Bartonia
(in honour of Benjamin S. Barton, M.D., formerly Professor of Botany at Philadelphia). ORD. Loasaceae. Hardy annuals or biennials, downy, with stiff and bearded hairs. This genus is now placed under Mentzelia in most standard botanical works. Flowers white or yellow, large, terminal, expanding in the evening, when they are very fragrant, and becoming reddish as they fade. Leaves alternate, interruptedly pinnatifid. The species are very showy, and well worth growing. Any ordinary garden soil suits them. Seeds should be raised in a gentle heat in spring; and, when the seedlings are sufficiently large, they should be potted singly into small, well-drained pots. In winter, they should be placed on a dry shelf in a greenhouse or frame. B. aurea is one of the brightest of hardy annuals, and may be sown either in a frame, or in the open border in April.
B. albescens (whitish).* fl., petals ten, pale yellow, disposed in a leafy panicle. July. l. sinuately toothed. Stem with a white shining epidermis. h. 1ft. to 4ft. Chili, 1831. Annual or biennial. (S. B. F. G. ii., 182.) B. aurea (golden).* fl. two or three together, terminal, bright golden yellow, as large as a half-crown; petals five. June. h. 1ft. California, 1834. Annual. (B. M. 3649.) B. nuda (naked) and B. ornata (adorned) are two very pretty white-flowered biennial species. h. 2ft. Missouri, 1811.
BASIL, SWEET (Ocimum Basilicum). This is a tender annual from India, and must be raised in gentle heat. The foliage is somewhat largely used for flavouring purposes. Seeds should be sown in April, the seedlings pricked out into boxes to strengthen, and finally planted out about 8in. asunder, in beds of light rich soil, in June, being well watered until fully established. As soon as they bloom, they should be cut down to within a few inches of the ground, and the portions cut off should be tied up in small bunches and dried in the shade for winter use. Some of the plants can be lifted in September, potted up, and placed in a warm greenhouse for the winter, when the fresh green leaves will be found very useful. Bush Basil (Ocymum minimum) is a dwarfer plant, but may be treated in the same way. Wild Basil is botanically known as Calamintha Clinopodium.