Saponaria
(from sapo, soap; the leaves of S. officinalis form a lather, which much resembles that of soap, and is similarly efficacious in removing grease-spots, &c.) Fuller's Herb; Soapwort. Including Vaccaria. ORD. Caryophylleae. A genus comprising about thirty species of hardy or half-hardy herbs, sometimes annual and with the habit of Gypsophila, sometimes biennial or perennial and resembling the species of Silene; they are natives of Europe (mostly Southern), the Mediterranean region, and extra-tropical Asia. Calyx ovoid or oblong-tubular, five-toothed, obscurely nerved; petals five, with a narrow claw, and an entire or emarginate blade, scaly or naked at base; stamens ten. Radical leaves spathulate; cauline ones narrower. The species described below are very ornamental. S. ocymoides is particularly well adapted for decorating rock-work. S. caespitosa and S. lutea thrive in a compost of sand, loam, and peat, with good drainage in the pots. All are readily propagated by seeds, or by division. The hardy annual and biennial kinds simply require to be sown in the open border.
S. caespitosa (tufted). fl. rose-coloured, somewhat umbellate calyx profoundly lobed; petals emarginate at the apex, with bifid appendages in the throat. July and August. l. linear, glabrous, almost all radical, scarcely toothed. h. 3in. to 6in. Pyrenees, 1824. Half-hardy perennial. (G. C. n. s., xv. 501; R. G. 815.) SYN. S. elegans.
S. calabrica (Calabrian).* fl. of a beautiful rose-colour, axillary, solitary; petals orbicular, narrowed at the base. August. l. obovate-spathulate, usually one-nerved, smooth or slightly pubescent, ciliated on the margins. Stem erect, dichotomously branched. h. 6in. to 12in. Calabria, 1830. Hardy annual. (R. G. 11; S. B. F. G. ser. ii. 79.) S. elegans (elegant). A synonym of S. caespitosa.
S. glutinosa (glutinous). fl. blood-coloured, panicled, in corymbose bundles; calyx long, terete; petals minute, bidentate at apex, crowned with scales in the throat. June and July. l. ovate, three-nerved. Stem erect, branched. h. 1 1/2ft. Eastern Europe, &c., 1817. Hardy biennial. (B. M. 2855.) S. lutea (yellow). fl. capitate, involucrate; calyx woolly, with short lobes; petals yellow, obovate, entire; stamens violaceous. June to August. l. linear, ciliated at the base, almost all radical. h. 3in. to 6in. Alps, 1804. Half-hardy perennial.
S. ocymoides (Basil-like).* Rock Soapwort. fl. red or pink, in panicled bundles; calyx purple, cylindrical, villous. May to August. l. ovate-lanceolate, generally one-nerved. Stems dichotomous. Switzerland, Italy, &c., 1768. An elegant, hardy, perennial trailer, well suited for the ornamentation of rockwork. (B. M. 154; J. F. A. 23.) S. officinalis (officinal).* Bouncing Bet; Common Soapwort, &c. fl. lilac or white, 1in. in diameter; petals obcordate; cymes in panicled corymbs. August and September. l. oblong-lanceolate, 2in. to 4in. long, three-ribbed. Stem straight, ascending, 1ft. to 3ft. high. Europe (apparently naturalised in Britain), temperate Asia. Hardy perennial, with a white, fleshy, creeping rootstock. (F. D. 543; Sy. En. B. 197.) S. hybrida is a variety with a gamopetalous corolla and connate upper leaves.
S. Vaccaria (Cow-herb). fl. red, paniculate; calyx pyramidal, smooth, five-angled; bracts membranous, acute. July and August. l. ovate-lanceolate, sessile. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Central Europe, 1596. Annual. (B. M. 2290.) SAPOTA (the native name). SYN Achras. ORD. Sapotaceae. A monotypic genus. The species is a very large, stove, evergreen tree, with milky juice. It thrives in rich, loamy soil, and may be increased by cuttings.
S. Achras (Achras). Bully-tree; Sapodilla or Sapotilla Plum. fl. whitish, rather large, pedicellate in the axils; calyx segments six, in two distinct series; corolla broadly sub-urceolate, six lobed. May. fr. very luscious, resembling an apple in shape. l. petiolate, clustered at the tips of the branches, 3in. to 4in. long, elliptic-oblong, acute, glabrous; primary veins thick; petioles downy. Branches numerous, forming a spreading top. h. 10ft. to 50ft. West Indies and Central America, 1731. (B. M. 3111, 3112.) The correct name of this tree is Achras Sapota.