433 



LILIALES. 



LIMAX. 



431 



them are those whose fibre is strong enough to furnish cordage, such 

 as P. tenax, New Zealand Flax. The Onion, Garlic, and Leek, long 

 known as articles of diet, Chives, Shalots, and Rocambole, are species 

 of the genus. All htm. [AlilUM.] Aloes and Squills indicate the 

 value of some Liliaceas in medicine. As purgatives the Aloes are in 

 extensive use. Resinous matters are yielded by some species, whence 

 they have been useful in dysenteries. Of these the most celebrated is 

 Dragon's Blood, a tonic astringent resin. The roots of Asparagus 

 racemosus and A . adscemlens are both employed medicinally in Northern 

 India. Polianthes tuberosa, or the Tuberose, is well known for its 

 delicious fragrance. Other species are found to contain special 

 properties, which render them serviceable to man in various ways. 



There are 133 genera in this order, and 1200 species. 



(Lindley, Vegetable Kingdom.) 



LILIALES. [ENDOOENS.] 



LI'LIUM (the Latin Lilium and Greek \tiputv), a genus of Plants 

 the type of the natural order Liliacece. It has a perianth of 6 leaves 

 spreading or reflexed, with a longitudinal nectariferous furrow at the 

 base of each ; an undivided style, capitate stigma, and flat seeds. The 

 colour of the flowers is either white, yellow, or red. 



L. candidum, Common White Lily, has lanceolate scattered leaves 

 attenuated at the base ; a bell-shaped smooth corolla ; the petals of a 

 beautiful shining white on their inside, ridged and not quite so trans- 

 parent or luminous on their outside. The flowers are large, white, 

 and in a cluster at the top of the stem. It blossoms early in the 

 summer, and has been cultivated in our gardens from time immemorial. 

 Great doubts had existed respecting the native habitat of this species, 

 till Mr. Hawkins, the friend and companion of Dr. Sibthorp, found it 

 growing wild in that classical and celebrated spot the Vale of Tempe. 

 It is the itplmy of Theocritus ('Id.' 23) and of Dioscorides (3, 106). 

 Both Pliny and Ovid have added their testimony to the general 

 admiration in which this plant has been universally held. The 

 flowers have a pleasant sweet smell, and were formerly used for medi- 

 cinal purposes, particularly as an anti-epileptic and anodyne. A water 

 distilled from them had reputation as a cosmetic, but the odorous 

 matter they contain is so exceedingly volatile that it is impossible to 

 preserve it, as it is wholly carried off by evaporation. The roots 

 only are found available in medicine, and they are frequently employed 

 aa emollient poultices, owing to the mucilaginous matter which they 

 contain. It is however doubtful whether they are more efficacious 

 than poultices formed of bread or farina. Gerard prescribes the lily- 

 root internally in dropsies, and for this purpose bread was made of 

 barley-meal with the juice of the roots instead of water, and eaten 

 for a considerable length of time. This species, as well as others, is 

 cultivated in Siberia, and eaten as the potato. The scent of the Lily 

 ia exceedingly powerful, and peculiarly distressing in some cases. 

 Murray mentions an instance of death ensuing from exposure to the 

 odour of this plant. 



L. bulbiferum, Bulb-Bearing or Orange Lily, has linear-lanceolate 

 scattered leaves ; a bell-shaped erect corolla, glandular and rough on 

 the inside, downy without. The flowers are large and handsome, of 

 a beautiful red or orange colour, pale on the outside, and without 

 any scent. The bulb is composed of numerous thick white loosely- 

 imbricated scales. This species, and L. chalccdmicum, is probably the 

 Kplrov of Theophrastus (' Hist. Plant.,' 6, 6), and undoubtedly the 

 ^/wpo/coAAif of Dioscorides (3, 127). It is a native of Italy, Austria, 

 and North America. 



L. tuperbum, Superb Martagon Lily, has a revolute corolla, the 

 lower leaves whorled, the rest scattered. The flowers form a 

 branched reflexed pyramid, and are large and handsome, one at the 

 end of each branch, red or yellow with dark spots ; their smell is 

 disagreeable. The bulb is aa white as ivory. It is a native of North 

 America, whence it was imported by Mr. Peter Collinsou in the year 

 1738. 



L. Martagon, Turk's-Cap Lily, has whorled elliptic lanceolate 

 leaves, a pubescent scabrous stem, nodding flowers, and a reflexed 

 perianth. Though not a native of Great Britain it is naturalised in 

 copses in many places. 



The species enumerated are those most commonly cultivated in our 

 gardens, each of which has many varieties and sub-varieties. They 

 are capable of being propagated by planting the offsets of the roots 

 and by Bowing seeds to obtain new varieties. Every year the roots 

 produce many offsets, which however, unless greatly wanted, are 

 better left on for two or three years. The proper time for separating 

 them is in summer and autumn, when the winter is past and the 

 stalks decayed, cither by taking them from the mother-bulbs in the 

 ground, or removing the whole and dividing the offsets from the main 

 bulb when uncovered ; they should then be planted in beds a foot 

 asunder and three inches deep, to remain a year or two ; the large 

 roots set again in the borders singly. The sowing of seed is chiefly 

 practise! 1 to obtain new varieties of Martagons ; it should be done in 

 the autumn, soon after the seed is ripe, in pots or boxes of rich light 

 sandy earth, with holes in the bottoms half an inch deep. The pots 

 or boxes should be placed in a sheltered position during the winter, 

 and refrenhed often at first with water. The plants will appear in 

 the spring ; in August they should be transplanted into nursery-beds 

 in flat drills an inch deep and three or four inches asunder. After 

 having grown in this situation till the August or September following 



HAT. HIST. DIV. VOL. III. 



! they should be again transplanted into another bed, and at greater 

 ' distances ; after which they may be finally removed into the pleasure- 

 | ground. The bulbs should be planted singly, as they soon increase 

 by offsets into large bunches. All the species and varieties of Lilium 

 are valuable as plants of ornament for the beauty of their flowers, 

 which have a noble appearance. They are proper for the pleasure- 

 ground, and if planted with judgment succeed each other in blooming 

 upwards of three months. The Common White Lily, the Orange- 

 Lily, and Martagon will thrive under trees. The Orange-Lily also 

 answers well for small gardens and confined situations in towns and 

 cities. 



(Babington, Manual of British Botany ; Fraas, Synopsis Plantarum 

 fierce Classicce ; Rees, Encyclopedia.) 



LILY. [LILIUM.] 



LILY-BEETLE. The Crioetrii merdiyera, a species of Coleoptera, is 

 thus named. [CRIOCERID.E.J 



LILY-ENCRINITE. [ENCMNITES.] 



LIMA. [PECTINIBBANCBIATA.] 



LIMACELLA. [LIMAX.] 



LIMACID^E. [LIMAX.] 



LIMACINA. [HYAL*ID>E.] 



LIMACI'NEA, M. De Blainville's name for his third family of 

 Pulmobranchiata, the first order of his second sub-class, Paracephalo- 

 phora Monoica. M. de Blainville thus defines the family, which 

 comprises the genus Helix of Linnceus : 



Animal very variable in form ; the head provided with two pair of 

 tentacula completely retractile into the interior, the posterior pair 

 longest, carrying the eyes on their extremities ; one tooth in the upper 

 lip ; the lingual mass small, and covered with a skin beset with 

 microscopic teeth. 



Shell of a form as variable as the body of the animal, rarely sub- 

 ampullaceous, often normal, oval, or globular, sometimes turriculated, 

 pupaceous, or discoid, almost constantly without an epidermis, rarely 

 hairy (velue), with the summit always blunt; the aperture round, 

 semiluuar, oval or angular, but never notched. 



M. De Blainville adds, as an observation, that all the animals of this 

 family are terrestrial ; and that, with the exception of Testacella, all 

 feed on vegetable substances. 



The following are the genera comprehended under the Limacinea 

 in the ' Malacologie ' of the author above quoted : 



Succinea, comprehending also Amphibulimus of Lamarck. 



Hit/tin us, comprehending also Bulimnlus of Leach. 



Achatina, comprehending also the genera Liyuus of Denys de 

 Montfort, and Polyphemus of the same author. 



Clausilia. 



Pupa, comprehending also the genera Chondrus of Cuvier, Gibbus 

 of Denys de Montfort, Vertigo of Miiller, and Partula of De Fdrussac. 



Tomogeres of De Montfort (Anostoma of Lamarck). 



Helix, comprehending the genera Carocolla, Lamarck ; Iberus, De 

 Montfort; Caracolus, De Montfort; Acav us, Da Montfort; Helicdla, 

 Lamarck ; and Zonites, De Montfort. 



Helicolimax (Vitrine), including the genus Helicarion of De Fdrus- 

 sac ; Testacella, Parmacella, Jjimacella. 



Limax, including the genera Arion, De Ferussac; Philomique of 

 Rafincsque ; and Eumele of the last-named author. 



Onchidium, including Veronicetta, Blainville. [HELICID.E; LIMAX.] 



LIMAX, the Latin name for those air-breathing naked Gastropodous 

 Molluscs, so injurious to the agriculturist and horticulturist, vernacu- 

 larly known by the name of Slugs. 



Linnaeus employed the term Limax as a generic appellation for the 

 Naked Slugs, placing the genus at the head of his ( Vermes) Mollusca, 

 and comprehending under it eight species, all terrestrial excepting the 

 last, namely, L. papillosus, to which he assigns the European Ocean 

 as a locality, adding that the animal is submarine, and should probably 

 be rather referred to the genus Doris. 



The following is the definition given by LiniKuus : 



Body oblong, repent, with a fleshy shield above and a longitudinal 

 flat disc below. A dextral lateral foramen for the genitals and 

 excrements. Four tentacles above the mouth. (' Systema Naturte,' 

 ed. 12, 1767.) 



In addition to this employment of the term, Linnieus used the 

 word Limax to designate the soft parts of most of the genera of his 

 ( Vermes) Testacea, indeed of all that progress upon a flattened disc or 

 foot, marine as well as terrestrial ; for the very imperfect information 

 of the time when he wrote did not enable him to make those dis- 

 tinctions which modern zoologists have pointed out, aided by more 

 copious materials, and by the labours of accurate zootomists and 

 observers bestowed upon those materials. Thus we find in the 

 ' Systema Naturae :' " Conus. Animal Limax." " Cyprcea. Animal 

 Limax." " alla. Animal Limax." " Valuta. Animal Limax." In 

 short, the animal of each genus of his ' Univalvia spirit regulari,' with, 

 the exception of Argonattta and Nautilus, is stated to be a Limax ; 

 and the same animal is also assigned to Patella, which stands at tho 

 head of his ' Univalvia absque spinl regulari.' 



Cuvier, in the first edition of his ' Rfcgne Animal ' (1817), places the 

 'Limaces' (Limax, Linn.) at the head of his Pulmonds Terrestres, 

 nearly all of which he describes as having four tentacles ; two or three 

 only of very small size not having exhibited the lower pair " n'ont 



2 r 



