B A C 



Oil, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



B JB. C 



157 



with one or two toothlets, about three feet high ; trunk the 

 thickness of the human arm. This is difficult to propagate, 

 forthe cuttings with great difficulty take root ; and as it rarely 

 has shoots near the roots to lay down, in Holland they lay 

 down the entire head of young plants, slitting the smaller 

 branches in the same manner as is practised for Carnations, 

 laying them into the ground, and forking them down to pre- 

 vent their rising; these, when duly watered, put out roots in 

 one year, when they may be taken off, and placed in small 

 pots filled with light earth, and placed in the shade till they 

 have taken new root : after which they may be placed in a 

 sheltered situation in summer, but in winter must be kept 

 within the protection of the green-house. 



3. Baccharis Arborea. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, quite 

 entire, naked, petioled ; height three feet ; trunk the thickness 

 of the human arm ; seeds streaked. This is the largest of the 

 genus. Observed by Koenig in woods on the island of Joanna. 



4. Baccharis Halmifolia; Sea Purslane-leaved Plough- 

 man's Spikenard, or Groundsel Tree. Leaves obovate, emar- 

 ginate-crenate in the upper part. This is an herbaceous kind 

 of shrub, six, seven, or eight feet high : its foliage continues 

 green throughout the year, flowering in October, and is a na- 

 tive of Virginia, and other parts of North America. This sort 

 may be propagated by cuttings, which should be planted in 

 April or May, upon a shady border, and duly watered in dry 

 weather, until they have taken root ; and at Michaelmas, they 

 will be fit to transplant where they are to remain : this will 

 live in the open air, and is never injured by the cold of our 

 ordinary winters, but severe frost will sometimes destroy it. 

 It was cultivated in 1688 by Bishop Compton. 



5. Baccharis Dioscoridis. Leaves broad, lanceolate, tooth- 

 ed, sessile, stipuled ; stems shrubby, six feet high, weak, a 

 little hairy, much branching, luxuriant. Native of Egypt. 



6. Baccharis Indica. Leaves obovate, toothletted, peti- 

 oled ; branches with raised streaks ; corymb large, termi- 

 nating. Native of Ceylon, and the Cape of Good Hope. 



7. Baccharis Brasiliana. Leaves obovate, entire, scabrous, 

 sessile, veined underneath ; stem somewhat angular ; down 

 ferruginous. Native of Brazil. 



8. Baccharis Foetida. Leaves lanceolate, serrate, toothed; 

 corymbs leafy. This rises with a woody stem six or seven 

 feet high. It is a native of Carolina, and some other parts 

 ofNorth America. It maybe propagated by cuttings, planted 

 towards the end of May; if shaded and duly watered, they 

 will put out roots in two months, when they should be potted, 

 that they may be sheltered under a frame in winter. 



9. Baccharis Chinensis. Leaves lanceolate, quite entire, 

 tomentose beneath, petioled ; peduncles many-flowered, axil- 

 lary. An undershrub, three feet high, upright, simple, round ; 

 flowers yellow, oblong. Native of China, near Canton. 



Bacopa; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogy- 

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

 five-parted : two of the parts oblong, concave, acute ; the two 

 inferior defiex, ovate, acute ; the single superior one broader, 

 roundish, undulated. Corolla : one-petalled ; tube short, to- 

 wards the orifice a little enlarged; border five-parted ; parts 

 ovate-oblong, obtuse, equal, spreading. Stamina: filamenta 

 rive, inserted into the tube of the corolla; antherae sagit- 

 tate. PMl: germen ovate, compressed, below incrusted 

 by the calix growing to it ; style short ; stigma headed. 

 Pericarp .- capsule one-celled. Seeds : many, extremely small. 

 ESSEXTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla-, with a short tube, spread- 

 ing at top. Stamina : inserted into the tube of the corolla. 



Stigma .- headed. Capsule : one-celled. The only species 



known, is, 



1. Bacopa Aquatica. This plant puts forth several cylin- 



VOL. I. 11. 



dric, succulent, knotty stems ; leaves opposite, stem- clasping, 

 or rather connate, thick, oblong, concave, sharp, smooth ; 

 flowers solitary, peduncled, alternate from the axils : below 

 the calix there stands a pair of fleshy bractes on the long 

 peduncle ; corolla blue. It puts forth roots from the knots, 

 both as it runs along the ground, and as it lies on the sur- 

 face of the water. Native of the island of Cayenne, on the 

 borders of rivulets, flowering and fruiting in December. 

 TheFrench inhabitants call it herbe aux brulures, on account 

 of its efficacy in curing burns. 



Bactris ; a genus of the class Monoacia, order Hexandria. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Male Flower. Calix: spathe uni- 

 versal, one-leafed ; spadix branched ; perianth one-leafed, 

 three-parted, small; parts lanceolate, concave, coloured. 

 Corolla : one-petalled, three-cleft ; tube short ; clefts ovate, 

 acute, erect. Stamina: filamenta six, subulate, erect, of the 

 length of the corolla, inserted into the middle of the tube; 

 antherae oblong, incumbent. Female flowers, few in the 

 same spadix, intermixed with the male ones. Calix: spathe 

 the same as in the males ; perianth one-leafed, bell-shaped, 

 three-toothed, sharp-pointed, coloured, very small, perma- 

 nent. Corolla: one-petalled, erect, three-toothed, permanent. 

 Pistil: germen ovate, large; style very short ; stigmaheaded, 

 obscurely three-cleft. Pericarp : drupe coriaceous, round- 

 ish, fibrous, succulent, sharp-pointed with the style. Seed : 

 nut roundish, depressed on each side, marked on the sides 

 with three holes; kernel solid. ESSENTIAL CHAHACTKR. 

 Male. Calix : three-parted. Corolla : one-petalled, three- 

 cleft. Stamina : six. Female. Calix : one-leafed, three- 

 toothed. Corolla: one-petalled, three-toothed. Stigma: 



obscurely three cleft. Drupe: coriaceous. The species 



are, 



1. Bactris Minor. Fruit roundish ; root creeping; flowers 

 without scent, very slightly tinged with yellow; fruit dark 

 purple, the size of a common cherry, containing an acid juice, 

 of which the Americans make a sort of wine. They are also 

 eaten raw, but are not pleasant. Canes are made of the stem, 

 which are dark coloured, shining, jointed, and very light. 

 Native of Carthagena in South America. 



2. Bactris Major. Fruit ovate. This commonly grows 

 to the height of twenty-five feet, and the trunk to two inches 

 or more in diameter. Fruit the form and size of an egg, 

 acuminate with the style, fibrous, succulent, covered with a 

 dark purple coriaceous coat, of which the natives make a 

 vinous liquor. The nut is large, of a dark colour, ovate- 

 oblong, with an acuminate trifid apex, and three obscure 

 holes, two above the middle, and the third higher ; kernel 

 oblong, blunt at both ends, cartilaginous, solid. Native of 

 Carthagena in South America. 



Bceckia ; a genus of the class Octandria, order Mono- 

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

 funnel-form, five-toothed, permanent. Corolla: petals five, 

 roundish, patulous, inserted into the calix. Stamina: fila- 

 menta eight, of which six are equal, two solitary, very short, 

 bent in ; antherae subovate, small. Pistil: germen roundish; 

 style filiform, shorter than the corolla; stigma capitate. 

 Pericarp: capsule globular, crowned, four-celled, four- 

 valved. Seeds : roundish, angular on one side. ESSENTIAL 

 CHARACTER. Calix: funnel-form, five-toothed. Corolla: 



five-petalled. Capsule: globular, four-celled, crowned.- 



The only species belonging to this genus, hitherto dis- 

 covered, is, 



1 Baeckia Frutescens. This is a shrub, which has the ha- 

 bit of Southernwood, with wand like branches, and apposite 

 short simple twigs; leaves opposite, linear, sharp, smooth, 

 quite entire ; flowers axillary, solitary, on a naked peduncle 

 2S 



