FIG. 1. ABRONIA UMBELLATA, showing Flower and Habit.
A. arenaria (sand-loving).* fl. lemon-yellow, about ½in. long, in dense clusters, with a honey-like fragrance. July. l. broadly ovate, or reniform, on short, thick petioles. h. 9in. to 18in. 1865. Half-hardy perennial. SYN. A. latifolia.
A. fragrans (fragrant).* fl. pure white, in terminal and axillary clusters, very delicately perfumed, expanding in the evening. May. 1865. A perennial, more or less erect in growth, forming large branching tufts from 1ft. to 2ft. high. Imported seeds only of this species will grow.
A. latifolia (broad-leaved). A synonym of A. arenaria.
A. pulchella (pretty). fl. pink. July. h. 6in. 1848.
A. rosea (rose-coloured). fl. rose-coloured. June. h. 6in. 1847. An unimportant species.
A. umbellata (umbel-flowered).* fl. rosy pink, in dense terminal clusters, slightly scented. April. l. oval or oblong. h. 6in. to 24in. 1823. An elegant prostrate half-hardy annual; but under greenhouse culture it is a perennial. SYN. Tricratus admirabilis. See Fig 1.
ABRUPT. Suddenly terminating, as abruptly pinnate; when pinnate leaves are without a terminal or odd leaflet.
ABRUS (from abros, soft, in reference to the extreme softness of the leaves). ORD. Leguminosæ. A very ornamental and delicate much branched deciduous stove climber, whose roots have the virtues of the common liquorice. Leaves abruptly pinnate, bearing many pairs of leaflets. Requires a strong heat to keep it in a growing, healthy condition, and to flower it well; and thrives best in sandy loam. Increased by cuttings under a hand glass, in sand, or seeds raised in heat.
A. precatorius (prayer). fl. pale purple, butterfly-shaped, disposed in axillary clusters. Seeds bright scarlet, with a black spot at the base, used by the Buddhists for making rosaries, whence the specific name. March to May. l. leaflets ligulate, oblong. h. 12ft. East Indies, 1680. Varieties are now and then met with having rose coloured or white flowers.
ABSORPTION. The action by which liquids and gases become incorporated with various bodies, through molecular or other invisible means, to which function all parts of a growing plant contribute, the roots more especially.
ABUTA (native name). ORD. Menispermaceæ. A strong growing ornamental stove evergreen climber. Used medicinally in Cayenne. Flowers diœcious, fascicled, males racemosely panicled; females loose and simply racemose. It grows freely in a mixture of loam and peat. Cuttings will root readily if planted in a pot of sand, with a hand glass placed over them, in heat. About half-a-dozen species are known.
A. rufescens (rusty-coloured). fl. grey-velvety on the outside, dark purple on the inside. March. l. ovate; under surface brownish. h. 10ft. Cayenne, 1820.
ABUTILON (Arabic name for a plant analogous to the Marsh Mallow). ORD. Malvaceæ. Very showy, decorative, and free-growing shrubs, both for the greenhouse and outside culture. Calyx naked, five-cleft, usually angular; style multifid at apex. The many beautiful hybrids (of which Fig. 2 represents a group) now in cultivation, far supersede the true species. Cultivation: Few plants are more easily grown and worthy of liberal treatment than these. The best soil for them is equal parts turfy loam, peat, and leaf mould, with some gritty sand. They may either be grown in pots, or planted out; but in all cases thorough drainage is indispensable, as they require an abundance of water, and stagnancy must be guarded against. At the end of May they may be planted outside, when they will flower profusely through the summer. In a free growing and flowering state they enjoy weak manure water. From the latter part of autumn till early spring they may be kept almost dry without injury, though in a warm conservatory some of the later struck plants will go on flowering throughout the greater part of the winter; or plants may be specially prepared for winter flowering. They are admirably adapted for forming standards of various heights, from 2ft. to 6ft. Some of the taller sorts are very useful for training under roof rafters. As pillar plants, too, very loosely trained, so as to allow the upper and side branches to droop to a considerable distance from the pillar, they are very effective. Propagation: They strike readily from cuttings made of the young wood, at almost any season; the best time, however, is early spring and September. Inserted in pots, in a compost of equal parts peat, leaf mould, loam, and sand, and placed in a temperature of from 65deg. to 70deg., they will then quickly root, and form good plants. Seeds may be sown in pans filled with soil as recommended for cuttings, and placed in a similar temperature. Those followed by a dagger (†) are the best for training to pillars, roofs, &c.