BLU 
BRA 
purple flowers. A somewhat high tem¬ 
perature, say 70° or 75°, with plenty ol 
moisture while they are growing, and a 
considerable reduction of both as soon 
as it is completed, is necessary to culti¬ 
vate them in perfection; they are in¬ 
creased by means of offsets. 
BLUMENBACHIA ( Schrader. ) 
Nat. Ord. Loasacece. Small, creeping 
annuals, pretty, and possessing the sting¬ 
ing properties of the common nettle; they 
only require to be sown about the end 
of March where they are to remain. 
BOBARTIA (Linn.) Nat. Ord. Iri- 
daceae. Like the whole order to which 
it is referred, showy, and worth cultiva¬ 
tion, for which see Babiana. 
BOLLOA (Lagasea.) Nat. Order 
Nyctagmaceee. Ornamental stove plants, 
with white, purple, or variegated flowers; 
should be grown in sandy peat, and may 
be increased by cuttings. 
BORBONIA (Willdenow.) Nat. O. 
Leguminosce. Yery showy plants, which 
deserve more attention than they meet; 
their flowers are yellow and are produced 
about midsummer; they grow best in 
peat and loam, and should have an airy 
situation in the greenhouse. 
BORONIA (Sims.) Nat. Ord. Ru- 
tacecB. This genus claims a' first place 
in all greenhouse collections, and is de¬ 
serving of every attention; the species 
grow best in sandy peat, observing to 
have the pots well drained, and to sup¬ 
ply the plants with water in a liberal 
ma nn er through the summer. The prac¬ 
tice of standing them out of doors before 
August is not to be commended, as it 
often checks the growth, then in rapid 
organization; but after this is formed, a 
month or six weeks in the open air will 
help to ripen it, and consequently assist 
the -development of the flowers; propa¬ 
gation is effected by cuttings planted in 
sand, but not plunged in heat. It is dif¬ 
ficult to select where all are beautiful, 
but perhaps the following should be first 
procured : B. serrulata , crenulata , cine- 
moncefolia, and vinienea. 
BOTRYCHIUM (Swartz.) Nat. O. 
Opliioglossiaceee. A genus of very cu¬ 
rious ferns, whose fructification resem¬ 
bles a bunch of grapes, hence the name, 
derived from botrys, a bunch. B. vir- 
ginicum , the largest of American ferns, 
affords a favorite cover for the larger 
snakes of that continent. It may be re¬ 
ferred to Asplenium for culture. 
BOUGAINVILLEA (Commerson.) 
Nat. Ord. Nyctaginacm. A showy stove 
plant from South America, requiring to 
be grown in sandy peat; cuttings root in 
sand, with a lively bottom heat, and co¬ 
vered with a small bell glass. 
BOUVARDIA (Salisbury.) Nat. 
Ord. Rubiacece. Too much cannot be 
said in favour of the species composing 
this genus as most desirable subjects for 
planting in the flower garden through 
the summer, or for forcing as ornaments 
to the greenhouse in early spring ; they 
should be grown in sandy peat and leaf- 
mould, and, when in the open air, they 
should be attentively guarded from the 
effects of drought or excessive moisture, 
and may be preserved through the winter 
in a cold pit or on the shelves of the 
greenhouse; propagation is easy by cut¬ 
tings planted in very sandy peat, and 
plunged into a moderate hot-bed, care 
being taken to wipe the glasses which 
cover the cuttings every day to preserve 
them from damp. B. trmhylla and its 
varieties glabra and pubescens, have scar¬ 
let flowers, those of B. versicolor are a 
shade or two darker, and a recent intro¬ 
duction B. flava has yellow blossoms; 
there is also a white one, B. longijlora, 
though nearly lost. 
BRACHYSEMA (R. Brown.) Nat. 
Ord. Legiminosce. Handsome greenhouse 
climbers, particularly B. latifolium and 
its varieties, the flowers of which are crim¬ 
son; sandy peat, with the addition of a 
little rich loam, suits them best, and an 
airy situation in the house should be al¬ 
lotted them. 
BRASSAVOLA (R. Brown.) Nat. 
Or. Orchidacere. Curious epiphytes, pro¬ 
ducing green and white flowers; may be 
grown in pots of fibrous peat and sphag¬ 
num, or on blocks of wood suspended 
from the rafters of the house; like all 
other Orchidacese they require plenty of 
heat and moisture, with shade from 
strong light through the summer or while 
growing, and a diminution of both in 
