ALA 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



A L C 



71 



any other part by their striking a black colour with vitriol 

 of iron. Some foreign physicians of eminence have recom- 

 mended a decoction of this herb in the quinsy ; it is not 

 employed among us, but is constantly found mixed with 

 the vulnerary herbs imported from Switzerland. 



6. Ajuga Decumbens ; Japanese Bugle. Decumbent and 

 villous ; leaves obovate, toothed. The flowers in whorls, 

 small, and blue. This plant sends up many stems : it may 

 be propagated in the same manner as the first species. 



Aizoon ; a genus of the class Icosandria, order Pentagynia. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed, di- 

 vided into five lanceolate permanent segments. Corolla: 

 none. Stamina .- filaments very many, capillary, inserted by 

 bunches into the sinuses of the calix ; anther* simple. 

 Pistil : germ five-cornered, superior ; styles five, simple ; 

 stigmas simple. Pericarp: capsule five-celled, five-valved, 

 swelling, and retuse. Seeds: several, roundish, or kidney- 

 shaped. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix -. five-parted. Pe- 

 tals: none. Capsule: superior, five-celled, five-valved. 



The species are, 



1. Aizoon Canariense ; Purslane-leaved Aizoon. Leaves 

 wedge-ovate ; flowers sessile. This species is an annual 

 plant, and a native of the Canary islands ; it must be raised 

 on a moderate hot-bed in the spring, and when fit to re- 

 move, should be carefully planted in a small pot filled with 

 light fresh earth, and plunged into another bed, shaded 

 from the sun, until they have again taken root ; after this 

 they must be gradually hardened to the open air, into which 

 they should be removed in June, placing them in a sheltered 

 situation, where they will flower and ripen seed in Septem- 

 ber, soon after which they die. 



2. Aizoon Hispanicum ; Spanish Aizoon. Leaves lanceo- 

 late ; flowers sessile. An annual plant, whose branches trail 

 on the ground, growing naturally in Spain and Africa ; and 

 which, as the flowers have no beauty, is only preserved by 

 those who are curious in collecting rare plants. It is pro- 

 pagated like the preceding, in which they produce better 

 flwers, requiring a poor sandy soil. 



3. Aizoon Lanceolatum ; Panicled Aizoon. Leaves lan- 

 ceolate ; flowers panicled. This is of humble growth, and 

 perishes soon after the seeds are ripe ; grows naturally at 

 the Cape ; and may be propagated in the same manner as 

 the two preceding species. 



4. Aizoon Sarmentosum. Leaves linear, filiform ; panicle 

 dichotomous; flowers solitary, peduncled. Native rf the 

 Cape. 



5. Aizoon Paniculatum ; Panicled Aizoon. Shaggy ; 

 leaves lanceolate ; flowers sessile ; branches erect. Native 

 of the Cape. 



6. Aizoon Perfoliatum ; Perfoliate Aizoon. Downy; leaves 

 inversely ovate, conjoined, crystalline dotted ; flowers pe- 

 duncled. Native of the Cape. 



7- Aizoon Glinoides ; Hairy Aizoon. Shaggy, herbace- 

 ous, procumbent ; leaves ovate ; flowers sessile, distinct. 

 Native of the Cape. 



8. Aizoon Secundum. Shag-hoary, herbaceous, procum- 

 bent ; leaves ovate ; flowers sessile, imbricate, one-ranked. 



-This species also is a native of the Cape. 



. Aizoon Fruticosum ; Shrubby Aizoon. Shrubby, erect, 

 smooth ; leaves lanceolate ; flowers sessile. A native of 

 the Cape. 



10. Aizoon Rigidum ; Stiff Aizoon. Shrubby, procum- 

 bent, downy ; leaves ovate; flowers sessile, remote. A na- 

 tive of the Cape. 



Ai.znon. See Sedum. 



Alaternoides. See Cluy'tia. 



Alaternus. See Rhammis. 



Albuca ; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Monogyma. 

 ^GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : none. Corolla : petals six, 

 oblong-oval, permanent ; the three outer spreading, the three 

 inner converging. Stamina: filaments shorter than the co- 

 rolla, three opposite to the inner petals, linear-subulate, 

 complicate a little about the base, then flat ; three opposite 

 to the outer petals thicker; antherae on the former oblong, 

 fixed to the inflexed tip of the filament below the middle, 

 upright ; on the latter, similar but barren, or rrone. Pistil : 

 germ oblong, triangular ; style three-sided ; stigma a trian- 

 gular pyramid. Pericarp : an oblong, obtuse, triangular, 

 three-celled, three-valved capsule. Seeds : numerous, flat, 

 lying over each other, and widening outwards. ESSENTIAL, 

 CHARACTER. Corolla-, six-petalled ; the inner ones difform. 

 Stamina: three of the six castrated. Stigma: surrounded by 

 three cusps. The roots of these plants are kept in pots filled 

 with light earth, and sheltered under a hot-bed frame in win- 

 ter; but thrive best in a border in front of the greenhouse. 



The species are, 



* Three Stamina only fertile. 



1. Albuca Altissima ; Tall Albuca. Interior petals glan- 

 dulose, and bent in at the tip ; leaves subulate, channelled, 

 convolute. This species flowers in April and May. 



2. Albuca Major ; Great Albuca. Interior petals glandu- 

 lose, and bent in at the tip ; leaves linear-lanceolate, flattish. 

 It is a native of the Cape, and flowers in May. 



3. Albuca Minor ; Small Albuca. Interior petals glandu- 

 lose, and bent in at the tip ; leaves linear-subulate, chan- 

 nelled It flowers in May and June. 



4. Albuca Coarctata; Channel-leaved Albuca. Interior pe- 

 tals vaulted at the tip ; leaves smooth, linear-subulate, chan- 

 nelled ; peduncles the length of the bractes. The flowers 

 are yellow, and appear in May. 



5. Albuca Spiralis ; Spiral-leaved Albuca. Interior petals 

 vaulted at the tip ; leaves spiral. Native of the Cape. 



** All the Stamina fertile. 



6. Albuca Fastigiata ; Upright-Jlowered Albuca. Interior 

 petals vaulted at the tip ; leaves smooth ; peduncles very 

 long. This species flowers in May. 



7. Albuca Viscosa ; Viscose Albuca. Interior petals vaulted 

 at the tip ; leaves hairy-glandulose. This species flowers 

 in May and June. 



8. Albuca Abyssinica ; Abyssinian Albuca. Leaves linear, 

 channelled, smooth. 



Alcea; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order Polyandria. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : double, each one-leafed ; 

 the outer cut half way into six parts, permanent, and very 

 spreading ; the inner cut half way into five parts, larger and 

 permanent. Corolla : five obcordate, emarginate, spreading 

 petals, coalescing at their bases. Stamina: filaments uniting 

 into a sort of five-angled cylinder at bottom, loose at top, 

 and inserted into the corolla ; antherae almost kidney-shaped. 

 Pistil : germ orbiculate ; style cylindric, short ; stigmas 

 about twenty, setaceous, the length of the style. Pericarp : 

 many jointed arils in a ring round a columnar flatted recep- 

 tacle, parting and opening on the inside. Seed: one, flat, 

 kidney-shaped, in each aril. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Ca- 

 lix : double ; outer six-cleft. Arils : many, one-seeded. 

 Plants of this genus are propagated by seeds, which should 

 be selected from those plants whose flowers are the most 

 double, and of the best colours. They must be gathered dry. 

 kept from damp in winter, and sown an inch deep in a bed 

 of light earth in the middle of April. When the young plants 

 have six or eight leaves, they should be transplanted to nur- 

 sery beds, and placed a foot asunder, observing to water them 



