490 



ELL 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



ELY 



have taken root, when they must have a large share of fresh 

 air admitted to them in warm weather, besides requiring to 

 he frequently refreshed with water. The species are, 



1. Elephantopus Scaber ; Rough-leaved Elephant's Foot. 

 Leaves oblong, scabrous. This from its perennial root sends 

 out many oblong rough leaves, which spread near the ground ; 

 between these in the spring arises a branching stalk, little 

 more than a foot high ; the side-branches are short, and 

 generally terminated by two heads of flowers, each on a short 

 peduncle ; the florets are of a pale purple colour. Accord- 

 ing to Dr. Browne, in the East Indies it is accounted a good 

 vulnerary, and is much used in consumptive cases ; the leaves 

 are frequently used instead of Carduus Benedictus, among the 

 inhabitants of the French West India islands. If this plant 

 be set in a pot, and sheltered in the winter from frosts, it 

 may be preserved for several years, and will flower annually. 

 Native of the East Indies, in moist shady places. 



2. Elephantopus Tomentosus; Woolly-leaved Elephant's 

 Tooth. Leaves ovate, tomentose ; root-leaves four inches long 

 and three broad, having many transverse nerves ; they spread 

 Hat on the ground, and from among them rises a stiff stalk 

 about a foot high, dividing into several branches, and termi- 

 nated by two flowers composed of several florets, enclosed in 

 a four-leaved involucre, having two of the leaflets alternately 

 larger than the two others; this involucre being longer than 

 the florets, they do but just appear within the two larger 

 leaves ; and the flowers make little appearance. Native of 

 .South Carolina. 



3. Elephantopus Spicatus. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, ser- 

 rate, scabrous ; bundles of flowers sessije, lateral ; stem 

 branched. It generally rises to the height of fifteen or twenty 

 inches, sometimes more; the common receptacles of the 

 flowers rise singly from the axils of the upper leaves, and 

 seem disposed in the form of a spike, but there are seldom 

 more than four florets in each ; the seeds are crowned with 

 four little bristles. Native of Jamaica, Hispaniola, and 

 Guiana: biennial. 



4. Elephantopus Angustifolius. Stem-leaves linear-lanceo- 

 late, entire, villose; flowers glomerate, in sessile and pedun- 

 cled bundles. Stem simple ; root large, oblong, whence rises 

 a single, round, striated, hollow stalk, about two feet high, 

 having sessile leaves set on it alternately, the lower part 

 whereby they are joined to the stalk having a membrane en- 

 closing it; they are about five inches long, and half an inch 

 broad near the top where broadest, and round, are of a pale 

 green colour, and wrinkled; towards the top the flowers 

 come out in a spike, enclosed in an involucre of a few dry 

 brown membranes; these are followed by small channelled 

 seeds, having much pappus on them. Native of Jamaica. 



5. Elephantopus Carolinianus. Leaves oval, narrowed at 

 the base, and with the branching stem pilose. Native of 

 Maryland and Virginia. 



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

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

 five-parted; divisions sharp, gaping. Corolla: one-petalled, 

 funnel-form, smaller than the calix ; border five-cleft. Sta- 

 mina : filamenta five, shorter than the tube; antherac round- 

 ish. Pistil: germen roundish ; style filiform, short ; stigma 

 two-cleft, oblong. Pericarp : capsule bag-form, leathery, two- 

 valved, two-celled; the calix then very large, flat, star-form. 

 Seeds: in each cell two, globose, black, hollow-dotted, but 

 one seed over the other, scarcely separated by a transverse 

 partition. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla : funnel-form, 

 narrow; berry dry, two-celled, two-valved. Seeds: two, 

 dotted, placed over each other. The species are, 



1. Ellisia Nyctelea; Cut-leaved Ellisia. Hoot annual; 



stem herbaceous, brittle, dichotonuous very much branched, 

 diffused, prostrate, round ; leaves alternate, petioled, pinna- 

 tifid, during foliation imbricate backwards; the divisions 

 sharp, with a tooth on each side; peduncles opposite to the 

 leaves, one-flowered, spreading, elongated, pubescent; flowers 

 drooping; corolla white, with minute purple dots on the in- 

 side of the divisions; the position of the seeds is singular. 

 It flowers in July and August, and is a native of Virginia. 



2. Ellisia Ambigua. Decumbent and branching; stem, 

 glabrous, somewhat glaucous ; leaves hirsute, lyrate-pinnati- 

 fid, subsessile; segments sublanceolate, angularly toothed or 

 lobed; racemes opposite the leaves, both lateral and terminal ; 

 flowers small, scarcely longer than the calix. Annual. In 

 alluvial soils on the banks of the Missouri. 



Elm. See Ulmus. 



Elymus; a genus of the class Triandria, order Digynia. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : receptacle common, length- 

 ened into a spike; glu.me four-leaved, two-ranked, two sub- 

 ulate leaflets being placed under each spikelet. Corolla : 

 two-valved; valve exterior larger, acuminate, awned, interior 

 flat; nectary two-leaved; leaflets oblong, sharp, ciliate. 

 Stamina: filamenta three, hair-form, very short; antheree 

 oblong, two-cleft at the base. Pistil : germen top-shaped ; 

 styles two, divaricated, hairy, inflected ; stigmas siusple. 

 Pericarp: none; corolla involving the seed. Seed: single, 

 linear, convex on one side, covered. ESSENTIAL CHARAC- 

 TER. Calix: lateral, two-valved, aggregate, many-flowered. 

 For the propagation and culture of plants of this genus, 

 see Grass. The species are, 



1. Elymus Arenarius ; Sea Lyme Grass. Spike upright, 

 close; calices tomentose, longer than the floret; leaves reedy, 

 glaucous or whitish, involute and mucronate, channelled and 

 rigid ; stems two or three feet high and more, strengthened 

 by three or four joints ; spike tomentose, linear, eight or nine 

 inches long, as large, but less compact than a full-sized 

 wheat-ear; spikelets two, straight, two-flowered, awnless. 

 Like Arundo Arenaria, it prevents the sea-sand from blow- 

 ing about, by means of its matted roots. Dr. Withering 

 conjectures, that it may possibly admit of being made into 

 ropes, as the Stipa Tenacissima is in Spain. It is perennial ; 

 flowers from June to August ; and is found on the sea-coast 

 in many parts of Europe. 



2. Elymus Sibiricus ; Siberian Lyme Grass. Spike pen- 

 dulous, close ; spikelets in pairs, longer than the calix ; steins 

 tall, round, and smooth ; leaves moderately broad, and com- 

 monly distinguished by a kind of glaucous powdery com- 

 plexion on the under sides ; the awns are moderately long, 

 and slightly flexuose. Flowering in June and July. Peren- 

 nial, and a native of Siberia. 



3. Elymus Philadelphicus ; Philadelphia Lyme Grass. 

 Spike pendulous, patulous; spikelets six-flowered, the lower 

 ones tcrnrte. This strongly resembles the following- species : 

 perennial. Native of Philadelphia. 



4. Elymus Canadensis ; Canadian Lyme Grass. Spike nod- 

 ding, patulous ; lower spikelets ternate, upper binate. The 

 leaves of this species are bluish, especially underneath; the 

 awns also of the corolla, when the seed is ripening, from 

 spreading become reflex, which in the other species is not 

 common. It is perennial ; flowers in July and August ; and 

 is a native of Canada and Virginia. 



5. Elymus Caninus ; Bearded or Dog's Lyme Grass, or 

 Wheat Grass. Spike nodding, close ; spikelets straight, with- 

 out any involucre, the lowest double; leaves bare of hairs 

 underneath; sheaths smooth. It is perennial, and flowers 

 in June and July. It is found in woods and hedges in the 

 north of England, and between Greenwich and Woolwich ; 



