feet high ; it is rather more 

 tender, and its flowers are purplish on 

 the outside and white within. All 

 the kinds prefer a deep sandy soil, 

 and they are all propagated by suckers. 

 They will all grow close to the sea side, 

 and are therefore very suitable for 

 the grounds of marine villas. They 

 also produce a good effect in vases, 



Fig. 39. 



YUCCA DRACONIS. 



on the terraced garden of an Italian 

 villa, as they form an excellent sub- 

 stitute for the Agaves, so common in 

 Italy, but which are too tender for 

 the open air in England. 



z. 



Zamia. — CycadecB. — Very curious 

 palm-like plants, with short, tubercle- 

 like stems, and long frond-like leaves, 

 which are stiff and leathery, and stand 

 erect round the stem. The remains 

 of the footstalks of the old leaves, 

 forma scaly kind of bark to the stem. 

 The flowers are dioicious ; and the 

 fruit is an oblong, erect, scaly nut, 

 which is hard and bony. The species 

 are mostly natives of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, but some are found in the West 

 Indies ; and one Z. spiralis, in New 

 South Wales. The plants should be 

 grown in very sandy loam, and they 

 are generally propagated by offsets. 

 They are very tenacious of life, and 

 when the centre of the stem is rotten, 

 the scale if planted will generally send 

 up leaves, and become separate plants. 



Zanthoxylum. — See Xanthoxy- 



LUM. 



Zea — Graminece. — The Indian 

 corn. An annual plant, a native of 



America. The plant is very orna- 

 mental, and the male blossoms are 

 particularly elegant. It should be 

 grown in rich mould, and it should 

 be sown very early in spring; or it may 

 be raised on a hotbed, and trans- 

 planted into the open ground in 

 May. 



Zebra Plant. — Calathea Zebri- 

 na. — Cane-like plants, with red and 

 yellow, purple and yellow, or white 

 flowers ; natives of Brazil, which re- 

 quire a stove in England, and which 

 should be grown in sandy peat. 



Zedoary. — Curcuma Zedoaria. 

 — See Turmeric. 



ZeWbia. — Ericaceae. — The new 

 name given by Professor Don to a 

 genus of Andromeda. 



Zephyra'nthes. — Amaryllida- 

 cea>. — Cape bulbs, with very elegant 

 flowers. Nearly all of the species are 

 quite hardy, and only require planting 

 like the Crocus, in a warm border, in 



