Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume X.djvu/97

 LADY'S SLIPPER L^ELIUS 91 bogs and woods ; these have leafy stems 1 to 2 ft. high, and one to three flowers. The roots of these are used by herb doctors as antispas- modics under the name of nervine, nerve-root, &c. The ram's-head and small white lady's slipper ( C. arietinum and C. ca?ididum) are the Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium spectabile). rarest of our native species, and highly prized by botanists. The most beautiful of the Amer- ican, and in some respects the finest of all cy- pripediums, is the showy lady's slipper (C. spec- tabile)-, though not very common, it grows in abundance in cold bogs in some localities upon the northern border, and extends along the mountains as far south as North Carolina. The stems, about 2 ft. high, as well as the numer- ous ovate leaves, are downy, and bear at the Nepaul Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium insigne). summit one to three large flowers, of which the much inflated lip is white, and marked in front with pinkish purple, the color shading off much after the manner of the cheek of a well ripened peach. This species, so highly prized abroad, is seldom seen in cultivation in its native coun- try; there is nothing in the whole range of hardy herbaceous plants that equals it in beau- ty, and it may be cultivated by any one who will imitate its natural locality by preparing a deep peaty soil for it. The same remark as to cultivation applies to all our species. Europe has but a single species, C. calceolus, which has a yellow lip netted with purple veins. The tropical and sub-tropical species and varieties of the greenhouse and stove are numerous ; the best known of these is C. insigne, from Nepaul, which has thick dark green leaves, and flowers spotted and mottled with yellow, green, and pur- ple. An old plant of this forms a large clump with numerous flowers, which keep in perfec- tion for several weeks ; it is well suited to the greenhouse or conservatory, as is the some- what similar C. venustum, which has broader and spotted leaves. LAEKEN, a village of Belgium, a suburb of Brussels, with a royal palace built in 1782 by the Austrian princess Maria Christina. After the invasion of the French in 1792 it was to be converted into a hospital; but the archduke Charles acquired the property from his aunt, and sold it about 1794 to a surgeon. Napoleon bought it in 1806 for 500,000 francs, for Josephine, and in 1811 he resided here for some time with Maria Louisa. In 1812 he ex- changed it for the Elysee Bourbon. Subse- quently it became the property of Belgium, and the royal family reside here occasionally. Malibran is buried in the cemetery of Laeken, where her husband De Be>iot had a monument erected to her by the sculptor Geefs. In the parish church are the tombs of Queen Louise and King Leopold I., and an extensive Gothic building is in course of erection as a vault for the royal family. The allee verte extends nearly all the way from Laeken to Brussels. UELIIS. I. Cains, a Roman general, born about 235 B. C. He commanded the fleet which captured New Carthage, in Spain, 210 B. C. He was the friend of Scipio, and com- manded the left wing of his army at the battle of Baacula, 208, and afterward with a detach- ment of the fleet defeated Adherbal in the straits. He was sent twice to the court of Syphax. Near the close of the second Punic war he sailed with a portion of the fleet to the African coast, landed at Hippo Regius, and be- gan to plunder the country, but soon returned to Messana, from an apprehension that the Car- thaginians were cutting off his retreat. In 204, with Masinissa, he burned the Punic and Nu- midian camps and pursued Hasdrubal and Sy- phax, and in 203 captured the latter and his capital Cirta. He commanded the Italian caval- ry at the battle of Zama, and his charge deter- mined the victory. He was chosen praetor in 196, and consul in 190. Afterward he obtained the province of Cisalpine Gaul, which he held for two years, and was sent on several impor- tant missions by the senate. The date of his death is unknown. II. Cains Sapiens, a Roman statesman, son of the preceding, born about 186