357 



DIOSPYROS. 



DIPLODACTYLUS. 



353 



and in almost every part of India. One species extends southward 

 to Australia ; one, I). Lotus, to Switzerland ; and D. Virginiana, into 

 the United States of America. As some are remarkable for the wood 

 which they afford, and others on account of their fruit, it is necessary 

 only to notice a few of each, though the whole require the labours of 

 a monographist. 



D. Ebenux, the True Ebony, and that which is considered to be of 

 the best quality, is a large tree, a native of Mauritius, Ceylon, and 

 apparently also of Madagascar ; for D. lanceolata, Poir., collected by 

 Commerson in that island, is considered the same. The leaves are 

 very smooth, short, petioled, alternate, bifarious, oblong in shape, 

 the buds very hairy ; male flowers sub-racemed, with about twenty 

 anthers, the hermaphrodite solitary, octandrous. Large quantities 

 of the ebony of this species have been sometimes imported into 

 Europe. 



Ebony U well known as a hard black-coloured wood brought from 

 the hot parts of the world. The Greek name is t0fi>os, from which 

 the Latin Ebenus and our word Ebony have been immediately derived. 

 It is first mentioned by Ezekiel, xxvii. 15, but in the plural, hobnem, 

 where the men of Dedan are described as bringing to Tyre horns of 

 ivory and ebony. The Persian name, abnoos, is that by which it is 

 commonly known all -over India ; it is probable therefore that the 

 name, like the wood itself, had an eastern origin. From its hardness, 

 durability, susceptibility of a fine polish, and colour, which has almost 

 become another name for blackness, ebony has always been in high 

 estimation, and in the present day is much used for mosaic work and 

 t ornamental inlayings, though cheaper woods dyed black are frequently 

 substituted. 



Herodotus (iii. 97) mentions ebony as part of the presents brought 

 in considerable quantities to the king of Persia by the people of 

 Ethiopia. Dioscorides describes two kinds one Ethiopian, which 

 was considered the best ; and the other Indian, which was intermixed 

 with whitish stripes and spotted ; and hence commentators have dis- 

 puted whether there were one or two kinds of ebony. But the fact 

 is that several trees yield this kind of wood, and all belong to the 

 genus Diotpyroi. Owing to the known geographical distribution of 

 this genus, the ancients must have derived their ebony either from 

 the peninsula of India and the island of Ceylon, or by the coasting 

 trade from Madagascar ; for no species of Diospyrog has yet been 

 discovered by botanists in the upper parts of Egypt or in Abyssinia, 

 though it is not improbable that gome may be found, as the climate 

 is well suited to their existence. 



D. Sberuuter. This is also a tree of considerable magnitude, a 

 native of Ceylon, of which the leaves are coriaceous and smooth on 

 both sides, and the buds smooth. 



D. reliculala (Teaelaria, Poir.) U another elevated tree, a native of 

 Mauritius, of which the heart- wood forms Ebony. 



D. melanoxylon t described and figured by Humph, iiL, ' Corom. 

 Plants,' 1 to 46, by Dr. Roxburgh, is the Ebony-Tree of the Coro- 

 mandel coast. It is found on the mountains of that coast as well as 

 of Malabar and in Ceylon. It grows to be very large, particularly the 

 male tree, of which the wood is also most esteemed. The leaves, 

 which are sub-opposite, oval, oblong, obtuse, and villous, are deciduous 

 in the cold season, the new ones appearing with the flowers in April 

 and May ; as in other species, it is only the centre of large trees that 

 is black And valuable, and this vari in quantity according to the age 

 of the tree. The outside wood, which is white and soft, time and 

 insects soon destroy, leaving the black untouched. The ripe fruit is 

 eaten by the natives, though rather astringent, as is also the bark. 

 />. tomentom and D. Roylei are other Indian species which yield 

 ebony. 



Several species of the genus bear fruit, which, though clammy and 

 sub-astringent, is eaten by the natives of the countries where the trees 

 are indigenous. We need name only the most celebrated, as D. lotus, 

 a native of Africa, and now common in the south of Europe, which 

 bean a small yellow sweetish fruit about the size of a cherry, and 

 which has by some been supposed to be the famous Lotus of the 

 Ix>tophagi ; but this is more likely to have been the Jujube, called 

 by botanists Zizyphui Lot at. 



D. Jfaki is celebrated in China and Japan : specimens introduced 

 into the Botanic Garden of Calcutta were found to be identical with 

 others from Nepanl. The fruit is described by Dr. Roxburgh as being 

 tolerably pleasant. It is esteemed in China, where it attains the size 

 of an orange, and is frequently sent to Europe in a dried state, and 

 called the Date-Plum of China, and also Keg-Fig of Japan. 



D. diicolor of the Philippine Islands also bears a fruit which is 

 esteemed, and called Mabolo. 



/>. \'ii-i/iniana, the Persimmon-Tree, is indigenous in North Ame- 

 rica, especially in the middle and southern parts of the United States, 

 where it attains a height of 60 feet, but it does not flourish beyond 

 U N*. lat. The fruit while green is excessively astringent, but when 

 ripe, and especially after it has been touched by the frost, it is'sweet 

 and palatable. The fleshy part separated from the seeds is made into 

 cakes, which are dried and preserved. A kind of cider has also been 

 made from this fruit, and a spirituous liquor distilled from its fer- 

 mented infusion. 



/A ;/lutinoKi also affords a fruit which, though edible, is far from 

 palatable, but more valuable as an article of commerce. The tree is 



middle-sized, a native of the moist valleys amongst the mountains of 

 the Circars, and all aloug the foot of the Himalayas to 30" N. lat. Sir 

 William Jones first mentioned what is well known throughout Bengal, 

 that the astringent viscid mucus of the fruit is used for paying the 

 bottoms of boats. The unripe fruit contaius a large proportion of 

 tannin, and its infusion is employed to steep fishiug-uets in to make 

 them more durable. 



DIOTIS (double-eared, from Sis, double, and our, arts, an ear), a 

 genus of Plants belonging to the natural order Composite, the tribe 

 Senecionidce, and the section Anthemidea. It has homogamous disco'i- 

 dal heads ; florets hermaphrodite, tubular, the tube compressed, with 

 two auricles at the base ; the receptacle convex with concave downy- 

 topped scales ; the involucre bell-shaped, imbricated ; the fruit 

 is compressed, and is crowned with the persistent auricled tube of 

 the corolla. 



D. maritima is the only British speciea. The whole plant is densely 

 cottony and white ; the stem is about a foot high, recumbent below, 

 densely leafy and corymbose above ; the leaves sessile, oblong, obtuse, 

 flat, crenate, persistent ; the heads in terminal corymbose tufts ; the 

 flowers are yellow. It is found on sandy sea-shores, but is a rare 

 plant. 2>iotii is adopted by some botanists as the name of a genus of 

 plants belonging to the Chenopodiacete, the Axyria ceratoidea of 

 Liunams. It is a shrub of no great beauty, and is found wild iu 

 Siberia, and some parts of Austria. It thrives well in a light soil, 

 and is easily increased by layers or cuttings under a hand-glass. 



(Babington, Manual ; Koch, flora Germanica.) 



DIOXYLITE, a native Sulphato-Carbonate of Lead. [LEAD ] 



DIPHANITE. [PREHNITE.] 



DIPHUCE'PHALA, a genus of Coleopterous Insects belonging to 

 the Lamellicornes, section Phyllophagi. 



This genus appears to be confined to Australia, and the species of 

 which it is composed are distinguished from those of allied genera 

 chiefly by their having the clypeus deeply emarginated ; they are of 

 an oblong form ; the thorax is attenuated anteriorly, the elytra are 

 somewhat depressed, and the abdomen is veiy convex. The antennae 

 are 8-jointed, and the club is composed of 3 joints; the anterior 

 tibiae are generally deutated externally ; the anterior tarsi of the 

 males have the four basal joints dilated, and furnished with a velvet- 

 like substance beneath, and all the claws are bind. 



A rich golden-green appears to be the prevailing colour of these 

 insects, and we understand that they are found on flowers. 



D. sericea (Kirby) is nearly half an inch in length, of a golden- 

 green hue, and has a silk-like gloss on the upper parts ; the legs are 

 red ; the anterior tibia: have an obtuse tooth-like process on the outer 

 side, near the apex ; the head and thorax are very thickly and 

 delicately punctured; the elytra are coverdd with confluent punc- 

 tures, which are arranged in longitudinal rows, and each elytron has 

 two smooth elevated stria; ; the under parts of the body are covered 

 with white scale-like hairs. This is the largest species known ; there 

 are however many which are nearly equal to it iu size. 



(Transactions of tJte Entomological Society of London, vol. i.) 



DIPHYD^E. [ACALEPH*:.] 



DIPHYDES. [ACALEPIIA] 



DIPHYES. [AcALEPH*.] 



DIPHYLLIDIA. [INFEKOBRANCUIATA.] 



DIPHYSA. [ACALEPH*.] 



DIPLACA'NTHUS, a genus of Fossil Placoid Fishes, from the 

 Old Red-Sandstune of Scotland. Agassiz admits four species. 

 (Reports of British Asiociation for 1842.) 



DIPLAZIUM, a genus of Ferns. The rhizonias of one species, 

 D. etculentum, are eaten. 



DIPLEU'RA, a genus of Triloliles, proposed by Green. 



DIPLOCLUNUM, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Begoniacece. 



DIPLOCTE'NIUM, a fossil genus of Lamelliferous Corals, allied 

 to Turbinolia, from Msestricht. [MADHEPHYLLIIEA.] 



DIPLODA'CTYLUS, a genus of Lizards established by Dr. J. E. 

 Gray, and regarded by him as forming a new genus in the family of 

 Oeckot, 



Generic Character. Scales sub-conformable, minute, smooth ; the 

 abdominal scales rather large ; the caudal scales annulate and larger ; 

 the labial scales moderate, distinct, the three anterior ones on each 

 side much the largest ; no gular scales. Tail cylindrical, veutricose. 

 Toes 5, 5, simple, subequal, subcyliudrical, the points subdilatcd, 

 bifid beneath, with two oval oblique smooth fleshy discs ; claws 

 5, 5, small, very retractile. No femoral pores. (Gray.) 



This genus differs from Phyllodactylus of the same zoologist in 

 having the under sides of the tips of the toes furnished with two 

 rather large oblong tubercles, truncated at the tip, and forming two 

 oval discs placed obliquely, one on each side of the claw, instead of 

 having, as in Phyllodactylus, two membrauaceous scales. The scales 

 of Diplodactylus are moreover uniform, whilst in Phyllodactylua there 

 is a row of larger scales, extending along the back. 



D. vtttfUus, the Yellow-Crowned Diplodactyle. Brown, with a 

 broad longitudinal dorsal fillet ; limbs aud tail margined with rows 

 of yellow spots. 



There are two rows of rather distant small spots on each side of 

 the body ; the spots become larger on the upper surface of the tail, 



