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.)
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. 2½ft. 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 2¾in. 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.)