most fatal to animal life. Recipe: 1oz. of ordinary arsenic is placed
in an old iron pot with a quart of water, and then boiled until reduced
to a pint or a little more of liquid, to which is added 1/2lb. of
coarse sugar. This mixture can either be dropped about the runs and
around the nests, or placed in saucers in the Ants' haunts.
_Ferrocyanide of Potassium._ This is also very dangerous: Ferrocyanide
of potassium, 1dr.; raspings of quassia, 1dr.; and enough sugar to form
a syrup. Use in the same way as the preceding.
_Calomel and Sugar._ Mix together one part of calomel and ten parts
of finely-powdered loaf sugar, and lay it in little heaps about their
nests and runs; the Ants will eat it and die. Spring is the best season
for this method.
_Guano_, when fresh, if sprinkled on and around their quarters, is said
to be efficacious in driving them away.
_Camphor._ If a piece of camphor, about the size of a filbert, be
placed in two quarts of hot water, and this, when cool enough, applied
to pot or other plants infested with Ants, the insects will be driven
off without injury to the plants.
_Bones._ Lay a quantity of partially-picked boiled bones in the haunts,
and they will be quickly covered with insects. As soon as this occurs,
throw the bones into hot water. Before laying them down again, let
all superfluous moisture drain off. This is a cheap remedy, and, if
persisted in, is very effectual.
_Carbolic Acid._ This, if of good strength, diluted with about ten or
twelve times its bulk of water, and well sprinkled over paths or other
places where there is no vegetation, will keep the Ants away. It has,
however, an objectionable smell.
_Paraffin Oil._ Paraffin, mixed with six times its bulk of water, and
sprinkled over the nests every few days, will kill and drive away Ants;
but the smell is disagreeable.
_Quassia._ 4oz. of quassia chips, boiled in a gallon of water for about
ten minutes, and 4oz. of soap added to the liquor as it cools, if used
like the preceding, is fairly effectual; but this, like the other
remedies, must be persisted in for some time.
Fly pans or saucers, nearly filled with thin honey or sweet oil,
attract Ants, and they are drowned in them. Ants are very hard to clear
effectually out of a place, and therefore it is very desirable, in all
attempts to be rid of them, to persist in the above remedies. When
not living close to the roots or stems of plants, the best and surest
remedy of all is to flood them out or scald them in with boiling water.
The specifics are endless, but the best are mentioned above.
=ANTWERP HOLLYHOCK.= _See_ =Althæa ficifolia=.
=AOTUS= (from _a_, without, and _ous_, an ear; in allusion to the
absence of appendages in the calyx, which distinguishes it from its
allied genus, _Pultenæa_). ORD. _Leguminosæ_. Elegant little greenhouse
evergreen shrubs, with yellow flowers, and simple, linear-subulate
leaves, revolute at the margins, alternate or nearly opposite, or three
in a whorl. They should be grown in a compost of equal parts loam,
sand, and peat, with a little charcoal, and the pots should be well
drained. Cuttings of half-ripened wood, made in April, root freely in
sand, under a bell glass.
=A. gracillima= (most slender).* _fl._ yellow and crimson, small,
on long, dense, graceful spikes, which are often over a foot long;
pedicels short. May. _h._ 3ft. New Holland, 1844. A very pretty
slender growing shrub.
=A. villosa= (soft-haired). _fl._ axillary, disposed in racemose
spikes along the branches; calyx silky. April. _l._ smoothish on
the upper surface. _h._ 1ft. to 2ft. New Holland, 1790.
=APEIBA= (the native name in Guiana.) ORD. _Tiliaceæ_. Very handsome
stove evergreen trees or shrubs, clothed with starry down. Flowers
large, golden yellow, pedunculate, bracteate. Capsule spherical,
depressed, rough from rigid bristles. Leaves broad, alternate, entire
or serrate. They thrive in a mixture of loam and peat. The best way
to induce them to flower in this country is by cutting a ring round
the bark of a large branch; by this means the growth is stopped. Well
ripened cuttings should be planted in sand in heat, under a bell glass,
which should be tilted occasionally, so as to give a little air to the
cuttings, otherwise they are apt to damp off.
=A. aspera= (rough).* _fl._ golden yellow; peduncles opposite the
leaves, branched, many flowered. May. _l._ ovate-oblong, somewhat
cordate, quite entire, smooth. _h._ 30ft. to 40ft. Guiana, 1792.
=A. Petoumo= (Petoumo). _fl._ yellow, similarly disposed to
_A. aspera_. August. _fr._ densely clothed with bristles. _l._
ovate-oblong, somewhat cordate at the base, entire, hoary beneath.
_h._ 40ft. Guiana, 1817.
=A. Tibourbou= (Tibourbou).* _fl._ dark yellow. August. _fr._
densely clothed with bristles. _l._ cordate, ovate-oblong,
serrated, hairy beneath. _h._ 10ft. Guiana, 1756.
=APETALOUS.= Without petals.
=APEX.= The summit or point of anything.
=APHELANDRA= (from _apheles_, simple, and _aner_, a male; the anthers
being one-celled). ORD. _Acanthaceæ_. Very handsome stove evergreen
shrubs, mostly of an erect habit of growth, and having handsome shining
leaves, which in some instances are variegated. Flowers produced in
terminal four-sided spikes-the preponderating colours being brilliant
shades of orange or scarlet-conspicuously situated above the foliage;
they are exceedingly attractive; corolla ringent, two-lipped, upper
lip three-lobed; central lobe large. They bloom generally during the
autumn months, and if the plants are removed to a warm dry atmosphere
so soon as the flowers begin to open, they will continue much longer
in perfection than if left in the moisture-laden atmosphere of the
stove. From the time the flower spikes are at first seen till they
bloom, the plants will derive much benefit from frequent applications
of clear manure water. When the plants have finished flowering, they
should be allowed to rest, by reducing the supply of water, but never
allow them to shrivel. During this time they may be kept in a house or
pit, where the atmosphere is rather dry, with a night temperature of
50deg. to 55deg. Here they may remain till March, when they should be
pruned. This operation is commenced by thinning out the weakest shoots
altogether, and cutting the others back to one or two of the strongest
joints or buds above the old wood in order to keep the plants dwarf and
bushy. When pruned, the plants should be placed in the stove, giving
moderate supplies of water at the roots, and occasionally sprinkling
the stems overhead till growth commences. When the young shoots have
attained an inch or so in length, the plants should be turned out of
the pots, removing the crocks and as much of the old soil as can be
got away easily, at the same time shortening-in any of the straggling
roots. They should then be placed into smaller-sized pots, keeping
them rather close, and watering them carefully for a time till growth
has commenced. When fairly started, they may be transferred into
larger-sized pots, in which they are to flower. During the summer,
these plants require a moist atmosphere, with a temperature of 65deg.
by night, allowing it to rise 15deg. or 20deg. by day, and whilst
active growth is taking place they should be frequently supplied with
moisture at the roots, keeping them well exposed on all sides to the
light. After growth has commenced, it is not advisable to stop the
shoots, for the stouter and stronger they grow up the finer will be the
flower spikes when they appear. The compost should consist of equal
parts fibry loam, leaf soil, and peat, with a good proportion of sand
added. In preparing it, it should be rather lumpy, and, before using,
should be warmed to about the temperature of the house in which the
plants are grown. Clean pots and perfect drainage are most essential.
Cuttings are best prepared from half ripened wood, or taken off when
young with a heel. The base of each cutting should invariably be cut
clean across. These may be inserted an inch apart, in pots of sandy
soil, and plunged in a brisk bottom heat. To obtain young shoots for
cuttings, if the old plants break freely after pruning, and very large
specimens are not required, when the shoots are 2in. long they should
be thinned out, leaving the requisite number of the strongest to form
the plant. If the surplus pieces are removed with a slight heel of the
older wood, they make good cuttings, and should be treated the same
as the others. These cuttings strike root quickest, and when rooted,
if potted into 5in. or 6in. pots, and allowed to grow up without
stopping or pinching out the tops, they will flower the first season.
Although Aphelandras can be grown into large sized specimens, it will
be found to be more generally satisfactory to have specimens of neat
and moderate dimensions. The mealy bug and scale insects are very
troublesome, and must be kept down, otherwise they will prove most
prejudicial to the plants.
=A. acutifolia= (acute-leaved). _fl._ large, deep vermilion red;
the upper lip of corolla concave, and projected forward, the lower
one consists of three oblong-obtuse spreading lobes. October. _l._
broad, oblong-ovate, acuminate. Columbia, 1868.
=A. aurantiaca= (orange-coloured).* _fl._ deep orange scarlet;
upper lip of corolla erect, bidentate, concave; lower one spreading
horizontally, three lobed. December. _l._ broad, ovate, opposite,
dark green, somewhat wavy at the edge. _h._ 3ft. Mexico, 1844.
=A. a. Roezlii= (Roezl's).* Differs chiefly from the type in the
curiously twisted leaves, which are dark green, shaded with a
silvery hue between the primary veins; in the brighter scarlet of
the flowers; and a few other, but purely technical, points. It is
one of the best. Mexico, 1867. SYN. _A. Roezlii_.
=A. cristata= (crested).* _fl._ brilliant orange scarlet, 2in. or
3in. long, in large terminal branching spikes. August to November.
_l._ large, broadly ovate, and tapering to a point. _h._ 3ft. West
Indies, 1733. A handsome and continuous bloomer. SYN. _Justicia
pulcherrima_.
=A. fascinator= (fascinating).* _fl._ bright vermilion, in
very large spikes. Autumn. _l._ ovate acuminate, olive green,
beautifully banded with silvery white, whilst the under side is of
a uniform purplish violet. _h._ 1-1/2ft. New Grenada, 1874.
=A. Leopoldi= (Leopold's).* _fl._ citron-yellow. _l._ opposite,
ovate-oblong, acuminate; ground colour on the upper surface dark
green, the midrib and primary veins pure white; under surface
uniformly pale green. Brazil, 1854.
=A. medio-aurata= (golden-centred). _fl._ unknown. _l._
ovate-lanceolate, sinuate, bright green, with yellow central brand.
Brazil, 1871. SYN. _Graptophyllum medio-auratum_.
=A. nitens= (shining).* _fl._ glowing vermilion-scarlet, very
large, in erect, simple, terminal spikes, which, after the flowers
have fallen, are clothed with the imbricating, lanceolate,
appressed bracts. _l._ ovate, sub-acute, leathery, brilliant glossy
on the upper surface, dark vinous purple underneath. _h._ 2ft. to
3ft. Columbia, 1867.
=A. Porteana= (Porte's).* _fl._ in fine terminal heads; corolla and
bracts bright orange. _l._ rich green, with metallic silvery-white
veins. _h._ 2ft. Brazil, 1854.
=A. pumila= (dwarfish).* _fl._ orange-coloured; upper lip erect,
concave, entire; bracts large, purplish. _l._ large, cordate,
ovate-oblong, acute. _h._ 8in. Brazil, 1878. Very distinct from all
others.
=A. punctata= (dotted).* _fl._ bright yellow, in large and rather
dense spikes; the spiny-edged long pointed bracts are also yellow,
with the exception of the tip, which is green, and forms a pleasing
contrast. November. _l._ opposite, elliptic, acuminate; the green
midrib is conspicuous in the middle of a white central band, which
also extends beside the green veins, this silvery band breaking up
on its margin into numerous small white dots, producing a pretty
and distinct form of variegation. South America, 1881.
=A. Roezlii.= A synonym of _A. aurantiaca Roezlii_.
=A. variegata= (variegated). _fl._ yellow; spike, 6in. long, with
bright orange-red bracts. _l._ ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, dark
green with white veins. _h._ 1-1/2ft. Brazil.
=APHELEXIS= (from _apheles_, simple, and _exis_, habit). ORD.
_Compositæ_. A genus of elegant dwarf evergreen greenhouse shrubs.
Flower-heads large, solitary, or small and two or more together. Leaves
small. These plants are valuable for exhibition purposes, on account of
their bright colours, and the length of time they last in perfection;
they are included among what are familiarly known as "everlastings."
The most suitable soil is a compost of two parts of good fibrous peat
and one of leaf mould, with a liberal supply of silver sand, and a few
pieces of charcoal added to it. Repot the plants firmly in February,
and allow thorough drainage. Cuttings can be made in spring or summer;
small half-ripened side shoots are best; and these will root in sandy
soil, under a bell glass, in a cool greenhouse.
=A. ericoides= (heath-like).* _fl.-heads_ white. April. _l._ very
small, three-cornered, imbricated, appressed; branches numerous,
very fine, filiform. _h._ 1ft. Cape of Good Hope, 1796.
=A. fasciculata= (fascicled). _fl.-heads_ purplish, solitary,
terminal; peduncles scaly. March. _l._ acerose linear, roundish,
downy above; lower spreading; upper appressed. _h._ 2ft. Cape of
Good Hope, 1779. There are two or three forms of this species,
varying in the colour of the flowers.
=A. humilis= (humble, or dwarf).* _fl.-heads_ pink, solitary,
terminal, opening only in sunshine; peduncles scaly. April. _l._
subulate, erect, imbricate. Branches numerous, slender, covered
with white tomentum. _h._ 2ft. Cape of Good Hope, 1810. A handsome
greenhouse plant, with much-branched stems, terminated by the
flower-head. SYNS. _A. macrantha_ and _Helipterum humile_.
=A. h. grandiflora= (large-flowered).* _fl.-heads_ rosy-purple,
produced in great abundance. Habit rather dwarf, and free
branching. Very highly esteemed.
=A. h. purpurea= (purple).* _fl._ dark purple, very abundant. _l._
silvery white and shining. A vigorous grower, and perhaps the best
for exhibition purposes. It is known in gardens as _A. macrantha
purpurea_; also under the name of _A. spectabilis_.
=A. h. rosea= (rose-coloured).* _fl.-heads_ delicate rose, very
profuse. Habit very compact and free-branching. A very showy and
desirable variety, known in gardens as _A. macrantha rosea_.
=A. macrantha= (large-flowered). Synonymous with _A. humilis_.
=A. sesamoides= (Sesamum-like). _fl.-heads_ purple and white,
sessile, solitary, terminal. April. _l._ acerose linear, keeled,
smooth, appressed. _h._ 2ft. Cape of Good Hope, 1739.
=APHIDES=, or =PLANT LICE=. These belong to the order _Homoptera_,
meaning "same winged," and the name has reference to the fact that
the fore wings are uniform in their structure from base to apex, not
divided into a leathery base and a membranous tip. Aphides are all
minute in size, soft bodied, and generally long legged; the mouth is
furnished with a curiously-constructed beak, or rostrum, for sucking
the juice of plants; the antennæ, or feelers, are long and slender; the
legs have usually two joints in the tarsi, one of which is generally
very ill-developed; and near the tip of the abdomen, on the back of a
ring, in many kinds, stand two prominent tubes, called honey-tubes,
from which a sweet secretion, much sought after by ants, is emitted.
They are very destructive, and nearly every plant has its own peculiar
Aphis; but among the worst are the cherry fly and bean fly. All these
insects are very destructive to the young shoots and foliage of plants,
on which they cluster in large numbers, sometimes completely hiding
the stems, increasing with marvellous rapidity. They produce eggs in
autumn, which lie dormant through the winter, and upon the approach of
warm weather in spring, hatch and produce individuals which, during
the summer, are viviparous, budding off young insects at a surprising
rate, which quickly in turn become possessed of the same marvellous
power; hence the enormous number which are produced in so surprisingly
short a time. It has been computed that in a few weeks many millions
of young might be produced directly or descended from a single female.
_See also_ =Black Fly= and =Bean Fly=.
The following remedies may be successfully employed:
_Tobacco._ This is applied, as a rule, in three forms, each of which
is useful for particular purposes. Tobacco powder is useful as a
dry application to plants where, from any cause, the other modes of
employing it are not desirable. It causes no smell, and is useful in
conservatories, &c., for that reason. The mode of applying it is to
dredge or dust it over the foliage of the plants affected, and to
syringe off in from three to thirty hours, according to the nature of
the plants. Fumigation with tobacco, if done in a proper way, is very
effective, but it leaves an unpleasant smell. The foliage of the plants
should be quite dry, and a still day must be chosen for the work; the
house should be filled with smoke, but no flame must arise in the
burning. The plants should be well syringed the next morning, and full
ventilation allowed; if the fumigation is repeated twice or thrice, it
will prove very effectual. Tobacco water is made by soaking a pound of
coarse shag in 6gals. of hot water, to which 1/2lb. of size or soft
soap has been added. The plants should be dipped into or syringed with
this mixture, and well syringed with clean tepid water about twelve
hours after. It should not be employed for plants having woolly or
hairy foliage. Tobacco paper and cloth are used for fumigating in
the same manner as tobacco; but as they vary in strength, more care
is necessary, as they sometimes cause the leaves to become spotted.
Judiciously employed, they are cheaper than Tobacco.
_Quassia._ Boil 1lb. quassia chips in 4gals. of soft water, for about
ten minutes, and after straining off the chips, add 1lb. of soft soap.
Apply in the same way as Tobacco water, and syringe the plants with
clean water after ten minutes or a quarter of an hour.
_Soft Soap._ This, in proportion of 8lb. to 12gals. of rain water, and
1gal. of tobacco water added after it is cold, is a cheap and good
remedy out of doors, and requires the same mode of application as
tobacco water.
_Soap Suds._ Where bleaching powder, or much soda, is not mixed with
these, they make a good insect killer for hard-foliaged plants, but
should be washed off with clean water in twelve hours. No mixture
containing chloride of lime should be used.
_Various._ Fir-tree Oil, Gishurst's Compound, and Fowler's Insecticide,
are all serviceable, if used as directed on the labels. Hardeman's
Beetle Powder, applied with the little French powder-bellows which is
sold with it, is very efficacious. For outdoor work, nothing surpasses
clean cold water, applied often and forcibly with a syringe.
The best mode of clearing Aphis off Beaus, Currants, &c., is to remove
the tops of the infested shoots, and to wash the plants with soapy
water, or a solution of Gishurst's Compound. In some cases, a good
dusting with soot and wood ashes, while the plants are wet, will keep
them in check. The "Golden Eyes" or "Lacewing" fly, and also ladybirds,
are to be encouraged, as the larvæ of each of these wage incessant war
against Aphides, especially the green varieties, and thin them out
considerably.
=APHROPHORA.= _See_ =Frog Hopper=.
=APHYLLANTHES= (from _aphyllos_, leafless, and _anthos_, a flower; the
flowers are on rush-like branches). ORD. _Liliaceæ_. A very pretty
rush-like hardy perennial, forming dense, erect tufts. It thrives best
in sandy peat, requires a warm sunny situation, and slight protection
in winter. Increased by division of the roots, and seeds; the latter
should be sown in pots in a cool greenhouse as soon as ripe.
=A. monspeliensis= (Montpelier).* _fl._, perianth six-cleft,
spreading at the apex, deep blue, nearly an inch across, disposed
in a small head, on slender scapes. June. _l._ absent; the very
slender scapes are leaflike, with membranous sheaths at the base.
South of France, 1791.
=APHYLLOUS.= Without leaves.
=APICRA= (from _apicros_, not bitter). ORD. _Liliaceæ_. A group of
succulents allied to _Aloe_, and having the following among other
characters:--Flowers small, loosely sub-spicate; perianth regular,
cylindrical, with short spreading segments; peduncles simple or forked.
Plants small; rosette leaves always elongated. Leaves thick, diffuse,
never spinosely dentated. They require treatment similar to Aloes,
under which genus they are included by some authors.
=A. aspera= (rough).* _fl._, perianth 1/2in. long; raceme loose,
3in. to 4in.; pedicels three to four lines long; peduncle slender,
simple, nearly 1ft. _l._ dense, in many rows, spreading, rounded,
deltoid, six to seven lines long and broad; face rather flat;
middle three to four lines thick; back convex hemispherical,
wrinkled. Cape of Good Hope, 1795.
=A. bicarinata= (double-keeled).* _fl._ unknown. _l._ dense, in
many rows, ascending, deltoid-lanceolate, nine to twelve lines
long, six lines broad, dirty green; face flat; middle two lines
thick; margin scabrous; back copiously tubercled. Cape of Good
Hope, 1824.
=A. congesta= (congested). _fl._, perianth six to seven lines,
whitish; raceme loose, sub-spicate, about 1ft.; pedicels short;
peduncles 6in. long, simple. _l._ dense, spreading, in many rows,
deltoid-lanceolate, eighteen to twenty-one lines long, three to
four lines thick; back convex; top unevenly keeled towards the
margins. 1843.
=A. deltoidea= (deltoid). _fl._, perianth greenish, five to six
lines long; raceme about 1ft. long, sub-spicate; pedicels short;
peduncles 6in., simple or branched. _l._ in five regular rows,
spreading, nine to twelve lines long, deltoid, shining green;
when mature, upper surface rather flat, apex pungent; middle two
to three lines thick; back distinctly keeled upwards; margins and
keels minutely serrated. South Africa, 1873.
=A. foliolosa= (small-leafy).* _fl._, perianth greenish, five to
six lines long; raceme loose, sub-spicate, about 1ft.; pedicels two
to three lines long; peduncle 6in., simple. _l._ dense, spreading,
in many rows, rounded deltoid, cuspidate, six to eight lines long
and broad, without spots or tubercles; face rather flat; middle
one and a half to two lines thick; back obliquely keeled upwards
towards the margins. Cape of Good Hope, 1795.
=A. imbricata= (imbricated). Synonymous with _A. spiralis_.
=A. pentagona= (five-angled).* _fl._, perianth whitish, 1/2in.
long; raceme about 1ft., loose; lower pedicels two to three lines
long; peduncles 1ft., often branched. _l._ dense, regular, lower
ones spreading, upper ones ascending, lanceolate-deltoid, fifteen
to eighteen lines long; bottom six to eight lines broad, shining
green; face flat; middle three to four lines thick; apex pungent;
margin scabrous; back irregularly one to two keeled at top. Cape of
Good Hope, 1731.
=A. p. bullulata= (little-blistered). _l._ irregularly spiral, five
rowed; back with spreading close wrinkled tubercles.
=A. p. spirella= (small spiral). _l._ smaller and more deltoid,
1in. long, six to eight lines broad at the bottom, irregularly five
rowed, or as if in many rows.
=A. spiralis= (spiral).* _fl._, perianth reddish-white, 1/2in.
long; raceme loose, nearly 1ft.; pedicels ascending, two to three
lines long; peduncles 6in., simple or branched. _l._ dense, in many
rows, strong, ascending, lanceolate-deltoid, twelve to fifteen
lines long, six to eight lines broad; face almost flat, without
tubercles; apex pungent; back swollen, scarcely keeled; margins
obscurely crenulated. Cape of Good Hope, 1790. SYN. _A. imbricata_.
=APICULATE=, =APICULATED=. Terminated in a little point.