AITONIA (in honour of W. Aiton, once Head Gardener at Kew). ORD. Meliaceæ. A small and rather interesting greenhouse evergreen shrub from the Cape of Good Hope, and thriving well in an equal mixture of sandy loam and peat. Young cuttings will root in sand, under a bell glass, with bottom heat. The cuttings must not be put in very close together, and the glass should be wiped frequently, as they are apt to damp off.
A. capensis (Cape). fl. pink; petals four, shorter than the projecting stamens. July. h. 2ft. 1777.
AIZOON (from aei, always, and zoos, alive; tenacious of life). ORD. Portulacaceæ. Greenhouse annuals, biennials, or evergreen shrubs. Flowers apetalous; calyx five-cleft, coloured on the inner surface. The undermentioned species is the only one worth growing. It requires no shade, a dry atmosphere, and light sandy soil. Propagated by seeds and cuttings.
A. sarmentosum (sarmentose). fl. greenish, sessile. Summer. l. opposite, linear-filiform, rather connate, glabrous; branches rather villous, three-flowered at the apex, the two lateral flowers are bracteated, and spring from the sides of the middle one. Sub-shrub, erect, diffuse, glabrous, branched. South Africa, 1862.
AJAVA SEED. See Ptychotis.
AJAX MAXIMUS. See Narcissus.
AJOWAN. See Ptychotis.
AJUGA (from a, not, and zugon, a yoke; in reference to the calyx being equal, not bilabiate). Bugle. ORD. Labiatæ. Hardy annual or perennial herbaceous plants, usually procumbent or ascending, sometimes stoloniferous. Whorls two or many flowered, dense, sometimes all axillary, when the floral leaves conform to those of the stem; sometimes the superior whorls are approximate into spikes, then the floral leaves are small, and of a different form from the stem ones. All the species are of easy cultivation in ordinary garden soil. Perennials increased by divisions, or by seeds sown in the open border, during spring or autumn. The seeds of annual kinds may be sown in the open border in spring, where they are intended to remain.
A. alpina (alpine). Synonymous with A. genevensis.
A. australis (southern). fl. blue; whorls six or more flowered; lower whorls remote, upper ones sub-spicate, floral leaves similar to the stem ones, exceeding the flowers. May to July. l. narrow-oblong, narrowed at the base, quite entire or sinuated, thickish, rather villous. Stem ascending, or erect. h. 6in. New Holland, 1822. Perennial.
A. Chamæpitys (ground-pine). fl. yellow, dotted with red, pubescent outside; whorls two-flowered; floral leaves similar to the others, exceeding the flowers. April. l. deeply trifid, with linear, quite entire, or trifid lobes. Stem procumbent at the base, much branched, beset with long hairs, like the leaves. h. about 6in. England (rare). Annual.
A. genevensis (Geneva).* fl. varying from blue to rose colour and white; upper whorls spicate, lower ones distant, six or more flowered. May. l. stem ones oblong-elliptic or obovate, narrowed at the base; lower ones petiolate; floral ones ovate or cuneated; superior ones scarcely equalling the flowers or shorter, all usually coarsely toothed, membranaceous, green on both surfaces, and beset with scattered hairs. Stem erect, pilose. h. 6in. to 1ft. Europe. A very variable species, admirably adapted as an alpine plant, and succeeds best in bog soil, where its roots will have plenty of room; it increases rapidly. Perennial. SYNS. A. alpina, A. rugosa.
A. orientalis (oriental).* fl. blue; whorls six or more flowered, distant, or the upper ones are approximate. May. l. lower ones large, petiolate; ovate, coarsely and sinuately toothed, narrowed at the base; floral ones sessile, broad ovate, deeply lobed or toothed, exceeding the flowers. Stem ascending, pilosely woolly. h. 1ft. to 1½ft. Eastern Europe, 1732. This species should be grown in a dry, sunny spot.
A. pyramidalis (pyramidal).* fl. blue or purple; whorls many-flowered, upper ones or all spicate. May and June. l. stem ones approximate, scarcely petiolate, obovate; floral ones broad-ovate, clasping the flowers, tetragonally pyramidate; the upper ones often coloured, all quite entire or obscurely sinuated. Stem erect. h. 6in. Scotland. Perennial. Of this there are several handsome garden varieties.