. The Gardeners' chronicle : a weekly illustrated journal of horticulture and allied subjects. about i inch long,2—3-flowered, adpressed to the rachis ; bracteolesovate, acute, \ inch long. Perianth greenish ; ovaryoblong, I inch long ; tube short; segments twice as long as the segments. Described by Cavanilles in 1S02 from the Madridbotanic garden, and supposed to have been brought custom of decorating with evergreens at Christmasis, remarks a writer on the subject, far from being amodern one. The Romans 2,000 years ago did thesame thing ; indeed it is more than probab
. The Gardeners' chronicle : a weekly illustrated journal of horticulture and allied subjects. about i inch long,2—3-flowered, adpressed to the rachis ; bracteolesovate, acute, \ inch long. Perianth greenish ; ovaryoblong, I inch long ; tube short; segments twice as long as the segments. Described by Cavanilles in 1S02 from the Madridbotanic garden, and supposed to have been brought custom of decorating with evergreens at Christmasis, remarks a writer on the subject, far from being amodern one. The Romans 2,000 years ago did thesame thing ; indeed it is more than probable that theorigin of adorning our houses with Ivy, Holly, andBay, must be sought for in the Roman Saturnalia,held every year towards the end of December. ** Itis a symbol of our faith in the renewing power of thesun, that, as the seasons return, the earth will beonce more clothed with green, the trees laden withfruit. According to an old poetical belief, the sylvanspirits flock to the evergreens in our houses, andremain unnipped by frost. Holly and Mistleto are mostly used for Christmas. Fig, 151.—agave laxa. he base not more than \ inch thick, the centre \ inch,dull, rather glaucous green, with a pale band down thecentre, the tip not at all pungent, the back broadlyrounded, the edge narrowly brown-scariose, entire orobscurely serrulate. Scape 12—20 feet high. Flowersin a dense spike 6—15 inches long, about 4 inches indiameter, sessile, solitary or in pairs. Perianth ij—1^inch long, including the \ inch ovary; tube funnel-shaped, \—\ inch ; segments greenish yellow, linear-oblong, spreading, \—\ inch. Filaments inserted at thethroat of the tube, twice as long as the segments. Anthers\-\ inch. Style reaching to the top of the filaments. A native of Mexico, introduced about the begin-ning of the century, and long ago widely spread incollections. There is a full account and colouredfigure in the Botanical Magazine from a plant thatflowered at Kew in i860. It is a mos
Size: 1616px × 1546px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bo, bookdecade1870, booksubjectgardening, booksubjecthorticulture
