ADULT. The full grown of anything. Full grown leaves are termed adult.
ADVENTITIOUS. Developed in an unusual position. Applied to buds, roots, &c.
ADVENTURE BAY PINE. See Phyllocladus rhomboidalis.
ADVERSE. Opposite.
ÆCHMEA (from aichme, a point; in reference to the rigid points on the calyces, or flower-envelopes). Including Pironneaua. ORD. Bromeliaceæ. Very handsome stove plants. Flowers scapose, panicled; perianth six-cleft, three outer segments sepaloid, longer than the three inner or petaloid ones. Leaves ligulate or sword-shaped, sometimes with marginal spines. The species thrive best in a well-drained compost of rich fibrous loam and leaf mould. They like plenty of light, which may be afforded by standing them on inverted pots, so as to raise their heads well up above the surrounding plants. Propagation: When the flower-spikes, which are sent up from the heart or crown of the plant, die away, suckers or offsets are produced near the base, and from these other flowers appear the year after. If large plants are desired, these suckers should be left to grow and spread around; but to produce single plants, the suckers must be taken off and potted singly, in sharp soil, and then stood where they can get a moist heat till rooted. To enable them to do this it is necessary to strip off a few of the lower leaves, and trim the bottom with a sharp knife, in order that it may heal over and callus more readily than it otherwise would. When rooted, the plants may be shifted into larger-sized pots; but for single crowns 32-sized pots are large enough, as the plants, being epiphytal in their nature, do not require much soil or any great supply of water, except when growing freely or sending up their flower-spikes. In winter, they should be kept rather on the dry side, to induce partial rest; and an important point is to see that water is not allowed to lie for any length of time in the crown of the plant, as when that is the case it is likely to cause them to rot.
FIG. 33. ÆCHMEA FULGENS.
Æ. calyculata (calycled).* fl. bright yellow, tubular, with red bracts, borne in close roundish heads at the top of an erect scape. l. strap-shaped, with the ends having the appearance of being cut off, but armed with a sharp spine. h. 9in. Brazil, 1862. SYN. Hoplophytum calyculatum.
Æ. cœlestis (heavenly blue).* fl. sky-blue, in close pyramidal panicles, on erect snipes. Winter. l. ligulate, concave, spiny-edged, scaly beneath. Brazil, 1874. SYN. Hoplophytum cœleste.
Æ. cœrulescens (bluish). fl. bluish. h. 1ft. South America, 1870. This pretty species is very attractive on account of the large dense head of deep blue and pure white berries which are produced in October. SYN. Lamprococcus cœrulescens.
Æ. discolor (two-coloured-leaved).* fl. scarlet, borne on a loose, branched panicle. June. l. broad, minutely toothed on the margin, deep green above, and rather purplish beneath. h. 2ft. Brazil, 1844.
Æ. distichantha (two-ranked-flowered).* fl. sepals rose-coloured; petals bright purple; spikes densely clothed with bright red bracts. l. long, glaucous, linear-oblong, tapering to a sharp point, and distinctly armed with reddish brown spines. h. 1ft. South Brazil, 1852. SYN. Billbergia polystachya.
Æ. exudans (exuding). fl. orange-coloured (exuding a white greasy substance, whence the specific name) interspersed with green bracts; scape erect, with scattered crimson lanceolate bracts, terminating in a dense head. l. oblong, spine-margined, grey-coated. h. 2ft. West Indies, 1824. SYN. Hohenbergia capitata.
Æ. fasciata (banded).* fl. scape upright, clothed with leafy bracts of a rosy-pink colour; each of the pink blossoms in the dense conical head is subtended by a narrow, spiny-edged, similarly-coloured bract, longer than its own. l. broad, recurved, banded with white. Rio Janeiro, 1826. SYN. Billbergia fasciata. Lasts in perfection for a considerable length of time.
Æ. fulgens (glowing).* fl. deep rich red, with a bluish tip, fifty or more in a large branching panicle; scape stout, erect, scarlet. August, September. l. somewhat sword-shaped, terminating rather abruptly. Cayenne, 1842. See Fig. 33.
Æ. Furstenbergi (Furstenberg's). fl. rose; flower spike dense, with overlapping showy pink bracts. l. tufted, linear, spinous at the edge, recurved. h. 1ft. Bahia, 1879.
Æ. glomerata (glomerate).* fl. violet; scape erect, stout, 8in. to 10in. high, with glomerate branches of crowded blood-red bracts. l. oblong-ligulate, cuspidate, about 18in. long, dull green; margin with short wide-set spines. Bahia, 1868. SYN. Hohenbergia erythrostachys.
Æ. hystrix (bristly).* fl. in very dense, oblong spikes; floral leaves and bracts scarlet. February. l. densely crowded, ascending, linear lanceolate, saw-toothed. h. 2½ft. Cayenne, 1880.
Æ. Legrelliana (Legrell's). A synonym of Portea Legrelliana.
Æ. Lindeni (Linden's). fl. yellow, in dense terminal heads, with lanceolate red bracts, shorter than the flowers. l. linear-oblong, rounded, apiculate; margins saw-toothed; habit tufted. h. 1ft. South Brazil, 1864.
Æ. Mariæ Reginæ (Queen Maria's).* fl. tipped with blue, changing to salmon colour with age, arranged compactly upon the upper portion of the spike; scape erect, about 2ft. high; half the length is clothed with large boat-shaped bracts, some 4in. long, intensely rich rose-pink. June, July. l. 18in. long, with a tufted habit. Costa Rica, 1873. This is perhaps the best species.
Æ. Melinoni (Melinon's). fl. bright scarlet, tipped with pink, cylindric; panicle dense, terminal. l. oblong, leathery, about 18in. in length, dark green; margin spiny. South America.
Æ. Ortgiesii (Ortgies'). fl. red, on short spikes. l. numerous, channelled, recurved, spongy, broad at the base, and tapering to a point; stem short, gouty. Tropical America, 1860. SYN. Ortgiesia tillandsioides.
Æ. paniculigera (panicled). fl. rose-coloured; petals projecting beyond the sepals, deep bright purple; panicle large, compound, 1ft. to 2ft. long; scape reddish, downy; rachides and bracts rose-coloured. l. ligulate, shortly acuminate. West Indies, 1881.
Æ. spectabilis (showy).* fl. rosy; calyx fleshy, ovate; corolla 1in. long, rosy crimson. l. spreading, channelled, ligulate, 2½ft. long, 3in. to 4in. broad. Guatemala, 1875.
Æ. Veitchii (Veitch's).* fl. scarlet; spike densely clothed with scarlet toothed bracts, closely investing flowers. l. tufted, leathery in texture, broadly strap-shaped, spotted, and minutely serrulate. h. 1ft. Columbia, 1877. SYN. Chevalliera Veitchii.
ÆGICERAS (from aix, a goat, and keras, a horn; alluding to the shape of its fruit). ORD. Myrsineæ. Small trees, with obovate entire leaves. Flowers white, fragrant, in terminal or axillary umbels. For culture, see Jacquinia.