ADESMIA

(from a, without, desmos, a bond; in reference to the stamens being free). O RD. Leguminosæ. Chiefly greenhouse evergreen shrubs, or trailers, from South America, with lanceolate stipulas, abruptly pinnate leaves, ending in a bristle; axillary one-flowered pedicels, or the flowers racemosely disposed at the tops of the branches, in consequence of the upper leaves being abortive. They will grow well in a mixture of loam, peat, and sand. Propagated by cuttings placed in sand, covered by a hand gla , in a gentle heat; or by seeds, which are generally more satisfactory. The annual species— A. muricata, A. papposa, and A. pendula —are not worth growing. The following are fairly representative of the most ornamental species.