B A U 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



B E A 



103 



Batis ; a genus of the class Dioecia, order Triandria. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Male. Calix : ament pyramidal; 

 scales one-flowered, four-fold, imbricate. Corolla: none. 

 Stamina.- filamenta four, erect, longer than the scales of the 

 ament. Antherae oblong, twin, incumbent. Ftmale, on a 

 separate plant. Calif : ament common, fleshy, containing 

 some floscules congloberated into an ovate quadrangular 

 body ; involucre two-leaved. Corolla : none. Pistil : ger- 

 men quadrangular, fastened to the ament; style none; stigma 

 two-lobed, obtuse, villose. Pericarp . berry conjoined with 

 the rest, one-celled. Seeds : four, triangular, acuminate. 

 ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Male : ament four-fold, imbri- 

 cate. Calix and Cornlln : none. Female : ament ovate ; in- 

 volucre two-leaved. Calix and Corolla : none. Stigma two- 

 lobed, sessile. Berries conjoined, four-seeded. The only 



known species is, 



1. Batis Maratima. This is a shrub about four feet high; 

 steins brittle, round, ash-coloured ; fruits yellow, or greenish- 

 yellow. The whole plant is very salt to the taste ; and it is 

 burnt for barilla at Carthagena, &c. Native of the Caribbee 

 islands, and the neighbouring continent. It is very common 

 in all the salt-marshes on the south side of Jamaica. 



Bauhinia ; a genus of the class Decandria, order Mono- 

 ' gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Cain: perianth oblong, 

 gaping longitudinally on the lower side, reclining on the 

 other, gaping also five ways at the base, with five cohering 

 leaflets above, deciduous. Corolla: petals five, oblong, 

 waved with attenuated reflected tops, expanding ; the lower 

 ones a little larger, the upper one more distant, all with claws 

 placed on the calix. Stamina : filamenta ten, declining 

 shorter than the corolla ; the tenth much the longest. An- 

 therae ovate, always on the tenth, seldom on the rest. Pistil: 

 germen oblong, sitting on a pedicle ; style filiform, declining; 

 stigma obtuse, rising. Pericarp : legume long, subcolumnar, 

 one-celled. Seeds: many, roundish, compressed, placed 

 according to the length of the legume. ESSENTIAL CHA- 

 KACTER. Calix: five-cleft, deciduous. Petals; expanding, 

 oblong, with claws, the upper one more distant, all in- 

 serted into the calix. These plants being all natives of hot 

 countries, will not thrive in England unless they are kept in 

 the bark-stove. They are propagated by seed, which must 

 be procured from the countries where they grow naturally, 

 for they do not perfect their seeds in England. As these 

 plants frequently flower in winter, they deserve a place in 

 the stove. The species are, 



1 . Bauhinia Scandens ; Climbing Mountain Ebony. Stem 

 cirrhiferous ; rising with many slender stalks, which put out 

 tendrils, and fasten themselves to the neighbouring trees. 

 It is a native of both Indies, but has not produced flowers in 

 England. The flowers are at first whitish, but turn to a 

 yellowish colour. 



1. Bauhinia Aculeata ; Prickly -stalked Mountain Ehony. 

 An erect inelegant shrub ; with the trunk and branches 

 prickly : leaves roundish, with two roundish blunt lobes, 

 nine-nerved, prickly. It rises to the height of sixteen or 

 eighteen feet in Jamaica, where, as well as in the other sugar 

 inlands, it grows plentifully. The stalks are terminated by 

 several long spikes of yellow flowers, which are succeeded by 

 bordered pods, about three inches long, containing two or 

 three swelling seeds ; these pods are glutinous, and have a 

 strong balsamic scent, as have also the leaves when bruised ; 

 whence, from its strong odour, the Americans call it the 

 Indian Savin-tree. 



3. Bauhinia Divaricata ; Dwarf Mountain Ebony. Leaves 

 smooth ; lobes divaricated, acute, two-nerved ; petals lanceo- 

 late. This is a low shrub, seldom rising more than five or 



six feet high, dividing into several branches Flowers in (i 

 simple upright raceme ; corolla white. The flowers have a 

 very agreeable scent, appear most part of the summer, and 

 are one of the greatest beauties of the hot-house. The pods 

 are taper, about four inches long, and contain four or five 

 dark-coloured seeds. It flowers from June till September, 

 and grows naturally in great plenty on the north side of the 

 island of Jamaica. This sort has several times produced 

 pods in the Chelsea garden, but they have never come to 

 maturity. The seeds should be brought over in their pods -, 

 which will preserve them good. These must be sown in pots 

 filled with light fresh earth, and plunged into a moderate hot- 

 bed of tanner's-b'ark ; if the seeds be good, the plants will 

 come up in about six weeks, and in a month after will be fit 

 to transplant, when they should be carefully shaken out of 

 the seed-pod, so as not to injure the roots, and each planted 

 into a separate small pot filled with light loamy earth, and 

 plunged into the hot-bed again, being careful to shade them 

 until they have taken fresh root ; after which they should 

 have fresh air admitted to them every day in warm weather. 

 In the autumn they must be placed in the bark-stove, and 

 treated in the same way as other tender exotics, giving them 

 but little water in winter. 



4. Bauhinia Ungulata. Leaves ovate ; lobes parallel ; stem 

 smooth, dividing into many small branches, terminated by 

 loose bunches of white flowers. Native of America. 



5. Bauhinia Variegata ; Variegated Mountain Ebony. 

 Calices one-leafed, bursting ; petals sessile, ovate ; lobes of 

 the leaves ovate obtuse. The flowers are large, and grow in 

 loose panicles at the extremity of the branches, of a purplish 

 red colour, marked with white, and the bottom yellow. It 

 grows naturally in both Indies. 



6. Bauhinia Purpurea ; Purple Mountain Ebony. Leaves 

 subcordate, two-parted, rounded, tomentose underneath A 

 tall tree. The corolla is of a very red purple. Native of 

 the East Indies, where it flowers the whole year. 



7. Bauhinia Tomeutosa ; Downy Mountain Ebony . Leaves 

 cordate; lobes semiorbiculate, tomentose. Flower yellowish- 

 white scentless. Native of the East Indies. 



8. Bauhinia Acuminata ; Sharp-leaved Mountain Ebony. 

 Leaves ovate ; lobes acuminate, semiovate ; flowers bell- 

 shaped, pure white. Native of the East Indies. 



9. Bauhinia Marginata. Stem prickly; leaves cordate wltt 

 round lobes, tomentose underneath. The flowers grow at 

 the extremity of the branches, two or three together, large, 

 and of a dirty white colour. Native of New Spain. 



10. Bauhinia Rotundata. Stem prickly ; leaves subcor- 

 date, two-parted, rounded ; flowers scattered, large, and 

 white. Native of Carthagena in New Spain 



11. Bauhinia Aurita ; Long-eared Mountain Ebony. 

 Leaves subtransverse at the base; lobes lanceolate, por- 

 rected, three-nerved ; petals lanceolate. Native place un- 

 known. It flowers in September. 



12. Bauhinia Porrecta ; Smooth Broad-leaved Mountain 

 Ebony. Leaves cordate ; lobes porrected, acute, three- 

 nerved ; petals lanceolate. This tree rises to about fifteen 

 feet in height, with several straight trunks. The wood is 

 very hard, and veined with black ; whence its name of Ebony. 

 It grows on the hills in Jamaica, and flowers in July. 



13. Bauhinia Candida ; White-leaved Mountain Ebony. 

 Leaves cordate, pubescent underneath ; lobes ovate, obtuse ; 

 calices attenuated upwards, and elongated. It flowers in 

 May and June ; and is a native of the East Indies. 



Bay. See Laurus. 



Bay, Loblolly. See Gordonia. 



Bead Tree. See Melia. 



