SPIOELIACE.fi. 



SPINELLANE. 



871 



& AnlMmia, Annual Worm-Gram, is n herbaceous annual, with 

 branched nearly square item*; ovate or oblong-acute leaven, with 

 abort petiolM ; floral leave* four in a whorl ; funnel-shaped corolla, 

 and inclosed stamen*. It is a native of Guyana, Trinidad, and Brazil. 

 It possesses powerful narcotic properties, and ii used in the lame 

 manner aa the hut. ThU ipaciea 11 often cultivated : it has small 

 pale nd flower*. 



SPIUELI A'CE.K, a imall natural order of PlanU belonging to the 

 monopetaloua sub-class of Exogena. The order consists of herbaceous 

 plant* or under-iihrubs, with opposite, entire, stipulate leaves, and 

 flowers arranged in 1 -aided spikes. The calyx is inferior, regularly 

 5-parUd ; corolla regular, with five lobes, having a valvate (estivation ; 

 ntamens 5, inserted in the corolla, all in the same line ; pollen-grains 

 3-eornered, with globular angles; ovary superior, 2-celled ; fruit a 

 capsule, 2-valved, many-seeded, valves turned inwards at the margin, 

 and Migrating from the central placenta ; embryo very small, lying 

 in the midst of fleshy albumen, with the radicle next the hilum. 



The order consists of two genera, Canala and Spigtlia, the species 

 of which are native* of America, [SFIOELIA.] 



SPIKE. [IsrU>KEBCESCE.] 



SPIKENARD U a substance which has enjoyed celebrity from the 

 earliest period of the world's history, and has engaged the attention 

 of numerous commentators on the works of the ancients, as well as 

 of tome modern authors. It is interesting therefore not only as 

 makiiig us acquainted with one of the substances known to and 

 esteemed by the Greeks and Romans, but it is important likewise as 

 being mentioned in the Bible, since the Nard of Scripture is supposed 

 to be the same substance as the Nardos of the ancients, called also 

 Ifanlottaehyt (rapoVJ<rTaxvs), and hence Spikenard, the word Stachys 

 being rendered by the word Spike. 



Dioscoride*, in the first chapter of his first book, treats of the 

 various aromatic and stimulant substances which were known to tho 

 ancients, and among these of the various kinds of Nard. Of tho 

 first kind, called simply Nardua (rctpfos), there are two varieties, the 

 one Syrian, the other Indian; the former so called not because it 

 comes from Syria, but because the mountains in which it is produced 

 have one part turned towards Syria and the other towards India. 

 This may rrf.-r either to the Ifiudu-Kush, or to so many Indian 

 products finding their way to Syria, by the way of the Ked Sea and 

 the Euphrates, from the earliest times. The other variety is called 

 Gangitifi, from the river Ganges, near which, while flowing round a 

 mountain, it is produced, bearing many hairy spikes from one root. 

 These are strong-smelling, but those growing in moist situations leas 

 so than those found on the mountains. One variety, he further says, 

 is called Sanphariticon, from the name of a place. This first kind 

 being called Nardus, and distinguished into the Syrian and Indian 

 varieties, the second kind he calls Celtic Nard (wipSoj KtArudj), and 

 the third kind a Mountain Nard (yopooi iptu^i). On consulting 

 Avicenna, we are referred from Narden to Sunbul, pronounced Sum- 

 bul, and in the Latin translation from Nardum to Spies, under which 

 the Roman, the mountain, the Indian, and Syrian kinds are mentioned. 

 This proves, aa has been already stated by Sir William Jones, that 

 Sunibul, Ac., was always considered by Arabian authors as synony- 

 mous with the Nardos of the Greeks. In Persian works on Materia 

 Molic*, all translated from the Arabic, as, for instance, the 'Mukhzun- 

 al-Adwieb,' or ' Magazine of Medicines,' we have four different kinds 

 of Sunbul : 1, Sunbul Hindee ; 2, Sunbul Roomee, called also 

 Sunbul Ukletee, and Narden Ukletec, evidently the above Celtic Nard, 

 said also to be calU-d Sunbul lulion, that is, the nard which grows in 

 Italy ; 3, Sunbul Jibullee, or Mountain Nard : hence it is evident that 

 the kinds described by Dioacorides are alluded to, and in fact the 

 account* given are merely translations of his descriptions. The 

 fourth kind of Sunbul appear* to be a hyacinth or polyanthus. But 

 the first is that with which alone we are at present concerned. The 

 svnonyms given to it are Arabic, Sunbul al-Teeb, or Fragrant 

 Nard ; Qreik, Narden ; Latin, Nardoom ; and Hindee, Balchur, and 

 JaUmasee. 



Having the Hindee and Sanscrit names of an Indian plant, the next 

 step was to obtain it This was first attempted by Sir William Jones, 

 at a time when we had no access to the Himalayan Mountains, and a 

 wrong plant was sent him. Dr. Royle inform* us that on makiug 

 inquiries on the subject, when at Saharunporr, in 30" N. lat, about 30 

 mile* from the foot of the Himalaya*, he learnt that Jatamansi, better 

 known in India by the name Bal-Cbur, was yearly brought down in 

 considerable quantities from the mountains, such as Sbalma Kedar- 

 kanta, near the Ganges and Jumna riven, to the plains. Having 

 obtained some of the fresh brought down roots, be planted them both 

 |n the East India Company'* BoUnio Garden, and in the mountain*, 

 in a nursery attached to it The plant produced was found to belong 

 to the natural order Valtrvmatta, and has been named Nardottachyi 

 Jatamanri by De Candolle, and formerly Patrinia Jatamatui by 

 Mr. Don, from plant* sent home by Dr. Wallich from Qossaintban, a 

 mountain of NepauL Mr. Don obtained tho additional corroboration 

 that spikenard bought in a chemist's shop by this name exactly 

 corresponded with the root* of the Jatamansi. (Royle, ' Illust 

 Himalayan Dot.,' p. 242.) 



Hence there can be no doubt that the Nardos described by Diosco- 

 rides is the Jatamansi of the Hindoo*, and probably the same substance 



which has been mentioned by such writers as Hippocrates; and there 

 is nothing improbable in its being the Nard of Scripture, and it has 

 been shown to be a plant belonging to the natural order Valerianaeta:. 

 It U curious that the Celtic and mountain nards are also Valerian*, 

 tho former being yielded by Valervna Oettica and V. Saluatca, still 

 exported from the mountains of Austria to Egypt, whence it has 

 spread into both Africa and Asia, being valued for its fragrance, and 

 heuce employed in perfuming baths ; and the other by F. tuUnaa. 

 Dr. Royle mentions it as a curious coincidence, if not allowed to be a 

 sign of accurate knowledge, that the Persians should translate the 

 4>v of Dioscorides, which he also calls Wild Nard, Foo of the Arabians, 

 by the term Bekh-i-Sunbul, Root of Soonbul. The plant correctly 

 ascertained by Sibthorp has been named by him Fa/mono 

 Dtoscoridii. 



SPILANTHUS, a genus of PlanU belonging to tho natural order 

 Compotita: and the sub-order Corymbifcra. It has a many-flowered 

 head, either heterogamous with the florets of the ray ligulate, or 

 homogamous with all the florets tabular and 5-toothed ; the involucre 

 is in two rows, adpressed, shorter than the disc, the outer scales 

 somewhat leafy, the inner rather membranous and folded up. 



S. oleracea, has a branched diffused stem ; opposite stalked broadly 

 ovate leaves, obtuse at the base, truncate or somewhat cordate ; tho 

 pedicles are 1 -headed, longer than the leaf; the heads thick, ovate, 

 and discoidal; the achtenia ciliated at the angles, bi-aristate or awnle&s. 

 The whole plant, but especially the involucre and receptacle, acts as a 

 powerful stimulant of the salivary organs. 



(Liudley, Flora Medico.) 



SPINACH. [SriNACiA.] 



SPINA'CIA, a genus of Plants belonging to tho natural order 

 Chcnopodiacta. This genus U dioecious, the male and female flowers 

 being on different plants; the male flowers are composed of a calyx, 

 with 5 deeply cloven concave oblong obtuse segments ; 5 stamens, 

 with filaments longer than the calyx, with oblong double anthers. 

 Tho female flowers have a monosepalous calyx, with four divisions, 

 two of which are smaller and opposite ; a superior ovary with 4 styles 

 and simple stigmas. As the fruit ripens the calyx hardens and adheres 

 to it. The ovary contains a single seed. There are only two species, 

 which are herbaceous plants with alternate leaves, and axillary flowers 

 of a green colour. 



S. oleracea, the Common Spinach, is well known on account of its 

 use in the kitchen. It has an herbaceous stem one or two feet high, 

 branched, and hollow ; arrow-shaped leaves ; male flowers in loug 

 spike*, abounding with pollen ; female flowers on another plant, 

 axillary, herbaceous, aud small The fruit is a small round nut, 

 which is sometimes very prickly. 



SPINDLE-TREE. [CELASTRACE* ; EUONYMDS.] 



Sl'INK. [SKKI.ETOS.] 



Sl'INK, iu Botany, is applied to the sharp hard conical extremities 

 of the branches of plants. The spine is seen in great perfection in 

 the Gleditschia, Sloe, White-Thorn, and other plant*. Spines differ 

 from prickles in being in connection with tho wood of the stem, and 

 in being composed of bark and wood, as the stem itself. The prickle 

 consist* of merely hardened cellular tissue, and can be removed from 

 the wood with the bark. 



SPINE-BACKS, a name given to tho Xolocanthitlir, a family of 

 Acanthoptcrygious Fishes. 



Sl'INELL, Spinell Ruby, Baliu Ruby, Ceylanite, Candite, &c., a 

 Mineral occurring in loose and imbedded octahedral crystals. Primary 

 form the cube. Cleavage easy, parallel to the faces of the octohedron 

 of the black opaque variety ; difficult in the other varieties. Fracture 

 conchoid.il. Hardness greater than that of quartz, but let's than that 

 of corundum. Colour red, blue, violet, green, yellow, brown, and 

 black. The first is the most common. Streak white. Lustre vitreous. 

 Transparent, translucent, opaque. Specific gravity 3'5 to 37. Infu- 

 sible by the blow-pipe ; the red varieties arc rendered black and become 

 opaque by exposure to it, but on cooling, at first of a fine green by 

 transmitted light, then nearly colourless, and at last become again red. 



Spinell is found in Ceylon and Siain in isolated and railed crystals 

 in the beds of rivers. It is found embedded iu carbonate of lime iu 

 North America and Sweden. 



Several varieties have been analysed : red transparent gpiucll by 

 Vauquelin ; blue, by Kcrzelius ; green and black, by Dr. Thomson : 



Silica 

 Alumina 

 Magneiia . 

 Protoxide of Iron 

 Lime 

 Chromic Acid 



Red. 



82-47 

 8-78 



; U 

 97-43 



Blue. 



C-48 

 72-25 

 14-83 



4-26 



96 (>> 



Green. 



5-62 

 78-30 

 13-63 



7-42 

 trace 



Black. 



5-59 

 61-78 

 17-86 

 10-56 



2-81 



09-97 98-60 



SPINET/LANK, a Mineral occurring crystallised. IU primary form 

 is the cube ; its uual form the rhombic dodecahedron. Cleavage 

 parallel to the faces of the dodecahedron. Fracture conchoidal, 

 uneven. Hardness 5'5 to 6. Colour brown, gray, grayish black. 

 Lustre vitreous. Translucent; opaque. Specific gravity 2'28. It 

 gelatinises iu acids. 



