180 



NYC 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



N YlVf 



are properly weeded and kept clean after that period. 

 Season of Planting. For the deciduous kinds, from the 

 middle of February to the middle of March is considered 

 the most eligible season; and for the evergreens, from the 

 middle of July to the middle of August; taking advantage 

 of wet or cloudy weather, and frequently watering in hot 

 dry weather, till the plants have struck root perfectly. The 

 plants of all descriptions should be carefully kept clean from 

 weeds in the summer months; and the interstices of all the 

 rows, which stand over a year, be pointed in with a narrow 

 spade, in any of the winter months, taking care not to injure 

 the roots of the plants in the operation. With respect to 

 pruning, the evergreens must not be touched, unless they 

 put forth rival stems or leaders ; in which case the weakest 

 must be displaced. The Larch is to be treated in the same 

 manner. All branches of the deciduous kinds, which 

 seem to rival the stem in size, or take upon them the office 

 of leaders, are to be cut clean off by the bole with a sharp 

 knife. This is the general management which is necessary 

 to be noticed here. See Planting. 



Nut, Bladder. See Staphylaea. 



Nut, Cashew. See Anacardium. 



Nut,. Cocoa. See Cocos. 



Nut, Earth. See Arachis. 



Nut, Malabar. See Justicia Adhatoda. 



Nutmeg Tree. See Myristica. 



Nut, Physic. See Jatropha. 



Nut, Common Hazel. See Corylus. 



Nut, Poison. See Strychnos. 



Nux Vomica. See Strychnos. 



Nyctanthes; a genus of the class Diandria, order Mono- 

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

 leafed, tubular, truncate, quite entire, permanent. Corolla: 

 one-petalled, salver-shaped; tube cylindric, the length of the 

 calix ; border five-parted, spreading, with the lobes two- 

 lobed. Stamina : filamenta two, in the middle of the tube, 

 very short; antherse oblong, the length of the tube. Pistil: 

 germen superior, subovate; style filiform, the length of the 

 tube; stigmas two, acute. Pericarp: capsule obovate, com- 

 pressed, with an emarginated dagger-point, coriaceous, two- 

 celled, bipartite; cells parallel, appressed, valveless. Seeds: 

 solitary, obovate, convex on one side, flat on the other, 

 fastened to the bottom of the cell. Observe. The corolla 

 appears for the most part to be five-parted ; but it is some- 

 times six or seven parted, and Linneus observed it to be 

 four-parted. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: salver- 

 shaped, with truncated segments. Capsule: two-celled, 



margined. Seeds: solitary. The plants of this genus 



may be cultivated in the same manner as the Jasminum Sam- 

 bac, to which the reader is referred. The species are, 



1. Nyctanthes Arbor tristis; Square-stalked Nyctanthes. 

 Stem four-cornered; leaves ovate-acuminate; pericarp mem- 

 branaceous, compressed ; branches four-cornered. Trunk 

 from one to two feet diameter ; branches square and knotty : 

 leaves opposite, ovate, pointed, entire, rugged; flower-stalks 

 axillary, opposite, solitary, terminated by three small bunches 

 of flowers, of a white or yellowish colour, like those of Jas- 

 min, and very fragrant at night. Native of sandy deserts in 

 the East Indies. 



2. Nyctanthes Undulata; Wave-leaved Nyctanthes. Leaves 

 ovate-acuminate, waved ; branches round. This shrub attains 

 to the height of a man. The young shoots are hairy; flowers 

 white, three or five together ; fruit superior, smooth, and 

 black, like a small cherry, with a thin skin, and a soft, dark, 

 red, sweetish pulp, containing a round hairy seed. Native 

 of the East Indies, where it is much cultivated on account 



of the sweetness of the flowers, which are worn by the 

 females to ornament their hair. 



3. Nyctanthes Hirsuta; Hairy Nyctanthes. Petioles and 

 peduncles villose. This is a tall tree, with a thick trunk of 

 a close white wood, covered with a dark purple, smooth, 

 inodorous, insipid bark; leaves opposite, decussated, acu- 

 minate, soft, smooth, shining, dark green above, on round, 

 rufous, lanuginous petioles ; flowers on the more tender 

 branches, on long, rufous, lanuginous peduncles, from the 

 axils of the leaves three or four or more together, white, smell- 

 ing very sweet, opening during the night, and fading at sun- 

 rise. Native of the East Indies and China. 



4. Nyctanthes Angustifolia ; Narrow-leaved Nyctanthes. 

 Leaves obtuse-lanceolate, and ovate. This is compared with 

 the Jasminum Sambac by Rheede. It has a very fine smell, 

 and flowers in June and July. Native of Malabar. 



5. Nyctanthes Elongata; Long-leaved Nyctanthes. Leaves 

 cordate, lanceolate-ovate, elongated and smaller; branches 

 round. Native of the East Indies. 



6. Nyctanthes Viminea. Branches round, elongated; 

 leaves ovate-acuminate ; peduncles axillary, one-flowered ; 

 terminating ones three-flowered. This shrub has weak, 

 smooth, osier-like branches. The flowers are white, double, 

 terminating, one or two together, three times as large as 

 those of the Sambac, handsomer, but not so fragrant. 

 Native of China and Cochin-china. 



7. Nyctanthes Pubescens. Branches round, hirsute ; leaves 

 cordate, pubescent on both sides ; flowers in bundles at the 

 ends of the branches. Native of the East Indies. 



NympTuca; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth inferior, of 

 four, or five, or six, large leaves, coloured above, permanent. 

 Corolla: petals numerous, often fifteen, placed on the sides of 

 the germen, in more than one row; nectary globose, sessile, in 

 the middle of trie stigma. Stamina : filamenta numerous, often 

 seventy, flat, curved, blunt, short; antheree oblong, fastened to 

 the margin of the filamenta. Pistil: germen ovate, large ; style 

 none ; stigma orbiculate, flat, many-cleft, rayed, crenate at the 

 edge, permanent. Pericarp: berry hard, ovate, fleshy, rude, 

 narrowed at the neck, crowned at the top, many-celled, (cells 

 from ten to fifteen,) full of pulp. Seeds: very many, roundish. 

 Observe. The second species differs from the rest in having a 

 five-leaved calix, with roundish leaflets, and the petals very 

 small. The sixth species has the pericarp turbinate, truncate, 

 with one seed in each cell, the cells opening by their proper 

 holes along the disk. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four, 

 five, or six leaved. Corolla: many-pe tailed. Berr;/: many- 

 celled, truncated. These are herbaceous perennial plants, 

 with long tuberous roots ; leaves alternate, on a very long 

 petiole, half-sheathing, below floating; peduncles long, naked 

 like scapes, one-flowered; flowers large, emerging; germen 

 and stigma approaching to the Poppy. The species are, 



1. Nymphsea Advena; Three-coloured Water Lily. Leaves 

 cordate, quite entire ; lobes divaricate ; calix six-leaved, 

 longer than the petals; petioles half round, commonly 

 erected above the water. It flowers in July. Native of 

 North America. 



2. Nymphsea Lutea; Yellow Water Lily. Leaves cor- 

 date-entire; lobes approximating; calix five-leaved, longer 

 than the petals. The leaves are smooth, plane, except that 

 they turn up a little at the edge to keep off the water, tough 

 and pliant, ten or twelve inches in diameter, floating, ovate, 

 or nearly orbicular, bright green above, paler underneath, 

 with branched raised nerves or veins ; petioles smooth, three- 

 sided, their length depending on the depth of water. The 

 case is the same with the nedunolp. which alwavs elevates 



