AXILLARIA. See Polygonatum.
AXILLARY. Growing in the axil of anything.
AYRSHIRE ROSE. See Rosa repens capreolata.
AZALEA (from azaleos, dry, arid; in allusion to the habitat of the plant). ORD. Ericaceæ. A genus of very popular and beautiful hardy or greenhouse plants. The species enumerated were included under Rhododendron by Don, Loudon, and others, contrary to the classification of Linnæus, but the distinctive characters are not consistent. In this genus, the stamens are usually five, but in Rhododendron ten is the typical number.
Ghent or American Azaleas. These are extremely popular hardy deciduous shrubs. When plants are grown in the open, artificial crossing will be unnecessary; but this method must be employed upon those grown in the cool greenhouse, if well fertilised seeds are required. The seed should be gathered and sown when ripe in a large shallow frame containing from 2in. to 3in. of peat, over which more peat must be laid very level by means of a fine sieve; or they may be kept until early the following spring. No covering will be necessary, but a thorough watering with a fine-rosed water-pot must be given. The lights should be darkened, and the frames kept close until the young seedlings begin to appear, when they must have air (carefully admitted), shade, and a daily sprinkling of water. By the autumn, they will be large enough to transplant in small clumps into boxes of peat and coarse sand, and to place in other frames, or in the open. In each case, they will need watering, shading, and to be kept close until growth commences. The hardier the plants are before winter commences, the better; but a protection of mats or similar material will prevent the probability of their being killed by severe frosts. During the following season, they will only require water during dry weather, and no protection need be afforded this winter. The next spring, they should be planted out singly in beds, sufficiently wide apart to allow the development of two years growth. If an upright growth is being made, the leading shoot must be shortened, in order to secure dwarf, well-branched plants. The same methods should be employed on a smaller scale where but a few are wanted. Grafting is largely practised to increase the stock of named varieties or choice seedlings, the stock employed being A. pontica. This process, of course, ensures the quicker production of flowering plants. Layering in March, encasing the part buried with moss, is also some times practised; but the layer must be left two years before separating. Cuttings of the last year's wood, 2in. or 3in. long, taken with a heel, root readily in sand; about the end of August is the best time for so doing. If they are pricked off in pots or pans of sandy soil, and kept in a cool frame until they are calloused, and afterwards introduced into a slight bottom heat, they root quicker, but this is not absolutely essential. When placed outside, they should be covered with a handlight for about two months, and, at the end of this time, air should be gradually given and increased. Ghent Azaleas are now forced extensively for the market as well as in private gardens; and, by judicious culture, they can be had in full blossom by Christmas. With this end in view, they should be grown in pots, and have the growth prematurely completed soon after flowering with the aid of a little artificial heat; after which they may be placed outside. During very hot and dry weather, the north side of a wall is necessary, to prevent their flowering in the autumn. The same plants must only be forced every alternate year. Commence to place the plants in heat in October, and keep up a succession until the following March. The best plants for forcing purposes are obtained from the Continent, where they are grown in enormous quantities. When grown permanently out of doors, the most suitable soil is peat and rough sand mixed. Failing this, leaf mould, maiden loam, and sand, will be found satisfactory. In many cases, we have known them to flourish in ordinary garden soil.
The following varieties of Ghent Azaleas are distinct, and all worth growing; ADMIRAL DE RUYTER, deep red-scarlet, very fine; ALTACLERENSIS, bright yellow; AMŒNA, light pink; CARNEA ELEGANS, pale pink, shaded sulphur; COCCINEA MAJOR, dark scarlet, very fine; CUPREA SPLENDENS, rich pink, shaded yellow; DECORATA, lovely pink; DIRECTEUR CHARLES BAUMANN, rich vermilion, spotted yellow; ELECTOR, rich orange-scarlet; GEANT DES BATAILLES, deep crimson, very fine; MADAME JOSEPH BAUMANN, bright pink, very free and good; MARIA VERSCHAFFELT, shaded pink and yellow; MIRABILIS, very lovely pink; MORTERI, rich yellow, shaded rosy-red; PONTICA MACRANTHA, rich deep sulphur, very large and fine; PRINCESSE D'ORANGE, salmon-pink, very fine; SANGUINEA, deep crimson; VISCOSA FLORIBUNDA, pure white, very fragrant.
A. arborescens (tree-like).* fl. large, reddish, not clammy, leafy; tube of corolla longer than the segments; calyx leafy, with the segments oblong and acute. May. l., of the flower buds large, yellowish-brown, surrounded with a fringed white border, obovate, rather obtuse, smooth on both surfaces, glaucous beneath, ciliated on the margins, and having the midrib almost smooth. h. 10ft. to 20ft. Pennsylvania, 1818. Deciduous species.
A. balsaminæflora (Balsam-flowered).* fl. bright salmony red, finely double and rosette-like, the segments regularly imbricated, much resembling in general appearance the blooms of a Camellia-flowered Balsam. Japan. It is a distinct species, and remains in bloom for a considerable period; the flowers are invaluable for bouquets. See Fig. 196, for which we are indebted to Mr. Bull.
A. calendulacea (Marigold-like).* fl. yellow, red, orange, and copper coloured, large, not clammy, rather naked; tube of corolla hairy, shorter than the segments. May. l. oblong, pubescent on both surfaces, at length hairy. h. 2ft. to 6ft. Pennsylvania to Carolina, 1806. This is said to be the handsomest shrub in North America. There are several varieties of it in cultivation. Hardy; deciduous. (B. M. 1721, 2143.)
A. hispida (bristly). fl. white, with a red border and a tinge of red on the tube, which is wide and scarcely longer than the segments, very clammy, leafy; stamens ten. July. l. long-lanceolate, hispid above, and smooth beneath, glaucous on both surfaces, ciliated on the margins, and having the nerve bristly beneath. Branches straight, and very hispid. h. 10ft. to 15ft. New York, &c., 1734. A hardy deciduous species. (W. D. B. 1, 6.)
FIG. 197. FLOWER OF AZALEA LEDIFOLIA.
A. ledifolia (Ledum-leaved).* fl. pure white, showy; corolla campanulate; in threes at the extremities of the branches; calyx erect, glandular, and viscid. March. l. elliptic-lanceolate. h. 2ft. to 6ft. China, 1819. The whole shrub is very hairy. Hardy; evergreen. SYN. A. liliiflora. See Fig. 197. (B. M. 2901.)
A. liliiflora (lily-flowered). Synonymous with A. ledifolia.
A. nudiflora (naked-flowered).* fl. in terminal clustered racemes, appearing before the leaves, rather naked, not clammy; tube of corolla longer than the segments; teeth of calyx short, rather rounded; stamens much exserted. June. l. lanceolate-oblong, nearly smooth and green on both surfaces, ciliated on the margins, having the midrib bristly beneath, and woolly above. h. 3ft. to 4ft. North America, 1734. This species hybridises very freely with A. calendulacea, A. pontica, A. viscosa, &c., and descriptive lists of a host of hybrids of almost every conceivable shade, both double and single, are to be found in continental and home catalogues, to which the reader is referred. Hardy. (W. F. A., t. 36.)
A. pontica (Pontic).* fl. leafy, clammy; corolla funnel-shaped; stamens very long. May. l. shining, ovate, oblong, pilose, ciliated. h. 4ft. to 6ft. Levant, Caucasus, &c., 1793. The varieties of this species are also numerous, differing principally in the colour of the flowers and the hue of the leaves. The flowers are of all shades, and frequently striped. The name generally adopted, as above, must not be confounded with Rhododendron ponticum. If the genus Azalea is merged into Rhododendron, as is done by most systematists, this plant must be called by Don's name, Rhododendron flavum. (I. H. 1864, 415.)
A. procumbens (procumbent). See Loiseleria procumbens.
A. speciosa (showy).* fl. scarlet and orange coloured; corolla silky, with obtuse, ciliated, lanceolate, undulated segments; calyx pubescent. May. l. lanceolate, ciliated, acute at both ends. Branches hairy. h. 3ft. to 4ft. North America. The varieties of above are several, varying in the shape of the leaves and the colour of the flowers. (L. B. C. 1255)
A. viscosa (clammy).* fl. white, sweet-scented, in terminal clusters, downy, clammy, leafy; tube of corolla as long as the segments. July. l. oblong-ovate, acute, smooth, and green on both surfaces, ciliated on the margins, having the midrib bristly. h. 2ft. to 4ft. North America, 1734. Like nearly all species belonging to this genus, the varieties are many, varying in the colour of the flowers and otherwise. (T. S. M. 438.)
A. v. nitida (shining).* fl. white, tinged with red, clammy, leafy; tube of corolla a little longer than the segments. April. l. oblanceolate, rather mucronate, leathery, smooth on both surfaces, shining above, having the nerve bristly beneath, with revolute, ciliated margins. h. 2ft. to 4ft. New York, 1812. Hardy; deciduous. (B. R. 5, 414.)
Indian or Chinese Azaleas. This is a section of greenhouse evergreen varieties obtained from [A. indica] (which see), blooming continuously from November to June, or even later, and of the greatest value for all purposes, whether for decoration, cutting, or exhibition. Cultivation: Thorough drainage is essential, and a compost of half peat, the other half made up of fibrous loam, leaf soil, and sand, in equal quantities. They cannot have too much light and air, and may be grown to almost any size by shifting from one pot to a size larger. In repotting, the whole of the crocks should be taken away from the base of the ball of soil and roots, and the top should also be removed till the fine roots are reached. The plant should then be put in the new pot, and the additional soil rammed firm, in order to prevent the water running through it, and thus depriving the plant of any benefit therefrom. In all cases, the roots near the stem must be above the soil, so that the water may not sink in next the stem, or death will most certainly ensue. After potting, for a few days the plants should be kept close and freely syringed, and as the growth is completed, they may be well hardened off. The best time for potting is after flowering, before the new growth has been made. From October to June the plants should be in the greenhouse, and during the other months in a cold frame, or plunged in pots in the open; or, what is preferable in favoured localities, planted out in prepared beds; they will thus be kept cleaner, and the growth will be much superior. In autumn they may be lifted and repotted, placing in a shady position for a few days. Water in abundance must be given throughout the blooming and growing season; and the plants must, on no account, be allowed to become dry. At the same time, a proper amount of care is most essential, as an excessive amount of moisture is equally as fatal as drought. Cuttings should be placed in sand under a bell glass with moderate bottom heat; half-ripened ones are preferable. They must be cut up to a joint—the base of a leaf—the lower leaves for an inch stripped off, and the stem stuck into the sand, which should lay, about an inch thick, on the top of sandy peat soil; the bottom of the cuttings should reach, but not go quite into, the soil. The whole should be covered with a bell glass, which must be wiped dry every morning. Soon after the cuttings have commenced growing, place them in small pots. They are also very largely and easily increased by grafting; indeed, this is the only satisfactory method of securing standards. Seeds may be sown similar to the last section, but in the greenhouse, and, when well up, pricked out into little pots 1in. apart. Azaleas are liable to the attacks of thrips and red spider, the latter being especially troublesome if the plants are in a dry position; frequent syringing will materially help to eradicate both pests. If insufficient, syringe with a solution of Gishurst's Compound.