Jamaica). ORD. _Leguminosæ_. Very handsome stove evergreen trees or
shrubs, allied to _Amherstia_. Flowers of a rose-scarlet colour, rising
in fascicled heads from the axillary buds. Leaves abruptly-pinnate,
when young flaccid, and with the leaflets revolute at the edges;
leaf-bud long and stipulaceous. All the species are well worthy of
the most extensive cultivation. A mixture of loam, peat, and sand, is
a soil well adapted for them, and great care should be taken not to
over-water the plants in winter, as too great a supply will be sure to
kill them. Propagated by cuttings, taken from ripened wood, planted in
a pot of sand, and placed under a hand glass, in a moist heat.
=B. Ariza= (Ariza).* _fl._ richest scarlet, produced in a
large, globular, drooping head of immense size. Summer. _l._
pinnate, usually with six or eight pairs of pinnæ, which are
oblong-lanceolate, and sharply tapered to a point. _h._ 20ft. to
40ft. Columbia, 1843. This noble tree requires a large house to
fully perfect its beauty. SYN. _B. princeps_. (B. M. 6459.)
=B. Birschellii= (Birschell's). _fl._ rose-coloured, in drooping
racemes. April to July. _l._ pinnate; leaflets oblanceolate, 6in.
long. _h._ 10ft. to 20ft. La Guayra, 1872. (B. M. 5998.)
=B. coccinea= (scarlet).* _fl._ scarlet, fascicled. July to August.
_l._ with two to three pairs of oval-oblong, acuminated leaflets.
_h._ 6ft. to 10ft. Venezuela, 1793. (B. M. 3964.)
=B. grandiceps= (large-headed).* _fl._ red, in dense capitate
spikes. July. _l._ with usually twelve pairs of oblong-lanceolate
glandless leaflets, ending in a long cuspidate acumen; branches and
petioles pubescent. _h._ (in its native home) 60ft. Caraccas, 1829.
(B. M. 4859.)
=B. latifolia= (broad-leaved). _fl._ red, in dense fascicles;
involucre tomentose. _l._ with one to three pairs of ovate or
obovate-cuspidate leaflets. _h._ 6ft. to 8ft. Caraccas, 1824.
=B. macrophylla= (large-leaved).* _fl._ orange-scarlet, in dense
heads, often measuring nearly 3ft. in circumference. Central
America, 1879. (G. C. 1873, p. 779.)
=B. princeps= (chief). A synonym of _B. Ariza_.
=B. racemosa= (clustered).* _fl._ rose-coloured, racemose;
involucre and calyx clothed with fine tomentum. _l._ with
four pairs of unequal-sided, oblong, or oblong-lanceolate,
cuspidately-acuminated leaflets, which are glanduliferous at the
base. _h._ 4ft. Caraccas, 1826.
=B. Rosa del Monte.= _fl._ scarlet, in dense heads; leaflets of
the involucre roundish, imbricated, and, when in a young state,
rather velvety. June. _l._ with two to three pairs of oval-oblong
acuminated leaflets; branches and petioles glabrous. _h._ 8ft.
South America, 1820. (B. R. 1472.)
=BROWNLOWIA= (named in honour of Lady Brownlow, daughter of Sir Abraham
Hume, and a great patroness of botany). ORD. _Tiliaceæ_. Very handsome
greenhouse evergreen trees, thriving well in a mixture of loam and
peat. Cuttings of ripe shoots will root if placed in sand, under a hand
glass, in heat.
=B. elata= (tall).* _fl._ yellow; panicle terminal, conical, spreading.
May. _l._ large, cordate, acute, seven-nerved, smooth. _h._ 60ft.
India, 1823. (B. R. 1472.)
=BRUCEA= (commemorative of James Bruce, the celebrated African
traveller). ORD. _Simarubeæ_. Ornamental stove evergreen shrubs.
Flowers small, purplish inside, disposed in interrupted glomerate
spikes, or racemes. Leaves impari-pinnate, with six pairs of opposite,
entire or serrated leaflets, without dots. Branches, peduncles,
petioles, and nerves of leaves, clothed with rufescent down. They
thrive in a loamy soil; and cuttings from ripened wood strike freely,
in a pot of sand, under a hand glass, in a moderate heat.
=B. antidysenterica= (antidysenteric). _fl._, racemes simple,
spike-like. May. _l._, leaflets quite entire, clothed with rusty
villi on the nerves beneath. _h._ 8ft. Abyssinia, 1775.
=B. sumatrana= (Sumatra).* _fl._ dark purple; racemes usually
compound. May. _l._, leaflets serrated, villous beneath. _h._ 20ft.
Sumatra, 1822.
=BRUCHUS GRANARIUS.= _See_ =Bean Beetle=.
=BRUCHUS PISI.= _See_ =Pea Weevil=.
=BRUGMANSIA.= _See_ =Datura=.
=BRUNFELSIA= (named after Otto Brunfels, of Mentz, first a Carthusian
monk, and afterwards a physician; he published the first good figures
of plants in 1530). SYN. _Franciscea_. ORD. _Scrophularineæ_. Elegant
free-flowering stove evergreens. Flowers sweet-scented; corolla large,
funnel or salver-shaped, with a long tube, and a flat, five-lobed,
obtuse, nearly equal limb. A light rich soil, or a compost of loam,
leaf soil, and peat, is necessary to grow these plants successfully.
Propagated by cuttings, planted in sand, and placed under bell glasses,
in a moderate heat. When rooted, they should be placed in small pots,
in a compost somewhat more sandy than that already mentioned. While
growing, they require to be kept in a moist stove temperature, and
should be hardened by placing them in a drier, and somewhat cooler,
temperature after each growth is completed; the pots should be changed
as often as the roots become thick around the ball of earth. The larger
plants flower freely, and should be slightly pruned in annually, before
commencing their new growth, thus securing neat and compact specimens.
Repotting should be effected directly they have done flowering. The
plants should then be placed in a temperature ranging from 60deg.
to 68deg., and both the roots and foliage liberally supplied with
water. When flowers appear--about October or November--the syringing
must be less frequently performed. At this period, if it be desirable
to prolong the flowering season, the plants should be removed to a
temperature of about 48deg. A few administrations of weak liquid manure
during the growing season are of great value.
=B. acuminata= (taper-pointed-leaved).* _fl._ bluish-violet, few,
sub-cymose, terminal. April. _l._ oblong, acuminated, attenuated
a little at the base, glabrous; bracts lanceolate, acuminated,
glabrous. _h._ 1ft. to 2ft. Rio Janeiro, 1840. (B. M. 4189.)
=B. americana= (American).* _fl._ first yellow, then white, very
sweet-scented; axillary flowers solitary, terminal ones numerous.
June. _l._ obovate, elliptic, acuminated, longer than the petioles.
_h._ 4ft. to 6ft. West Indies, 1735. There are narrow and
broad-leaved varieties of this species. (B. M. 393.)
[Illustration: FIG. 284. FLOWER OF BRUNIA NODIFLORA.]
=B. calycina= (cup-shaped).* _fl._ purple, disposed in large
trusses, which are produced in succession throughout the whole
year. _l._ large, lanceolate, shining light green. _h._ 2ft.
Brazil, 1850. One of the largest-flowered species grown. (B. M.
4583.)
=B. confertiflora= (dense-flowered). _fl._ soft blue, cymosely
crowded, terminal. January to June. _l._ nearly sessile,
oblong-acute, attenuated at the base, rather pilose, ciliated,
yellowish-green above; bracteoles oblong, attenuated at the base,
and are, as well as the calyces, clothed with rusty hairs. _h._
1ft. to 2ft. Brazil.
=B. eximia= (choice).* _fl._ produced from the points of the
shoots, upwards of 2in. in diameter, deep purple. January to July.
_l._ oblong-lanceolate, dark green, but not glossy. _h._ 2-1/2ft.
Brazil, 1847. (B. M. 4790.)
=B. grandiflora= (large-flowered). _fl._ greenish; limb of corolla
2in. in diameter, corymbose, terminal. June. _l._ elliptic-oblong,
acuminated. Branches twiggy. _h._ 3ft. Peru.
=B. hydrangeæformis= (Hydrangea-like).* _fl._ beautiful
bluish-violet; cymes terminal, hemispherical, large. April. _l._
oblong, acute, cuneiform at base, quite glabrous, 1ft. long; bracts
lanceolate, aggregate. _h._ 1ft. to 3ft. Brazil, 1840. This is one
of the most elegant species of the genus. (B. M. 4209.)
=B. latifolia= (broad-leaved). _fl._ at first lavender-colour, with
a distinct white eye, eventually becoming almost white; deliciously
fragrant, sub-cymose, terminal. Winter to early spring. _l._
broad-elliptic, acutish, greyish-white, 6in. to 7in. long, and 2in.
to 2-3/4in. broad. _h._ 2ft. to 3ft. Brazil, 1840. (B. M. 3907.)
=B. Lindeniana= (Linden's).* _fl._ rich purple, with a light eye.
_l._ ovate-acuminate, dark green. Brazil, 1865. (B. H. 1865, 226.)
=B. uniflora= (one-flowered). _fl._ solitary; corolla with a
whitish tube, and a bluish-violet or purple limb. Winter. _l._
elliptic, acute; branches greenish, hoary, diffuse, spreading. _h._
1ft. to 3ft. Brazil, 1826. (L. B. C. 1332.)
=BRUNIA= (named after Corneille de Bruin, better known under the name
of Le Brun, a Dutchman, a traveller in the Levant). ORD. _Bruniaceæ_.
Elegant little greenhouse evergreen Heath-like shrubs, more or less
branched, with the branches in whorls, erect or spreading. Flowers
capitate, furnished with three bracts each, or sometimes deficient of
the two lateral ones. Leaves small, closely imbricate. They require a
compost of peat and sand, with a little leaf soil added, firm potting
and good drainage. Cuttings of young shoots root freely in sand, under
a hand light, in summer.
=B. nodiflora= (knot-flowered).* _fl._ white; heads globose, size
of a cherry, on the tops of the branches. July. _l._ lanceolate,
awl-shaped, trigonal, acute, smooth, closely imbricate, not
ustulate at the apex. _h._ 1ft. to 3ft. Cape of Good Hope, 1786.
See Fig. 284.
=BRUNIACEÆ.= An order of much-branched Heath-like shrubs, usually
having small leaves, which are crowded and entire. Flowers in terminal
heads; petals five, alternating with the lobes of the calyx. The
typical genus is _Brunia_.
=BRUNONIA= (named after Robert Brown, the most eminent botanist of his
time). ORD. _Goodenoviæ_. A stemless greenhouse perennial herb, with
the habit of _Scabiosa_, downy from glandless simple hairs. Flowers
distinct, with a whorl of five membranous bracts; corolla blue,
marcescent. Radical leaves quite entire, spathulate; scapes undivided,
each bearing one head; head hemispherical, lobate; lobes involucrated
by foliaceous bracts. It thrives in a compost of decayed manure, or
leaf soil and peat, with a little loam added; thorough drainage is
necessary. Propagated by divisions, in early spring, previous to
repotting.
=B. australis= (southern)* is the only species known to be in
cultivation. _h._ 1ft. New Holland, 1834. (B. R. 1833.)
=BRUNSVIGIA= (named after the noble House of Brunswick). ORD.
_Amaryllideæ_. Very showy greenhouse bulbous plants, from the Cape of
Good Hope. Flowers red, on very long pedicels. Bulbs large. Leaves
broad, horizontal; perianth with an evident longer or shorter tube,
curving upwards, funnel-shaped, deeply six-parted, deciduous; segments
sub-equal, many-nerved, flat, and recurved at the apex; stamens on the
tube much curved upwards; scape appearing in summer without the leaves;
umbels many-flowered. Propagation is effected by offsets, of which the
large bulbs produce but few. These, when secured, may be removed after
reaching some considerable size, carefully potted in a mixture of sandy
loam and peat, with good drainage, and kept tolerably warm and close
until established; water must be given but sparingly until root-action
has commenced. The best place for growing the offsets into a flowering
size is on a shelf near the glass, in a temperature of from 50deg. to
55deg. With an abundance of water while growing, and kept dry while
semi-dormant, thus allowing them a rest, the bulbs will speedily
increase in size; but it may be years before flowers are produced.
Culture: This may be divided into two periods-one of growth, and one
of rest. After the latter period, they should be allowed to start into
fresh growth, without stimulation, and, as soon as started, liberal
supplies of water should be given, and a genial temperature of from
60deg. to 65deg. maintained, to make them grow vigorously. Good-sized
pots are also necessary, with a mixture of loam, peat, and sand, in
equal parts. They are usually confined to the greenhouse, or warm
conservatory, but are sometimes successfully grown in a south border
at the base of a wall, planted out in a pit, upon which the lights may
be placed in winter, and matted if necessary, as they cannot endure
frost. A good depth of soil, consisting of fibrous loam, peat, and
sand, in equal proportions, with good drainage, should be prepared. In
all cases, the bulbs should be planted somewhat deeply. One of the most
satisfactory methods of ensuring the flowering of these plants consists
in subjecting the bulbs, when at rest, to a hot dry heat of 70deg. or
more, which thoroughly ripens them; but, after this treatment, it will
be necessary to encourage the after-growth to the fullest possible
extent.
=B. ciliaris= (hair-fringed). _fl._ dull purple. _l._ strongly
fringed with white hairs. _h._ 1ft. 1752. (B. R. 1153.)
=B. Cooperi= (Cooper's).* _fl._ sulphur-coloured, edged with red;
umbels twelve to sixteen-flowered. _l._ ligulate-obtuse, bifarious,
fleshy. _h._ 1-1/2ft. 1872. (Ref. B. 330.)
=B. falcata= (sickle-leaved).* _fl._ red. May. _l._ sickle-shaped,
with a muricated, discoloured, cartilaginous edge. _h._ 9in. 1774.
(B. M. 1443.) SYN. _Ammocharis falcata_.
=B. Josephineæ= (Josephine's).* _fl._ scarlet; scape twice as long
as the rays of the many-flowered umbel. _l._ strap-shaped, erect,
spreading, glaucous. _h._ 1-1/2ft. This handsome species is much
grown. 1814. (B. M. 2578.) _Minor_ and _striata_ are varieties.
=B. multiflora= (many-flowered).* _fl._ red, loosely umbellate.
June. _l._ linguiform, smooth, lying on the ground. _h._ 1ft. 1752.
(B. M. 1619.)
=B. toxicaria= (poison-bulb).* _fl._ pink; umbel hemispherical,
many-flowered. September to October. _l._ many, erect, oblique,
glaucous. _h._ 1ft. 1774. (B. R. 567.) _B. coranica_ is a variety
of this. 1815. (B. R. 139.)
[Illustration: FIG. 285. BRUSSELS SPROUTS.]
=BRUSSELS SPROUTS= (_Brassica oleracea bullata gemmifera_). A
cultivated variety of the Cabbage (Fig. 285). Leaves blistered. Stems
covered with small, close heads. To secure this vegetable in its best
form, it must be grown on deeply-worked and rich ground. In addition,
the seeds should be obtained from a good source, as there are many
spurious stocks in cultivation. Plenty of room must be allowed the
plants to develop, and the tops and leaves should not be removed till
after the sprouts are gathered; dead leaves, of course, excepted. It is
a bad plan to plant Brussels Sprouts amongst potatoes or other crops,
as they become unduly weakened, and never give such good returns as
when grown by themselves.
[Illustration: FIG. 286. BRYONIA LACINIOSA.]
_Soil and Cultivation._ In February, and early in March, sow thinly in
a cold frame, or carefully prepare seed beds on a warm south border.
As soon as the plants are large enough, prick them off into prepared
soil, to grow on; about the end of April, transplant into a piece of
rich ground, which has been previously prepared for them, setting in
rows from 2ft. to 3ft. asunder, and 2ft. apart in the rows. The earlier
the plants are put out, the better; and they should be watered-in when
planted, so that they receive as little a check as possible. They must
be kept clear of weeds, and earthed up as soon an they get a good size.
During severe frost, some light dry litter may with advantage be
thrown over them for protection; and the less they are interfered with
when frozen, the better.
_Sorts._ The Imported is the best strain for general use; other good
sorts are: Sutton's Matchless, The Aigburth, and Scrymger's Giant.
=BRYA= (from _bryo_, to sprout; the seeds germinate before falling from
the tree). ORD. _Leguminosæ_. A small genus of stove shrubs or small
trees, furnished with stipular spines, and solitary, or clustered, or
pinnate leaves. The undermentioned species thrives in a rich fibry
loam. Propagated by seeds, or by cuttings, placed in a hotbed.
=B. Ebenus= (ebony). Jamaica Ebony. _fl._ bright yellow; peduncles
two to three together, axillary, one to two-flowered, shorter than
the leaves. July and August. _l._, leaflets aggregate, obovate.
_h._ 12ft. to 14ft. West Indies, 1713. (B. M. 4670.)
=BRYANTHUS= (from _bryon_, a moss, and _anthos_, a flower). ORD.
_Ericaceæ_. A genus of small trailing shrubs, allied to _Loiseleuria_.
Flowers terminal, somewhat racemose; calyx five-leaved, imbricate;
corolla deeply five-parted, spreading. Leaves crowded, spreading,
flattish. For culture, _see_ =Menziesia=.
=B. empetriformis= (Crowberry-leaved). _fl._ reddish-purple,
clustered near the extremities of the branches. _l._ crowded,
linear, on short adpressed petioles. _h._ 6in. North-west America,
1829. SYN. _Menziesia empetrifolia_. (B. M. 3176.)
=B. erectus= (erect). _fl._ red, pentamerous, broadly campanulate.
_l._ linear, obtuse, obscurely serrated. _h._ about 1ft. Siberia.
Trailer. (L. & P. F. G. 1, 19.)
=B. Gmelini= (Gmelin's). _fl._ red; peduncles glandular,
many-flowered. _l._ with denticulated margins. _h._ 2in. or 3in.
Kamtschatka and Behring's Island.
=BRYONIA= (from _bryo_, to sprout; in allusion to the annual growth
from the tuber). Bryony. ORD. _Cucurbitaceæ_. Tuberous-rooted perennial
herbaceous plants, producing annual climbing stems. The native species
is well worth growing over unsightly hedges, fences, &c., and in the
wild garden; it is a rapid grower, and of extremely easy culture.
The stove perennial species should be grown in pots, and the stems
trained up the rafters. Rich loam is the soil most suitable for their
cultivation. Propagated by seeds, or by divisions of the tuber.
=B. dioica= (diœcious). _fl._ greenish-white, racemose, diœcious.
_fr._ globose, red. May to September. _l._ cordate, palmately
five-lobed, toothed, scabrous, from callous points. England. (Sy.
En. B. 517.)
=B. laciniosa= (cut-leaved). _fl._ yellow, solitary; corollas
hairy inside, smooth outside. _fr._ size of a cherry, striated
with white. July. _l._ palmately five-parted, cordate, rough, and
blistered, with oblong-lanceolate, acuminated, serrated segments;
petioles muricated. Ceylon, 1710. Stove species. SYN. _Bryonopsis
laciniosa_. See Fig. 286.
=BRYONY.= _See_ =Bryonia=.
=BRYOPHYLLUM= (from _bryo_, to sprout, and _phyllon_, a leaf; plants
spring from the notches on the edges of the leaves when taken off the
plant, and placed in a moist situation). ORD. _Crassulaceæ_. This very
curious stove succulent thrives in pots of rich loamy soil; perfect
drainage is essential, and but little water is at any time needed.
=B. calycinum= (large-cupped). _fl._ yellowish-red; cymes
panicled, terminal. April. _l._ opposite, thick, petiolate; some
impari-pinnate, with one or two pairs of segments, the terminal
one large; others solitary; all ovate and crenated. _h._ 2ft. to
3ft. India, 1806. A fleshy, erect, branched evergreen shrub, grown
chiefly for curiosity.
=BUCCO.= _See_ =Agathosma=.
=BUCIDA.= _See_ =Terminalia=.
=BUCKBEAN.= _See_ =Menyanthes=.
=BUCKLANDIA= (named after Dr. Buckland, a former Dean of Westminster,
and Professor of Geology at Oxford). ORD. _Hamamelideæ_. A handsome
greenhouse tree, allied to _Liquidambar_. It thrives in rich sandy
loam, peat, and leaf mould; or peat may be left out if the leaf soil is
good; perfect drainage is also essential. Cuttings of ripened shoots
will strike in sandy loam, under a hand glass, with moderate heat.
They must be watered carefully, or they are liable to rot off.
=B. populnea= (Poplar-like). _l._ pale green, large, leathery,
cordate, ovate-acute, on long stalks, pinkish when young; stipules
very curious, large red, consisting of two leafy oblong plates,
placed face to face in an erect position between the leafstalk and
the stem. _h._ 100ft. Himalayas, 1875. (B. M. 6507.)
=BUCKLER MUSTARD.= _See_ =Biscutella=.
=BUCKTHORN.= _See_ =Rhamnus=.
=BUCKWHEAT.= _See_ =Fagopyrum esculentum=.
=BUCKWHEAT-TREE.= _See_ =Mylocaryum=.
=BUDDING.= This process consists of taking an eye or bud attached to
a portion of the bark, and transferring it to another and different
plant; it is an operation almost confined to woody plants, but has been
practised with more or less success upon herbaceous perennials. The
stock should not be budded unless the sap is in circulation, which is
assured if the bark will detach itself easily, when gently lifted, from
the wood.
There are many ways of performing the different systems, in preparing
and inserting the Buds, &c., and all may prove more or less successful
if undertaken when the Buds and stock are both in a suitable condition.
The principal methods are Shield or T-budding, including the Circular,
Square, and Inverted forms; Flute or Tube-budding, and Annular or
Ring-budding.
The first-named method, which is fully described below, is very
extensively practised for propagating Roses and stone fruits. It is
also coming more in use for the propagation of many other fruit trees,
including Apples and Pears, especially new or scarce varieties, as
the great advantage of making use of many more of the eyes, to form
separate trees, is thereby attained. In large nurseries, where skilful
propagators are employed, thousands of trees are annually budded, the
majority of them with very successful results. It is, in most cases,
preferable to purchase established fruit trees, as cultivators require
the produce much quicker than they could get it by propagating trees
themselves. The same system of Budding is, however, applicable for
increasing Roses; and this may be adopted with every chance of success
by even a cottager, if he takes the necessary care in performing the
work.
Rare varieties of ornamental deciduous trees are largely propagated in
this way; for instance, many of the Acers, Elms, Horse Chestnuts, &c.
Evergreen shrubs, such as Rhododendrons and Hollies, are also rapidly
increased in some establishments by this means.
In the case of fruit-frees, plump wood Buds must be selected, from
medium-sized branches. On some sorts these are scarce, the majority
being Flower-buds, and it is rather difficult to distinguish between
them at the Budding season. The best time for the operation is from
June to the end of August; but surrounding influences, condition of
Buds, stocks, &c., must be taken into account. Clean cuts, with gentle
and skilful handling, are even more important in the Budding of stone
fruits than of Roses or other plants, and the ties should be lightly
but firmly made. In all cases, the operation must be performed as
quickly as possible, as both Bud and bark are injured if exposed to the
air for any length of time.
[Illustration: FIG. 287.]
[Illustration: FIG. 288.]