A P O 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



A P O 



rudiment of a flower. Flower inferior, hermaphrodite, almost 

 entirely lying hid between the foot-stalks. Calix : involucre- 

 proper univalve; valvelets lanceolate, compressed, rigid, dou- 

 ble-toothed at the tip, smooth, embracing the flower with its 

 margins beneath, opposite to the common involucre. Glume 

 one-flowered, two-valved ; valvelets membranaceous, trans- 

 parent, shorter than the involucre ; the exterior navicular, 

 gibbous on the back, keeled, contracted towards the tip, acu- 

 minate ; the interior ventricose, somewhat sharp, smaller. 

 Corolla : glume bivalve, membranaceous, extremely thin, 

 transparent ; valve exterior navicular, compressed, smooth, 

 hyaline, gibbous on the back, bitid, acute, awned below the 

 tip, hid within the exterior valve of the calix, and shorter than 

 it ; the interior lanceolate, flat, acute, doubled together at 

 each margin, the exterior rather longer ; nectary very small, 

 two-leaved, truncate-rounded, hyaline. Stamina: rilamenta 

 three, capillary ; antherse linear, bifid on each side. Pistil : 

 i;eruien oblong, small ; styles two, capillary, upright, longer 

 than the germen ; stigmas oblong, villose, spreading, pro- 

 truded on each side from the flower. Pericarp .- none ; co- 

 rolla cherishes the seed, gapes, and drops it. Seed : ovate- 

 oblong, compressed, smooth. Flower superior, smaller. Ca- 

 i'u .- glume two-flowered, two-valved ; valves lanceolate, 

 iiroadish, flat, sharp, nervose, nearly equal; one floscule 

 ieinale, the other male or neuter. Corolla : of the female, 

 glume bi val ve ; valves membranaceous, hyaline; the exterior 

 ventricose, cornered, sharp-pointed; the interior lanceolate, 

 narrower, shorter, obtuse. Glume of the male, bivalve ; 

 v alves lanceolate, membranaceous, hyaline ; the exterior 

 somewhat ventricose, sharp ; the interior narrower, shorter. 

 Nectary on both, as in the inferior flower. Stamina : of the 

 male, as in the inferior flower. Pistil of the female, as in the 

 inferior flower. Pericarp and Seed of the female as in the 

 inferior flower. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : glume com- 

 mon, bivalve ; female floret sessile ; males peduncled. 

 Male. Calix : none. Corolla : bivalve. Stamina : three. 

 Female. Catix : none. Corolla : bivalve. Style : one. Seed : 

 one, covered. The species are, 



1. Apluda Mutica. Leaves lanceolate ; all the flowers 

 awnless ; culm very long, weak, smooth. Native of India. 



2. Apluda Aristata. Leaves lanceolate ; male flowers 

 awnless, except one at the end, which is sessile and awned ; 

 culm a foot long, inflected. Native of India. 



3. Apluda Zugites ; Mountain Reed Grass. Leaves ovate ; 

 male flowers awnless ; one at the end sessile and awned. 

 This curious little plant is a native of Jamaica. 



4. Apluda Digitata. Spikes digitate ; flowers pointing 

 one way. A lofty East Indian grass. 



Apocynum ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Digy- 

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

 five-parted, acute, short, permanent. Corolla : monopetalous, 

 bell-shaped, semiquinquefld ; divisions revolute. Nectary, 

 of five glandular oval corpuscles surrounding the germen. 

 Stamina: filamenta very short; antherae oblong, erect, acute, 

 bifid at the base, converging. Pistil: germen two, ovate ; 

 styles short ; stigma roundish, bifid at the tip, muricate, 

 glued to the antherae. Pericarp .- follicles two, long, acumi- 

 nate, one-valved, one-celled. Seeds: numerous, very small, 

 crowned with a long down Receptacle .- subulate, very long, 

 rough, free. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla.- bell-shaped. 

 Nectaries : five, alternate with the stamina. The first three 

 species are propagated by parting the roots in March. They 

 flower in July, are hardy, and will thrive in a light dry soil. 

 The fourth will bear the open air in a warm situation and 

 dry soil. All the rest are tender, and may be propagated 

 by cuttings, and must be constantly kept in a hot-house, 



plunged into a tan-bed. They rarely seed in England, and 

 are an ornament at all seasons, retaining beautiful green 

 leaves throughout the year. The species are, 



1. Apocynum Androsaemifolium ; Tutsan-leaved Dog't- 

 bane. Stem straightish, herbaceous ; leaves ovate, smooth 

 on both sides ; cymes terminating. Root perennial ; corolla 

 white. This plant is said to kill the flies that alight upon it. 

 The Canadian French say, that it is poisonous to some per- 

 sons, but harmless to others. Kalm relates, that he saw a 

 soldier whose hands were blistered all over, merely from 

 plucking it ; whereas he frequently rubbed his own hands 

 with the juice, without feeling any inconvenience. Native 

 of Virginia and Canada ; flowering from July till September. 



2. Apooynum Cannabinum ; Hemp Dug's bane. Stem 

 straightish, herbaceous ; leaves oblong, in pairs, abounding 

 with a milky juice ; cymes lateral, longer than the leaf. 

 Native place and flowering time, same as No. 1. 



3. Apocynum Hypericifolium ; St. John s-H'ort- leaved 

 Dog's bane. Stem straightish, herbaceous ; leaves oblong- 

 cordate, smooth ; cymes shorter than the leaf. Root pe- 

 rennial, creeping ; flower small, scentless, and white. The 

 whole plant is smooth, and abounds in milk. Flowers in 

 June and July. Native of North America. 



4. Apocynum Venetum ; Spear-leaved Dogs-bane. Stem 

 straightish, herbaceous ; leaves ovate-lanceolate. Root pe- 

 rennial ; stems two feet high. It varies with purple and 

 withwhiteflowers, which appear in Julyand August. Found 

 in the Adriatic Islands. 



5. Apocynum Minutum; Petty Dog's-bane. Stem pros- 

 trate ; leaves hastate. Found at the Cape of Good Hope. 



6. Apocynum Filiforme ; Thread- leaved Dog's-bane. Stem 

 prostrate, herbaceous; leaves filiform ; flowers umbelled. 

 Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 



7. Apocynum Frutescens ; Shrubby Dogs-bane. Stem 

 erect, shrubby ; leaves lanceolate-oval ; corollas acute, vil- 

 lose at the throat ; flowers small, in loose bunches, and of a 

 purple colour. Native of the East Indies, Ceylon, and the 

 coast of Guinea. 



8. Apocynum Reticulatum ; Net-leaved Dog's-bane. Stem 

 twining, perennial ; leaves ovate, veined. The leaves of 

 this species are of a dark and very shining green, with a 

 beautiful net of milky veins. Native of the East Indies, 

 and Cochin-china. 



9. Apocynum Lineare ; Linear-leaved Dog's-bane. Stem 

 twining, herbaceous ; leaves linear, flat; umbells axillary, 

 compound. Native of the Cape. 



10. Apocynum Triflorum ; Tliree-jlancered Dog's-bane. 

 Stem twining, herbaceous ; leaves lanceolate ; umbels ax- 

 illary, two or three flowered. Native of the Cape. 



1 1 . Apocynum Juventas ; Renovating Dog's-bane. Stem 

 twining, shrubby; leaves ovate, hairy; racemes dichoto- 

 mous. Flowers greenish-yellow colour. A native of Cochin- 

 china, where the country physicians imagine the root of this 

 plant to refresh the animal spirits to such a degree, as by 

 long-continued use to endow old age with all the strength 

 and vigour of youth. 



12. Apocynum Alterniflorum ; AUernate-fiowered Dog's- 

 bane. Stem climbing, shrubby ; leaves ovate, acuminate, 

 smooth ; axils alternate, umbelliferous. Flowers pale, and 

 scentless. Native of the islands near Canton in China. 



13. Apocynum Africanum ; African Dog's-bane. Stem 

 suberect, shrubby ; leaves ovate-oblong 5 peduncles two or 

 three flowered. Stem eight feet high ; flower pale. Found 

 in a sandy plain upon the coast of Zanguebar in Africa. 



14. Apocynum Scandens ; Climbing Dog's-bane. Leaves 

 oblong-cordate, stiff ; flowers lateral ; stem shrubby, twining. 



